Are you a man or are you a muppet? A question pondering movie goers in 2011 after watching The Muppets. The long-awaited follow-up to The Muppet Movie from 1979. A day out with my sister cumulated in us seeing The Muppets in our local theater. I had known about the Muppets since I’ve watched Sesame Street growing up, seen some of The Muppet Show, and some other Muppet movies such as Muppet Treasure Island. But I didn’t know Gonzo from Fozzie and I wasn’t 100% sure if Kermit and Miss Piggy had a romantic relationship. In my defense, I was only nine years old.

If you haven’t seen this movie the basic synopsis without spoiling anything is the Muppet show has been over for many years and the gang has all moved on and gone their separate ways. Kermit still lives in Los Angeles, but Miss Piggy moved to Paris, Fozzie was working in Reno, and Animal was at an anger management retreat and swore off drumming. Walter, his brother played by Jason Segal named Gary, and Garys girlfriend Mary played by Amy Adams all go to Los Angeles to celebrate Gary and Mary’s anniversary. As they visit the original Muppet Studios, they come to find out that it is dilapidated and being sold to an oil tycoon who is going to demolish Muppet Studios and drill for oil. Hearing this, Walter, Gary, and Mary all try to get the Muppets back together to raise enough money to save Muppet Studios. With cameos such as Emily Blunt, Selena Gomez, Jack Black, Rashida Jones, John Krasinski, and many more this movie brings home nostalgia and pays several odes to The Muppet Show, The Muppet Movie, and Jim Henson who was the original Kermit the Frog.

Still frame from *The Muppets*, singing Rainbow Connection.

I’ve seen many musical movies. I watched every Disney and Disney Channel Original Movie many times. Hannah Montana was my favorite show and I was obsessed with almost every Barbie movie. The desire to be a pop star was engrained in me. When we walked out of the theater I knew I had just witnessed a true piece of art. The musical numbers were amazing, the plot interesting, the characters dynamic, and the puppeteers were the unsung heroes. Even though I wasn’t old enough to have grown up during the hay day of the muppets in the 70’s to 90’s, I understood the nostalgia this movie brought to people even if it wasn’t for me.

A jump to spring of 2024 when a small comment from a professor changed my entire trajectory in life. While in a class about sustainability, we were assigned a semester long project which was self-guided. The project had to have sustainability in mind and be intriguing to us. I’d made dolls before and I had seen a post online about a technique called spun cotton, the process of using watered down glue, a paint brush, and cotton fiber to sculpt an object or in this case a doll/figurine. I showed the inspiration photo to my professor and she exclaimed, “you are making papier-mache puppets”. I went with it even though in my mind, they were figurines.

Accompanying this massive semester long project, we had to research artists that made work in relation to our project and give a presentation. I’d done a few presentations for this professor and was aware she didn’t like presentations where people had notes, words were present on the screen or felt scripted. She preferred presentations where everyone could tell you know the content. I knew immediately Jim Henson and the Muppets had to be included when talking about puppetry. I watched The Idea Man on Disney Plus and it was just the start of my research. I began more research into not just The Muppets but puppetry in general. I read papers and several books about the history of puppetry, textiles, performance, Sesame Street and its effect on childhood education, puppetry as a form of cultural enrichment, therapy, and celebration. This guided me to learn about PBS and different kinds of puppetry such as shadow, rod, hand, marionette, finger, bunraku, and ventriloquism. I followed modern puppet artists and puppeteers. If I heard there was a puppet in a movie, even if they were featured for a second, I watched it. And I realized, Jim Hensons influence was everywhere.

Netflix thriller *Eric* starring Benedict Cumberbatch, 2024

Now all that there was left to do was to watch the original Muppet movie that started it all for me, the reason I know Miss Piggy and Kermit are in love, Fozzie is the best comedian in the word, and Gonzo is the best daredevil to ever live, the 2011 movie The Muppets staring the Muppets, Jason Segal, and Amy Adams. As a 23-year-old queer woman, I understood The Muppets in a different light. I saw the nostalgia, the representation of what community means, chosen family, and what can be accomplished by just believing. Kermit is a great leader, he believes in the Muppets, sees all the muppets not just as talent but his family, and when he does mess up, he apologizes. Kermit represents true leadership guided by honesty, loyalty, and love. Miss Piggy is the passion behind the things we love, her love of performance and utter confidence and her even greater love of Kermit. Walter, the new Muppet introduced in the film, represents the Muppets fans who have been around since the beginning and the belief in something good and true.

New Muppet introduced in *The Muppets*, Walter.

This film didn’t come without critics. One criticism shared the movie was catering to nostalgia and having its sole goal be to make money not art. In addition, originally Kermit was going to reveal the studio was never going to be torn down, and he lied to get everyone together again. This was later changed after some people spoke up and shared it might go against Kermit’s character. Frank Oz was very outspoken about not being involved in the project because he felt the charm and true characters of the Muppets were lost. Frank Oz has continued standing up for the Muppets as he did not approve of the direction they went after Disney acquired them. And he makes good points, The Muppets to Disney feel like a chore, something cast aside. Disney tore down Muppet Vision 3-D at Disney World and decided to appease and save money on licensing fees by replacing Aerosmith with the Muppets at the Rockin Roller Coaster. Seth Rogan has been vocal about how much time and back and forth it took just to get a single special made. The Muppet Merchandise is sub-par at the finest. But after all the criticism, I can say The Muppets still were able to do what they have been doing for decades, making people laugh and feel welcome somewhere.

This movie is a true testament of a fan base like in the movie, which refuses to let the Muppets disappear and be forgotten by Disney. And Disney must pay attention, especially when the original song Man or Muppet written by Bret McKenzie wins an Academy Award for Best Original Song and when The Muppet Show (2026) pulled about 8 million views in 8 days, got a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was just nominated for an Emmy.

Seth Rogan and Fozzie Bear in *The Muppet Show* (2026)

The recent Muppet Special made me wonder about my own introduction to the Muppets. It made me think about how many kids watched the special and felt the way I did. How many of them are going to start studying puppetry because of this special. And in the world of AI, it is important more than ever for people to feel inspired and like they belong. Only true human art can convey that to us. To inspire kids to make art, be authentic, and express themselves was one of the main goals of the Muppets. If the Muppet show is brought back, I will be watching every episode and so will a bunch of kids who need the Muppets more than ever.

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The Muppets (2011) and How the Movie Changed My Life

Megan Happ