That Weird Star Wars/Muppet Show Crossover

Ah Star Wars Day. What to watch? The nine movies? The well done animated series? The Disney+ TV series? Hey about this...

The Muppet Show?? Well yes, as a matter of fact. Ok I dont think this is a big secret but yes on Feb 23, 1980 rather than just having Mark Hamill as a guest the creatoes went all out and did a full fledged Star Wars show. I guess if I was George Lucas I'd want to repay Frank Oz (and Jim Henson) for Yoda any way I could too. I've mentioned this once or twice but in honor of Star Wars Day let's run down this silly episode and see if it holds up.

Reconsidering "The Great Muppet Caper"

When it comes to the Muppet theatrical movies they are hit or miss for me.

The Muppet Movie-A little slow, relies way to much on cameos but the good moments make it worth it. Also, a good origin movie, to this day we still have never gotten another "how the Muppets met" story (Muppet Babies doesn't count).

Muppets Take Manhattan-I loved this movie as a kid it has charm and some sad moments too. The ending is pointless but ok.

Muppets in Space-Awful

Muppet Christmas Carol & Treasure Island-I have no major issues they are both fine

The Muppets-Yeah, I had issues when it came out but overall not bad.

Muppets Most Wanted-Winner of the "trying way to hard" award

But wait, I missed one! Which? Well....

Of course!! The one movie I can't seem to remember!

Yeah for sone reason the second movie is the one black hole for these movies for me. If I saw it, I don't remember it. Of course, I know what it's about and have seen scenes from it over the years, but it raises the question-- Why did it either leave no impact when I saw it or not interest ne enough to check it out? I can't believe I didn't see a Muppet movie at 7 years old! Since this is the 40th anniversary of the movie I decided to finally watch it and see if I could find out what the issue is.

A (Brief) Look at Muppet Haunted Mansion

 

So I just watched the latest Muppet production which premiered on Disney+ a few weeks ago. Since it was a Halloween special, I had to check it out. And since it just premiered, I will keep this short and as spoiler free as I can. So what is the plot? Gonzo and Pepe accept a challenge to stay at a haunted mansion all night on Halloween. Yeah, that's about it. This special isn't really story heavy, things just kind of happen though it does try for character development toward the end. Does that mean it's bad? No but it could have been better, Pretty much every Muppet appears although most are just brief cameo's. The special does try to keep the Muppet spirit alive with homages to the Muppet Show, 4th wall jokes, and some songs. I thought the songs were unnecessary but they aren't bad. And they also did a great job with the Haunted Mansion, not only does it resemble the Disney ride but there are even lines of dialogue taken from the ride itself. You can feel them trying to be a traditional Muppet production but the creators still don't get why we loved the classic stuff. The end kind of meanders to its conclusion. Will Arnett is good and most of the cameo's are very fast and pointless. Except for Taraji Henson who comes into the story way to late and I didn't care about her at all. Another gripe is that the special continues the ongoing quest by the Muppet performers to elevate Pepe to top tier Muppet. For reasons that will forever escape me! And I continue to hate Matt Vogel's awful Kermit The Frog voice. It's just painful to listen to. All gripes aside, there is nothing really wrong with the special and it even manages some legitimately creepy imagery here and there. It's perfectly serviceable as a Muppet Halloween Special, especially compared to other Muppet productions I can name, throwing more than enough imagery and spooky atmosphere to make this a nice way to kill an hour at Halloween time. 

My Favorite Characters-Kermit, The Frog

So let's move on from the world of sitcoms to another genre. One of the greatest characters I've loved for ages isn't a man or woman. He started out as a puppet made from an old raincoat. A green raincoat. How can a puppet mange to be one of the best characters ever? Let's talk about...

Kermit The Frog

Kermit is "just a frog", as he himself would put it, but he's really so much more. Now to be fair, the his early days on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show his characters wasn't as defined. In those days he was pretty much the straight man in a world of insanity. Trying desperately to keep it under control. Of course you go further back to when he got started, he doesn't even resemble the character we know today.

A Look at Star Wars Homages in TV & Movies

Star Wars is awesome!! It’s truly amazing how much a part of pop culture this franchise is. Especially considering it’s not really that old. Well, compared to others anyway. It’s such a part of pop culture it only makes sense that references and homages find there way into movies and TV that have NOTHING to do with Star Wars at all. For instance, Toy Story 2 is about as removed from Star Wars as you can get but that doesn’t stop them from referencing it especially since Emperor Zurg is sort of a Darth Vader knock off:

That’s what I wanted to go thru today. These aren’t little Easter eggs you can barely see, but scenes referencing lines and characters from the movie all the way to flat out homages and parodies! It was supposed to be just ten but..yeah, right. To be honest this list almost ballooned out of control! Let’s begin, in no particular order :

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

This may be the most out there one. During the movie we cut to a scene showing what the garage guys were doing to Cameron’s car. They needed a big fanfare in this scene. What did they choose? What else!!!

Five Reasons I love "It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie"

The Muppet movies tend to be easily categorized. The original three which are classics, though "Manhattan" is kind of the weakest. The horrible one's like Muppet's in Space and Muppet Wizard of Oz. The fan favorites like Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island. And of course the two recent installments which are pretty damn good. But this TV movie from NBC doesn't seem to fit any category. It never gets mentions or talked about, but I don't think anyone hates it per se. For me it's a guilty pleasure that I watch every year.


The Plot? Well if you know "It's a Wonderful Life" then you can probably guess the plot. The Muppets need money to save there theater, Despite getting it in time Fozzie proceeds to lose the money which causes Kermit to have an existential crisis. It's only the intervention of a kind angel that reminds him what's really important. So, let's take a closer look at the five reasons I love "A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie".

1.Nostalgia
This is one of the few Muppet movies that remembers that The Muppet Show existed. Why is that? Even "The Muppets" didn't do as good a detailed job recreating that ole studio the way this one recreated it. They got the stage right and auditorium but the backstage felt larger in scale and not quite right, the recreation in "Very Merry" is just beautifully done. It's just like it was on the show! The Moulin Rouge parody is one of the best things in the movie, it does feel like something out of the old show even if the number is a tad dated today. A lot of care was clearly put into those moments.

Random Thoughts-The Muppets

If you haven’t watched the new Muppets TV series yet, spoilers below. Be warned.



I was kind of hyped about The Muppets coming back to TV. The last series they did was Muppets Tonight which, while I was not a big fan, wasn’t the worst thing in the world either. Tonight’s show might be. I just watched and had some random thoughts I decided I had to share, mostly to see if anyone else watched and what they think. So, here we go.




I can live with The Muppets being darker. I love The Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and there are darker elements in that movie. But the Muppet charm still shines through. This show….I don’t know what the thought process was.



Ok, fairness time. The idea is good. Piggy hosts her own night time talk show and we see the behind the scenes antics (ala 30 Rock). Fine, but why did they have to go on step further and include the personal lives of The Muppets? It’s like, as another critic noted, The Larry Sanders Show minus the swearing.


Here is the big question. Why are The Muppets so mean? Kermit is a negative whiner, Piggy is just a bitch not to mention a huge egomaniac, Fozzie is…the same but his story about dating a human girl is just icky. Even Scooter has an attitude! What the hell, Scooter is one of the easiest going Muppets ever! Did I mention the adult jokes (which no kid would understand to be fair, but seriously an AA joke?)? And before everyone screams there have always been adult jokes with The Muppets, yes that’s true but they were accompanied by funny bits and I didn’t see anything funny in this.

Top 15 Favorite Muppet’s (plus a few I Hate!)

 

In the past I have done several Muppet articles, but all have been about the various TV shows and Movies the characters have been in. I have never really go into the characters I liked, and why i like them. Ok a few times one or two would pop up in another list, but it didn’t cover every Muppet and it didn’t go into detail. So today, I wanted to rectify that. I present to you my favorite characters out of all the amazing creations that have come out of Jim Henson Productions.



Not every Jim Henson production involves Muppets. For instance the 90’s show Dinosaurs was Jim Henson but those weren’t Muppets. Though I loved Baby Sinclair. And while Fragile Rock does count, I never watched the show so sadly none of them will appear. And no animated stuff like The Muppet Babies, live action only. So this list includes The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and all Muppet movies.



Why 15? Did you really think I could limit this to 10? It went up to 12 and then 14.





#15.Robin

This is one of the sweetest characters ever. He is just adorable and innocent, how can you not love him? Honestly I almost put Rizzo here, but while Rizzo is funny he doesn’t have the legacy behind him that Robin does. Though he has kind of faded, in fact both Rizzo and Robin appear in Muppet’s Most Wanted to call out there lack of a role in “The Muppets”. Robin is Kermit’s nephew, and I love the relationship between the two. His best role may have been in the John Denver Holiday Special, which I reviewed already, or as Tiny Tim in The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Special TV-Elmopalooza!

I loved Sesame Street as a kid. And I am thankful that I got to experience it when I did. Why? Because when I watched it, there was no Elmo! Yep, he hadn’t been invented yet. I’m not saying I hate Elmo, I just think he is a little overexposed. I mean does he need a fifteen minute segment in every episode? How is there time for the regular Sesame Street stuff? It’s probably crammed in now, and I do know they at least have the other characters walk on to “Elmo’s World”. And the stuff is there while I do not watch (being, well, 40) I do know they did a Game of Thrones parody as well as turning Super Grover into Iron Grover, But, what is it with all the Elmo stuff? Why not just do a spin-off show? It’s gotten so bad I’m surprised Sesame Street wasn’t renamed “Elmo’s Sesame Street”.

 

I talked about Elmo’s Christmas Countdown awhile back, which is really awful and very disappointing. But almost ten year’s earlier, Elmo was the center of yet another special. It’s a a perfect example for how much Elmo was slowly taking over Sesame Street, airing February 20, 1998 on ABC. It was billed as an all-star celebration of 30 years of songs and laughs on Sesame Street, with Jon Stewart and many big celebrities. Guess who was the center of the special? The title makes it clear :

I mean, why not “Sesame Street-Palooa” or something? But does that mean it was as bad as the Christmas Countdown, or was it at least decent anyway? Let’s talk about it.

Random Thoughts-Muppet Most Wanted

Wait….didn’t this movie come out months ago? Um…..let’s pretend that I am re posting this because of the new site and that I didn’t wait nearly six months to watch it on pay per view. Yeah…that works for me.

So, I finally got to see the long awaited sequel to The Muppets. Honestly, I have a lot of pressure on me here. As some may remember when The Muppet’s came out, I roasted it and the article got much deserved hatred. So I want to do this latest movie justice and give an honest impression of it. I have to stress, this all opinion! Oh and there may be spoilers if you’ve never seen it. What did I think?


Eh, it was ok. Honestly this movie makes me want to apologize to The Muppets for being so hard on it. Because while I hated the love story in that movie it really was a decent Muppet film. This one….had it’s moments. But for the most part, to be honest, I was bored. It really is just like The Great Muppet Caper, a decent Muppet film with nothing that really stood out or made it great. The gags were funny, and some even made me laugh.  The stuff with Kermit in the Gulag was good but went on to long. Constantine was actually a decent villain believe it or not, even though the idea that none of the Muppets could figure out it was Kermit was a stretch. I ordinarily hate Ricky Gervais but I liked him here. And the plot was actually kind of well thought out and clever, for a Muppet movie anyway. The stuff with Walter was well done especially the way and Fozzie worked off each other. And that final fight and helicopter scene was pretty decent even if Piggy never did her classic Hi-Yah!!

Special TV-Muppet Letters to Santa

Remember a few months ago I did an article on John Denver and The Muppets:A Rocky Mountain Holiday? It's dreadfully slow and boring, but I went easy on it and said it was decent. Want to know why? BECAUSE THERE ARE WORST THINGS OUT THERE MY FRIENDS! I give you:

Ok, Ok. It's not the worst thing ever. But it has problems. This came out a few years ago on NBC, and watching it makes me understand why The Muppets don't appear on NBC anymore. Let's take a closer look :

Special TV:John Denver and The Muppets-Rocky Mountain Holiday (1983)

Last week I did an article on Muppet productions which sucked. When it was done I realized I had missed something which could have easily been a seventh slot. So since I can't go back and re do that list, I will just talk about this show here. I give you:

John Denver had a long association with The Muppets. He was on The Muppet Show, did a Christmas special and album with them, and then there was this show. I watched it as a kid....and hated it. Simply, it was boring. For years in fact I mixed this up with the Christmas show, thinking they were one and the same. I always wondered why the Christmas special had a campfire scene. It was my friend Les who straightend me out a few years ago.

It is on YouTube so I decided to give it another look, now thirty years later. So is this special really as bad as I remember, or was I just looking at it through very young eyes? Let's take a look.

 

Top 6 Muppet Productions Best Forgotten

It's time to play the music

It's time to light the lights

t's time to....talk about The Muppets again!

I have talked about how I loved The Muppets. From the fantastic TV show to the great movies. But fair is fair, and not everything the Muppets have touched has been gold. Today I wanted to talk about six Muppets productions which were not so great.In fact, they are best forgotten!

From "it could have been better" to "that just plain sucked", here are 6 Muppet Productions that just did not work IMHO.

#6.Muppets Tonight

Was this the worst thing ever? Heck no. Was it really good? Heck no. This was an attempt to revive The Muppet Show but in a sleeker format...minus the charm that made The Muppet Show so awesome. it had lots of issues. Like, why were the main Muppets barely in it? Kermit made cameos, Fozzie is a total no show. How about the fact Kermit is not the host, instead we got Clifford who was alright but never really clicked for me. It did stick to The Muppet Show formula in many ways, but something always felt missing. Each episode of the Muppet Show had a structure which was absent in this. And the sketches were awful random, sometimes not even coming to a conclusion before we cut away! While it's true it introduced some new characters who have stuck (including Pepe), I've noticed that this whole show has kind of faded from "Muppet canon" if there is such a thing, and maybe that is for the best. It was a good idea but needed some real work. I will give it one thing, the opening theme was really cool!

The Perfect "A Christmas Carol"?

Before I even begin let me state this is just for fun. I amnot a filmmaker or a writer, and not suggesting I know better than the peoplewho created these wonderful films.

Like everyone else. I love A Christmas Carol. And why not?It’s a great story with a strong character and powerful themes. Also likeeveryone, I have my own favorite versions. However, even with the versions Ilike there will be things I lke more in one than another. So I thought I wouldtake all the Christmas Carol versions I like, and pick the moments from eachwhich are superior. Not every version is perfect, even the George C. Scott onewhich I have adored since I was ten. So here are the movies I am including:
 
A Christmas Carol (George C. Scott)
Mickey's Christmas Carol
The Muppet Christmas Carol
   
Before I begin, for the record I hated the Patrick Stewart version, that annoying Albert Finney musical, and don't even get me started onthat god awful 2009 Disney version starring Jim Carey! I know Mr.Magoo's isconsidered a classic but I was never a fan of that cartoon. I was also going to include Scrooged, but decided to just stick with the more traditional versions. I am not comparing characters as much as the overall scene.

Random Thoughts - The Muppets (film)

*****SPOILERS!!!*******

Well, I finally went to see The Muppets today. When news of this movie came out was I was very worried, but then all the praise and critical acclaim started to pour in and I figured the movie would be fantastic. I was wrong.

Am I the only person in the world who didn’t think this movie was great? Now don’t get me wrong, it was good. Better than Muppets in Space, that’s for sure. However, for everything I liked about the movie there was something else I hated. So, I thought I would run through a list of those things. By the way, I wasn’t kidding about there being spoilers here. If you’ve seen the movie, or don’t care, keep on reading.

What I didn’t like:

The first ten minutes. First of all, the scenes at the start of Walter and Gary were just weird. I understand in this world Muppets are accepted along with humans, but how can a human person and a Muppet be brothers? I kept waiting for someone to say Walter was adopted. Their relationship was weird, even having two beds closer together than Bert and Ernie. If these were two humans it would be been odd, making one a Muppet didn’t help. Then, we get a wonderful music number which was great, if the movie was The Music Man. What was this scene doing here anyway?

The Romance Sub-Plot. Gotta say, I couldn’t have cared less if Gary and Mary hooked up. That song Mary has about being by herself, I mean who cares really? The worst thing was that they had to shoehorn that into the ending. It’s a MUPPET movie, who cares if these two hook up? They could have kept this story the exact same if they lost the romantic crap, and maybe given another Muppet something to do. I would have rather seen the whole Muppet gang singing together.

Where are the Muppets? Follow me on this. Yeah, I know Kermit and Piggy got a lot of screen time but where was everyone else? Gonzo practically disappeared by the end, Rizzo wasn’t even in it, even Pepe who I hate deserved more than the quick cameo he got. What about Robin?  We got teased with Muppet Show references, but none of them appeared. Why not a quick Pigs in Space moment, or a classic music number like the show had? The one they did was ruined because they had Jack Black kidnapped and tied up (what was the point of that? Would it have really spoiled the movie to have a celebrity host happy to be there?) They did let Gary and Mary blend into the background a lot, but not enough for me.

The Villain. Talk about a cartoon character. Someone else pointed out that we never get any motivation for why he hates the Muppets so much, which would have been nice. In the original movie Doc Hopper’s motivations are crystal clear. You also felt true dread from him, he wasn’t fooling around. Did anyone really care about the villain in this movie? And his song was SO ANNOYINGLY BAD! The evil Muppets were underdeveloped, and what is with that stupid bear that pops in every movie?

A few more notes. The 4^th wall jokes were annoying, how can we take the movie seriously if they are not?  Jack Black was in it way too much and was annoying, the payoff with Animal was disappointing, and a lot of the songs didn’t work. I didn’t like how they used the montage to speed through reuniting the Muppets, I want to see that not Amy Adams dancing down the street!

Ok, let’s change the tune. Although I do have one more comment but I will save it for a moment.

Things I liked :

Walter. I hated Gary, but Walter was a very good character. Why did we need Gary and Mary? Oops, sorry. Walter’s story really struck a chord with me, I know what it feels like to have no idea who you are or where you belong. It was nice to see him to realize what he was, and find a family dynamic he could belong and be a part of. I was worried about this character, but he totally worked.

Kermit and Piggy. These are the only two Muppets who didn’t get shafted. I loved how they explored their relationship the way they did. Kermit is always shy about his feelings, and it was about time it came up in a movie. Why can’t Kermit tell Piggy how he really feels? Just very well done. And the scene where Piggy sees Kermit again after so many years brought a smile to my face.

The Nostalgia. The song Kermit sings in his house “Pictures in my Head” was so beautiful, it really was. It was a great scene. The old pictures, the mayhem band bus, and then later they recreate the opening to The Muppet Show. It was just great, and brought back some good memories. It was also nice of them to acknowledge that time has passed the Muppets have faded, unlike some reboots they didn’t ignore their history just to get a fresh start (like Star Trek and  DC Comics did).

The Rainbow Connection. What can I say? This was the best scene, ever. The song alone is enough to make one a little misty, but the way they did it here was so great. If I buy the DVD someday, it will be for this scene.

The celebrity cameos were ok. Jim Parson’s appearance was, odd, but it worked too. I didn’t care for that song when it started but it grew on me by the time it was finished. But because of Walter’s story, I didn’t care about Gary’s. I think they made a big mistake making the two characters brothers; friends would have been more believable.

Finally, if you watched Doug’s review you know he talked about the cop out ending. Without giving it a way, I have to say I totally agree with him. The reason I agree with him is because of how they did it, almost like an afterthought. Instead of having a big scene and a satisfying climax, it is squeezed into the closing credits. Oh, but they made sure to show that Gary and Mary got engaged. Thanks goodness, I was so interested in them!

Basically, the movie wasn’t bad but Jason Segal and Amy Adams kind of spoiled it for me. I want to see the Muppets, not them. I won't say I was disappointed because there were some great moments, but it sure wasn't perfect. I’m gonna say something which will shock some, but it’s true. Given a choice, I would rather see A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. It has essentially the same plot, and it treats The Muppet Show with more respect I think.

One last thing, I enjoyed the Toy Story short even if the ending was a bit rushed. Still, it was cute. One last thing I really loved about this movie, it wasn’t in 3-D!! Thank heavens!

Top 5 Favorite Muppet Moments

This was posted about a year ago and since then I have had a chance to rethink my choices. Here is an updated list, My Favorite Muppet Moments

I have grown up with the Muppets. Of course I was a Sesame Street fan so was exposed to Kermit at a very young age. I always remember when I was real young there was some show on that was going to be on way after my bedtime. However, we knew Kermit would be on it at some point. We begged our parents to wake us when he came on so we could see him. Of course, by the time they did we had fallen asleep and didn't care as much.'

I consider myself so lucky that I was just the right age when The Muppet Show was on. I adored this show growing up, and it’s really hard to remember one scene that stood out. Of course it’s hard becausethere are literally dozens of them. However, I had the DVD set awhile back andthe one sketch that made me laugh was that Veterinary Hospital sketch whereRowlf is a doctor and I think Janice is a nurse with Piggy. The one liners weregreat, in one Janice says the patient was there for a stomach ache so Rowlf says“ok then” and take a hammer and pounds him in the stomach. It made me laugh asI wrote this. Probably one of the memorable was the Star Wars episode, how cool was having C3PO and R2DR on a Pigs in Space sketch? The only regret I had is I didn't know who half the guest hosts were at the time, I guess it's good DVD's exist.

So of course when the movies started coming out I had to see them. However, many of the movies fall flat. Especially the later one's. "Muppets from Space" and "The Muppet Wizard of Oz" were awful. Never saw Muppet Treasure Island, and I actually liked A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (may have to do a full review of that in a few months). Yes it was a little dark but still enjoyable. The Great Muppet Caper is forgettable, but "Happiness Hotal" almost made this list.

So what were my favorite Muppet moments from all of their films? Well, here is my list.

#5.Man or Muppet from "The Muppets"-Ok, time to be fair. I was not thrilled with the new movie. I hated the love story and the human actors annoyed me. However, there were some great moments. Pictures in my Head was a beautiful song, the Rainbow Connection scene was great, and then we have this scene. Walter was a very strong character, I really liked him and routed for him. In this scene he realizes that he is a muppet. The lesson is to be true to who you are, and the song and scene is just beautfiul. No wonder at all it won an oscar.

#4.Moving Right Along from The Muppet Movie-How much do I love this song? It’s on my IPod and when it comes on I have to turn the volume up. To be honest most of the songs the Muppet’s sang weren’t memorable.However, this is the exception. This little road song that Kermit and Fonziesing toward the start of the movie so full of energy you can’t help but tapyour feet to it. Of course you can't top The Rainbow Connection, the greatest song ever, but this comes a close a second.

#3. Thankful Heart from .Muppet Christmas Carol-This was a really good movie, a strong enough adaptation of Charles Dickens book with enough Muppet charm in it.Michael Cain was a decent scrooge, and Kermit as Cratchit The songs were great in this movie. Well, ok the love song in the middle is draggy but otherwise they are all great. The final song is my favorite, because it isn't to over the top. Scrogge is happy but not in a cartoonish way like Albert Finney was in his muscical vesion. But the best part  is a quick moment at the end of the song. When the now reformed Scrooge comes to Kermit's door, his wife, played by Piggy, decides to chew him out. She isabout to knock his block off until she realizes Scrooge's real intentions. It'ssuch a great Piggy moment, it always makes me laugh. Tis The Season is a very close second.

#2."I'm Gonna Always Love You"  from "Muppets Take Manhattan"-This was the Muppet movie I loved. The Muppet Movie was so-so, and The Muppet Caper was forgettable (I don't think I ever sat through it to this day). This one was great. From the sad goodbye song, to the search for Kermit later (ok, seeing Kermit hit by a taxi was a tad disturbing), to how Kermit gets his memory back (another great Piggy moment),  It's hard to pick just one scene, but if I had to it would the one where Kermit and Piggy are enjoying a ride through Central Park. Piggy commentson how great it would have been if they had known each other when they were very little and we cut to the cutest song ever with the baby Muppets. It's no wonder the Saturday morning cartoon came out later. If you've never seen it,check it out.There are plenty of other scenes in this movie, especially the wedding at the end, but this one is probably my favorite.

#1.The climax of "The Muppet Move"-This puts a smile on my face every single time I see. Actually I always thought the firstmovie was kind of; well, sad in a way. The idea of Kermit being hunted down and everything. The plot has Kermit trying to get to Hollywood, but Boss Hopper is chasing him because he can use Kermit for his ads whether the frog wants to ornot. Anyway, at the end of the movie Kermit decides to confront Boss Harper.They have a Western style showdown, and just when Harper orders his men to killKermit something amazing happens. One of Dr. Bunsen's inventions,"insta-grow" pills, temporarily turns Animal into a giant who is ableto permanently scare off Hopper and his men. The scene where Animal breaksthrough the roof and looks down at the men, who are terrified, is just one ofthe best moments ever. As they run off, the Muppets celebrate .By the way, The Rainbiw Connection is of course introduced here and while the scene is nothing remarkable, the song remains one of my absolute favorites.

Hope you like this little list; it can’t do justice to how much I love the Muppets. Kermit, Piggy, Rowlf, all of them.  Animal always makes me laugh, and I didn't even get into the other characters like the Sesame Street one's. They have been around my whole life, and will probably always will.