What Makes Me Happy: The Muppets
What Makes Me Happy: The Muppets
Happiness 7 years ago No Comments

The Muppets

My remedy for a less than stellar day? The Muppets. Just looking at a photo of this cast of nutty characters magically lightens my mood in an instant. Their humor, earnestness, frustration, sweetness, crankiness, silliness, optimism, and, ultimately, their love for and loyalty to one another despite their differences is what keeps me coming back.

Why The Muppets

Part of The Muppets’ sway on me stems from nostalgia. During my elementary school years, The Muppet Show, a 30-minute show about the making of a variety show, came on at 6:30pm every week day. My high school-age brother and I would hang out in the kitchen while my mom made dinner, and The Muppets would entertain the three of us.

Despite our age differences, we would all cackle at the never-ending predicaments of ring leader Kermit the Frog desperately trying to wrangle his idiosyncratic cast and crew into producing their ambitious, often misguided, vaudevillian acts. Even better was when the episode’s celebrity guest human was forced to take part in their wacky schemes, resulting in hilarity and – surprisingly enough – some touching performances.

Since The Muppet Show, there have been several movies, countless talk show guest appearances, and even a recent mockumentary-style television show, and I’ve gleefully consumed them all, even when the reviewers weren’t so kind.

I guess I love the diversity of their temperaments and how these characters – who are not made out of flesh and bone – seem to feel more deeply than many people. Their distinct personalities, expressive faces, silly voices, and ridiculous situations can’t not have a positive effect on me.

And now for one of my favorite Muppet sketches of all time: The Cat Came Back with Rowlf the Dog.

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