I promised you I would be back with part 2 of this blogger/podcaster collaboration and here I am because the internet has decided to grace us with its presence once again! In case you missed last week’s post, I asked several people around the community (the huge Muppet fans!) to talk about who they feel is their Inner Muppet! I couldn’t have asked more from the responses, and I hope you get a kick out of them too!
Aaron Wallace of The Hub Podcast + author of The Thinking Fan’s Guide to Walt Disney World
A Salute to All Desserts But Mostly Churros: I am Sam, Sam I am… Sam the Eagle, of course. Well, kind of. I see myself in most of The Muppets, but none of them strike so strong a chord with me as Sam the Eagle, Henson’s patron saint of patriotism and designated denouncer of nonsense. I guess when Sam gasps indignantly at the notion of not having a full three hours for his glorious finale in Muppet*Vision, it reminds me of my own reactions to life’s littlest outrages — like when I run over to Frontierland’s churro cart only to find it closed. It’s distinctly unpatriotic, and I feel like Sam gets that.
Of course, the irony in Sam’s contempt for absurdity is that he himself is absurd. Easy as he is to love as a Muppet, imagine knowing him in real life — I suspect we’ve all met Sam types, and we probably unfriended them on Facebook. But that’s the cathartic beauty of The Muppets. They lovably embody the outer edges of our personality quirks.
None of us are as vain as Piggy or as hopelessly unfunny as Fozzie, but we’ve all posed for a selfie or made ourselves chuckle when no one else joined in. The Muppets take those personality pieces and run, so that we not only laugh at them but also understand them. Because as ridiculous as they are, The Muppets always mean well. We recognize that and love them for it. After all, we mean well too.
So I’m sorry, Frontierland churro cart. I’m sure you love your country. It’s just that churros are my #DisneySide, and they bring out the inner Eagle in me. Truth is, lots of things bring out that inner Eagle. So if I ever seem stodgy or question your allegiance or call you a weirdo, know I mean well. Every man’s a Muppet now and then, and I am (sometimes) Sam.
Amanda of Nerds in Wonderland
The older I get, the more I know this to be true: if you dislike someone intensely, it’s likely you actually share much in common with that person. What we dislike in other people tends to be what we dislike in ourselves, qualities we’d change if we had some means to alter our fundamental selves. It’s probably because of this that Fozzie Bear annoys the ever living crap out of me. He always has; even as a kid, his jokes provoked in me endless eye rolling. I couldn’t stand that bear!
As I’ve aged, I’ve realized that I actually have quite the soft spot for Fozzie, because I am Fozzie, and he is me. Funny and gregarious, he tries to entertain, to participate, to fit in. But many times, his efforts don’t quite get there. The jokes fall flat. The delivery is a little off. The audience feels awkward. The result is one sensitive little bear. And haven’t we all been there? I’ve been there. Earlier today! Last week! My entire life. Fozzie and I, we deflect pain with jokes and love to make people laugh, but really we’re looking for…Olaf-style warm hugs. (Yes I went there.) I get it, Fozzie. I get you, and I love you.
Kimberly Michelle of KimberlyMichelle.com (and also frequent THP guest writer!)
My inner Muppet is, without a doubt, Fozzie Bear. I may have never uttered the words, “Woka woka!” without doing an impersonation of him, nor have I tried to become a standup comedian, but our hearts and souls are closely aligned.
In a crowd, I’m definitely not the first person to pick up on a joke. I think great puns are the funniest things in the world. In fact, I went to see Mr. Peabody & Sherman solely because that was my favorite cartoon as a kid for those precious closing pun lines each episode in Rocky & Bullwinkle. I admire the comedic genius of Gallagher and Carrothead, and I’m pretty sure I’d run into Fozzie in the audience.
Fozzie loves what he loves, and doesn’t let anyone stop him from indulging in it. In fact, he gets heckled daily and still keeps a smile on his face and keeps going. I love crazy things and refuse to get in line to transform myself into anything that I’m not, no matter what heckling goes on around me.
I like to make people smile and make people happy. It’s the driving force of most of what I do… making the world a better place. That’s all Fozzie tries to do day in and day out.
Oh. And I love tomato sauce.
Kristen @LilDisFan
The joy of the Muppets is that a piece of all of them lies in me: vaudeville mishaps which seem to follow Beaker, the explosion of pure insanity defined as Animal, the kind innocence of Robin the Frog, the slight outcast that is Bean Bunny, the not-as-funny as you think you are, but oh-so-sweet persona of Fozzie, the list goes on. My inner Muppet is one of my own creation — all the Muppets who have brightened my life, mixed with what makes me uniquely Kristen. My inner Muppet is one that has been created by my own imagination with the help of the Muppets who have come before.
KJ from Plus the Magic
Outwardly, I may appear to be a middle-aged, bipedal humanoid with a tendency toward introversion and a penchant for geek culture. On the inside, though, I’m anything but.
On the inside, I’m a multi-limbed sassy crustacean, ready to rock your world. My inner Muppet is Pepe the King Prawn.
That’s right, folks- there’s a secret Pepino Rodrigo Serrano Gonzales hiding deep down inside me. I long to let my Pepe side out… the side that’s slightly inappropriate, always opportunistic, filled with swagger and oozing confidence, always ready to plan the next scheme (but always having my conscience win out). I’ll bring a smile to your face while I’m keeping you in check. I am both lover and fighter; I’ll show you my fiery temper as well as my heart of gold. I’ll make you laugh, make you swoon, break your heart, then cook you a snack, okay? Okay.
Nicole from Sparkly Ever After
My inner Muppet has to be Miss Piggy. I promise I’m not a diva, let me explain. Miss Piggy loves her nice things, dressing up, being girly and performing but trade the tantrums and tiaras for Kermie and she’s her happiest. Just about anything could happen and ruin her day but all that green guy has to do is voice some affection for Miss Piggy and all is right in her world. All she really wants is to kiss her frog. I love nice things, too. Pink and sparkles and photo apps make me happy. What really makes me soar is love. Me and Miss Piggy have that in common. At the heart of it all is just a lady who wants to love and be loved. I get you Miss Piggy.
Rebecca from Disney With Me
According to the Buzzfeed quiz, I am Beaker. And I think… not. 
Oh, parts of that assessment were right: I am loyal, I do love my job, and I am a supporter rather than a leader. And I did pick “Meep meep” as my catchphrase so I guess I sealed my own fate.
But is Beaker my “Inner Muppet”? I wouldn’t say so, no. Is there a Muppet I identify with? Well, is there a Tina Fey Muppet? (technically, no. Sadface.) Well then. My next choice would be… Walter. Well, bear with me.
Walter’s not exactly the most Muppety of Muppets, in that he’s not – um, insane; but like most Muppets, he’s several real traits amplified into comedy. Walter’s amplified traits tend to be his generally sunny attitude and the fact that he’s prone to panic. Anyone who knows me will recognize either one or the other of those traits in me, if not both. I say it’s about time we had a cheerful, but distinctly neurotic, Muppet in the cast! Let’s hear it for the shy types! 
Ryan at Main Street Gazette
I grew up with a Fozzie Bear mug sitting on my kitchen table at breakfast, a little chip in the floppy rim of his hat where I made sure not to drink out of for fear that I would cut my lip, and I always had this funny little dream that he and I were partners. The thing with Fozzie is not so much that he is or isn’t funny (which, for the record, he is hilarious), it is that he lives for that moment when he can make the world and those closest to him smile.
I don’t have the comedic timing, or groan worthy puns, that make Fozzie so special, but I do go out each and every day and try to put a smile on the faces of those near and dear to me, and even on the faces of perfect strangers. Oh, and don’t we all have our Statler and Waldorf’s just itching for the opportunity to try and bring us down?
Sarah from Running at Disney
While in my mind I am a quirky, fun Muppet like The Swedish Chef, Sweetums or Animal, in reality I am one of the curmudgeons, Statler and Waldorf. I am enticed by all media and always watching what is going on in the world, all the while making snarky comments along the way. Opinionated and not afraid to say what is on my mind, I have to fight the urge to have the last word in most situations. Give me a seat in the balcony and I will be right at home.
Trish from Babbletrish
A funny thing happened to me during “Fraggle Rock” Month. I went in expecting to agree with myself as a child that Red was the best character in the show, and she is indeed awesome (matter of fact, there isn’t a dud character in the entire series). But I came out the other end of the project relating far more to Wembly. He’s adorable, he’s vulnerable, and he’s sweet. And his chronic indecisiveness, while a cute funny psychological quirk at first, obviously causes him an unreasonable amount of personal pain. As the series rolls on and Wembly matures, we see that he never really gets over his problem, but he is now able to deal with them. It’s an incredible depth of psychological nuance for a children’s show, and it’s why I love Jim Henson and the Muppets in the first place.
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Yay! That was so fun. Thanks to everyone for contributing!
Now get you + your inner Muppet over the theater to see MUPPETS MOST WANTED!
And don’t forget to let me know who your inner Muppet is!
[Disclaimer: I do not own any of these images unless otherwise noted.]
Thank you so much for reading This Happy Place Blog! I'd love to hear from you regarding Who Is Your Inner Muppet? (Part 2) or anything else Disney related. Don't be shy!
And don't forget to read other posts by Estelle Hallick.
