Muppet Moments

In My Humble Opinion
21

Two thoughts…

One: This isn’t precisely a Muppet moment, but… there’s a filksinger (a folksinger specializing in SF/Fantasy themes, for those not familiar with science fiction fandom) named Tom Smith, who recorded a song called “A Boy and His Frog”. Sung in a perfect Kermit voice, it’s a lament for the loss of Jim Henson. Haunting, sad, and touching. If you can, find it; I forget which of his tapes/CDs it’s on – either “Who Let Him In Here?” or “Domino Death”.

Two: From the same special silent_rob mentions above, one of my favorite funny moments. While they’re still looking for Kermit, someone suggests they asks “those guys”. “What guys?” Scooter asks. The other muppet points to the floor. “Those guys down there.” Scooter and the other muppets look down, presumably at the performers. Then he looks up, shakes his head, and says, “No, don’t look. It’s just too weird.”

– Bob

22

Raquel Welch did a song-and-dance number with a giant black spider. She was dressed as a cave woman a-la 1000000 Years BC. Who knew the Muppet Show would be so sexy? Very exciting for a pre-pubescent boy.

I always wanted to see more of Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. They rocked!

I got the album “Christmas with John Denver and the Muppets” when I was about ten. I’m not a John Denver fan, but that’s my all-time favorite Christmas album. I have the CD now (my Mom has my LP) and I still play it every year. Drives my wife nuts. I love Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem doing The Beach Boys’ “Little Saint Nick”.

The muppets did a special on the fable “The Frog Prince”. Kermit’s nephew Robin was the title character, but I don’t remember the name of the actress who played his love interest. She was cursed to talk wakbirds - I mean backwards. Cracks me up every time.

And one more word:

Sweetums

23

My favorite moment is Sam the Eagle giving a lecture on how scandalous it is that everyone is nude under their clothing. He continues that even animals and birds are naked under their fur and feathers. When he gets to the feathers part he realizes what he is saying and looks down and then creaps off embarrassed.

24

So many. Which to choose?

The episode hosted by Tony Randall had Miss Piggy turned into a statue because of an enchantment. The statue then undergoes all sorts of indignities, including Tony using her to light a match.

There was another episode (I don’t remember who hosted) where everyone (except Gonzo, of course) caught some virus and turned into a chicken.

Vincent Price singing Carole King (Winter, spring, summer or fall/all you have to do is call…)

Ma-na ma-nop (do do do-do do) (with someone that resembled Animal and these… cow-like creatures).

When the Muppets did Jabberwocky (with Rolf and Scooter). At the end, Scooter says “I tell ya, we never did anything this weird on the show before.” Then the Jabberwock (now just a floating head) says “Can I just put on my body and go home!”

Another strange one is one that I can’t really describe too well, but I’ll try. It involved two muppets; one of whom sang a song that went “Hugga-Wugga” and the other who sang “You are my sunshine…” Whenever the second starting singing, the first tried to blast it away. I suppose you have to see it.

Then there’s the classic bit where a frog-like muppet (not Kermit) is sitting on a fence humming to himself when a worm comes crawling along the fence. Eventually the worm bumps into the frog. The frog looks at the worm and eats him. He then goes back to his humming. Moments later another worm comes along and the scene is repeated. Finally a third worm comes along, only this time, when the frog bends down to eat it, he has to pull it. He pulls and pulls and pulls and eventually it is revealed that the “worm” is actually attached to the nose of this mega-muppet which eats the frog.

One of my favorite (non-funny) moments was when the show could not go on. The next act had some problem (I think one part of the act ate the other) and there was no replacement. Kermit went out on the stage and told the audience that the next act was cancelled. He started singing a song (I think it was “Together”) and all the muppets came along and started singing together with him.

Grok, wasn’t it Buddy Rich who did the drum duel with animal?

Lastly, since puddleglum brought up Sam, I have one more. Sam started telling the story of the Ant and the Grasshopper. All was going along fine until he got to the final page, where he was surprised to find that someone stepped on the ant and the grasshopper drove south for the winter in his expensive car.

There are so many more. Now I’ve got to go home and watch my tapes.

Zev Steinhardt

25

Don’t forget the fabulous finale, with Harry and everybody doing “Turn the World Around.” I’d kill to get a copy of that on CD.

26

That was Trudy Young. I remember that show too–the princess shouting “Tant Aminela” instead of “Aunt Taminela,” and still nobody understood who she meant. And, of course, Sweetums.

My favourite Muppet Show moments have to do with just about anything from “Pigs in Space” or “Veterinarians Hospital.” The puns in the latter were particularly bad, but I laughed at every one.

Heck, I like puns. So much that someone once said of me, “Spoons, in the Muppet Show of life, you’re destined to be the Fozzie Bear.” I took it as a compliment.

Other classics from the Muppet Movie:

Pretty much anybody: “Excuse me, we’re lost and–”
The person being asked: “Lost? Have you tried Hare Krishna?”

Kermit giving directions to Fozzie: “Bear left!”
Fozzie, agreeing: “Right, frog!”

27

I still can’t hear the song “In the Navy” without thinking of Viking pigs.

28

…nor I, “Lullaby on Broadway” without penguins and a walrus popping out of the ice for the “Good night baby” parts…

29

I’m so glad I started this thread! All the contributions have brought back such wonderful Muppet memories - I’ve been sitting here laughing hysterically as I recall the scenes that have been mentioned. Hope we hear lots more!

One more story from me, slightly off topic:

I used to work for an entertainment company, and for some reason was once asked to research the background and copyright on the Sweetums costume. Kind of a weird thing to have to go out and dig up information on.

So I ended up calling the Muppet “shop” in NYC, where they make many of the actual puppets for Sesame Street and other productions. When they answered the phone I said, “Hi, I’m Grok from such-and-such Entertainment Co., and I have a sort of bizzare question…”

Without any hesitation, the secretary said, “OK, I’ll transfer you - please hold!”

I half expected to hear Grover’s voice pick up and say, “Hello, Bizzare Question Department…”

30

“…and burbled as it came.” “BURBLE BURBLE!!! BURBLE BURBLE!!!”

“…and went galumphing back.” “Galumph, galumph, galumph…”

That’s pre-Muppet Show, actually. It’s Kermit back when he was less frog-like, and was part of Sam and Friends, Jim’s first muppety incarnation.

31

The Harry Belafonte episode, especially the “Turn the World Around” skit.

The Danny Kaye episode, when Statler and Waldorf spent almost the entire show on the back stoop because they “couldn’t stand that Danny May!” Danny Kaye and cast singing “Inchworm” (still one of my all time favorites).

Roger Moore and Miss Piggy singing “Slow Boat to China”.

Anything with Beaker in it. I used to identify very strongly with Beaker.

The episode with Mark Hamill, when people kept asking him “Who’s your tailor?”

Wayne and Wanda, who tried so hard to do “nice” routines and who always wound up in a series of catastrophes.

The Muppet Ballroom, that was full of one liners.

sigh If more people watched the Muppet Show, the world would be a better place.

32

Why isn’t the entire series on DVD?

I tell ya, it would be the biggest hugest seller pre-Star Wars trilogy set! And there’d have to be like a 10 DVD set to collect them all! And there’d be extras galore! Like “Of Muppets and Men” documentary, and “Sam and Friends” clips, and Saturday Night Live stuff! And a hundred interviews and commentaries from the whole history of muppet-dom!

Argh!

Me want! Me want!!!

33

One thing I loved, I think it was Fozzie and Rolf, and they sang “Tea For Two” backwards. “aet rof owt!”

34

I’ve always been impressed and delighted with how often Muppet threads come up on the SDMB. And this one has been a wonderful trip down memory lane!!

If I tried to list favorites, I’d be here all night. Since no one has mentioned it, I’ll bring up the image of Elton John singing “Crocodile Rock” in a swamp full of crocodiles. They sang backup. The image of all those long, toothy jaws, open wide, swaying to the “la la la la LA!” part, was priceless. How about Tammy Wynette singing “One’s on the way” with all those human muppet babies? There were so few human muppets, it was sort of unnerving to see so many baby ones. Most of them screaming and howling, and all so ugly they were cute.

Finally, I’ll point out that the spastic weasel in my sig was, in fact, a muppet weasel. From Muppet Fairy Tales’ Rumpelstiltskin.

35

Actually, that was Loretta Lynn. How I miss that show. Too bad I don’t have cable to watch it.

Zev Steinhardt

36

I like a lot of their routines. “Turn the World Around” with Belafonte was really good. I thought those muppetized African masks were very striking.

Why no DVD? The marketing folks must believe there wouldn’t be enough demand. :rolleyes:

It’s gotta include all extant “Sam and Friends” material, “Time Piece”, all available commercials, and stuff he did with Raymond Scott: “Wheels That Go” from Expo 67, “Limbo: the Organized Mind”, the industrial film promoting the IBM Magnetic Tape/Selectric Typewriter, the Bufferin commercial, and the one-minute film titled “Ripples”.

37

Later in the show’s run, there was a “Phantom of the Theater” type muppet that scared me to DEATH. I used to have nightmares about that thing!

I still can’t remember what the actual storyline was, I just remember that goddamn blue goat-like face when I closed my eyes.

Geez…I’m probably gonna have nightmares tonight now that you folks reminded me!

jayjay (got scared by the strangest things as a kid)

38

Wasn’t this Sesame Street? And speaking of Sesame Street…

Yip! Yip! Yipyipyipyipyipyipyipyip!

39

Wow, thank you very much Olentzero. I haven’t seen the sketch in years and years, and must have mixed them up. But now I do remember the song…and want to get it on CD even more than I did “A Very Good Year”.

Thanks again. :slight_smile:

40

Am I the only one who got a big giggle out of it whenever they showed Kermie’s legs? Esp. when he was riding a bike. I love Muppet Legs, I really do.

And this is going to sound hopelessly corny, but I always wanted a wedding exactly like Kermie and Piggy’s in “The Muppets Take Manhattan”. God, that scene makes me weepy.

“He’ll make me happy
Each time I see him
He’ll be the reason
My heart will sing
He’ll stand beside me
And now I’m everything”

That is precisely the way I want to feel if I ever get married again. :smiley: