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[[File:08-09_MuppetShow-2.jpg|frame| No [[Monochrome Casting]] here...]]
''On the Muppet Show tonight!"'' }}▼
The immense popularity of [[The Muppets]] they created for ''[[Sesame Street]]'' gave [[Jim Henson]], Jerry Juhl and Frank Oz the impetus to create a variety show for family viewing, but with social and political satire. [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] aired a pair of [[Pilot]] specials, ''The Muppets Valentine Show'' (1974) and ''The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence'' (1975), but when all the U.S. networks rejected their ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KorhvVQRUM frankly awesome]) pitch for a weekly series, they instead finagled a distribution deal with Britain's ITC, under the auspices of Lord Lew Grade.▼
▲{{quote| ''"It's time to play the music,<br />
▲It's time to light the lights,<br />
▲It's time to meet the Muppets<br />
▲On the Muppet Show tonight!"'' }}
''[[The Muppet Show]]'' was produced for worldwide weekly syndication from 1976 to 1981. It was videotaped at the London studios of ITC's parent company ATV. The choreography for the human guests was created by Gillian Lynne, who later went on to design all of the ballet sequences in Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage version of ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]''.▼
▲The immense popularity of [[The Muppets]] they created for ''[[Sesame Street]]'' gave [[Jim Henson]], Jerry Juhl and Frank Oz the impetus to create a variety show for family viewing, but with social and political satire. [[ABC]] aired a pair of [[Pilot]] specials, ''The Muppets Valentine Show'' (1974) and ''The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence'' (1975), but when all the U.S. networks rejected their ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KorhvVQRUM frankly awesome]) pitch for a weekly series, they instead finagled a distribution deal with Britain's ITC, under the auspices of Lord Lew Grade.
▲''The Muppet Show'' was produced for worldwide weekly syndication from 1976 to 1981. It was videotaped at the London studios of ITC's parent company ATV. The choreography for the human guests was created by Gillian Lynne, who later went on to design all of the ballet sequences in Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage version of ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]''.
The show became so popular that in at least one U.S. market, two stations broadcast different episodes of ''The Muppet Show'' in back-to-back time slots! The show was never actually cancelled; instead, Henson and company decided to end it so that they could work on films, ''[[The Muppet Movie]]'' in particular.
{{quote|
''It's time to dress up right,
''It's time to raise the curtain
''On the Muppet Show tonight!'' }}
Cheerful, cool-headed Kermit the Frog was the emcee-slash-production manager-slash-eye of the storm for this truly 'far out' all-puppet [[Variety Show]]. The setting was a tiny rundown downtown theatre and the tone was deliberately reminiscent of old-style vaudeville, where anything could happen and usually did. Other major members of the troupe included diva Miss Piggy, comedian Fozzie Bear, piano-playing Rowlf the Dog, daredevil performance artist Gonzo the Great, and Scooter the eager "go-fer".
{{quote|
''That's what I'm here to do (or, what it's time to do);
''So it really makes me happy
''To introduce to you:'' }}
A different human entertainer was featured as the show's guest performer in each episode, and the show's ''cachet'' quickly became such that they were frequently A-list--often uniquely so (ballet legend Rudolf Nureyev, anyone?). Each week, technical flubs, talent crises, rampaging egos and financial issues (when the pigs weren't rebelling, or angry clones weren't on the loose, or the ''[[Star Wars]]'' cast wasn't rampaging through in search of Chewbacca) would bring the show teetering to the brink of disaster; each week, [[The Show Must Go On|the show somehow managed to go on]].
Recurring sketches included Veterinarian's Hospital, starring Rowlf ("the continuing stoooooooory of a quack who's gone to the dogs"); Pigs in Space ([[Exactly What It Says
{{quote|
''I guess we'll never know
''It's like a kind of torture
''To have to watch this show!'' }}
Ostensibly a family show, ''The Muppet Show'' in practice played freely with the dark side of Henson's vision, more familiar from his later work. Notable guest stars included [[
And it's likely that few viewers knew of the ultimate origin of "Mah Na Mah Na" , the song used in the iconic sketch of the same name -- the soundtrack of a 1968 Italian soft-core [
{{quote|
''Some stuff that goes like this!'' }}
The concept was brought back and updated in 1989, with the "Muppet Television" segments of ''[[The Jim Henson Hour]]'', which moved the show from a theatre to a TV station. A second short-lived revival in 1996, ''[[Muppets Tonight]]'', used a similar setting, this time a single studio instead of an entire network.
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Currently revived in the form of a [[Comic Book Adaptation]], ''[[The Muppet Show Comic Book]]'', and a [http://www.youtube.com/user/MuppetsStudio Youtube channel].
{{quote|
''(Audience: Why don't you get things started?)
''It's time to get things started
''On the most sensational,
''Inspirational
''Celebrational
''Muppetational
''This is what we call the Muppet Show!!''
''([[Couch Gag|Gonzo plays something on his trumpet]]. [[Hilarity Ensues]], usually)'' }}
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{{tropelist}}
* [[Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal]]: Kermit usually wears nothing but his collar, and will cover himself up if it's taken off. When they do an underwater performance of [[The Beatles (band)|The Beatles]]' "Octopus's Garden", he wears a bathing cap.▼
▲* [[Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal]]: Kermit usually wears nothing but his collar, and will cover himself up if it's taken off. When they do an underwater performance of [[The Beatles]]' "Octopus's Garden", he wears a bathing cap.
* [[All Asians Wear Conical Straw Hats]]: Including the Muppets representing Japan in the Spike Milligan-hosted "Salute to All Nations" episode.
* [[All Drummers Are Animals]]: Literally! According to legend, Animal was based upon [[The Who|Keith Moon]].
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* [[Ascended Extra]]: Several, although Rizzo the Rat may be the best example (unless you count Miss Piggy, who was originally conceived as a much more minor character).
* [[Ash Face]]: A recurring gag whenever explosions are involved. Which is often.
* [[As Long
* [[Attractive Bent Gender]]: In one Muppet Labs sketch, their latest experiment-gone-wrong leaves Beaker with long curly hair -- and Bunsen Honeydew suddenly finds him "hauntingly attractive".
* [[Award Show]]: The Phyllis George episode has the show throwing an awards show for ''itself''.
* [[Bait and Switch]]: In the Roger Miller episode, a weird disease causes the cast to one-by-one transform into chickens. When Statler and Waldorf appear for the stinger at the end of the credits, will they also be transformed? {{spoiler|Yes -- but not into chickens.}}
* [[Banana Peel]]: In the James Coco episode, Coco attempts to liven up the Swedish Chef's act with a chorus line of dancers, which keep interrupting the Chef's attempts to prepare a banana split. The Chef retaliates by dropping a banana peel in their path, making them all fall down.
* [[Barefoot Cartoon
* [[Brandishment Bluff]]: Subverted - in a cowboy sketch, Fozzie has "a loaded pickle". It goes off.
* [[Bullet Dancing]]: In the [[Roy Rogers]] episode, Waldorf gets Statler bullet dancing, and Statler starts doing ballet. When they try it the other way around, all that happens is Waldorf gets a bullet in his foot.
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** Another spoof of sorts came when [[Peter Sellers]] was the guest star. Kermit says that backstage, Sellers is free to be himself and not a character, but Sellers says he cannot do so: "There used to be a me, but I had it surgically removed." Sellers helped the writers create this skit because he simply ''wasn't'' willing to be himself, and it became one of his most famous quotes. In the "15 seconds to curtain" opening bit, he appears in character as [[The Pink Panther|Inspector Clouseau]]. In [[Real Life]], of course, this was Sellers' [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0352520/ particular neurosis] - making it [[Harsher in Hindsight]].
** The episode featuring "the stars of ''[[Star Wars]]''" [[I Am Not Spock|introduced Mark Hamill and his 'cousin' Luke Skywalker separately]]. The former had to admit that the latter upstaged him.
*** Initially a subversion, as the original "guest star" of the Hamill episode was a Muppet named [[
** There was also the time Señor Wences guest starred. He was a puppeteer himself, so Kermit decides to do something "new": a puppet show.
** Several of the guest stars tried shamelessly to out-Muppet [[The Muppets]] -- like [[Spike Milligan]], [[
*** "When the show first started, the producers would call upon friends in the entertainment business. However, about half-way through the second season when Rudolf Nureyev appeared, his appearance gave the show so much positive publicity, that other celebrities came to the producers instead of the other way around. " (from Wikipedia). Nureyev had seen the show whilst staying in London and liked it so much he actually called them up and asked if he could appear.
* [[Chandler's Law]]: Henson once commented on his pre-Muppet puppet sketches that when he couldn't think of how to close a sketch, he'd either have [[Stuff Blowing Up|an explosion]] or have [[I'm a Humanitarian|one character eat the other]]. It's pretty clear that this carried over to ''[[The Muppet Show]]''.
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** Pretty much everything [[Danny Kaye]] says to Miss Piggy in his episode, including another go-round of "I've admired you for years and years".
* [[Couch Gag]]: Many, the most famous being Gonzo's gong (Season 1) or trumpet note (Seasons 2-5) at the end of the theme song. Others are: Statler and Waldorf's opening (Season 2) and closing (entire run) comments, Fozzie telling a joke during the title sequence (Season 1), the "15 seconds to curtain" reveal of the guest star (Seasons 2-4), Pops the doorman greeting the host (Season 5).
* [[Cross
* [[Crossover]]: ''[[Sesame Street]]'''s Big Bird appears in one episode; Bert and Ernie make a guest appearance in an early Season 1 episode. At the climax of the [[Arabian Nights]]-themed Marty Feldman episode, most of the ''Sesame Street'' cast turns up for the finale as a pun on "[[Open Sesame]]!"
* [[Cute but Cacophonic]]: Just about every guest star sang ''something''. Not all of them were ''good'' at it -- for example, [[Brooke Shields]].
* [[Cutlass Between the Teeth]]: Fozzie at one point in his battle with the samurai in the Spike Milligan episode.
* [[Dartboard of Hate]]: In the Leslie Uggams episode, there's a scene set in Camilla the Hen's dressing room, the decor of which includes a dartboard with Colonel Sanders' face on it.
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* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Believe it or not, this was Kermit's original schtick.
** He's still got shades of it that pop up from time to time.
{{quote|
'''Kermit:''' I don't know ''why'' to thank you guys. }}
** Rizzo the Rat, after breaking out of his [[The Voiceless|Voiceless]] role, quickly revealed himself to be one.
* [[Deal
{{quote|
* [[Demoted to Extra]]: Rowlf. As head-writer Jerry Juhl pointed out, Rowlf was mostly consigned to being used in musical numbers and skits, almost completely absent from backstage [[Character Development]]. It's not that they didn't like the character, it's that Jim was busy performing Kermit, yet didn't want Rowlf recast. As a result, ideas Juhl had for developing relationships between Rowlf and Fozzie, Rowlf and Piggy, etc never came to fruition.
* [[Double Take]]: Leo Sayer's reaction when Dr Teeth explains the purpose of the line running across the floor of his dressing room.
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** And in the little known Muppet special on various types of puppetry, a cow is dropped near the characters in a demonstration on how the Muppet team uses their special effects.
* [[Dying Clue]]: Played for laughs in the Liza Minnelli episode:
{{quote|
'''Fozzie:''' This man was murdered to shut him up!
'''Bunsen:''' No he wasn't, he choked on a fishbone!
'''Fozzie:''' But he yelled, ''"Poison!"''
'''Bunsen:''' Which, I believe, is the French word for fish! }}
* [[Early Installment Weirdness]]
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** ''The Muppet Valentine Show'' and ''Sex and Violence'' were hosted by now-obscure Muppets (Wally and Nigel respectively) instead of Kermit. And at the end of the latter, {{spoiler|the camera pulls back to show the Muppeteers running around}}!
* [[Eenie Meenie Miny Moai]]: A moai head occasionally appears as a backing singer, for instance in the opening number of the [[Sylvester Stallone]] episode.
* [[Endangered
* [["Everybody Laughs" Ending]]: Used frequently, especially if the guest was the butt of the joke of the sketch. Said guest would laugh with everyone else at the punchline to show that the sketch was an act and that there were no hard feelings.
* [[Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"]]: The Swedish Chef, the Newsman.
* [[Everything's Better
* [[Exact Words]]: In one sketch, Sam claims that eventually he will receive his "just desserts" for acting as the moral centre of the show. [[Pie in
* [[Executive Meddling]]: Averted in that Henson had a degree of immunity. The show's British producer Lord Lew Grade gave Henson one condition; that he produce the show in Grade's London studios. Apart from that Grade pretty much gave Henson ''carte blanche'' to do what he wanted. As a thank-you, Henson wrote a Lew Grade [[Expy]] into The Muppet Movie, played by Orson Welles.
** There was a bit more executive meddling in the form of the [[Laugh Track]].
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* [[Expospeak Gag]]: In a 'Pigs in Space' sketch, First Mate Piggy is highly gratified to be told that she alone can "operate the independent heating/unifying element across the horizontal equalizing plane and save the entire crew" -- until she works out that this means "iron the laundry".
* [[Extreme Omnivore]]: Most of the larger Muppet monsters have had moments where they ate things that were not, strictly speaking, food, but there's one in particular for whom this is his main characteristic. He has no name, so he's generally referred to, in memory of one of the things he ate on his debut appearance, as the Luncheon Counter Monster.
* [[Fainting]]: A Muppet trademark. For the classic example see Kermit, in the [[
* [[Falling Chandelier of Doom]]: A recurring setting is a ballroom with a large elaborate chandelier; sure enough, there is a sketch in which it falls on one of the dancers.
* [[Fantastic Comedy]]: It was not unusual for curses that force everyone to speak Swedish, diseases that cause people to spontaneously turn into chickens, the guest star trying to sell cast members' respective souls to the Devil, and other such fantastical things to be major plot points. (Not even touching the fact that within the context of the show, the Muppets were normally portrayed as real people, not "puppets".)
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** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skkM2zPFPy0 Lady Wrestlers]
** The song "I'm My Own Grandpa", which existed before the Muppet Show, plays around with the [[Oedipus Complex]] trope. It's made slightly less disturbing because the weird family ties are ties of marriage rather than ties of blood, but still not something you'd expect on a fun-for-all-the-family show...
** The episode starring Alice Cooper involved Alice trying to convince Kermit (And later Gonzo) to [[Deal
** The "Koozebanian Mating Ritual".
* [[Gladiator Games]]: [[Sylvester Stallone]] appeared as a gladiator fighting a lion. When the lion realised who he was, it tried to escape, and failing that turned the fight into a rendition of "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off".
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* [[Half-Hour Comedy]]
* [[Handcar Pursuit]]: In the Loretta Lynn episode, a mix-up leaves Kermit and Gonzo stranded miles from the train station where the show is temporarily set, and they travel back by handcar. At one point they get chased by a locomotive.
* [[Hawaiian
* [[He Who Must Not Be Seen]]: Scooter's uncle, the owner of the theater. The gag of Scooter mentioning him to get what he wants was gradually phased out. He did actually appear a couple of times during the second season, but on the whole the writers felt that he worked better as an off-screen presence.
* [[High Dive Hijinks]]: In the Danny Kaye episode, the Flying Zucchini Brothers attempt a daredevil high dive into a bucket of water. While they're on their way down, the theatre's janitor notices somebody's left a bucket of water on stage and helpfully tidies it away.
* [[Hook Hand]]: [[
* [[Horny Vikings]]: Performing opera during the Rudolf Nureyev episode, and singing "In The Navy" in the Roger Moore episode.
* [[Hostile Show Takeover]]
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* [[Hurricane of Puns]]: The "Veterinarian's Hospital" sketches, and to a lesser extent ''the entire show''.
* [[Hypocritical Humor]]: One sketch has Sam the Eagle giving a commentary in which he denounces the efforts "namby-pamby conservationists" to shackle American industry "for the sake of a few insignificant animals". He then pulls out a list of endangered species, which he begins to read from mockingly. When he notices that the American bald eagle is one of the animals on the list, he beats a hasty retreat muttering, "This list is now inoperative."
* [[I Am Not Spock]]: As far as the show is concerned, Christopher Reeve ''is'' [[Superman (
* [[I Have This Friend]]: In the episode where Miss Piggy goes on a diet, she asks the guest star for advice: "I have this ''friend'' who is absolutely devastating, except she has an ''itty-bitty'' weight problem..."
* [[I'm a Humanitarian]]:
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** And the Muppets are constantly eating each other: one of the creepier instances of this was a Muppet eating another, then singing [[Incredibly Lame Pun|"I've Got You Under My Skin"]] -- while the smaller Muppet, still alive, struggles to escape. (And occasionally takes over the song for a line or two: "I've tried so hard not to give in...")
** When [[Vincent Price]] guest-starred, one monster decided Kermit looked delicious.
{{quote|'''Kermit''' <struggling>: Mr. Price, Mr. Price, ''help''!
'''Vincent Price''' <sprinkling salt on Kermit's leg>: Well, I'd ''like'' to help, froggie, but you ''do'' look delicious!}}
* [[Inadvertent Entrance Cue]]: Crazy Harry's appearances were usually presaged by another character making the mistake of uttering one of these.
{{quote|
'''Crazy Harry:''' Did somebody say, "dynamite"? (''[[Stuff Blowing Up|BOOM!]]'') }}
* [[Incessant Music Madness]]: The "Salute to All Nations" episode ends with a rendition of "It's a Small World After All" that keeps going and going and going. It can be heard in the background as Kermit does the goodbyes at the end, and then swells again, drowning out the closing theme music.
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* [[Instrument of Murder]]
* [[Insult Backfire]]:
**
{{quote|
'''[[
**
{{quote|
'''The Sheriff of Nottingham (Gonzo):''' Oh, you silver-tongued flatterer. }}
* [[The Intern]]: Scooter, in the first season.
* [[Interspecies Romance]]: Where Piggy intends her relationship with Kermit to go, Gonzo's love affair with Camilla, and implied as part of Scooter's back-story. When Kermit inquires as to his species- "My mother was a parrot. We never knew my father. It was during the war!"
* [[Its All Greek to Me]]: The Swedish Chef speaks mock-Swedish. There were several episodes between his introduction and [[The Reveal]] that he wasn't speaking real Swedish [[In
* [[Japanese Ranguage]]: The 'Japanese' muppets who sing "Yokohama" in the "Salute to All Nations" episode:
{{quote|
And the rand we berong to is gland! }}
* [[Kayfabe]]: The Muppets have a long-standing tradition in appearances outside the show and in public events. The Muppeteers performing them are never seen and the humans interact with the puppets like regular people. The Muppeteers need to have perfect improv skills in order to say unscripted lines that would be appropriate for the characters!
* [[Kent Brockman News]]: The "Muppet News Flash" sketch.
* [[Knife
* [[Know-Nothing Know-It-All]]: Sam the Eagle, on the subject of Culture. In the episode guest-starring Rudolf Nureyev, Sam gushes that Nureyev is one of his favourite opera singers. In the episode guest-starring Lynne Redgrave, Sam pronounces himself a great fan of [[William Shakespeare]] -- why, he's seen ''[[The Sound of Music]]'' at least a dozen times! -- and is greatly saddened to hear that Shakespeare is dead.
* [[The Lady's Favour]]: In the Pearl Bailey episode, the finale is a jousting scene with Floyd and Gonzo as the knights. Floyd gets a favour from Janice; Gonzo gets a favour from Camilla.
* [[Lampshade
* [[Large Ham]]: The cast in general qualify; but Miss Piggy qualifies in [[Incredibly Lame Pun|more ways than one]].
** Gonzo also cranks it up a notch or two.
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*** Zero Mostel's right pointer finger out-hams several of the Muppets.
* [[Larynx Dissonance]]: Miss Piggy
* [[Late to
* [[Laugh Track]]: Used (much to the annoyance of Henson & co.) in every episode except the Steve Martin one where the only laughter heard is that of the Muppet performers who really were the audience at that time.
** Or at least that was the original intention for Steve Martin's episode. In the end, it turned out that Richard Hunt's laughter was so loud, they had to put in a bit of a laugh track anyway!
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* [[Left the Background Music On]]: During the cowboy sketch in the [[Bob Hope]] episode.
* [[Let's See You Do Better]]: The Hal Linden episode had [[Statler and Waldorf]] run the show themselves while Kermit and Fozzie watch from the balcony.
{{quote|
* [[Literal
** After a scene in which guest star Juliet Prowse dances and then artfully fades out of view:
{{quote|
'''Statler:''' Probably like this! ''[takes a deep breath and fades out]''
'''Waldorf:''' Yep, that's probably how she did it! }}
** When Scooter shows up backstage with a large wooden crate:
{{quote|
'''Scooter:''' It's a crate, chief!
[...]
'''Kermit:''' May I ask you what is in it?
'''Scooter:''' Sure, go ahead!
'''Kermit:''' ''What is in it?'' }}
** C-3PO, as per the usual, in the [[Star Wars]] episode.
{{quote|
'''C-3PO''' ''[to Kermit]'': What shall I cover it in? }}
* [[Loads and Loads of Characters]]
* [[Look Behind You!]]: In a sketch where Cloris Leachman is trapped on a [[Far Side Island]] with a monster, she shouts "Look! Up there! Quick!". When the monster announces he's not going to fall for that old gag, a coconut from the island's lone palm tree falls on his head.
* [[Mad Bomber]]: Crazy Harry.
* [[Mad Scientist]]: Dr. Bunsen Honeydew is a mild example of this.
* [[Mad Scientist Laboratory]]: Dr. Honeydew's lab is generally too clean and functional to qualify, but there's an excellent example, with lots and lots of colorful bubbling liquids, in the "Time in a Bottle" sketch.
* [[Magnificent Moustaches of Mexico]]: At one point during his episode, [[
* [[Man Shaped Hole]]: The outcome of Rudolf Nureyev's encounter with Miss Piggy.
* [[May the Farce Be
* [[Meat-O-Vision]]: Played with in the Pearl Bailey episode's "Pigs in Space" skit -- the explorers, hopelessly lost in space, start seeing each other as food... because of a [[Negative Space Wedgie]] that's ''actually turning them into'' food.
* [[Minsky Pickup]]: In the theme song intro.
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** ''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]''
** ''[[Muppet Treasure Island]]''
** ''[[Muppets
** And in 2011, there came ''[[The Muppets (
* [[NameTron]]: In the Harry Belafonte episode, the "Pigs in Space" sketch revolves around Dr Strangepork's new invention, the Dissolvatron.
* [[Ninja Prop]]: The ping pong ball in ''[[The Coconut Effect]]''
* [[No Fourth Wall]]: The fact that the series takes place on a stage show seems like justification for the lack of such... until you realise that the Muppets constantly break it backstage. And the audience keeps laughing at everything said and occuring off stage, even though there's absolutely no way they'd be seeing or hearing them.
* [[No Kill Like Overkill]]: The Swedish Chef ends up "cutting" a ([[Ninja Pirate Robot Zombie|sentient, Japanese]]) cake in half with a "[[As Long
* [[Non-Fatal Explosions]]
* [[Noodle Implements]]: Gonzo once attempts to perform an act using a torch, a tire swing, and a cow. Exactly what he was planning to do with these is never shown, as he was booed off stage before he could start, but he had originally planned to use a typewriter instead of the cow (they didn't have a spare typewriter he could use).
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* [[No Sense of Humor]]: Sam the Eagle.
* [[Oh Crap]]: Plenty. Beaker's face was even MADE to always be in shock.
* [[Old
* [[Old, New, Borrowed and Blue]]: In the Marisa Berenson episode, Miss Piggy plots marriage to Kermit and tells Marisa that her wedding will feature "something old, something new, something borrowed, and something ''green''".
* [[Ominous Pipe Organ]]: During the "Veternarian's Hospital" segments.
* [[Once an Episode]]: Miss Piggy becoming furious.
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* [[Only Sane Employee]]: Arguably the inspiration of the trope, as [http://bloglynch.blogspot.com/2009/06/30-rock-is-rip-off-of-muppet-show.html one blog post] humorously points out.
* [[Only Sane Man|Only Sane Frog]]: Kermit, and at times even he was [[Wild Take|just hanging on]] by his metaphorical fingernails.
{{quote|
'''Kermit''': Me not crazy? I hired the others. }}
* [[Orphaned Punchline]]:
** "...but the wallpaper is delicious!"
** The ''Sex and Violence'' pilot has Statler telling Waldorf one of these. "...And so the waiter says, 'Excuse me, but you're dancing with my umbrella!'"
* [[Painful Rhyme]]: [[In
* [[Pants
* [[Paper-Thin Disguise]]: In the "Robin Hood" episode, Robin Hood's disguise for the archery contest is a pair of [[Nerd Glasses]] and a bright red false beard. Apart from that, he's wearing the same outfit he wears in every other scene.
* [[Parachute Petticoat]]
* [[Parental Bonus]]: ''Tons'', which was part of the show's point. Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl saw it as a show aimed at ''everyone'' watching, not just children or adults.
* [[Parody Failure]]: Not the Muppets themselves, but most attempts to parody them have focused on [[Carnivore Confusion]] and [[Interspecies Romance]], ''which were constantly lampshaded and analysed in the show itself''.
* [[Pirate]]: Notably portrayed by [[
** [[Pirate Parrot]]: Assisting Cleese and Jackson. (It may even have been the same parrot on both occasions.) And a near miss in the episode guest-starring Gilda Radner; she plans to do a duet from ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' with a talking parrot, but there's [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/File:Gildaradner.jpg a slight misunderstanding].
*** Cleese also gets to ask it [[Monty Python's Flying Circus|"Do you want to be an ex-parrot?"]]
* [[A Pirate 400 Years Too Late]]: One "Pigs In Space" sketch had John Cleese attacking the Swinetrek as a pirate- of the swashbuckler variety. Link Hogthrob informs him that he's a few centuries out of place, which leads to an argument between John and his parrot.
* [[Plot
* [[Poor Communication Kills]]: During the Swedish Chef skit for the Dyan Cannon show, Miss Piggy loses her pet Foo Foo. She asks the Chef where her dog went, and the Chef -- who has ''just'' finished plopping hot dogs into a pot of boiling water -- responds, "De doggies en de pottie!" (In 30-odd years since, who else has put one over on Miss Piggy without getting knocked into next week?)
* [[Punny Name]]: Fleet Scribbler, a play on [
* [[Quintessential British Gentleman]]: In the "Salute to All Nations" episode, Sam the Eagle's contribution is to hold a conversation on Anglo-American relations with a "proper English gentleman", who appears dressed in a [[Dashingly Dapper Derby]] and pinstripe suit and carrying a brolly. The illusion that [[Spike Milligan]] is actually a proper English gentleman disappears as soon as he opens his mouth (if not before that when he started pulling faces behind Sam's back).
* [[Reading the Stage Directions Out Loud]]: In the "Robin Hood" episode, Fozzie's idea of cavorting involves literally saying "Cavort, cavort, cavort, cavort, ..."
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* [[Security Cling]]: The Pigs in Space sketch where Link and Miss Piggy explore the alien planet Koozebane has the exaggerated leap-into-his-arms version -- but it's dashing hero Link who leaps into Piggy's arms, much to her disgust.
* [[Self-Deprecation]]: Frequent jabs at the quality of the show:
{{quote|
'''Kermit''' ''(deeply wounded)'': ''Second''-rate variety show! }}
** Statler and Waldorf ''exist'' for this, in-show.
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* [[Shirtless Scene]]: Played entirely straight in a long scene featuring Rudolf Nureyev wearing nothing but a towel.
* [[Shoo Out the New Guy]]: Fleet Scribbler, an aggressive gossip reporter introduced in season 2. While the British press loved the character, the writers quickly tired of him and he was dropped after just a handful of appearances.
* [[Shout
** Occasional mentions of ''[[Sesame Street]]'', ''aka'' "that cute little children's show with the ''puppets''".
** The [[
** Floyd Pepper is patterned after [[The Beatles (band)|Sergeant Pepper]].
*** He also has pink hair, making him a [[Pink Floyd]].
** Dr. Teeth is a dead-on impersonation of [
** Miss Piggy originally had the last name "Lee".
* [[Show Within a Show]]: The stage show itself, and within that the recurring sketches.
* [[Signature Laugh]]: Several, most notably Statler and Waldorf's "'''DOOOHOHOHOHOHO!'''".
* [[Silly Love Songs]]: The "Robin Hood" episode includes a love scene between Robin Hood (Kermit) and Maid Marian (guest star Lynne Redgrave) in which Marian brings up the fact that he's a frog and she isn't, and he sings a song to reassure her that he loves her anyway.
{{quote|
You don't hop, or turn somersaults,
Your feet are not webbed, and you never eat flies.
(I'm sorry to dwell on your faults.)
And yet I still love you, I always will love you
You shine in my mind like a dream
And yet I still love you, I always will love you
Although you are not even green. }}
* [[Sketch Comedy]]
Line 362:
** The Liza Minnelli episode was a Whodunnit murder mystery.
* [[So My Kids Can Watch]]: The reason why [[Sylvester Stallone]], of all people, ended up in an episode.
* [[Soundtrack Dissonance]]: Miss Piggy and [[Charlie's Angels
* [[Sour Supporter]]: [[Statler and Waldorf]]. There every single show.
* [[Space Pirate]]: Attacks the ''Swinetrek'' during the "Pigs in Space" sketch in the [[
* [[El Spanish
* [[Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace]]: In the Marisa Berenson episode, Miss Piggy nearly manages to trap Kermit into marrying her. During the ceremony, the priest does the "speak now or forever hold your peace" bit and there is a long, long pause while Kermit looks around hopefully, but nobody says anything.
* [[Special Edition Title]]:
Line 373:
* [[Spinoff Sendoff]]: In one of the pilots, Bert and Ernie from [[Sesame Street]] show up to perform a skit, where Bert worries that their little kid's show comedy wouldn't cut it on the new show meant for older audiences.
* [[Spontaneous Human Combustion]]: Played for laughs (naturally).
{{quote|
* [[Statler and Waldorf]]: We have this show to thank.
* [[Stealth Pun]]: Floyd, the house band's bassist, is [[Pink Floyd|pink]].
** And then there's his full name,
* [[Sting (music)|Sting]]: Lampshaded in the Roger Miller episode when Gonzo asks for a "dramatic sting" when he announces an outbreak of "cluckitis"... and gets it. Later, when Scooter mentions the disease, the sting happens again... and he and Kermit react to it.
* [[The Stinger]]: Provided each week by [[Statler and Waldorf]].
* [[Stop Trick]]
Line 393:
* [[That Russian Squat Dance]]: Done by pigs in Cossack costumes.
* [[This Banana Is Armed]]: One sketch features Fozzie as an Old West-style criminal whose entire arsenal consists of fruits and vegetables.
{{quote|
* [[This Is Sparta]]: "PIIIIIGS. IIIIIN. SPAAAAAAAACE!"
** Also, the end of the theme song. "This. Is. What. We. Call. The. Muppet. SHOOOOOOOOW!!!!"
* [[Threat Backfire]]: Milton Berle runs afoul of this trope more than once while trying to make Statler and Waldorf stop heckling him.
{{quote|
'''Waldorf''': He can't, he's too busy.
'''Milton Berle''': Doing what?
'''Waldorf''': Keeping people in! }}
* [[Trash Can Band]]
* [[True Art Is Incomprehensible]]: In-universe, this is The Great Gonzo's guiding principle in his acts.
{{quote|
* [[Tsundere]]: Miss Piggy. Making a grand entrance dressed as Princess Leia: "Listen, Skywalker -- just go with it or I'll break you in half."
* [[Two for One Show]]
Line 413:
* [[Verb This]]: Piggy usually does this before punching somebody.
* [[Vetinari Job Security]]: Whenever Kermit isn't around to run the show, things quickly get out of hand -- moreso, anyway.
* [[The Villain Must Be Punished]]: Normally, Miss Piggy attacking guests or Kermit for insulting her, or trying to manipulate him in wanting to be more than friends, leads to her getting off scot-free. There was one time that she went too far, by planting a story that he and Miss Piggy got secretly married in Las Vegas, and tricked him into posing for a cover photo of ''Tongue'' magazine. Kermit became so mad at this "bald-faced" lie that he fired her on the spot.
* [[Visual Pun]]: The show practically ''ran'' on these. No Muppet could use an expression without triggering one. Often, especially in the "backstage" parts, the Visual Puns would involve Muppets who walked onscreen just to make the Visual Pun, then promptly disappeared, never to be seen again.
* [[Vitriolic Best Buds]]: [[Statler and Waldorf]]. You can tell that they can't live without each other, although they constantly heckle, make fun of, insult and sometimes even hit each other! Fozzie and Kermit also count.
Line 420 ⟶ 421:
* [[Weapons Grade Vocabulary]]: Guest star Avery Schreiber engages in a duel with Sweetums. The weapon of choice: insults.
* [[Wheel-O-Feet]]: In the Don Knotts episode, there's a creature running around the Theatre -- and when he stops running, it turns out it's not just a movement illusion, he really does have a wheel of feet. In the same episode, the creature performs (appropriately) "Windmills of Your Mind (The Thomas Crown Affair Theme)" ("Like a circle in a spiral/Like a wheel within a wheel--")
* [[Who's
{{quote|
'''Animal:''' Yeah... what music?
'''Floyd:''' "Put Another Nickel In".
''[Animal inserts another nickel]''
'''Animal:''' I put nickel in. What music?
''(and so on)'' }}
** A more notable example happens between Fozzie and Kermit. The duo have agreed that upon Fozzie's saying "hear" at a certain point in his act, Kermit is to rush on-stage and yell, "Good grief, the comedian's a bear!!". Except that Fozzie naturally keeps saying "''here''" throughout his routine, causing Kermit to keep rushing out before his cue. The confusion escalates until Fozzie comes up with a different prompt.
Line 431 ⟶ 432:
* [[Widget Series]]
* [[William Telling]]:
** In the [[
** In the [[Sylvester Stallone]] episode, an orchestra performs the William Tell Overture and finishes with the cellist firing the bow from his cello to shoot an apple off Beauregarde's head.
* [[Wraparound Background]]:
Line 440 ⟶ 441:
** Another cowboy-riding-aross-the-lone-prairie example is the "Four-Legged Friend" bit in the [[Roy Rogers]] episode, although this time there's two of them -- and they're riding cows.
* [[You Can Say That Again]]: At the end of the Leo Sayer episode:
{{quote|
'''Waldorf:''' You can say that again.
'''Statler:''' Wanna bet? }}
----
{{quote|
'''Waldorf''': It looks to me like they "took that" and ran with it.
'''Statler''': If only we'd done the same, eh?
'''Both''': Dohhhhh-ho-ho-ho-ho!'' }}
{{reflist}}
{{Best in TV: The Greatest TV Shows of Our Time}}
[[Category:The Muppet Show]]▼
[[Category:
[[Category:Puppet Shows]]
[[Category:Puppet Shows of the 1970s]]
[[Category:Puppet Shows of the 1980s]]
[[Category:Statler and Waldorf]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muppet Show, The}}
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