With the new Muppet movie opening in theaters across the country only a few weeks away (November 23rd), a few bloggers and myself have decided to do a Muppet related post every Monday leading up to the movie’s opening. We’re calling it Muppet Monday. At the button of this post you’ll find links to the other Muppet Monday posts. Each post is different.
We’re also sharing our Muppet Mondays on Twitter using the hashtag #MuppetMonday if you’d like to check it out.
I was thinking of something fun and interesting to post about the Muppets. The first thing that came to mind was looking for some interesting Muppet facts and trivia that my readers might enjoy.
– Kermit was “born” in 1955. Jim Henson made him out of his mom’s old coat and some ping pong balls.
– The original Kermit looked more like a lizard. It wasn’t until he appeared on Sesame Street in 1969 that he resembled a frog.
– Miss Piggy comes from Iowa. Frank Oz had said that Miss Piggy’s dad died when she was young and her mother was mean. The only way she could make money was to enter beauty contests.
– The critics that everyone loves to hate, Waldorf and Statler, are named after popular hotels back in the mid-70’s (the Statler Hotel was later renamed the Hotel Pennsylvania). Waldorf has a wife name Astoria. He is also the one with the white hair and mustache.
– No one really knows what Gonzo is, not even Jim Henson. He really didn’t have anything in mind when he created him.
– Rowlf the Dog first appeared in a series of Purina Dog Chow Commercials in 1962. He was also Jimmy Dean’s side kick on the Jimmy Dean Show and appeared in every episode from 1963 – 1966.
– Beaker has actually uttered real words which includes bye bye, make-up ready and sadly temporary.
– Kermit goes by several different names around the world. In Portugal, he’s Cocas. In Latin America, René. In Spain, he goes by the name Gustavo.
– A lot of celebrities appeared on the Muppet Show but no one was allowed to appear on the show more then once.
– Jim Henson also created Yoda from Star Wars.
– Disney’s The Muppets is the 7th feature film featuring the Muppets.
– More than 120 Muppets appear in the Disney’s The Muppets movie.
– Kermit uses the banjo from 1979’s The Muppet Movie during the “Rainbow Connection” performance in Disney’s The Muppets.
– In 2006 Kermit was credited as the author on the book Before You Leap: A Frog’s Eye View of Life’s Greatest Lessons. It’s suppose to be an autobiography told from Kermit’s perspective.
– 12 costumes were made for Miss Piggy for Disney’s The Muppets, more then any other character.
– The Muppet Show was actually a British television program. The show was filmed in London, England. Some of the Muppet movies were also filmed in the London studios.
– The Muppet Showwas nominated for 21 Prime Time Emmy Awards and won 4 of them, including the Emmy in 1978 for Outstanding Comedy, Variety of Music Series. The Muppet Show has also been nominated for 11 BAFTA Awards (won 2) and received the Peabody Award in 1978.
– The first episode of The Muppet Show aired on September 5, 1976 in the United Kingdom and on September 27, 1976 in the United States.
– Guests would often ask to appear in a scene with their favorite Muppet. Miss Piggy was the most requested with Animal being a close second.
– Aside from the opening theme song there were very few songs written for The Muppets. Most of their songs came from old Vaudeville standards, comedy albums and British music hall routines.
Please be sure to visit the other Muppet Monday participating bloggers. Their links are found below.
Be sure to come back next week for another edition of Muppet Monday. If you have any suggestions on what you would like me to cover for Muppet Monday’s please feel free to leave a comment.
Look for Disney’s The Muppets in theaters on November 23, 2011.
Kimberly
*I was not compensated for this post, nor was I asked to post this. I posted this for the fun of it. 🙂
Leigh says
Lots of fun facts here I didn’t know! Thanks!
Lolo says
That is a great list of facts! I did not know that The Muppets first appreared in the UK.