# Muppet Moments
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [April 17, 2001, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223 "2001-04-17T00:56:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Grok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grok)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/1 "2001-04-17T00:56:00Z")
I was just watching “The Muppet Movie” again, and after all these years it still makes me smile, laugh, and boggle at how real they seemed. Jim Henson was truly one of the geniuses of our time.
What are your favorite memories of the Muppets? From the TV show and/or films?
Here are mine:
1. The opening scene of the Muppet Movie when Kermit is talking to Dom DeLouise, and he warns him about the alligators in the swamp. DeLouise says, “Alligators?! Did you say… alligators?” Kermit says, “Read my lips - al-ee-gay-tors.” And he scrunches up his lips (?) to mouth each syllable! Bwahah!
2. Next scene in the Muppet Movie when Kermit is riding a bicycle. I still remember seeing that in the theatre when I was a kid, and how all the adults oohed and ahhed, and wondered aloud how they did that.
3. The Muppet Show episode when the cast of Star Wars were the guest stars.
4. Muppet Show when John Cleese guest starred. He did this hilarious scene where he “helps” Gonzo even out his arms, and ends up pulling them out until they pile up like a hose!
5. Muppet Show with Harry Belafonte. He did a drum duel with Animal.
6. Muppet Show when Fozzie decided he wanted to try writing the script. He sends Kermit out on stage, who reads from a paper: “Hi ho, Kermit the Forg here…”, and Fozzie yells out “Typo!”
I’ve got lots more. Let’s hear your Muppet Memories!
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/2 "2001-04-17T01:08:28Z")
but I remember the Muppet theatre being turned into a pirate ship! 🙂
“All Hands On Deck For The Musical Battle At Sea!”–used it as a sig line once.
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### Author:  [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/3 "2001-04-17T01:24:59Z")
When Michelle Pfiffer was on and Animal went crazy every time he saw her.
“WO-MAN!!”
“MI-CHELLE!!”
heh
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### Author:  [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/4 "2001-04-17T01:40:17Z")
On one of the “TV blooper” shows I once saw a clip of Fozzie on _The Muppet Show_ in which his jaw joint got stuck open. Frank Oz ran with it, having Fozzie say, “Ah hink ah ath ih huck” (I think my mouth is stuck). 😃
I’ve also always wondered – was Animal deliberately designed to look just like Mick Fleetwood?
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### Author:  [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/5 "2001-04-17T02:06:24Z")
Debbie Harry guested on “The Muppet Show”. She sang “One Way or Another” with Animal, I think. Really cool!!
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### Author:  [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/6 "2001-04-17T02:30:57Z")
Oh! Oh!
When Peter Sellers was a guest and he sang:
Cigarettes, Whiskey and Wild, Wild, Women
That is my favorite episode ever!
(I say that about all of them)
Oh!
And the “Muppefones” (sp)
Oh!
And the new Muppets in Space movie…sorry, too damned many to name.
Zette
Muppet Fanatic
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/7 "2001-04-17T03:17:00Z")
1. Scred and Lily Tomlin, of course. I loved Scred. 😉
2. Another great moment was in “The Great Muppet Caper” – the sequence during the opening credits. Fozzie looks at the names of some technicians and asks, “Does anyone read this?” Kermit replied, “Sure. They all have families.”
3. Lou Zealand and his Boomerang Fish Act.
4. Anything with the Swedish Chef. Bork, Bork, Bork. (BTW, go to [http://www.google.com/preferences](http://www.google.com/preferences) and set the language to “bork, bork, bork” just for fun).
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### Author:  [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/8 "2001-04-17T03:30:45Z")
Gonzo spends an entire episode of the Muppet Show pestering Kermit to let him go on stage with his rock act. Eventually, another act cancels, and Kermit tells Gonzo to go ahead with said rock act.
Curtain opens on Gonzo, and an enormous rock. Which Gonzo then proceeds to whack repeatedly with a sledgehammer, yelling “Art! Art! Art!”
I came close to laughing myself into an embolism.
Oh, and if you get a chance, watch the audio commentary on **Muppets From Space**. Great Gonzo quote: “One man’s lunatic behavior is another man’s lounge act.”
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### Author:  [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/9 "2001-04-17T03:42:16Z")
> [@](#):
>
> I can’t remember the actresses’ name…
> but I remember the Muppet theatre being turned into a pirate ship.
Glenda Jackson
The big musical number was _The Walloping Window Blind_ (to which I know most of the words and have the rest written down).
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### Author:  [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/10 "2001-04-17T03:43:10Z")
“Light the lamp, not the rat! _Light the lamp, not the rat!_”
“Rizzo!”
“What?!”
\
“Aieeee\”
…
\
“I suppose I should be grateful for dat.”
Ahem…I’m something of a fan of the _Muppet Christmas Carol_. Everyone in my family seems to quote that bit when lighting lanterns or candles.
\
The most incredible production I’ve ever seen, though, was _The Dark Crystal_. The sheer scale and detail of it is awe-inspiring. When I look at the Mystics, I _cannot_ make myself remember that their faces are just someone’s hands encased in rubber and armatures. They’re too real. I have the DVD and watch it frequently–I can easily believe that it took five years to make.
\
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### Author:  [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/11 "2001-04-17T04:54:34Z")
That Google thing is hysterical! “Seerch tuuk 0.15 secunds. Um gesh dee bork, bork!”
Speaking of the movies, I’m a big fan of “Labyrinth”. David Bowie and Muppets together are a potent combination!
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### Author:  [@PRNYouth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PRNYouth)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/12 "2001-04-17T04:57:42Z")
but I’ll try to pick just a couple.
Have to love the opening sequence of The Muppet Movie. With that incredible shot of Kermit sitting on a log in a swamp, all of the Muppet characters suddenly become real – not puppets who exist only from the waist up, but full-fledged talking bears, frogs, pigs, chickens, and _whatevers_.
But as a major Henson fan (I have a picture of the man and the frog hanging in the dining room), I have to say that one of the moments that sticks in my mind more than any other comes from A Muppet Family Christmas. At the end, all the Muppet Show Muppets, Fraggles, and Sesame Street Muppets are in the living room at Fozzie’s mother’s home, singing Christmas carols and just generally enjoying the spirit of Christmas. The camera cuts to the kitchen door, where Sprocket (the dog from Fraggle Rock) is peeking out the door. In the background, a bearded man is washing dishes. While drying a dish, he turns and looks out the door with Sprocket, watching and listening to the group enjoying themselves. That man (of course), is Jim Henson, and after making a comment along the lines of how much he enjoys watching them, returns to his task.
Besides the fact that that WAS Jim Henson – doing “behind-the-scenes” work while the characters got the glory – it’s made more meaningful for me by the fact that Sprocket was a Brian Henson character. So it’s father and son in the kitchen – during the only time (to my knowledge) that characters from all the major Muppet franchises (Dark Crystal and Labyrinth not included) appeared together – while their characters entertain each other (and the audience).
Call me a sap. Call me sentimental. But I love that scene. 🙂
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### Author:  [@silent\_rob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silent_rob)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/13 "2001-04-17T05:35:13Z")
Well, there are so many great moments, but a few come to mind:
After Jim Henson passed away, the Muppets got together and read letters from fans. That was when they “found out” about his death on the show. Then they sang “If Just One Person Believes In You”, and I must say…by then end I was bawling my eyes out. I know it’s so sad, but it was really such a beautiful moment of the Muppets remembering their creator.
The “A Very Good Year” song, with the scientist Muppet (not Bunsen Honeydew) drinking a potion. After each verse he’d drink some more and get younger. Then, at the end, he drank the last bit and became old again.
Kenny Rogers doing “The Gambler” on the show. Hehe…I just like that one.
When they say “Saskatchewan” in the “Movin’ Righ Along” song in _The Muppets Movie_. Sorry, it’s where I’m from, and it was pretty cool when I was a kid.
Also in _The Muppets Movie_, the “Can You Picture That” and “Hope That Something Better Comes Along” numbers. Both great songs and I just really like seeing them in the film. Also, the Hari Krishna line and some of the more adult humour in the film (there’s some I was surprised was in it) is great. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/14 "2001-04-17T12:37:06Z")
Thanks Grok, ‘cause a you I had to find the words to "Movin’ Right Along" (You started the thread, it’s your fault)
I found a [web site](http://home.nc.rr.com/muppetsongs/) with pretty much ALL the song from the Muppets. Thought I’d share.
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### Author:  [@that\_darn\_cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/that_darn_cat)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/15 "2001-04-17T13:43:16Z")
The muppet show episode guest staring Christopher Reeves, wiht lots of Superman jokes. Miss Piggy gives him her patented HI-YA, karate chop and nearly breaks her hand on the “Man of Steel”. Once she’s off camera Reeves winces and rubs his side.
[kermy voice]
Why do birds suddenly appear,
Everytime you are near?
Just like me,
They long to be,
Close to you.
[/kermy voice]
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### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/16 "2001-04-17T13:47:27Z")
When Senor Vasquez (the puppet guy, I may have the name wrong) was on, and Fozzie Bear did a good three minute tirade on how stupid it was to have a whole show of puppets, and after he ran offstage Kermit looked at the audience and said “I didn’t have the heart to tell him.”
When they did Aladdin and came to the door and said “Open Sesame,” and the music started “Sunny days, keeping the clouds away.” One of the best cross-overs ever.
The other best cross-over: The Muppets on the Simpsons. Hi, I’m actor Troy McClure, starring with Miss Piggy.
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### Author:  [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/17 "2001-04-17T14:00:50Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by silent\_rob \*
> **The “A Very Good Year” song, with the scientist Muppet (not Bunsen Honeydew) drinking a potion. After each verse he’d drink some more and get younger. Then, at the end, he drank the last bit and became old again.**
It was Statler and Waldorf who sang “A Very Good Year”. The scientist Muppet sketch you’re thinking of featured “Time in a Bottle”.
I’ve been dying to see the Spike Milligan episode again. I only saw it once, when it first aired - the humor fried my toddler mind. How the hell could _anyone_ be that damn loony and be that hilarious?!
The _Muppet Family Christmas_ has two good moments too:
-Bert and Ernie are talking with one of the Muppet Show cast, and every so often they turn to each other and say “[Word]! That begins with [letter]!” The third Muppet asks “What are you doing?” and Ernie says “Oh, that’s small talk where we come from.”
-The other one was when the Swedish Chef comes out with the major portion of the Christmas dinner and shouts “God Jul!” which, if I remember correctly, is the only time he’s spoken actual Swedish rather than Bork.
**Annie** : that was Senor Wences. 'sallright!
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### Author:  [@PatrickM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickM)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/18 "2001-04-17T15:03:05Z")
The Muppet Show which had Harry Belafonte was a riot from start to finish, especially when Belafonte sang “The Banana Boat” song with “help” from “Tally-Man” Fozzie. Narrative here cannot do it justice, but suffice to say Belafonte said that this was the first time he’s sung that song on TV and he wanted it to be perfect, Fozzie said, “Trust me” and then everything went wrong. Fozzie was in charge of loading the boat while Harry just kept singing It was absolutely hilarious.
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### Author:  [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/19 "2001-04-17T15:57:38Z")
Three words:
Statler and Waldorf
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### Author:  [@Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bottle_of_Smoke)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2001, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muppet-moments/62223/20 "2001-04-17T16:28:50Z")
My favorite was always Rolf as Dr. Bob. I just loved all the rapid-fire horrible puns and one-liners.
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