In case you missed part 1 and part 2, here’s a quick recap: Muppet fans everywhere helped create a list of the top 70 Henson moments of all time. But because 70 isn’t nearly enough, the ToughPigs staff put our brains together to make our own Top 70 Muppet Moments list. And this is part 3!
Did any of your faves make the list? If not, we’ve got two more days after this, so keep an eye out!
“…The goat?” [Muppets From Space]
by Beth Cook
Poor Rentro (played by Bobo). His boss is a myopic, increasingly unhinged jerk trying to (spoiler) steal Gonzo’s brain. As Rentro’s in the middle of making a sandwich—which makes me worry that Singer doesn’t let him take his federally mandated 30-minute lunch break—Singer intercoms him: “The goat.” In that two-second pause, Rentro must be wondering, “What about a goat? Does he want me to bring him a goat? If so, which goat is he asking for? Be more specific, sir!”
“You and I and George” (The Muppet Show)
by Anthony Strand
Rowlf was a headliner with Jimmy Dean, but by the mid-1970s his star had faded. He was reduced to being a background player on some show hosted by Kermit, his old colleague throwing him a bone. But in The Muppet Show’s very first episode, Rowlf woofed back to life. His performance of this novelty song is short, but he precedes with a deadpan monologue about the record’s abysmal sales. I won’t spoil the joke. You should just go watch it, because Rowlf delivered it beautifully. The Muppets’ first big star still had it, and he spent the next five seasons proving it over and over.
All of “The Bells of Fraggle Rock” but especially the end (Fraggle Rock)
by Beth Cook
What can I say about “The Bells of Fraggle Rock” that hasn’t already been said on Fraggle Talk: Classic or in Matthew’s 40 Years Later review or on Advent Calendar House or on Kermitment or anywhere else people discuss great old holiday specials? We love to talk about it because it’s just so good! Too few holiday specials focus on specifically the winter solstice, the natural rhythm of the seasons, holiday disillusionment, and the power of ritual—and this one does it all with adorable Fraggle winterwear, gorgeous music, and a Weeba Beast. Some years you’re a Cantus, some years you’re a Gobo, but that’s exactly why so many Muppet fans keep coming back to it, making it part of our holiday traditions. “The Bells of Fraggle Rock” is guaranteed to thaw a frozen heart, but don’t forget your mittens!
“Mary Had a Bicycle” (Sesame Street)
by Ryan Roe
Some of Sesame Street’s most effective moments teach kids how to do things correctly by showing Muppets doing them incorrectly, in entertainingly stupid ways. Grover is the champion of this schtick, but Don Music might just be the runner-up. “Mary Had a Bicycle” is the quintessential Don Music bit, with Don struggling to write a song that the kids at home already know exists, failing to write the song, and relying on the help of Kermit to finish it with ridiculous new lyrics. It’s so satisfying when the song is complete and the backup singers rush in to sing it… almost as satisfying as when Don bangs his head on the piano!
“Don’t Forget to Watch the Movie”
by Shane Keating
Movie theater pre-shows have gotten so unbearable. But, if I got to see this instead of that Nicole Kidman thing, I wouldn’t mind at all. If you think about it, Baby Natasha was really the Nicole Kidman of the 1990s. Such a trailblazer! Anyway, this is a fun musical short that crams in a lot of characters and funny jokes in a really short time. Go watch it before every movie you stream!
The Rhyming Game (Sesame Street)
by Jarrod Fairclough
Remember back when Sesame Street scripts were more seen as “suggestions”? Jim and Frank really took that and ran when it came to Ernie and Bert sketches. While there are some performers who would have made a mistake and ended the take, instead here Jim makes an error and he and Frank roll with it. Of course, I’m talking about “What, what, hmm?” and Bert’s response. Sure, this is a funny sketch anyway, but the error here brings a deep humanity to Bert and Ernie, but also to Frank and Jim. They were just a couple of friends wiggling dolls. It’s disappointing the lamp shade didn’t want to join in though. It really is a nice shade.
“Happiness Hotel” (The Great Muppet Caper)
by Matthew Soberman
I think, much as I love “Rainbow Connection” and “Together Again,” this is my favorite song from any Muppet movie. This has more jokes packed into three-and-a-half minutes than some comedies have in their entire scripts. It’s an absolutely brilliant way to introduce the vast majority of the Muppet ensemble in the film, paying a musical tribute to a crumbling crash pad by reminding us what makes a place home: all the wonderful dogs and rats and musicians and Pops. Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo, three scrappy underdogs trying to save their careers with the interview of the century, have found a place that’s nothing but scrappy underdogs. And it doesn’t hurt that it ends with Sam the Eagle’s defining line. Who needs a kitchen or a working elevator? I want to stay at the Happiness Hotel!
Ideal Toys commercial
by Danny Horn
It must have seemed like such a good idea at the time: getting Jim Henson and the Muppets to make a TV commercial for their own line of puppets from Ideal Toys. What the Ideal execs actually got was an avant-garde short film in which Rowlf the Dog tries to sell the audience what appear to be living puppets with minds of their own. “Oh buy us, oh buy us, oh buy us, we beg!” the Kermit dolls chant. “And if you don’t buy us, we’ll bite you in the leg.”
“In the Good Old Summertime” (The Muppet Show)
by Anthony Strand
Plenty of Muppet Show guest stars treat the Muppets like fellow performers. What’s remarkable about this song is that Pearl Bailey treats Floyd like an old friend. The two are hanging out in Pearl’s dressing room, and it truly feels like “In the Good Old Summertime” is a song they’ve been playing together for decades. The performance is loose and laid-back. They both laugh and quip through the entire song, going off-script and acting delighted at each other’s choices. This isn’t one human and one puppet – it’s just two buddies having a blast.
Jimmy-Jim-Jimmy-Jim-Jim-Jim-Jim (Muppet Treasure Island)
by Katilyn Miller
Is there anything more to say about Jimmy-Jim-Jimmy-Jim-Jim-Jim-Jim that hasn’t already been said about Jimmy-Jim-Jimmy-Jim-Jim-Jim-Jim? If you say Jimmy-Jim-Jimmy-Jim-Jim-Jim-Jim, it speaks for itself. It’s the final plea of a dying man to have his last wishes respected. Why are you laughing? This is as serious as the Plaguemans.
Luis and Maria get married (Sesame Street)
by Anthony Strand
Sesame Street spent all of season 19 building up to Maria and Luis’s wedding. When the big day arrived in episode 2485, they really went all out. Jeff Moss wrote a full-fledged opera, giving all of the humans and Muppets a chance to join in the celebration. We hear about the wedding from everyone’s perspective, from the bride and groom’s family members all the way down to ringbearer Elmo. The songs are also extremely memorable. I had the “What a morning, it’s Maria’s wedding day” song in my head throughout my actual wedding day, so I say great job, Jeff Moss!
Peter Falk on bench with Kermit (The Great Muppet Caper)
by Drake Lucas
Every city person can relate: You’re sitting on a bench and somebody sits down and starts telling you their own bizarre story and tries to sell you something. If only it was Peter Falk! We are all trapped on this bench with Kermit as this stranger rambles on about his failed dry-cleaning business as if that was what caused Kermit’s issues. Peter Falk is best known for his role as Columbo, the detective who could figure everything out. In this case, though, Kermit tells him he is 100 percent wrong about everything. Have to love that the movie will take three minutes out of the plot to let the grandpa from The Princess Bride tell you a story that has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the film – truly a Muppet cameo at its best.
Piggy is Fired (The Muppet Show)
by Danny Horn
It’s as close to a cliffhanger as The Muppet Show ever gets: Miss Piggy has planted a gossip item in the tabloids that she and Kermit are secretly married, and when Kermit finds out, he goes into a blistering tirade that ends with “PIGGY, YOU ARE FIRED! FIRED!” Piggy fires back that she’s the star of the show, but Kermit insists that she can be replaced — by Loretta Swit, the episode’s guest star. It’s a heart-stopping moment, demonstrating how far the characters have developed since the show began.
Poohbah Roll Call (Fraggle Rock)
J.D. Hansel
One of the first things we learned about Fraggles is that they’re very silly, so when Fraggle Rock introduced a secret society that was all about silliness, that shouldn’t have made much sense. The only way to make this group stand out is to make them very silly, and, boy howdy, are they very silly. The highlight is the roll call for the trial of Mokey Fraggle, which is filled with real silly words like linoleum and made-up silly words like glumberglotz. Jim eats up both with some of the funniest line deliveries of his career. Notably, everyone in the club is named Fritz, which is both the funniest name and the name of my great-grandfather. I guess I chose to write this blurb to keep the name in the family. It’s the silly thing to do.
Come back tomorrow for more of our favorite Muppet moments!
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by The Entire ToughPigs Team
