Muppet Musings

The Band is Back Together

There’s just something so endearing about the Muppets. I have been a Muppet groupie since an early age. I still have Miss Piggy stationery from the 1980’s and a stuffed Kermit the Frog from a holiday visit to Macy’s in New York City some years ago. I’ve watched all the movies multiple times and can retell most of the jokes and sing all the songs. I even “sniff the bottlecap” occasionally on a date night out just for laughs (IYKYK).

So I did a happy dance when The Muppet Show returned to prime time T.V. with a single special episode marking the 50th anniversary of the show’s original debut in 1976. I felt young all over again watching my little fuzzy friends that never age, and I appreciated that this revival honored Jim Henson’s original style and flavor. Silly jokes and slapstick humor - what’s not to love?

What I didn’t expect would be the random “Muppet” encounters I would have the week following the special premiere. I struck up a conversation with a bartender named Phil at Oklahoma City’s Grand Royale in the funky Plaza District. While we were chatting, a couple was busy setting up a set for what appeared to be a comedy puppet show. When I inquired, and it was confirmed that, yes, there would be an adult puppet show later than evening, I made mention of my love affair with the Muppets and how much I enjoyed their return appearance. Phil’s face lit up, and he promptly reached behind the bar and produced an index card featuring an image of Kermit playing the banjo.

If you look closely, you’ll see an actual banjo string running up the neck of the instrument. The card is autographed by Lucas Ross, the musician who has played the banjo behind Kermit’s Rainbow Connection various times over the years. Ross is the education and promotion director at the American Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City where Kermit happens to be sitting center stage with his original banjo prop from The Muppet Movie (1979). The special exhibit Pop! Goes the Banjo! runs through October of this year.

And just this morning at Elemental Coffee in Innovation Hall next door to my office, I stopped in for a hot chai tea latte and on the counter in front of the register a clipboard caught my eye. Hats off to the barista that chose to deliver Muppet lovers like myself a little nostalgia treat. It’s the little things. Just like the little Muppets that pack a big punch and keep us coming back for more.