Many of you might not know this, but as a condition of my position here on the ToughPigs writing staff, I am required to, whenever I see a search bar, search the word “Muppet” and share my findings with the other staff members. Doesn’t matter whether it’s Google (10+ pages of results), the catalog of my local public library (56 results), or the privacy policy page for the Walt Disney Company (1 result), I must type the word “Muppet” and tap enter to see what I get. It’s a bit like those gumball machines at the grocery store that contain tiny toys. I’m always excited for what might pop out.
Recently, when I found myself on the website for the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), before I even bothered searching what I’d gone there for, (To check whether “hot dog” could legitimately be spelled as a single word without a space. Answer no, but sometimes hyphenated.) my fingers were already typing “Muppet.” And I was a little surprised at the result.
“A proprietary name for: any of a number of humorously grotesque glove or rod puppets and marionettes, chiefly representing animals, developed by Henson from the earlier puppets, first popularized by the children’s television programme Sesame Street (1969 – ) and more recently in The Muppet Show (1976-80). Also: a toy made to resemble one of these.”
The listing also includes an earlier definition, similar but not exactly the same, which more precisely refers to the Muppets as they existed during their early advertising era, specifically mentioning Wilkins Coffee. See image below:
Seems like a pretty robust definition, right? It references Jim Henson, lists various media in which Muppets can be found, and even provides the relevant dates. One would expect no less from the OED.
For those of you who don’t know, the OED goes a little further than your typical dictionary. Beyond definitions, parts of speech and pronunciation, the OED includes the origin or etymology of words and how they have changed over time. If you have access to their full online resource, you can also find statistics on how common a word is in the English language over its history (Only 0.1 occurrence per million words written in English for the word “Muppet” compared to 1 occurrence per million words written in English for “hot dog”). The OED uses print sources to track both the etymology and the frequency of word usage. As such, it’s always going to be an incomplete history since many words are used first among people speaking, especially the further back in history the word goes. So in some instances, the entry is sort of approximately how it happened.
After I’d found the Muppet definition, I obligatorily shared it with the ToughPigs staff and they were less than pleased with it, finding several points to contend with. First, the definition mentions that Muppets are puppets “chiefly representing animals.” But that’s not true. The definition specifically mentions Sesame Street where, particularly in the early years, the Muppet skit portions were dominated by monsters, grouches, and the more humanoid-shaped Anything Muppets which aren’t what you think of when someone says animals. (I know humans are animals, but would you call Guy Smiley a human puppet compared to say Tamir or Niamh?) And while you also wouldn’t call these creatures vegetables or minerals either, the recognizable dogs, cats, bears, chickens and etc. wouldn’t really become prominent until The Muppet Show where, similarly, plenty of those creatures aren’t animals either. And let’s not forget the Gortch characters.
Second, are the Muppets really “grotesque?” To return to the OED, “grotesque” (4 occurrences per million words) means “characterized by distortion or unnatural combinations; fantastically extravagant; bizarre.” No, you’re never going to see a frog and a bear in nature that are approximately the same size, but what makes these puppets any more bizarre than Charlie McCarthy or the puppets on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood?
And I know you don’t need me to go into how vanishingly few of the Muppets are marionettes.
With these things in mind, the challenge was laid down. Could the staff at ToughPigs write a concise, accurate, and inclusive definition of Muppet? Well, here are our attempts.
Matthew:
What is a Muppet? That’s easy: puppets created by and for Jim Henson’s productions. Done. Wait a minute… The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth were Jim Henson productions. Does this mean that Skeksis are Muppets? Do they even know how to do musical numbers and comedy routines? I don’t think so! Okay, let’s try this again.
What is a Muppet? That’s not too hard: puppets created for Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and their related productions. Wait a minute… Muppet Babies is a related project… oh no, Skeeter! She’s not a puppet, she’s animated! And her physical version was a photo standee! She wouldn’t count! The Muppets Studio would look like fools for including them in their 70th celebration! Andy and Randy were right, this job is too hard.
What is a Muppet? That’s impossible to define. I’d say it’s anyone in A Muppet Family Christmas, but then Doc would be a Muppet, and I don’t think he even has arm rods. So you know what? Anything that can be manipulated is a Muppet. Your kitchen faucet? A Muppet. People who watch those Budweiser commercials with the cute dalmatians? Muppets, all of them. Even this paragraph, which I am manipulating by typing it, is a Muppet. I look forward to hearing ToughPigs’ six-episode podcast on it in the future.
Jarrod:
A puppet character created by Jim Henson, or in the franchise of The Muppets and Sesame Street.
Alternatively: A silly little puppet character created by Jim Henson, that rascally scamp, who made the first one out of his mom’s coat. See also: Vandal (pg. 466)
Beth:
Several years ago a friend DMed me for my expert opinion because one of those “I can assure you he does” memes had caused a debate in his comments about what does and doesn’t count as a Muppet. I replied with the following: Ah, I see you’ve stumbled upon the age-old Taxonomy of Muppets problem. The short answer is: yes and no. Back when Jim Henson was just getting started, all his puppets were called Muppets. And while he was alive, that largely stayed true, even though as he got more and more prolific, there were more styles of puppet that diverged more and more from what we tend to think of as Muppet-style puppets. Since Disney acquired the Muppets, it’s only those characters that can “legally” be called Muppets. But even though different companies have different ownership rights—Sesame and HBO, Fraggle Rock and Apple, etc—they all maintain some degree of relationship with the Jim Henson Company. If someone says “The Muppets” without any context, they could be referring to any of the following:
- the core group of Muppet characters now owned by Disney (legally accurate)
- the 2011 movie with Jason Segel
- the 2015 ABC 1-season sitcom
- any and all puppets ever associated with Jim Henson before or after his death
The last of which is a layman’s term that even us Muppet nerds still use, like I just did. It is a term that will not die, nor do we really want it to. So while it may be more accurate to say “Sesame Street characters” or “Fraggles” or “Dark Crystal creatures,” they are all still Muppets at heart.
Joe:
My real definition of “Muppet”: Family-friendly hand puppets made of foam and fleece, created by Jim Henson or his representatives of The Jim Henson Company.
My too-literal definition of “Muppet”: Characters created for The Muppet Show and its connected franchises, often including the puppets of Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock.
My “um, actually” definitely of “Muppet”: Muppet Show characters. Sesame Street characters, except when they decide not to use that word. Fraggle Rock characters, except when they decide not to use that word. Literally nothing else.
My “who cares?” definition of “Muppet”: Silly puppets make me lol.
My incorrect definition of “Muppet”: Crank Yankers.
Watch Joe be even more pedantic about the meaning of The Muppets:
Ryan:
Define “Muppet?” Easy! It’s any puppet character created by Jim Henson and his collaborators. Plus characters created after Jim’s passing who are legally part of the franchise. Oh, and also Fraggles, even though they’re not legally Muppets anymore. Oh, and you’re allowed to call certain Creature Shop puppets “Muppets” even though they’re technically not really. Hmm, maybe it’s not so easy. But most importantly, Yoda is NOT a Muppet!
J.D.:
a. 1954-1981: Jim Henson’s puppet act, as well as any characters designed for it in an official capacity (or depictions of such characters).
b. 1981-2003: A brand including all characters that fit the above definition; a selection of other characters added to this brand at the discretion of Jim Henson’s company, intended to suggest family-oriented content and distinguish these characters from Henson Creatures; any official depictions of the above characters.
c. 2004-present: All characters that fit the above definitions; additional characters created by Disney’s Muppets Holding Company, LLC or The Muppets Studio; additional puppet characters officially created for Sesame Street or its spin-offs; a selection of additional characters, included at the discretion of Sesame Workshop, in the style of its established characters included under previous definitions; any official depictions of the above characters.
d. Whatever the Muppet Wiki says.
e. Ultimately, whatever the lawyers say.
Conversation with Katilyn’s spouse, Keith:
Keith: A Muppet? It’s a portmanteau of mechanized puppet.
Katilyn: Really? Do you mean marionette and puppet?
Keith: Nah, mechanized. Like those Labyrinth* puppets.
Katilyn: Labyrinth?
Keith: Yeah, with all their shifting eyes and their squawk-y beaks.
Katilyn: Do you mean The Dark Crystal?
Keith: Yeah. That one. But I guess Kermit doesn’t have any of that, does he?
Katilyn: No…
Keith: Hmm. Now I want to make it an acronym. Multi-Use Personal Puppet, ETc?
*Forgive him, reader. His Muppet knowledge is mostly second-hand.
Katilyn:
A person in a position of power, such as a politician, acting in a way that is nonsensical… Oh wait, wrong Muppet.
Fictional characters, usually in the form of puppets of varying shapes, sizes, and forms, originated by Jim and Jane Henson, performed in any media or context that needs to be funnier. Boring business meeting? Add Muppets! Learning your ABC’s? Add Muppets! Watching the same humdrum primetime TV? Add Muppets!
Shane:
“I’ve literally never heard of the Muppets before in my life. I have no idea what the heck any of you are talking about.”
Well reader, what do you think? Do any of our definitions capture the magic that is the Muppets? Can you imagine a more accurate way to describe something so ineffable? Should we mail all of these definitions to the OED and tell them to update their entry? Surely we are the subject matter experts here.
Click here to create a grotesque Muppet hot dog on the ToughPigs’ discord.
By Katilyn Miller – KTLyn@ToughPigs.com
