Mimsey's Top Eleven Muppet Moments...

Hello Gentle Readers,

For those that don't know, there's a new Muppet movie out Muppet's Most Wanted.

Now, I wanted to celebrate this movie, and figured I could go one of two ways:

1) I could do a celebration of all things Muppets, with a list of my favorite moments or

2) I could totally make fun of the fact that The Muppets just ripped off the plot of Ernest Goes To Jail!

In a perfect world, Kermit would get superpowers, 

Fozzie would have a sidekick named Bobby 

and Jim Varney would help the frog escape. 

Mimsey's Top Eleven Muppet Moments

These are my favorite Muppet Moments. Be sure to share yours in the comments! This list is presented in no particular order or rank. Why 11? Because I'm a giver. 

Ladies. 

11) Peter Ustinov debates Fozzie Bear

I will be the first to admit, Season 1 of The Muppet Show could be pretty hit or miss at times. But, there was just something about the way that Ustinov and Fozzie riffed off each other that always got to me. Maybe it was the fact that you could hear the crew laughing, or Fozzie's ear wiggles, or maybe it was the fact that I primarily knew Ustinov as the voice of Prince John from Disney's Robin Hood. 

And teaching five year old me what a cameo was. 

10) Muppet Babies references Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

This isn't from Muppet Babies. 

This is from the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes cartoon. 

I just wanted to point out they made a cartoon about THIS!

I don't really want to date myself on this blog, but let's just say I was in the upper-range of the target audience for Muppet Babies. And that is just WAY TOO YOUNG to be catching a AKT reference, ya'll. So, major props for being able to reference it alongside Star Wars, Ghostbusters and of course Indiana Jones. 

Also this. In an episode called 

"The Air Conditioner At The End Of The Galaxy". 

For those keeping score, Muppet Babies referenced 

The African Queen in an episode referencing Douglas Adams.

9)Fraggle Rock defines my fashion sense

Not only did Fraggle Rock teach me the importance of hawaiian shirts, that vests were cool, and that sometimes you just wanted to wear an oversized cat lady coat; but, it also taught me it was OK to be yourself. Sometimes you do just want to work on a project, sometimes you do want to sing and dance, or do laundry. And sometimes you just wanted to go skinny-dipping with an athletic redhead.

Go ahead, sing it! DOWN IN FRAGGLE ROCK!

8) Ernie makes me feel good about insomnia

Some nights, you just want to dance...

I've struggled with insomnia for most of my life. Some days are better then others. And, for a long time, I felt like there was something wrong with the fact that I couldn't go to sleep. Then I realized, it's not that there's something wrong, my brain just won't turn off. I want to go exploring. I want to go see outer space, or the deep blue sea...

But, I don't want to live on the moon...

7) The Muppet Movie taught me the power of a good pun

"Hey Fozzie! Turn left at the fork in the road"

Whether it was puns, wordplay, or my personal favorite a running gag, it's shocking how much of my own humor was defined by this film. I even love the idea of cameos, which I have to give the new Muppet Movie props for, they are definitely bringing the cameos.

Though, why they had Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel 

in the same movie and yet they never share a scene, 

is kind of beyond me.

6) Rejection is a big part of art

And New York real estate is expensive

The Muppets Take Manhattan is one of those unique films that, the older I get, the more different I see it. As a child, I remembered it as that really sad movie where all the Muppets leave, and Kermit gets hit by a car. As an adult, I see it as a realization that the only way you're going to succeed is by perseverance, hard work, and plugging away until you can catch that lucky break. And when that break happens, you grab onto it with both hands and put on the best show you can.

 And amnesia can be cured by a karate chop. 

5) Feist is actually a person's name, not just a band

She's the one in the middle

One of my favorite music videos is 1234, however, for the longest time I thought Feist was the name of the band. Like, I'm pretty sure the lead singer of Nickelback isn't actually Joe Nickelback, and there's no Bob Iron and Larry Maiden. However, now I know: Feist is a real person. And adorable. And she has a cameo in The Muppets, in the same dance number as Willie Nelson and a goblin that sort of looks like Mickey Rooney.

And Jason Segel practices good dental hygiene.

4) Joe Flaherty and Dave Thomas menace Big Bird

Their exact plan was: 

1) Kidnap Big Bird

2) Paint him blue

3) Profit

In 1985, Sesame Street made a feature length film that had Big Bird dueting with Waylon Jennings, Bert and Ernie flying a plane, and Sandra Bernhard trading quips with Oscar the Grouch. HOW HAVE I NOT REVIEWED THIS MOVIE? This movie has the biggest SCTV/SNL crossover short of Blues Brothers!

And everybody's favorite hero SUPER GROVER!

3) A wedding is really just an excuse to get everyone you know into the same place

Who do we invite? 

EVERYBODY!

When I got married, I tried to make sure as many family and friends were invited as possible. Overall, I think I lucked out. Not everyone could come, obviously, but at least there was as diverse a group as possible. And you can thank/blame Muppets Take Manhattan for convincing me that a wedding is really just a time to get everyone together, have fun, and maybe sing a few Broadway-esque ditties.

And this song still runs thru my mind 

when I think about being married.

And I don't say that merely 

because The Mimsus reads my blog.

2) It's OK to miss someone you've never met

Look, I'm not going to lie. I cried when I found out Jim Henson died. I'm a little misty-eyed even as I write this. If there's one thing that The Muppets have taught me, it's that there is absolutely nothing wrong with feeling that way. Just because you've never met someone, doesn't mean they didn't have a profound affect on your life.  I've seen Jim Henson's funeral on Youtube, laughed and cried and laughed some more. At first I found it odd that they never included Saying Goodbye in the repertoire. But, apparently Jim Henson wanted no tears at his funeral. And I can respect that.

 I just don't think Big Bird singing "It's Not Easy Being Green"

left a dry eye in the house.

1) The Muppet Movie defined what I wanted to do with my life

If you were wondering what life with The Mims is like

it's like a frog, a bear, a dog, a pig, a chicken and a Gonzo 

touring America in a Studebaker.

Since I first heard the opening chords of a banjo playing, I have always had a resonance with this flick. It was the dream of going to Hollywood to make movies that led me to getting my MFA, and creating the character of Dan Landis. As Kermit said: "Yeah, well, I've got a dream too, but it's about singing and dancing and making people happy. That's the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with. And... well, I've found a whole bunch of friends who have the same dream. And that makes us like a family."

I'd say, all things considered, I got a pretty awesome family.

So, Gentle Readers, these are my favorite Muppet moments. What are yours?

Jay Mims writes books, blogs, and has a far larger group of friends and family then what are included in that montage. Jay and The Mimsus live with a passive-aggressive Dalek named Steve, and have semi-adopted their neighbor's cat named Eartha Kitty. There's another cat named Meowlificient, but he's not as interesting. Also a Lizard that Jay calls Bob. Jay is far funnier on Facebook then in real life. He is terrible at Twitter.

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