Top 10 Times the Muppets Tackled Serious Issues

The Muppets tackled serious issues with heart and felt. For this list, we’ll be looking at moments when the Muppets took a step back from their usual comedic hijinks to talk - or sing - about serious topics. Our countdown includes the death of a dog, climate change, tribute to Jim Henson, and more! Can YOU think of a moment we missed? Leave a comment and let us know!

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#Muppets #SeriousIssues #TheMuppetShow #JimHenson #KermitTheFrog

[tyleriguana]

Just to clarify, “The Muppet Show” isn’t really a “children’s show” as it wasn’t intended for kids. It was geared more to adults but in a family friendly setting for any audience member to enjoy. :)

[trinaq]

I love that they're unafraid to embrace tough topics. Time is indeed all too fleeting, and try as we might, it waits for no one. Also, the way they addressed empathy and interculturism was a fitting touch as well.

[themayhemofmadness]

“It’s Not Easy Being Green” should have been on the list. It is basically a song that talks about how hard it is to be yourself and how we all wish we were anyone else but ourselves at times.

And that while we aren’t alone in thinking that, we are also fine the way we are. That it’s okay, even good, to just be ourselves.

[MarceloRBottaro]

This is why I love The Muppets because they can tackle any subject. And I can also say this style of puppetry can do so much more than what it’s doing right now.

[Buggy-suoy]

Jim would be so happy to know that his legacy is continuing.😊

[LJ]

How in the hell is the tribute to Jim Henson not number one?? It's the man who created the Muppets for crying out loud!

[steventaliaferro]

Gonzo facing his greatest fear in “The Muppets Haunted Mansion” should have been mentioned. Gonzo’s fear of growing old and being separated from one’s friends and family is universal. It especially has a deep connection with the voice of Gonzo, Dave Goelz, who is the last remaining member of the original Muppet troupe and the oldest member. Also Gonzo’s fear of no one liking him if he doesn’t do dangerous stunts can also be connected to the fear of being rejected or not liked.

[shadicTPZ]

Definitely need another Top 10 list on this subject, there are a lot of other examples of serious issues that the Muppets have tackled that could fill up another list.

[darthstarkiller]

Jim Henson and his friends gave the Muppets something most puppeteers never could: believable living souls.

[seanhorace]

Here's a few others I can think of:
.Pictures in My Head- The Muppets (2011)
.Distinct More Like Extinct- Muppets From Space (1999)
.Everyone Matters- It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)
.Dr. Teeth's Family Issues- Muppet Mayhem (2023)
.Gonzo Aging- Muppet Haunted Mansion (2021)
.Shame On You- The Great Muppet Caper (1981)

[LillikoiSeed]

One of my favorites was always the time they sang Buffalo Springfield’s For What It’s Worth. I was a child when I watched the Muppet show, and that was the first time I ever heard that song. Now, every time I hear it, I think of that skit. It was beautifully done.

[HearMyWords]

Thank you for doing this video. The Muppets didn't treat children like idiots. They were the best teachers because it required a child to question things for themselves and developing their own critical thinking skills. I am automatically going into my "Jim" thinking about how all these moments were wonderful and important, one not being more or less special than the other. (I just love the "Turn the World Around" with Harry Belafonte though.) There were just so many more than 10. I'll just share one - the episode of Fraggle Rock called Marooned. Red and Boober are trapped by a cave in. Both characters acknowledge that they are running out of air. Red asks, "What do you think it's like to die?" Boober answers, "I don't know, Red. I don't think anybody does." Boober goes on to talk about a memory of a beautiful bubble that floated above him while doing laundry. He said, "There it was, all perfectly round and then it was just gone."

[CaptainYoshiHD]

In Muppets From Space, Gonzo suffered through distinctiveness, because he was so afraid that there was nobody like him and that he never knew about his species.

[jordanwelch]

“Halfway up the stairs” hits me sometimes. I’m at a point in my life where I don’t know what my future is gonna be but I do work hard and have fun when I can. I grew up with the Muppets and Sesame Street and they’ve really touched up on some great topics toward kids and adults. Glad Jim Henson created this little enterprise, wish he was around during my lifetime. He passed 7 years before I was born

[lindsey]

Jim Croce and Time in a Bottle is written because he never got to spend enough time with his own son ❤

[davidpumpkinsjr.]

Kermit: I guess I was wrong when I said I never promised anyone... I promised me.

It' speaks to something that many people have difficulty understanding: before you can live for anyone else, you must be able and willing to live for yourself.

[tylerwheeler]

The Muppet Show definitely deserved more seasons to continue airing like Sesame Street. It didn't need to end in season 5

[Buggy-suoy]

Kermit in #10 is like how Jim was with his fellow performers...if any of them had a chance to do something other than Muppets he was the first to tell them to go do it.😊

[thefantasticretroreviewer]

Even the Muppets can tackle something very serious

[Thomaslittlemonster]

Other great Muppet moments that have a tackle serious subject that I feel get over looked:
“I’m Going to Go Back There Someday” from The Muppet Movie
“Saying Goodbye” from The Muppets Take Manhattan