In Frog We Trust

Upon the release of The Muppets in American cinemas last year, Fox News anchor Eric Bolling railed against the film’s apparent attempt to indoctrinate the nation’s children in class warfare, thanks to the fact that the main baddie is corrupt oilman Tex Richman. Does Bolling have a point? Where do the Muppets stand on the world’s current economic crisis? At a recent press conference Kermit himself was quick to point out that Tex Richman isn’t intended as an attack on the entire oil industry, and Miss Piggy said the idea was “almost as laughable as accusing Fox News of being news”.

The character does, however, represent the latest in a long line of Muppet villains who have used their wealth for immoral purposes: be it Doc Hopper’s fast food scheme in The Muppet Movie or Rachel Bitterman’s proposed nightclub empire in It’s A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, there have always been characters keen to exploit the gang. The Muppets aren’t necessarily anti-corporate, however. If anything, they stand for a brand of responsible capitalism – as their heartwarming rehabilitation of Ebenezer Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol demonstrates.

The Muppets have been at their most popular during times of national economic hardship, providing a point of identification – and a good laugh – for those suffering through tough times. During Britain’s 1978/79 Winter of Discontent, The Muppet Show was at its peak. Perhaps it helped that, although stars, the Muppet ensemble were by no means affluent. Week in and week out, they’d mount a production in their dilapidated theatre despite the fact they barely had two dimes to rub together. In one early episode, it’s revealed that Fozzie Bear doesn’t even get paid for doing his act; he does it for the love. Later, the last great Muppet film, The Muppet Christmas Carol, stuck a chord in the 1990s as riots hit British cities when unemployment topped two million.

Jim Henson’s other big TV hit, Sesame Street, came about as a result of that series’ producers noticing that poor inner-city kids were not benefitting from the same kind of pre-school education that children from more advantaged backgrounds were receiving. Using TV as a means of reaching out to the disenfranchised, the early decades of Sesame Street reflected its target audience’s surroundings. They were set in a distinctly low-rent neighbourhood, but one in which the characters were encouraged to aspire to bigger and better things.

If one was so inclined, the extended Muppet family could even be linked to David Cameron’s Big Society. The characters have certainly shown time and time again a willingness to band together despite their many differences, and to co-operate for the greater good. See also Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock, a series specifically created to teach children about the interconnected and interdependent nature of the natural world and to encourage peace between nations.

Do we only turn to Jim Henson’s timeless creations in times of economic hardship? No. Is their financial situations the only reason millions of people worldwide have connected with the characters? Of course not. Still, the Muppets’ message of co-operation and compassion seems particularly relevant today – and regardless of which side of the political fence one sits, that surely can’t be a bad thing.