Sometimes I forget that my friends aren’t as crazy about The Muppets as I am. They don’t care that Blind Pew was in the background of a shot in Muppets Most Wanted, or that a new pilot is being made. But I sometimes wonder if my Muppety ways have rubbed off, so I decided to ask my very funny best friend, who will be going under the pseudonym Magic for this article, some hard (and a couple of easy) questions about The Muppets, their history, their films, and their characters.
1. Who created ‘The Muppets’?
A) Frank Oz
B) Jim Henson
C) Gary Moon
D) Ted Danson
Talk me through your answer:
The production company is called Jim Henson Productions, but that’s clearly Frank Oz’s screen name. I mean, Frank Oz plays Yoda in the Star Wars films, and I can’t imagine that George Lucas would hire anyone other than the King Muppeteer for the role. I will admit the Ted Danson addition threw me. I do know he got involved later on when he tried to launch the sitcom “Beaker”, but due to some Hollywood nonsense he had to change it to “Becker”.
Answer: B) Jim Henson
2. In which series did Kermit the Frog make his first appearance?
A) Sam and Friends
B) Sesame Street
C) The Muppet Show
D) CSI: Swamplands
Talk me through your answer:
Well, obviously, CSI Swamplands isn’t a thing. The Muppet Show, I’d wager it couldn’t be that. What TV company would give a hosting role to a first-timer? I’ve never heard of Sam & Friends so I’m going to have to go with Sesame Street.
Answer: A) Sam and Friends
3. What was Kermit originally designed to be?
A) A frog
B) A friendly hat
C) A lizard
D) Nothing in particular, but he kind of looked like a lizard/frog combo. They should have called him ‘Kermit the Frizard’, but I guess that doesn’t have the same appeal.
Talk me through your answer:
None of the above. He was initially designed to be a pig (thus his relationship with Miss Piggy actually makes a lot of sense). However, Frank Oz, or Jim Henson, whoever, was such a fan of frogs that they insisted that Kermit become one, much to the displeasure of everyone on set.
Answer: D) Nothing in particular.
4. What was the name of one of ‘The Muppet Show’s pilot?
A) ‘The Muppet Show: Plane Pilot’
B) ‘The Muppet Show: Hogs and Frogs’
C) ‘The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence’
D) ‘The Muppet Show: This Isn’t Sesame Street’
Talk me through your answer:
The Muppet Show: Hogs and Frogs. Now, this was after the aforementioned incident from Question Three of course. The network that the show aired on (let’s say… Fox) was opposed to this because they couldn’t be seen to promote interspecies relationships UNLESS it involved a fox in some way. Thus for the actual show they ditched the idea of a subtitle completely and just went with The Muppet Show.
Sex & Violence was a very close runner-up though.
Answer: C) The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence
5. Which of these actors has NOT played a villain in a Muppet production:
A) Ricky Gervais
B) Matt Vogel
C) Charles Grodin
D) Billy Crystal
Talk me through your answer:
Okay, I know Gervais was in the most recent one as a villain, and from bits and bobs I’ve picked up over the years I know Matt Vogel is a Muppeteer so I’ll assume he’s played a villain. I don’t know who Charles Grodin is. Billy Crystal likes to pop up at the most random of times. I’m going to go with Billy Crystal. His lovable schtick leads me to believe he can’t possibly play a villain.
Answer: D) Billy Crystal
6. Name this character, and what his act was on ‘The Muppet Show’
Magic’s Answer:
Oh, this classic character. Why I believe his name was Seamus McLongTongue. Owing to his Scotish heritage his act involved playing a set of bagpipes while dancing some sort of Riverdance routine. Unfortunately he only appeared for one episode before being pulled for being considered an incredibly offensive stereotype.
Actual Answer: Angus McGonagle, who gargled Gershwin
7. Name these characters, and what show they made semi-regular appearances on in the 1970’s.
Magic’s Answer:
These are the Garbage Pail Pals. They didn’t make semi-regular appearances anywhere because they are terrifying.
Actual Answer: They are the characters from ‘The Land of Gorch’, and they appeared on Saturday Night Live.
8. Explain the plot of ‘The Muppets Take Manhattan’, including the villain’s name, one of the songs, and how the film ends.
Magic’s Answer:
Contrary to my initial thoughts, this was not a tie-in to the wonderful rom-com “Maid in Manhattan”. No, “The Muppets Take Manhattan” is about The Muppets, obviously, and they’re trying to take Manhattan. Not by storm, but by literally taking it. The professor chap comes up with a new invention that makes levitation possible and it covers all of Manhattan, and The Muppets move it for their own nefarious purposes. It was quite dark for a Muppet flick because the villains, as it turned out, were the Muppets themselves. Their song, “New York? Our York!” was quite catchy though. The film ends with their bad deeds catching up with them and they all get arrested. This is followed by the revelation that this has all been a dream in the mind of Animal, who luckily has no way to communicate any of this with the rest of the crew.
Actually, you know what, this is actually identical to the plot of “Maid in Manhattan”
Actual Answer: The Muppets move to New York City to pitch their stage musical ‘Manhattan Melodies’ to various Broadway producers. When they fail, they part ways with a song called ‘Saying Goodbye’, and Kermit continues the dream alone. When he finally succeeds he is hit by a car and suffers amnesia. It takes a karate chop by Miss Piggy to bring his memory back. They stage their musical to a sold out crowd and Kermit and Piggy get married.
9. In ‘Muppet Treasure Island’, Kermit asks who hired the pirate crew. Fozzie blames 1 person, to the confusion of everyone else. Who does he blame, where does this person live, and where has this person traveled to – twice?
Magic’s Answer:
This is where the Muppet-verse got really meta. Fozzie proclaims that Frank Oz hired everyone. The rest of the Muppeteers decided to go along with it and gave birth to a really weird scene where it is revealed that Frank Oz is actually an alien and has only visited Earth twice.
Actual Answer: Fozzie blames Mr. Bimbo, who lives in his finger. He’s been to the moon – twice.
10. In ‘Muppets from Space’, K. Edgar Singer (played by Jeffrey Tambor) asks for an object. His assistant mishears it. Which Muppet played the assistant, what did Singer ask for, and what did the assistant think he said?
Magic’s Answer:
The Assistant is that big bear looking Muppet. Singer was asking for a book of some description. Unfortunately the assistant keeps bringing him things that rhyme with book (a hook, a cook, etc). Hilarity ensued for sure.
Actual Answer: The assistant is played by Bobo the Bear. Singer asks for ‘the remote’ which Bobo mishears as ‘the goat’.
11. In 2011 Disney released ‘The Muppets’, the first theatrical Muppet film in 12 years. Name and briefly describe 2 full length Muppet specials that were made in that 12 years.
Magic’s Answer:
There was a Christmas themed one, I’m going to call it Muppets: Letters from Santa. In this film Santa decided to flip the situation by sending letters of what he wants to every boy and girl. The Muppets take it upon themselves to get all these gifts so that Christmas may resume as normal. As you can imagine, this film was chock full of product placement.
Another one was Kermit: The Swamp Years. In this film it showed how Kermit lived before becoming the showfrog we know him as today. It was a very bleak film, including a heartbreaking sequence where he returns home to find his swamp has been destroyed by a bear. But, as it turns out, that bear was Fozzie and they became the best of friends.
Actual Answer: We would have accepted A Muppets Christmas: Letters To Santa, Kermit’s Swamp Years, A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie or Muppets Wizard of Oz.
12. In ‘The Muppets’ (2011) a new character, Walter, was introduced. Walter has a special skill that brings down the house at the end of the film. What is that skill?
Magic’s Answer:
His skill was to be nice to everyone at all times. As you watch the film you’ll notice that he has a constant “can-do” attitude that often keeps the plot going along at a good pace. It’s this charming personality that is the real hero of “The Muppets”.
He also whistles but everyone has mixed feelings about that.
Actual Answer: He whistles.
13. ‘Muppets Most Wanted’ came out in 2014. In this film, the world’s most dangerous frog frames Kermit for a series of crimes. Name this frog, and what he wrongly calls Fozzie and Gonzo throughout the film.
Magic’s Answer:
Ohhhhh, I sort of actually know this one. Now, the villain frog’s name was Constantine. I can’t imagine that he’d be too mean with his name-calling so I’ll say he targets obvious things, like Gonzo’s huge nose and Fozzie’s coat of fur… wocka wocka!
Actual Answer: His name is Constantine. He calls Fozzie ‘Fonzie’ and Gonzo ‘Zongo’.
14. ABC are in the process of making a pilot for a new Muppet series. What is the name of the show, and what is the basic plot line of the pilot?
Magic’s Answer:
It’s going under the production title of “CSI: Swamplands” surprisingly enough (any CSI show immediately gets greenlit). The pilot will actually be called “Muppets… Again” because that’s clearly what “Muppets Most Wanted” should have been called. It will focus on The Muppets trying to reclaim their theatre…again.
Actual Answer: It’s titled the muppets. It revolves around The Muppets’ lives as they make a new TV show, trying to get Miss Piggy to contribute.
15. The Muppet Mindset has been around for 5 years. What was your favorite article from 2013?
Magic’s Answer:
Probably the one where you floated the idea of writing an article in two years that would make your everyday, average Joe, ie me, look like a fool by proving I know less about The Muppets than I thought.
Actual Answer: Muppet Retro Reviews: Sesame Street’s 25th Anniversary – written by Ryan Dosier and posted on March 14th 2013.
16. Finally, how much do you regret agreeing to take this quiz, knowing now that you’ll look foolish in front of 1000’s of Muppet fans? Would you like us to credit you under a false name? Might I suggest ‘Gary Moon’?
Magic’s Answer:
I won’t regret it assuming I get some cool alias.
Actual Answer: You didn’t, I called you ‘Magic’.
My thanks to Magic for being hilarious and playing along!
