The Muppets Jokes Kids Won't Get

*Note*

This post contains no spoilers. Just beautiful easter eggs you may otherwise miss. Go ahead and enjoy the film.


1. Being a Muppet is apparently a genetic condition roughly akin to congenital dwarfism. Not exactly a news flash for anyone who's seen Steve Martin go toe-to-toe with a felt frog like it happened every day, but this movie specifically introduces a fleece-based life form ostensibly born to human parents and sharing a human brother. Of course, adoption is a possible solution, but this neglects the initial issue of where a Muppet comes from.

1A. Muppets are massive. Interaction with humans seems to indicate Muppets are only actually represented by felt and are in reality biological creatures of meat and heft.

1B. Jim Parsons may in fact be part Muppet. Brief cameo, very perfect, though.

2. Dave Grohl as an Animal impersonator. Look for it. Also look for Sarah Silverman, John Krazinski, Rashida Jones, and NPH, along with a few others I'll leave a surprise for plot purposes.

3. Gonzo references a certain previous film shedding light on his origins.

4. The stoned hippie. (Towards the beginning. Easy to miss.)

5. Kermit is a depressed, emotionally closed-off shell of a being. Basically, Rick from Casablanca.


As a personal note, the first half of the film is basically a self-referential production of, "Would anyone really watch a Muppets show these days?"Then they do it with aplomb anyway, because someone is willing to pay for them to try. It's pretty sweet.

Also, the ending makes me think Jason Segel might be a weird sort of genius. There's a life lesson there that says a lot about the economy and public sentiment and I hope or not maybe children.

Final review: 4.5 stars out of 5. Basically, all the best parts of my childhood, and I didn't even watch The Muppet Show as a kid.