One score minus four years ago, our editors set forth upon the readership our very first Presidential election: The aptly titled ToughPigs Elections. Catchy, right? We’ve continued the tradition every election cycle since. We’re creatures of habit, so it’s time to do it again.
What is the ToughPigs Election? It’s when we choose two Muppet nominees (plus running mates) and pit them against each other for the Presidency. What is the Presidency? Stop asking so many questions – what is this, a moderated debate??
ToughPigs readers elected President Ernie in 2008, followed by President Gonzo in 2012, and then President Big Bird. in 2016. And then… something happened. Starting in 2016, Presidential elections became less fun and more dire. It felt less exciting to write about why Gobo Fraggle would be soft on crime, or how Cookie Monster would eat the deficit. So in 2020, we changed up the rules and elected President Kermit, because the election in the real world was an equally obvious choice.
Rather than go back to our old ways, we decided to move forward with a bold new ToughPigs election. That’s right, an election with a twist! Who doesn’t love a twist?? Especially when democracy is on the line!
Rather than jump right into voting, we’re going to hold a primary. Over the next four weeks, YOU (yes, you!) will help us choose the candidates, make arguments, and then vote for this year’s Muppet President!
Step one begins today: We want you to tell us which Muppets you think should be President! Click here to fill out our Google Form and submit your nominations.
Characters are split into three parties: The Muppet Party (characters from The Muppet Show and movies), The Sesame Party (characters from Sesame Street), and The Henson Party (characters from Fraggle Rock, The Creature Shop, Big Bag, and any other Henson/Muppet property).
Before we get started, a few rules:
- You may fill out the form multiple times!
- But please only submit each character only once!
- Please only nominate Muppet characters. We all love Maria and Doc and Doug Henning, but only Muppets are eligible to be ToughPigs President.
- The only Muppets who *aren’t* eligible for nomination are previous Presidents (Ernie, Gonzo, Big Bird, and Kermit). They’ve served their terms!
Once all of the votes are tallied, we’ll take the most popular nominations to create your roster for the Primary Election. Starting Friday, October 18th, you’ll get to vote in the Primaries to choose your final nominees. And the following week, we’ll have the final nominees ready for your vote.
Meanwhile, throughout the next four weeks, we encourage you to chat and debate your picks for nominees. Who knows, maybe your comments will make it into the next ToughPigs Election article??
Once again, be sure to nominate whichever Muppets you think would make a great ToughPigs President for the next four years! And then join in on the debate on the ToughPigs Discord!
P.S. – Don’t forget to vote in your real Presidential and local elections! Make a plan, confirm your voting status, vote early, and help others do the same!
Click here to get into politics on the ToughPigs Discord!
by Joe Hennes and Anthony Strand
