Miss Piggy, Camp, and the Death of the Movie Star

[@Cutieapplepie123]

Honestly, I don't think Miss Piggy ever needed a modern update. I think her movie star persona is even funnier in the modern era *because* it's so far removed from old Hollywood at this point

[@jamicooper6946]

Yes!!

[@peonylarkspur645]

Sunset boulevard muppet remake when????

[@gregorywiederecht]

I'm not so sure. I feel like it does need a little bit of updating. I think why it was so funny when she debuted was because there was still a frame of reference for it. The kind of star persona she was spoofing was only 20 or so years removed. Now, it's 65+ years removed, and the majority of people don't have that same frame of reference anymore.

[@CWRoederer]

This is not only true for Piggy, but honestly all the main Muppets sans-Kermit. A big part of what makes a lot of them so funny (and narratively unsuccessful) is that their individuals arts aren't fashionable, but they either don't know or don't care. Gonzo doesn't care if self-torture and bizarre behavior make poor entertainment anymore; it's his bit and he's sticking to it.

[@LittleStranger14]

Agreed! Its an added layer to the camp of it all.

[@retrogradepink]

Jennifer Coolidge totally embodies the Miss Piggy spirit.

[@redactedredacted6656]

there was a viral tweet that said jennifer coolidge and jeremy allen white in their actors on actors interview looked like miss piggy and kermit and I think about it all the time

[@perseussaint-perseus7627]

They should have changed the line "Peppa Pig" to "Miss Piggy" in White Lotus...

[@DiaryofaDitchWitch]

I feel like Jennifer would get other people to do her karate chopping for her though 😂

[@dianarodriguezespinosa6378]

Best comment

[@TheDecorista]

I grew up with the Muppets and they are still beloved.

[@xingcat]

Someone I follow on Twitter once said that The Muppets aren't a cast of characters; they were a troupe of actors, and once those original actors died or moved on from the show, The Muppets can't be the same, because the troupe shone through each and every character and situation.

[@helenl3193]

Yes, I don't envy the puppeteers who come in to take over roles. Not only are you joining such an unparalleled team of creatives at the top of their field, but you have to take over an iconic performance and try to be a part of preexisting relationships between the human cast and crew, as well as how that filters through into the characters' dynamics

[@Religion0]

I think it could have worked if the new actors got a voice in how and what they played, but as Frank said, corporations want to give everyone one function, there are writers who write without ever meeting the cast.

[@supme7558]

Nah

[@ian_does_things6586]

@@helenl3193Wow. This made me think about Studio C. They had a period of wild success for its first 9 seasons. Then, the entirety of that cast left to form their own studio. Now people barely watch the new material; continuously comment about the old cast; and the views only spike when news about old cast guest appearances occur.

[@drone124]

that's true in the way Adam West is the first Batman. everyone will bring own qualities to that performance but the character must be the same

[@FishareFriendsNotFood972]

I love how unapologetically assertive Miss Piggy is, she's a good role model for girls about how to find your voice

[@lauraestrada7279]

She totally was for me!!!

[@marlaine0994]

she is doing that for me now, as a 30 year old! i’m doing a deep dive of miss piggy for my halloween costume and it is healing to my inner child, who felt voiceless.

[@disinfectingwipes]

She’s beauty, she’s grace, she’s Miss United States.

[@LuvableAF]

She’s a Piggy! Whoah Whoah Whoah…

[@jenkinsjrjenkins]

She's beauty, she's grace, she'll karate chop you in the face

[@sainttan]

She's gonna smack you in the face.

[@peccantis]

--and she IS... the moment.

[@ramencurry6672]

She kind of is a parody of the curvy modern American woman

[@notoriousrrz]

Love this. The one thing that only gets touched on briefly but I think deserves more attention is the way Miss Piggy was coded as being plus-sized and even fat while also being coded as a stunning sex symbol. There was truly no one else I can think of when I was growing up as a fat kid in the 1980s that could steal the man and the camera's eye away from thinner women. It was a joke, but within the joke there was something liberating, especially when body positivity was decades away from getting any kind of foothold in the mainstream. Even by the time The Muppets came out in 2011, there was power in Emily Blunt--whose character starved herself in The Devil Wears Prada--talking about Miss Piggy revolutionizing plus-sized fashion. Miss Piggy being glamorous, having access to fashion, being seen as desirable and karate-chopping anyone who told her she didn't have the right to all that was meaningful for a lot of fat people, and it's sad that the world she's in now doesn't know how to put her on her pedestal. She's still big, It's the puppet shows that got small.

[@helenl3193]

Not just fat people - I was a gangly, beanpole of a kid (80% limbs & no grace!), but she was a role model to me too - she doesn't let her being a pig be the defining thing about her, she has a strong voice for self advocacy, and she fights for herself (literally and figuratively) and what she wants, but also for those she cares for. My mum pointed her out to me when, as a teased, scrawny tomboy in the 80s, I needed to see that you get to decide who you want to be, and you don't have to meet, or even worry about other people's expectations of you. So, while I absolutely don't want to dismiss, or take anything away from, your important point about her representation in our still largely fat-shaming/-phobic media, I think that also resonated equally powerfully for lots of us in the LGBTQ community and/or other marginalised groups. I bet a lot of woc found her fantastic as a representation of "difficult", "strong", "temperamental", "spicy" woman, who's struggle/complex character was generally better understood than a lot of old stereotypes and jokes used to with ACTUAL HUMAN WOMEN(🤬) of the time. I hope it doesn't feel like I'm talking over/taking away from your point - I'd never really analysed Miss Piggy (/my relationship to her?) before, and this video and comments like yours have really gotten my brain going! 🤯😊 Also, I've had some of my own weight and body image issues, and know how they can be dismissed &/or belittled all too often, even today, so I'm really sorry if that's what I've done by steamrollering in with my stream-of-consciousness take(s? Even I have lost count!) OK, I'll let someone else get a word in now! 😅 Much love to all my fellow Piggy fans, solidarity in good taste! ✊️

[@helenl3193]

Also, "it's the puppet shows that got small" is an absolutely baller line! 🔥

[@Religion0]

She gave the best dietary advise: "Never eat more than you can lift!"

[@milliehaagen7526]

I adore this comment, and especially the Norma Desmond reference ❤ Miss Piggy has long been my body positivity icon, she's who got me to love myself.

[@SergGirl]

Love this. It’s evocative of one of Miss Piggy’s inspirations I’m surprised didn’t get a name drop: Mae West. Miss West always used her witty writing to center herself as the most stunning woman in the room, not in spite of but BECAUSE of her curvaceous figure.

[@kleerude]

56:41 “I miss the sense of play that comes from a company owned by a person.” I don’t know why, but that hit me right in the gut. Edit: (watches thirty more seconds) Oh. That’s why.

[@teruienages962]

That's nice. I don't really agree with Frank Oz's assertions, and I think he's just living in the past and just adopting a groucy "everything was so much better in my day, the muppets are nothing without us." platitude. Its the same reason Steve Whitmire got fired as Kermit, because he just became too pretentious and self-centered. As the classic cast gets older and the Muppets enter immortal legacy status, he's just going to have to accept the fact that the Muppet identity as a brand is going to outlive all of them, now. His cantankerous selfishness and self-pitying was going all the way back to the 2011 Muppets movie and proclaimed it garbage only to be flat-out proven wrong by audiences and fans of it and it's success. Change and Age come for us all, and everyone worth the days of their prime have to admit that one day, sooner or later, their time is just inevitably up.

[@TwoCatsInLondon]

@@teruienages962I don’t think that’s what Dave Goelz is saying, nor what Frank Oz is saying. I don’t think they mean that everything was better, but that they miss the existence unique creative voices within the industry they work and worked in. Was it a great industry? No. But it used to have more players, and thereby more options. If one producer didn’t like your pitch, you could pitch it to someone else. Now the majority of smaller producing companies have been gobbled up by the big ones, mainly Disney, and for dissent you have to look outside of mainstream media. And things like TikTok or KZbin won’t work for The Muppets because they are an IP, and therefore owned. They have no creative freedom, and that’s what they’re missing. And that’s what they’re saying, not that everything used to be better.

[@kleerude]

@@teruienages962 ​​⁠ Well, the person I was quoting isn’t Frank Oz. But OK.

[@barcodenosebleed5485]

Having our pop culture programmed from afar by a tiny group of out-of-touch focus grouping, number crunching individuals is extremely frustrating. Who knows what we're missing and how detrimental it is beyond just being boring. I got into the radio industry in the late aughts. Kind of shocking to discover that like 90% of the radio stations in the country had their music programmed by like 3 people and that taking listener requests was just an illusion.

[@JenSell1626]

@@barcodenosebleed5485it always was, though

[@zw5851]

1,000% agree about the lack of glamor in the 21st century. It's impossible to project glamor, which requires mystique, in an age where we are encouraged by social media to verbally barf our every thought and perform our every action for the audience in our pocket.

[@langleymneely]

All these decades and I still don’t get how Piggy never got a film of her own?! Her origin story is ripe for a parody to this day! Disney is leaving money on the table dammit!

[@slimcourage901]

Because the Muppets work best as an ensemble. Each one, Miss Piggy included, is wonderful in their own right, but I don't think they could individually sustain an entire movie.

[@Trecherousbeast]

@@slimcourage901they could do a bit of a mockumentary where Miss Piggy hams up her origins a bit. Miss Piggy’s the star but the other muppets appear as “minor” roles in the story of her life.

[@gota7738]

To be fair, Muppet Caper very much feels like HER movie.

[@hyperballadbradx6486]

I think she'd be a bit much for a feature role. It would give me a headache lol

[@langleymneely]

I’m telling you a Dewey Cox level mock biopic starring all of the Muppets would be amazing! Make it all from the inflated POV of Piggy and chronicle every major Muppet moment in pop culture but completely skewed to make her the main character. Her humble farm origins, being discovered, the 70s Muppet mania, her “serious” film phase in the 90s, her facing her decline in the 2000s only to be rediscovered by a new generation via social media! All 100% melodrama and 100% bullshit that creates a wedge between her and the other Muppets until it all culminates with her actually getting that Oscar nom… and losing. Shes then forced to come clean and win back Kermits trust. It’s gold Jerry, GOLD! 😜

[@themorticians]

"Bette Davis never had to set up her own tripod." LOL Thank you for another interesting, thoughtful episode!

[@idontgivearatsbottom]

Quote of the year!

[@themultifish]

It sounds like a line Miss Piggy would grumble as she prepares a piece to camera herself.

[@EyebrowCinema]

BKR while gesturing to Miss Piggy: We used to be a country. A proper country.

[@LilyHandmaiden]

I recently watched the original Muppet Movie for the first time, and I was struck by the exact same thing: the ending made me cry, because it was this fictional troupe of weird artists MADE BY a real troupe of weird artists, all singing about the joy of getting together to create something bizarre and wonderful together. The story of the puppets is the story of the puppeteers. It's easy to see why the performers and their bonds with each other are so essential to the characters and the franchise.

[@tiio2208]

Miss Piggy is an absolute icon!!! I remember being absolutely obsessed with her style and attitude in the show as a kid. I've always loved how the Muppets are treated like "actual" stars, it just makes life more fun :)

[@MasseurDavis]

Miss.Piggy has an impeccable sense of style, Im sure designers enjoy styling her.

[@themaybeso6117]

I remember that Project Runway challenge where the contestants were so excited, especially in comparison to other episodes lol

[@MasseurDavis]

@@themaybeso6117 They had to design a outfit for Miss.Piggy?

[@hannahgrayy1051]

omg the shot to pearl "im not staying on this farm!" was amazing

[@elizabethbassett6598]

This video is sensational, breaking down the character, the performers behind her, hollywood, Disney, trend chasing. It does very well at being about Miss Piggy, but it’s also about the idea of an iconic character that no longer fits what she was parodying and how that informs how nostalgic cash grabs fail to launch. Love it

[@rhonnichan]

my grandma was called Miss Piggy in our hood because she dressed like her She took pride in being called Miss Piggy, that was her all time favorite character

[@finchcarvingadiamond]

Frank Oz is such a BAMF for Piggy. I love how much work he put into his characterization.

[@supme7558]

He was paid well

[@silverfish5560]

@supme7558 That’s good :)

[@angelspit]

I was given Miss Piggy's guide to life as a child and I can't even tell you how formative it was for me. You just unlocked some super core memories for me!! She was a boss woman before the term girlboss was even a twinkle as a concept!

[@rachelhunt441]

It’s incredibly uncommon for me to comment on things online, but I had to say how much I loved and appreciated this video. When I was a very little undiagnosed-autistic girl Miss Piggy was my hero. I wanted to be just like her-beautiful, glamorous, feminine, a movie star (lol). As I grew older and got better at play-acting a normal person and understood how outlandish her behavior was (and mine at times, though I never karate chopped anyone of course) I still had a huge amount of love for her as my first model for how to be a woman. Now I want to go back and rewatch all the Muppet Show episodes and the old movies. You’ve given me so much to think about, wonderful video as always.

[@trekkiejunk]

I think Gene Siskel's comment about Piggy being flipped upside down and seeing "how big her thighs are," is his illustrating that when many puppets may hide the secrets of puppetry out of camera, The Muppet Movie displayed those things, making it seem even less like a puppet. He probably could have chosen to say that you see their whole bodies riding bikes to make that point. But as weird of an example that was, i think that was his point.

[@helenl3193]

Yeah, I kinda agree with you that that's what he was aiming for, but also, it's still telling about the industry/Western society then, and how he doesn't even register that he's talking about her as a character and an object, but doesn't do the same with Kermit - he references Kermit cycling too in that piece, and there it is "he cycles", whereas with the female muppet it's "we get to see her thighs!" Which is a bit icky. But then there's also the added layer that she IS an object - a puppet, so it's maybe more acceptable for him to talk about her like that*, but it really underlines just how often women's bodies are spoken of, or how central to the focus when their performance/talent/anything else is actually supposed to be the topic. *(although maybe less so when it's in the middle of a recommendation of her character as the compelling actor of the film?)

[@shadowmaster1313]

​@helenl3193 she's such a compelling character that you can be sleazy about her and it's objectification even though she's actually an object

[@JenSell1626]

I guess the fact that Siskel had a blurb on the paperback that was issued with the... feature "The Devil in Miss Jones" colors my vision of him and sleaze 😂

[@colinneagle4495]

As much as I love Miss Piggy as a great comic character, it does bother me that the Muppets team never really bothered to create other female characters for the group. In the whole ensemble, the ladies consist of Miss Piggy, Janice (who mostly is wrapped up in stories with the rest of The Electric Mayhem), and Camilla the chicken who never talks. That's it. It almost feels like an example of the Smurfette trope where a large group of male characters includes exactly one woman who's personality boils down to being "the girl." I know that this annoyance of mine isn't super related to the topics in this video essay, but it just seems odd to be able to create any sort of character imaginable out of felt and foam and somehow more than two women characters is too difficult a task.

[@skaetur1]

They didn’t have as many women back in those days. 😂

[@lainiwakura1776]

Muppet Babies, the one from the late 80s/early 90s, had a girl counterpart to Scooter named Skeeter, she never appeared in anything else though.

[@novagray4143]

​@@lainiwakura1776i think skeeter is an unfortunate name for modern audiences

[@sunnyquinn3888]

They could retroactively tweak her name a little bit, it's been done with characters before.

[@dwren365]

​@@sunnyquinn3888tweak her name 🤣

[@dominiquediciocco6795]

The Muppets are multigenerational. I remember when my mum took me and my brother to see The Muppets (2011) it was a year after my great-grandfather past away and he loved The Muppet Show. My mum also told us how the family would come together to watch it whenever it was on, new episode and even reruns. When Rainbow Connection was performed in the film I held my mum's hand while she cried. My mum passed away 3 years ago now and I recently watch the original Muppet Movie and when kermit sang Rainbow connection I started crying much like my mum did 13 years ago. This is the power those puppeteers bring.

[@lydia1634]

My 6 year old son loves the Muppets and I'm sure he isn't the only one. The best Muppets stuff out there right now is the reboot of Muppet Babies, which is phenomenal. Yeah it's a show for preschoolers, but it gets the characterization better than anything since Muppets Most Wanted.

[@Bunny-ch2ul]

To me, one of the most interesting things about Miss Piggy is the way she highlights the absurdity of the way women were (are) expected to behave in a post-feminism world. The attitude towards feminism in the late seventies and eighties was more or less, "That's nice dear. You can break all of the glass ceilings you like, so long as you still have dinner on the table at 6:30." Sure, be a CEO, but you still have to be June Cleaver too. While Miss Piggy isn't remotely domestic, she's definitely a glamour girl, which is really the other side of the domestic coin, it's basically the same idea. She's tough as nails, but still giggles demurely after throwing someone across the room. I feel like like Miss Piggy does a really good job highlighting the absurdity of expecting women to be both very capable, but also damsels in distress at the same time. Every time she's strong and successful she has to downplay it as an accident or risk appearing threatening or less desirable. Even though everyone should be thanking her for saving the day. I'm not a woman, but I know enough women to know that having to be supremely capable to be taken seriously, while simultaneously downplaying that same capability so as not to appear a shrew is a nearly universal experience.

[@ididthisonpulpous6526]

I remember distinctly watching Blues Brothers as a little kid and my Mom going at the appearance of Frank Oz at the beginning "You know who that is?" "No." "That's Yoda." and my little kid brain not being able to comprehend and than she went on "Also Miss Piggy, and a pretty amazing guy." From than on I would make a not of his name, because what a name! Frank Oz is one of the most amazing creative voices we got out of Henson's little experiment, but all of Henson's work continually brings such joy. Sad we lost Henson so young.

[@mauriboquitas]

Really enjoyed the comparison with Jenna Maroney. There's a quick joke in S1 where a magazine asks "Who wore it best?" between Jenna and Miss Piggy, and guess who wins by a landslide? Miss Piggy, of course. God, I love 30 Rock.

[@Jenninka]

I’ve watched 30 Rock a thousand times and never would have drawn this comparison on my own but it’s so dead on

[@mauriboquitas]

@@Jenninka I can totally hear things like "My niece drew a picture of me and I look so FAT!" or "Killing cats is wrong... unless it's to make a hat!" or "Listen up fives, a ten is speaking" in Miss Piggy's voice.

[@perryjones7771]

Miss Piggy RAN and won’t let the gworls crawl. These new girls could never.

[@JoeOConnellAllNew]

Piggy's trademark Karate chops is a very 70's-specific cultural touchstone. In the wake of Bruce Lee and "Kung Fu" films of the early 70's, Asian martial arts and particularly karate were a huge craze all through the decade. She wasn't alone in using martial arts (anyone else remember "Hong Kong Fooey"?). Even the "hi-YA!" exclamation wasn't even original to her, but adapted from stereotypes of Karate experts in movies. But as time moved on and pop culture mostly forgot about Karate, Piggy's karate chop stuck and became unique to her. (And does anyone else think Piggy's use of martial arts is a pun? Piggy's "chop" - pork chop?)

[@amandac.s.9452]

Man, between this, Patrick Willem's recent vid, and the Defunctland series on Jim Henson, it makes my heart heavy on the current state of the Muppets. I hope someone can breathe new life into them. The original movie was so special to me as a kid. I'd hate to see them fade away

[@gryphonvert]

Yes! I'd hoped that Defunctland's series would get a mention too, it was so good!

[@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621]

​@gryphonvert there was a defunct land thing?? What was that about??

[@gryphonvert]

@@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621 He put it out as "DefunctlandTV"; it was 5 years ago, so maybe at the time he thought he'd do more like it (he did do a few more about other tv series). It was a 6-part series. 1, The History of the First Muppet Show (Sam and Friends). 2, The Curse of Sesame Street. 3, The History of the Muppet Show. 4, The History of Fraggle Rock. 5, The History of Muppet Babies. 6, The Final Jim Henson Hour. They're about a half hour each, give or take. Really riveting.

[@davidc5278]

Omg the comparison to Jenna from 30 Rock - I can’t believe I never picked up on that. Brilliant.

[@helenl3193]

Yup, proper 🤯 moment!

[@akivafox3588]

She's the greatest drag performance of all time.

[@anderlucifer]

Why is anything hyper-feminine (flamboyant) considered for drag queens? I thought femininity was part of female culture or girlhood?

[@jackfriend4u]

agreed! she's my favorite drag queen persona.

[@eddjoey]

since we're at it, watching those clips from past Oscars, i still can't believe The Muppets haven't hosted an Oscar ceremony yet

[@Zelda_420_]

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 BE KIND REWIND UPLOADED, AND IT'S ABOUT THE ICON MISS PIGGY

[@lucasmcinnis5045]

Miss Piggy has been such a camp icon, especially with her resurgence in Gen Z culture where people are comparing her to Chappel Roan Geez I didn't realize how controversial of a comment this would be. Everyone has an opinion I guess

[@soaribb32]

Chappell should dress like Miss Piggy someday, I fear.

[@AlexaSmith]

wow people are doing that...interesting

[@katconnors]

There's been comparisons between Chappell's stage outfits and things Miss Piggy has worn over the years. There is a good amount of crossover, intentional or not. I'm glad Chappell is bringing camp back to the masses, we've needed it.

[@Tsumami__]

But the comparison makes no sense. Piggy’s a parody of DIVAS, not so much a social media person that only a handful of gen z kids are interested in and will forget in a year. Chappell hasn’t done enough for icon status.

[@lucasmcinnis5045]

@@Tsumami__ That's not the point I was making, moreso that people have been comparing outfits they've worn

[@gxv3tv]

When people ask who would be your top 5 guests at your dinner party dead or alive. Miss piggy would be on that list. You have made me so happy that you've done a video on her. God I love this channel. Thank you so much xx❤

[@thomasbirdeno]

I had no idea that my life needed an hour long documentary about Miss Piggy. Once again, BKR changed the chemistry of my brain. Absolutely sensational.

[@Mitchellfw]

Miss Piggy still has one of my favourite forth-wall breaking lines ever from "The Great Muppet Caper": You're a phony. You're a phony! Yes, you are! And you know what, you can't even sing! Your voice was dubbed!

[@peonylarkspur645]

That whole movie is a classic. The scene where Kermit breaks character mid-scene to snark at her for overacting and they get in an actual argument? Brilliant

[@bexthewitch87]

I love The Muppets so much. They were such an important part of my childhood and helped develop my sense of humor. I will never forgive Netflix for cancelling the Dark Crystal....

[@alisonjane7068]

that first season was SO GOOD, like, WHAT???

[@Supermunch2000]

I'm 48 and Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and company *are* real to me, DAMMIT! They've made me laugh, cry, feel confused, feel happy... perhaps just feel.

[@katherinelynch4193]

ToughPigs, a Muppet fan site, recently launched a podcast all about the history of Miss Piggy, which explores a lot of these ideas. Highly recommended!

[@Aneli713]

When I was in middle school, and start really acting like the theater kid that I still kinda am, one of my friends mockingly started calling me Miss Piggy. For a few years I was really annoyed by that cuz I had image issues, and anythig implying that I was fat, just hurt me deeply. But after a while and a rewatch of most of the Muppet movies on collage, my whole relationship with that name changed. Now I love her merchandize, and she's one of the figures and characters that trully inspire me and gives me confidence and strength. Tank you for this documentary on her, you made my week.

[@michaeltonus3888]

Miss Piggy is kind of the perfect gay icon, a combination of like, Hollywood glamour, and the tragedy of her constantly thwarted ambition. She's a character who is famous and successful because she's never managed to become famous and successful. She has two layers, the inner layer where her creators are fully aware of her camp appeal and are able to harness that to the best possibly effect, and the outer layer of Miss Piggy herself who is completely oblivious to it.

[@IfUSeekAndy]

Yassss! 💯 agree! She doesn’t get enough love and recognition that she should in the gay community imo

[@supme7558]

Thats Kermit

[@PogieJoe]

God, Miss Piggy as a tribute to the Old Hollywood diva is so deeper than I ever considered. Amazing work as always!

[@brianquigley-je8kx]

its the way she say 'oh kermy' that just gets me every time

[@BJWanlund]

Yep, you nailed everything about what I thought was wrong with that The Muppets series on ABC. But seeing it through the lens of it being a PARODY of that style makes me wish they’d leaned HARDER into that particular type of parody, rather than try to fit the structures of the mockumentary format.

[@stevieg3761]

She really shines in the episode 'Pig Out'

[@jimmywallace6452]

Amazing video as always! I think another testament to how beloved Miss Piggy is is that Peggy Lee loved the fact that Piggy was named after her. Peggy’s granddaughter said that Peggy thought it was “fabulous” because they were both divas.

[@JonathanStrickland]

Another recommendation: If you're in Atlanta, Georgia, visit the Center for Puppetry Arts. They have a museum space dedicated to Jim Henson's works and a rotating display of pieces from The Muppets, Sesame Street, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and more. Also, the shows performed at the Center are amazing (though I'm biased -- my sister is a puppeteer there).

[@battlegirldeb]

Go head. It's about time you got to Miss Piggy. This is a channel for all the big actresses.

[@Nkanyiso_K]

Chappell Roan is showing how much we still love Missy Piggy (I miss the Muppets being everywhere)

[@CWRoederer]

I love this video! It's wonderfully refreshing to see a Muppet video essay that feels like genuine media analysis and not just lecturous fanboying. I especially like this video's focus on how The Muppets are supposed to be caricatures of humanity, not just nice people in pigskin. The non-Sesame critters should always be funny first and nice second!

[@niceclaup1]

lecturous 👍

[@bwaybaby4]

“Bette Davis never had to set up her own tripod.” Let’s all take a moment to appreciate appreciate that line 😂🩵🎞️

[@EilonwyWanderer]

"The Magic Store" & the reprise of "Rainbow Connection" as analogy for Henson & Co vibing and bringing joy to each other and into the world -- such a great way to cap off this delightful look at Miss Piggy! Thanks for another great video ❤

[@JC-yy8iv]

“It’s not part of most people’s visual vocabulary anymore- except probably people who watch this channel” 😊🥰

[@JC-yy8iv]

OMG I’m so glad you mentioned Jenna Maroney!! Just a few minutes before that when you were talking about how Piggy-as-Miranda-Priestly doesn’t fully work I was thinking, well they should make her Jenna Maroney instead

[@MariaVosa]

The jolt of pure electricity I felt seeing not just a new BKR video - but the topic being The One and Only Miss Piggy! I honestly did a muppet flail! I love Miss Piggy because she is a sort of wishfullfilment for any girl - unapologetically ambitious, always claiming the center stage - and not afraid to go after the man she wants. She is Mae West, Bette Davis and Elizabeth Taylor rolled into one. And she has a heart of gold underneath it all, that balances the violence and ego. She will go to the ends of the Earth and pulverise anyone who tries to hurt the crew. That's what they may not quite have gotten in the last series.

[@1957DLT]

You weren't the only 'muppet flailer', trust me on this.

[@seaspinster3246]

The pictures have gotten too small for Miss Piggy’s star power

[@ZacherlJem]

I truly love Mark Jacobson's version of the character. Frank Oz portrayed her with a certain melancholy that Mark doesn't. I think her evolution as a character fits perfectly with someone who has been in the entertainment industry for decades. She still has her insecurities, but has matured into knowing she has something in herself fans want. Disney unfortunately has gobbled up so many IPs it tends to leave out the Muppets.

[@princesssparrow4530]

I alway loved miss Piggy, but I DID NOT expect how many clips genuinly made me laugh! Like holy shit, everything is still so funny to me, none of it even feels that dated

[@goodguy630]

"There's definitely a lot of wealth but glamour? I'm not so sure." I think you pretty much nailed it. This is just my opinion. As a Muppet/Miss Piggy fan, I always wondered why I don't like Miss Piggy now as much as I used to. At first, I thought the current writers were just ruining her character, but I don't think that's the case. Back in the time when we idolized movie stars (up until the late 90s I suppose) her antics were fresh, hilarious and even endearing. Since the boom in reality TV (which I always hated, the Kardashians, blech) Miss Piggy just comes off as an unlikeable b*tch. She was always the caricature of the Hollywood celebrity, but the celebrity brand has become more than tarnished. I always thought the 90s Muppet movies were the best ones because I was a 90s kid. But now, I think it's because the Muppets were acting as characters (Christmas Carol, Treasure Island, Muppets from Space) instead of "themselves", Miss Piggy included. I've always loved MOVIES, but have never really cared for the MOVIE STARS. I now realize I don't like Miss Piggy as much anymore because I don't like celebrity culture. 😮‍💨

[@fitnessfreak7851]

I never would’ve imagined that we be talking about Miss Piggy on this channel and it’s a delight! ❤

[@darylchin53]

Stunning! Your analysis of how the evolution/devolution of the Muppets from the initial days of local television to today's utterly corporatized megaplatforms was so perceptive and thought-provoking. And the fact that, as these "characters" become more and more removed from the source of creation, the possibilities of character "development" become less and less.

[@moiseslozano6906]

it can't be a channel thats talk about great actresses without the Greatest one of all!!! Miss Piggy!!!

[@KateInColor]

There's absolutely nothing cheesy about creativity. It's our guiding human force, inner fire, and supreme expression of self. Terrific video. Brava!

[@okay5045]

The Muppet Christmas Carol was really good.

[@cuucnsbfl9913]

Joe W. Says: about 18 months ago I watched a video - part of a series made by a filmmaker and a psychiatrist [psychologist?] In Which the 2 analyze popular movies and the underlying psychologies of the characters - defining themes that repeat, moral messages, "art imitating life" [like how would a psychoanalist view Mr. Scrooge - what Personality Disorder traits does he display?] And How well does the film express or convey its messages to the Audience? - And the 2 raved about how Michael Caine [the live actor portraying Scrooge] had to "up his game" to hold his own lest the puppets surrounding him Steal Every Single Scene... and I laughed Aloud because I vividly remembered watching The Muppet Show as a kid, and I was certain that many celebrity guest stars Must have felt that way!!!

[@rebeccassweetmusic4632]

I also argue that Ashley Tisdale's Sharpay Evans from the HSM series picks up Miss Piggy's baton, too

[@hued2542]

I think there’s still a way they could bring more of her old traits in the modern era. The bit you touched on about frank oz saying he had a backstory is a great jump off point. Make a movie about her having to go back home and the muppets tag along. That’s such a full bag of good gags, Kermit meeting the in-laws, her diva persona being challenged but people that know her as a country girl . Idk would work great and if gonzo could get a backstory why can’t she?

[@SquirrelTato]

Thank you for verbalizing what I love most about Miss Piggy - her resilience.

[@robertgoyette5863]

perfect combination of subject and essayist

[@dokiepkosa]

I had a friend claim that Madam Piggy was abusive because of her karate chop and it made me so mad. Your section on the history of her physicality was wonderful! No, a real person shouldn’t do that. But I love that her karate chops are a sign of her inner trucker! The part of herself that can’t ever be polished!

[@JoelEblin]

The Pearl clip got me. You always make the perfect quick references.

[@creatinotionchannel2680]

Also near me in Atlanta is the Center for Puppetry Arts with a whole Jim Henson section featuring Dark Crystal, Fraggle Rock, Sesame St and the Muppet Show items.

[@drnstvns]

What everyone seems to miss about the muppets overall is their imperfections. There was something to watching them and seeing the intentional screw ups, messy backstage, hecklers and out of control mad bombers or science experiments as well as seeing the unintentional hand wire or a cheap effect and being aware there was a madcap group of people just out of sight trying desperately to put on a show and not trying to hide that but playing in to it. So when a little money got put into the productions and they pulled off Kermit on a bike or Miss Piggy driving a motorcycle (with even that having terrible scale issues with her being puppet sized to clearly a grown person in a Piggy suit) we LOVED it cause we were not only rooting for the muppets in the storyline but also the puppeteers putting it on. Once they started treating the muppets like real people and it felt like the puppeteers weren’t wildly expressing their creativity but instead desperately trying to imitate the characters voices afraid to do anything that might give away it’s not the original puppeteers it just left audiences with incredibly high hopes willing to forgive so much just for some of that zaniness again and given what felt like scared, nervous, subdued performances by people unwilling to just take the character and go but we’re just too conscious that they weren’t Jim Henson or Frank Oz or any of the other performers. And as a side note on that: another thing that really makes the muppets hard to love is when they quit making them out of carved foam and felt so they were soft and loveable but apparently made master casts of the characters and made a mold of them and now just pump the mold full of foam and I mold them and done. It leaves the characters made up of what looks like a dense stippling make up foam piece and they aren’t soft at all. Stapler and Waldorf are horrible now. Last thing and I’ll shut up- people forget in the original Muppet Movie Kermit had a crush on Piggy not the other way around and yes she rescues him from Doc Hoppers brain sucker machine but when she gets a call from her agent for a commercial she goes from soft and demure to “Yeah Bernie…whatta ya got? Commercial? How much? Take it.” She then hangs up the phone, turns back to a still tied up Kermit and delivers one of the greatest punchlines in film history. “Ummmmmm…….bye.” and exits. So it hasn’t always been Piggy obsessed with Kermie.

[@glasscitystudios8548]

So...the muppets got botox?

[@zk6231]

My Man Godfrey mentioned! everyone cheered

[@shoopidly5249]

The Muppets have taken over my life for the past few months. We started watching The Muppet Show with our son 10 months ago. We've watched through the whole show at least 10 times by now. The Muppets have sat with me through several all-nighters with him. We had a solid 2 weeks where my husband refused to watch anything except The Muppet Movie. They've defined my entire experience of motherhood.

[@CarolineBearoline]

I haven't stopped grinning since this video began, thank you for making this

[@AnthonysCorner1]

One of my all time favorite singers is MISS PEGGY LEE!!! Peggy Lee was so mesmerizing, enchanting, gorgeous, relaxing, and soothing. I heard that Miss Piggy was inspired by Miss Peggy Lee and I thought it was awesome!

[@cuucnsbfl9913]

Joe W. Says: YES, She Gave Us FEVER!!!

[@outeremissary4438]

Absolutely love to see this overview of her history as a character- she's such a delight and I feel like I've only come to appreciate her more as I've aged.

[@CaulkMongler]

It’s kinda funny that you say it’s been difficult for her to translate into modern day pop culture because I feel like the girls, gays and theys never let her go. We still recognize her as an icon!

[@buzzawuzza3743]

No one on the planet makes me enjoy more things I don't care about at all than you do. You're a natural storyteller. Well done.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Quote of the Day: “Bette Davis never had to set up her own tripod.”

[@madebybrendito]

I’m always astounded at the creativity of the muppets. Another incredible video Isabel!

[@nils-olofohman1079]

Recommended listening: Miss Piggy's Aerobique Exercise Workout Album. Works on so many levels: as a parody of the 80s aerobics craze, as just a straight-up comedy album, etc. Also useful in that "Stereau Warmup," while meant as a joke, helped me learn that my record player's channels were reversed.

[@Moonraker128]

Wonderful video, thank you! One small quibble: The Muppet Show doesn’t have “guest hosts”, it has guest stars. I think because SNL has been on for so long with guest hosts, people default to that phrase when talking about The Muppet Show. But Kermit was always the host of The Muppet Show; those human celebrities are guest stars. Muppet pet peeve of mine.

[@77leofi]

I've said it before and I say it again: "Be Kind Rewind" is the best KZbin blogger there is! 😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@blackromulan]

Best "The Muppet Show" line ever: "Bib and napkin, knife and fork Is the only way I'll touch pork" - Kermit the Frog, "Pig Calypso"

[@CheshirePhrog]

I've been rewatching the muppet show recently and that spent about a week in my head

[@niceclaup1]

disrespect off the charts

[@happygoth007]

PfE (posting for the engagement) Piggy's violence asquealed to the rough kids and her glamour felt the soft lighting kids. Muppets is America's Monty Python. Its old but every generation finds it.

[@timeforlaurynsopinion5138]

the jenna maroney comparison is INCREDIBLE. a 30 rock style behind-the-scenes of an snl-style sketch show would be such an amazing vehicle for the muppets. kermit as liz lemon, fozzie as tracy, piggy as jenna, alec baldwin as jack. perfection.

[@thisisspacepig]

This is basically the premise of the show “the muppets” from 2015 - Miss Piggy is the host of a late night show, Kermit is the exec producer, and the show follows them scrambling to pull every episode together behind the scenes. Its elevator pitch is “30 Rock meets The Office, but Muppets”

[@patrickgomes2213]

My friend Susan said it best, Disney doesn’t know what to do with them (the Muppets characters). She actually knew Jim Henson and the writers, and to make a long story short, the MOUSE brand gets in the way. I actually don’t think it’s that hard to bring Miss Piggy into the modern era - whatever that means. You just have to stay true to the character. Big hints: the Muppets would never have broken up and were never cloying or sentimental. They could be sad and happy and zany and worked when they reflected pop culture.

[@davidc5278]

You are right - 100%. Even with all the inequality of wealth, we are definitely not living in an age of glamour. In times of glamour - they sold expensive hats, bags, dresses, all different types of jewelry, scarves, etc. But you never saw expensive sweats - sweats were always affordable. But today, because wealthier people are buying less of those other items - there are now high-end sweats.

[@DanniGeee]

As someone who grew up watching Sesame Street daily, The Muppet Show weekly (albeit years before “getting” most of the jokes), and all of the Muppet Movies (even the few bad ones - lookin’ at you, “Muppets Wizard of Oz”), *THANK YOU,* @Be Kind Rewind. This is excellent on _so many levels._ With such an extensive (& often intertwined) history to cull, spanning five decades & every possible format (including cartoon spinoffs), the focus, quality, & cohesiveness of this video is incredibly well-done. Ngl, the first appearance of Disney’s watermark on a clip was BEYOND INFURIATING. Thank you for addressing THAT elephant (pig?) in the room by the end. Their decision to purchase the brand, only to leave it languishing & wasting away, is beyond baffling. Absent, ofc, the times they DIDN’T neglect it…choosing instead to produce utter garbage that actively squandered the Muppets legacy they inherited. Though that’s pretty on-brand for them, given their deplorable handling of most, if not all, IPs they’ve “collected” over the past few decades…

[@l.d.8697]

I forgot how excited I used to get for the muppet show when i was a kid. We had one TV and the whole family would watch it.

[@Cobralalalala]

Just started the video, and how did I not know about The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show!?!? Definitely watching that with the three year old tomorrow. She adores Miss Piggy! Can't wait to watch the rest of this video as well. I love Piggy and The Muppets. ❤

[@natalieshark]

I have been totally sideswiped by this video. I love Miss Piggy but this was so thoughtful and well researched that it has somewhat renewed that love. I am so glad you brought up Jenna because I was thinking about her throughout the whole video. But your comparisons to Norma Desmond and Pearl are so incredibly clever. However, now I can’t stop thinking about Piggy doing the things Pearl did. Kermit coming home from the war. My god. Seriously though, fucking aces across the board. Fantastic video.

[@timeforlaurynsopinion5138]

i hope an artist sees this comment and redraws the scene of howard coming home and seeing pearl again but with kermit and piggy!

[@natalieshark]

@@timeforlaurynsopinion5138 It’s so vivid in my head. I would love to see it.

[@castle3267]

YES A VIDEO ON THE QUEEN HERSELF

[@CinnamonGrrlErin1]

I've been watching the Muppet Show again, and as big as she got in the 80s, I love her 70s aggression, especially in moments like her duet with Raquel Welch (or Rudolf Nureyev lol). Her status as a feminist icon of that era really was something special, and important.

[@bugginonthewall]

Bonnie, Henson & Oz are forever my inspirations. Human creativity at its finest ❤

[@KrishnaWashburn]

This video is amazing, and learning about the inspiration for Miss Piggy's personality pretty much explains my entire life. When I was three, I thought that being Miss Piggy was a career option for me as an adult -- the glamor, the energy, the intensity! But it's absolutely true: in films today, there isn't room for that kind of over-the-top expression anymore. Where does it still exist? Musical theater, the opera (just barely), and my own artistic field -- the ballet! Ballet is all about female characters having ultra extreme, over-the-top emotional expressions that are fully embodied. It's so much more fun to swoon in the doorway, you guys -- learn from Miss Piggy's example and try it!

[@Nikki-tx6kh]

Came here for the Oscar History, ended up with Miss Piggy. No complaints tho, she's an Icon. I've always loved the Muppets and I used to have a tee of her. PS- I love the way you've been branching out into different areas of Entertainment History. Can I have the History of Catwoman and Wonder Woman next? Please, Por Favor, Per Favore...I know how to say this on 10 languages, I can be here all night.

[@Skye_Writer]

It's absolutely criminal that Henson and Oz HAVEN'T been awarded at least some kind of special thing from the Academy, because they HAVE made these puppets into actual characters. Piggy just isn't the same since Frank left.

[@genericglam]

What a great way to start off my Sunday, with a new vid from BKR 😍

[@divatalk9011]

I’m swimming in the fun and splendour of this information. What a fantastically well researched video