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5[[quoteright:350:[[Series/TheColbertReport https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kermit_colbert.png]]]]
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7
8->''It doesn't take that much imagination,\
9In any given RealLife situation,\
10To integrate a Muppet for the realisation,\
11Life could be much, much more of a sensation!''
12-->-- '''Spray''', "Everything's Better With Muppets"
13
14ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
15
16This is not about works that ''explicitly'' feature Franchise/TheMuppets, such as ''Series/SesameStreet'', ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'', ''Series/FraggleRock'' or most other Creator/JimHenson productions. This is about featuring Muppets in ''other'' works as Special Guest Stars (which is an interesting role reversal from ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', in which singers and actors/actresses would regularly guest-star). [[SugarWiki/RuleOfSeanConnery This automatically makes the work better.]]
17
18Note that when this happens, the Muppets are (almost) ''always'' treated as people (even when there are references to Muppetry-related things), an almost {{Kayfabe}}sque convention that also extends to press junkets and interviews. (It really works, too—and not just on the audience. According to one story, Kermit was making an appearance on a talk show, and his audio was terrible, but nobody could figure out why at first. Eventually they realized that by mistake the techs hadn't miked the voice actor, but the puppet!) Also note that this frequently happens in live-action TV shows that otherwise use only normal life forms.
19
20Contrast SesameStreetCred, when a human personality cameos on a Muppet-hosted show or similar kids show. For unofficial Muppet cameos that aren't by the official puppets or puppeteers, see the ReferencedBy pages for the appropriate Muppet-based series.
21
22----
23!!Examples:
24
25[[foldercontrol]]
26
27[[folder:Advertising]]
28* Kate Spade New York has produced a series of online-video ads called Miss Adventures. Miss Piggy guest-stars in the episode "To the Top" and starts quarreling with Creator/ZosiaMamet in an elevator on the way to a party they're attending at the top of the Empire State Building. The reason for the quarrel? [[DressesTheSame They've both bought the same outfit for the party.]]
29* A commercial for Disneyland theme parks with Cat Cora and Muppets in the kitchen (which foreshadowed their 2010 webseries ''The Muppet Kitchen With Cat Cora'').
30** Expanded into a series of commercials, including Miss Piggy with Taye Diggs, and Fozzie and Pepe with Creator/SaraRamirez.
31* The entire gang appears in a series of [=MasterCard=] commercials.
32** Jim Henson (& company) starred in an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skor2mwvAAw American Express]] commercial years before.
33* They have their own Disney Channel bumpers.
34* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGzag6tA9WU This]] BMW commercial with Kermit, throwing in some FurryConfusion for good measure.
35* Some Creator/DisneyChannel promos have Miss Piggy give [[Series/ANTFarm China Anne McClain and Sierra McCormick]] advice.
36* Several Pizza Hut commercials, sometimes with Music/JessicaSimpson.
37* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybZiaSp-RzM This]] ''Series/SportsCenter'' commercial featuring the Swedish Chef as the new cafeteria chef.
38* 2014 gave us a brilliant SuperBowlSpecial for the Toyota Highlander SUV. "We ain't got no room for boring!"
39* Also in 2014, Lipton's "Be more tea" campaign. Which is still [[MemeticMutation an internet meme]].
40* Apple had an ad where Cookie Monster used Siri [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF6OYq_2Ooc while waiting for cookies to bake.]]
41* Farmer's Insurance celebrated ''Sesame Street''[='s=] 50th anniversary in 2019 by incorporating it into their "we know a thing or two because we've ''seen'' a thing or two"[[note]]'''Count von Count:''' ...or three or four or five! Ah ah ahhh![[/note]] campaign featuring weird accidents they cover, showing that they can even handle the odd insurance claims the ''Sesame'' cast [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBJQVE-MWwY can]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVGJgVhrLAA come up]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjNcJ8wkiJA with.]]
42* In 2019, the Muppets appeared in ads for Facebook Portal, with decidedly mixed results.
43* [=DoorDash=] had a set of ads for food delivery involving ''Sesame Street'', with things like Big Bird ordering all his food with birdseed and Cookie Monster ordering just plain ''everything''.
44* Advertising/{{GEICO}}'s 2021 ads had the formula of stating a home problem, then revealing the BaitAndSwitch of something more absurd (like "the neighbor's fencing" meaning they keep sparring with rapiers, "dealing with birds" refers to the VideoGame/AngryBirds, or a "rat problem" referring to [[Music/{{Ratt}} the rock band]]). In one, the homeowners had an animal in the attic -- by which they meant they had ''Animal'' in the attic.
45[[/folder]]
46
47[[folder:Fan Works]]
48* An early Internet-related ''Franchise/StarTrek'' fanfic called ''[[http://www.st-minutiae.com/humor/muppets.html Grades of Shay]]'' was either the Muppets guest starring on ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' or the cast of ST:TNG guest starring on ''The Muppet Show''. It's hard to tell exactly which, but it is crazy awesome.
49* The ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9888413/1/Magic-In-The-Air Magic In The Air]]'' has Castle and Beckett investigating the murder of the Muppet Theater's human janitor several days before the premiere of the The Muppets' Christmas Extravagenza.
50[[/folder]]
51
52[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
53* ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'': Kermit makes a background cameo. (Alongside Mickey, Donald, and Goofy.)
54* In the WesternAnimation/{{Pixar Short|s}} ''WesternAnimation/Presto2008'', Statler and Waldorf can be seen in the stands.
55[[/folder]]
56
57[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
58* Kermit cameos as a customer in ''Film/MrMagoriumsWonderEmporium''.
59* Oscar shows up in ''Film/NightAtTheMuseumBattleOfTheSmithsonian'' trying to get in with the bad guys alongside [[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader]]. They're not impressed by Oscar, saying he doesn't seem all that ''bad'', just a bit grouchy.
60* Oddly applies to the Muppets ''themselves''; in ''Film/TheMuppetsTakeManhattan'', characters from ''Series/SesameStreet'' and Uncle Traveling Matt from ''Series/FraggleRock'' are present in the Muppets' performance at the end.
61** Earlier, in ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'', Kermit and Fozzie try to offer Big Bird a ride, but Big Bird refuses saying he is heading to New York "to try to break into public television."
62** Also, Oscar the Grouch makes a "very brief cameo" with Creator/PeterUstinov in ''Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper''.
63** In a case of WhatCouldHaveBeen, Creator/JasonSegel stated they wanted Elmo to make a cameo in ''Film/TheMuppets2011'' -- he would've appeared as a rejected guest star for the Telethon, turned away for being too expensive. Ironically, his cameo was cut because... [[LifeImitatesArt he was too expensive]].
64[[/folder]]
65
66[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
67* ''Series/SesameStreet'' Muppets (Elmo, Grover, Oscar and an orange monster later named as [[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Ex_Ray Ex Ray]]) appear in a Season 8 episode of ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', "My [=ABCs=]."
68** In a reversal of the trope, ''Film/ItsAVeryMerryMuppetChristmasMovie'', Miss Piggy is briefly cast as a dead body on ''Scrubs'', but is fired for ad libbing and for attempting to cast herself as a sexy nurse that falls in love with JD or a cute janitor.
69* In the ''Series/ThirtyRock'' episode "Apollo, Apollo", Kenneth hallucinates his castmates as Muppets.
70** ...And in "Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001", he is shown by a conveniently placed high-definition camera to be one himself.
71** Kermit the Frog shows up to help Jack with [[spoiler:the eulogy for the last Mrs. Donaghy]]. This is treated the same as if Jack had invited anyone to help.
72* An episode of ''Series/DinnerImpossible'' has Robert Irvine catering the 40th anniversary of ''Sesame Street'' with the help of Elmo, Cookie Monster and Maria.
73* The Season 5 episode of ''Series/TheWestWing'' titled "Eppur Si Muove" had [[SesameStreetCred the first lady appear]] on ''Series/SesameStreet''. C.J. Craig (Allison Janney) had a brief run-in with Big Bird.
74* In ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' Season 6 episode "Cliff's Nightmare", a bunch of Muppets (including Gonzo, Sweetums, Statler, and Leon and Digit from ''Series/TheJimHensonHour'') appear in the titular AcidRefluxNightmare.
75* ''Series/AmericasGotTalent'':
76** Terry Fator, a ventriloquist, in the second season finals; and as all the finalists got to perform with a celebrity, his performance was with Kermit. For bonus points, there was a mock judging afterward by [[TheUnintelligible Beaker, the Swedish Chef and Animal]].
77** They also made a cameo or two in the fourth season:
78--->'''Sharon Osbourne:''' ''[on Kermit and Piggy]'' And they say ''[[Music/OzzyOsbourne Ozzy]]'' and I have an odd relationship!
79** In Season 9, they were on again, but Nick tried to tell Miss Piggy that she wasn't slated to perform. Cue HostileShowTakeover of the opening sequence.
80** The first season of ''America's Got Talent: The Champions'' once again had a ventriloquist in the finals pair off with one of the Muppets; this time Rowlf with Darci Lynne Farmer.
81* When ''Series/ExtremeMakeoverHomeEdition'' added the gimmick of involving a celebrity attend every renovation, in one episode it was the Muppets. In one of the episodes in Season Three, Kermit was the substitute team leader instead of Ty Pennington.
82* ''Series/TheColbertReport'':
83** Creator/StephenColbert once [[http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/174545/june-19-2008/cookie-monster?redirect=true interviewed Cookie Monster]] regarding a minor controversy over ''Sesame Street'' segments with Cookie being taught to regard his namesake treat as a "sometimes food", perceived by many as a knee-jerk reaction to childhood obesity concerns. ("[[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Me have craaaazy times in '70s and '80s.]]") Colbert caught Cookie eyeballing the host's large, round Peabody award and warned the monster off -- only to find the award gone missing in the episode's stinger.
84** "[[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments ME like the Robert Downey Jr. of COOKIES!!]]"
85** Colbert later brought on Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on his show to debate in his new debate segment "Pointless Counter Pointless", asking them to debate the letter S for looking like "a scary snake". However, the two agreed that they liked the letter, infuriating Stephen.
86** Big Bird also appeared in the series finale with many more legendary guests singing "[[Film/DrStrangelove We'll Meet Again]]".
87* ''Series/TheDailyShowWithJonStewart'':
88** Years earlier, Creator/JonStewart had Kermit as a guest and, later, Miss Piggy. At one point, when Kermit made a point that Stewart couldn't refute, Stewart said, "I can't believe it. The frog's runnin' circles around me." Both interviews had awkward moments, with Stewart self-consciously [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] the fact that he was interacting with a puppet, but he did get in some good lines.
89--->'''Stewart:''' ''[to Piggy]'' Got a little frog in your throat?
90** Since then, ''The Daily Show'' has featured reports from correspondent "Gitmo" (an Elmo puppet with a full beard, voiced by Stewart).
91** ''TDS'' also did an interview with a Muppet Michael Steele as he was preparing for a fourth of July barbecue... on the fifth of July. Muppet Michael Steele had a few further appearances since then. Including an appearance with the ''human'' Michael Steele.
92* Two episodes of ''Series/DancingWithTheStars'' in 2009 had Muppet appearances, likely inspired by Aaron Carter dancing to the theme to "The Muppet Show" (or is it the other way around?). Neither of these had any prior warning, BTW. The first time, Gonzo trumpeted briefly. The second time (season finale), Miss Piggy was being a diva and knocked out Samantha Harris(!).
93** In 2011, the Muppets appeared on the show to help promote ''Film/TheMuppets2011''.
94** In 2015, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and Scooter appeared to promote their [[Series/TheMuppets2015 ABC series]].
95** In 2017, Kermit appeared throughout Disney night. (This was the first public appearance of Matt Vogel as Kermit.)
96** In 2021, for Disney Week: Villains Night, Gonzo and Pepe appeared to promote ''Film/MuppetsHauntedMansion''.
97** In 2022, Kermit and Miss Piggy made a prerecorded appearance for Disney+ Night to introduce Creator/SelmaBlair and Sasha Farber's quickstep to ''The Muppet Show'' theme.
98* ''Series/JimmyKimmelLive'':
99** An episode where Jimmy Kimmel visited the set of ''Series/{{Lost}}'' during its first season, revealed The Monster to be the Cookie Monster -- who promptly proceeded to eat Kimmel.
100** Grover has also been interviewed on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmm98JKIAog See it here.]]
101** In January 2017, Jimmy Kimmel [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldA2RJNuZ9w visited Sesame Street]] to teach the cast about a new letter of the alphabet.
102* On ''Cake Boss'', Buddy & Co. were hired to do ''Series/SesameStreet'''s 40th anniversary cake (Which was an 8'x3' scale model of the show's primary set, complete with buildings made of cake and miniature Muppets made out of modeling chocolate). Buddy went the extra mile and made a giant (At least a foot and a half in diameter and an inch thick) cookie for Cookie Monster, his childhood inspiration, insisting that Cookie Monster was real. The resulting cookie [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdDTUzmf1rU shocked and amazed Cookie,]] eventually becoming a popular reaction gif.
103* Kermit and Robin make an appearance on ''Film/TheEarthDaySpecial''.
104* ''Series/AreYouSmarterThanA5thGrader'' celebrated ''Sesame Street'''s 40th anniversary by bringing in some of the Muppet characters to co-host.
105* ''Martha Stewart Living'':
106** Cookie Monster once made a guest appearance, in which he "helps" Martha and ends up destroying her kitchen. ("Me no feel pain. Cookies are like Novocaine.") It can be seen on [=YouTube=] in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orxd5L5qFLI two]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FYvxa9RKp0 parts.]]
107** Miss Piggy made a couple of guest appearances on Martha Stewart's ChristmasSpecial, first in 1995 and then in 1996.
108* Back when Jim Henson was starting out, the Muppets were regulars on a number of variety shows, such as ''Series/TheEdSullivanShow'' (to the point that the 1970 Christmas show was given over to them via the special ''The Great Santa Claus Switch'') and ''[[Creator/DinahShore Dinah!]]''. During the height of their popularity at the end of TheSeventies, this shifted over to appearances on late night talk shows -- including a guest hosting stint on ''Series/TheTonightShowStarringJohnnyCarson''.
109* The joint interview by Creator/RickyGervais and Elmo in honor of ''Sesame Street''[='s=] 40th anniversary is a thing of beauty, with such moments as Gervais warning Elmo that they shouldn't discuss necrophilia and Elmo turning to the camera and demanding, "Elmo wants this tape."
110* While Jim Henson was shopping ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' around, he and his crew were given an opportunity to show that Muppets weren't just for children with a regular weekly feature on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''. For this, they created a new set of Muppets for the adult-themed "Land of Gorch" sketches. All relevant details and a thoughtful analysis can be found [[http://www.toughpigs.com/anthgorcha00.htm here.]]
111** When Robert [=DeNiro=] hosted, he shared a special moment with our Kermie during the monologue, during which the two sang "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."
112** When Seth Rogen has been on the show, there have been sketches spoofing the Muppets in which he and members of the cast dress up in Muppet Costumes, including one in which Andy Samberg as the Swedish Chef sings "Beyond the Sea" with accompaniment by Rowlf the Dog and the Muppet Show Band, and another in which most of the primary Muppet cast perpetrate a hit and run.
113** Cookie Monster appeared in the opening monologue of a 2010 episode hosted by Jeff Bridges. This was a culmination of a campaign orchestrated by Sesame Workshop to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-PkQRh3QXA let Cookie Monster host.]] Highlights included Bridges calling the Monster "Cook", and an ad-libbed portion involving a broken prop cookie.
114** When Jason Segel hosted SNL on November 19th, 2011, [[Film/TheMuppets2011 his famous Muppet co-stars]] made special appearances with him, alluding in Jason's monologue to the Muppets' original appearances on the show. Of course, one of the highlights of that episode was Seth Meyers' priceless "REALLY?!" skit on Weekend Update with the Main Frog.
115*** Notable in that Seth Myers at one point makes a joke about Congress being "a puppet to the food industry" before saying "no offense" to Kermit. When Kermit corrects him, saying "I'm not a puppet, I'm a muppet", Seth asks Kermit to explain the difference. Kermit replies that a puppet is a marionette operated by a human, whereas as a Muppet, he (Kermit) is an actual talking frog.
116** Shortly after the Obama campaign made a political advertisement that referenced Sesame Street in 2012 (As an attack add inspired by Romney's statement that he planned to cut funding to public television in one of the debates), Big Bird did a cameo on a SNL news sketch. All of Big Bird's lines were carefully scripted to be funny but apolitical, so that the character could not be said to be implicitly endorsing either candidate.
117* ''Series/TopChef'' All-Stars had Telly, Elmo, and Cookie Monsters judge the Quick Fire Challenge, with Elmo likening a contestant's cookies to cow pies.
118* Creator/JimmyFallon on ''Series/LateNight'' has been enjoying having over his own group of ''Series/SesameStreet'' characters.
119** Including Grover 2.0 who came on set [[http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/super_grover_20_92410/1251371 to promote]] the 41st season.
120** Elmo and Jimmy Fallon had a fun time fooling around -- [[http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/elmo_part_1_5311/1324718 even if it nearly]] [[http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/elmo-part-2-5311/1324709/?__cid=thefilter ended in tears.]]
121** Jimmy Fallon is a big Muppets fan. One year just before Christmas, he and the Muppets sang "The Twelve Days of Christmas" (based on the version that originally aired on "John Denver and the Muppets; A Christmas Together"). For his very last scene on ''Late Night'' before moving to ''Series/TheTonightShow'' he accompanied the Muppets on drums in an epic version of "The Weight". This may have been an homage to ''Film/TheLastWaltz'', the film of Music/TheBand's final concert.
122* Kermit (solo and with Piggy) made a few appearances on the Creator/TomBergeron-hosted version of ''Series/TheHollywoodSquares''. One fantastic bit had Kermit do a quick impression of fellow square [[Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway Colin Mochrie]].
123** Big Bird also made a few appearances on the Peter Marshall version of the Squares, and an appearance during a special week in New York during the Bergeron era.
124** The titular character of ''Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse'' made a few appearances during the Bergeron era as well, including Creator/WhoopiGoldberg's final episode before Creator/HenryWinkler took over and turned the show into ''H2''.
125** The Muppets also made a guest appearance on a Bergeron-hosted episode of ''Series/AmericasFunniestHomeVideos'' in 2005.
126* ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'': Big Bird once visited his friend X the Owl in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, much to the jealousy of Henrietta. Big Bird's performer, Carroll Spinney, denied Fred Rogers' request to do a segment explaining how the Big Bird costume worked because he didn't want to ruin the character for the children, so Rogers compromised by delivering this line right before Big Bird appeared:
127-->"When you see big make-believe creatures in parades or in plays or on television, you can know that the people inside are just pretending to be something else. There are people inside. Sometimes of course there are machines inside of them too, that make them move. But they're just pretend. Just pretend."
128* One AprilFoolsDay episode of CNN TalkShow ''Creator/LarryKing Live'' had Kermit the Frog as the entire episode's ''GuestHost'', conducting all the interviews for the full hour. Larry King appears at the end to critique Kermit on his interview performance.
129* Oscar the Grouch is part of the mob in an episode of ''Series/OneVersusAHundred''.
130* Miss Piggy guest-starred in one episode of ''Series/SoRandom''.
131* A ''Series/SesameStreet'' segment was filmed with Elmo and Katy Perry, with Perry wearing a rather risqué outfit. Some parents complained about the video (which had appeared on Website/YouTube, but not Sesame Street itself). News show ''The Early Show'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2QgvAuKqkg brought in Elmo and Sesame Street Executive Producer Carol-Lynn Parente]] to discuss the issue. Elmo mentioned that he didn't understand what the fuss was about.
132* Kermit and Miss Piggy were [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_fKqMgkRa0 interviewed on Michael Parkinson's BBC series.]]
133* An episode of ''Series/ProjectRunway All Stars'' challenged the designers to design a dress for Miss Piggy, who served as a guest judge that episode.
134* The Muppets have made several appearances at the UsefulNotes/AcademyAwardsCeremonies.
135** In 1980, Kermit sang ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'''s "The Rainbow Connection" (which was up for, but did not win, Best Song) while Miss Piggy confronted host Johnny Carson over not being nominated for Best Actress. When she asked him if she were "Oscar material", he replied, "Oscar Mayer, maybe!"
136** In 1982, ''Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper'' was up for Best Song with "The First Time It Happens", so Kermit and Miss Piggy sang it together.
137** In 1986, Jim Henson, Kermit and Scooter presented the Best Animated Short Film award.
138** In 1996, Whoopi Goldberg's attempt at a live video interview with Film/{{Babe}} the pig was foiled by a jealous Miss Piggy hacking into the broadcast.
139** In 2012, Kermit and Miss Piggy attended the ceremony and introduced a Creator/DannyElfman inspired Creator/CirqueDuSoleil performance. This was also the first year a Muppet production actually ''won'' an Oscar, with "[[Film/TheMuppets2011 Man or Muppet]]" winning Best Song.[[note]]And it was one of [[WesternAnimation/{{Rio}} two]] nominees that year.[[/note]]
140* In TheEighties, Kermit the Frog and Jim Henson appeared on the Nickelodeon movie reviews-and-news show ''Rated K -- For Kids, By Kids''. The episode opened with Kermit trying to give a speech introducing Henson, only to realize he got the paper with his speech and the one with directions to the studio on it -- which he was supposed to give to Henson -- switched by mistake. Luckily, Henson had no problem getting to the studio for an interview with the show's pint-sized critics.
141* Cookie Monster [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgaLnYbNuRg was interviewed]] on ''Series/{{Newsnight}}'', to promote Creator/TheBBC's new ''Series/SesameStreet'' spinoff ''Series/TheFurchesterHotel''.
142* The Muppets have appeared in some form or other at every UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade since 1974 - wow! Most times this has been in the form of the ''Sesame Street'' float, but the classic Muppets have appeared on occasion, and a total of four balloons (six counting redesigns) have been based on Muppet characters.
143** Muppets have appeared in numerous other parades across the country as well. In one Fourth of July parade in Bristol, RI, Cookie Monster got a more enthusiastic welcome than the governor!
144* In a 2011 episode of ''Series/TheXFactor'' (UK version), 2009 runner-up Olly Murs dueted with Miss Piggy, with backing from Fozzie, Animal and the penguins, and Statler and Waldorf at the judges' table.
145* ''Series/LastWeekTonightWithJohnOliver'' had a few segments with the Muppets, such as parents in jail. A RunningGag in the 2021 season involved John being able to summon Creator/GeorgeClooney with a snap of his fingers, often by accident; at one point Clooney is annoyed and states that he has a similar ability to summon Kermit the Frog, but ''he'' respects Kermit too much to abuse it. John dares him to do it anyway.
146* ''The Game Awards''
147** In 2018, Pepe the King Prawn was the presenter for the award for "Best Indie Game", teaming up with prolific streamer Ninja, all while trying to take "Shelfies"
148** In 2019, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker showcased the new VR device from Muppet Labs, offering an irreversible immersive experience as it was superglued onto Beaker's head as he played ''[[VideoGame/UntitledGooseGame Untitled Beaker Game]]''. After that, they presented the "Games for Impact" award, but the goose that was harassing Beaker during the game [[RefugeeFromTVLand escaped into reality]] as a Muppet and took the envelope, so there was a bit of slapstick before revealing the winner was ''Geese''. Er, ''VideoGame/{{Gris}}''.
149** Scooter and Miss Piggy appeared in the 2020 Summer of Gaming event, wherein Piggy explained that she is actually a hardcore gamer.
150** In 2020, the Swedish Chef made an appearance to promote his appearance in ''VideoGame/Overcooked2'' as a playable character.
151** In 2022, Animal was the co-presenter for the "Best Music and Score" award, and was excited to play more ''VideoGame/EldenRing''. Geoff Keighley asked him what his favourite boss was, to which Animal responded with [[AmazonianBeauty Malenia]]. Animal was also asked about if he wanted to appear in a game, calling out to Creator/HideoKojima in the audience because "Animal can [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid hide in a box!]]" He was also asked about if he wanted to make a game on his own, but the name he chose for this potential game was [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing already taken.]]
152** [[https://twitter.com/thegameawards/status/1732940193236439165 In 2023,]] Gonzo introduced for the "Best Debut Indie Game" award. He enters wearing an identical suit to Geoff Keighley, and after a mirror routine, he talks about how he's been playing a lot of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'', and specifically one quest about following a Cucco, replaying it over and over again. He then brings out a [[StringTheory conspiracy board]] and a chicken named Zelda, positing about how all the greatest games all have chickens in them.
153* When ''Series/BrainGames'' was revived in 2019, there was a recurring segment featuring Dr. Honeydew and Beaker from Muppet Labs giving lessons on the topic of the episode.
154* Creator/DisneyPlus shows:
155** ''Prop Culture'' features props from movies in Disney's library and discussion about them with members of those movies' cast and crew. When covering ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'', the host talked with Gonzo himself before moving on to Gonzo's puppeteer.
156** Snow carving competition ''Best in Snow'' had teams carve snow sculptures based on Disney movies. One team did Statler and Waldorf as the Marley brothers from ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol'', leading to Kermit himself dropping by.
157* ABC had a series of "Family Sing-Along" specials, with the Muppets making several appearances:
158** Of the first two near the beginning of the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, the second one started with the Muppets performing ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' theme song (with lyrics altered for the special), and later included a short message from Miss Piggy.
159** In the Holiday Sing-Along the next winter, Kermit and Miss Piggy appeared in a between-song segment.
160** For the ''Music/{{Queen|Band}} Family Sing-Along'' celebrating the band's 50th anniversary, Miss Piggy sang "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" with Music/JimmieAllen; while skits between the songs involved someone making a ruckus, which turned out to be Animal on his drums. Both also appeared with all the other celebrities in the GrandFinale "Bohemian Rhapsody".
161** The ''WesternAnimation/SchoolhouseRock 50th Anniversary Sing-Along'' saw Kermit sing "Unpack Your Adjectives" while Fozzie handled adjective-label props.
162* ''Series/TheMaskedSinger'':
163** Season 5 had [[spoiler:The Snail]] unmasked as [[spoiler:Kermit]]!
164** Season 8 had a number of theme nights, including a Muppets Night. The show started with Kermit and the hosts performing "Rainbow Connection", and Miss Piggy joined as a guest judge while Kermit accompanied some of the singers on-stage during their performances. Several other Muppets made appearances as well.
165** Season 9 similarly had a Sesame Street Night, with a number of the Muppet cast members guest-starring, and some of the performances were themed on the characters (like "Just the Two of Us" for the Count and "You're No Good" for Oscar).
166* Season 4 of ''Series/HoleyMoley'' had an ongoing plotline in the interstitials heavily featuring the Muppets. Creator/RobRiggle worries about the show's future, and recruits the Muppets to pitch ideas for the show that would make the executives at ABC approve of more seasons, and makes an underhanded deal with Pepe the King Prawn that Pepe takes a bit too far. [[spoiler:Kidnapping UsefulNotes/StephenCurry and holding him ransom, which didn't go as planned as Pepe and Stephen became friends and pitched their own sitcom instead of more seasons of ''Holey Moley''. The network picked up their show pitch, ''Sweet Curry Prawns'', but it ended up cancelled before the pilot could air.]] After that situation was resolved, Rob gets Kermit to have other Muppets audition for the role of co-host, with the intent of replacing Joe Tessitore, but after [[TerribleIntervieweesMontage none of the Muppets proved themselves up to snuff]], Kermit decides that Joe is irreplacable. Rob's Plan C was to try to hire Miss Piggy to make a big performance during the final hole of the season, a special edition of The Distractor, and ends up falling in love with her in the process. While Rob did manage to hire Miss Piggy, when the time came, [[ShaggyDogStory she was accidentally locked in her trailer,]] so Jeannie Mai had to take her place. As for appearances outside the interstitials, Kermit appears as a co-commentator during a couple of holes.
167[[/folder]]
168
169[[folder:Music]]
170* Music/{{Weezer}}'s music video for "Keep Fishin'" features most of the band performing on ''The Muppet Show'' while drummer Patrick Wilson escapes from Miss Piggy's clutches after getting kidnapped by her (of course, Animal fills in for him while he's unavailable).
171* "Everything's Better With Muppets" is the literal title and theme of the song by the English band [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBz46xC5t7E Spray.]]
172** Bandmember Ricardo also exercises a bit more Grover love in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFM140rju4k "Golden Age of Video"]] too.
173* Music/LadyGaga's [[http://www.celebitchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/fp_3298204_bulls_lady_gaga_excl_072109.jpg Kermit dress.]]
174* What's better than Cee Lo Green singing "The Song Otherwise Known As 'Forget You'" with ''Series/{{Glee}}'''s Gwyneth Paltrow on the Grammys? [[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2011/02/cee-lo-green-grammys-muppets-elton-john-crocodile-rock.html How about being backed by]] a "Creator/JimHenson puppet" band ''from space''?
175** Cee Lo and the Muppets re-teamed for the song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6ttXzJq42Y "All I Need Is Love,"]] which has an amazing hook sampled from ''Mahna Mahna''.
176* Originally, the ensemble that performed the "Christmas is #1" song on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' consisted of Horatio Sanz, Chris Kattan, Jimmy Fallon, and Tracy Morgan. After the latter three left the show, Horatio performed with the Muppets.
177* OK Go and The Muppets joined forces to create a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiMZa8flyYY music video]] for the former's cover of "Series/TheMuppetShow Theme", to be featured on the CoverAlbum ''The Green Album'' that year.
178* Music/BenFolds Five teamed up with [[Series/FraggleRock the Fraggles]][[note]]and also Creator/AnnaKendrick[[/note]] for the video [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEyrfFwf3rI "Do It Anyway".]] Let the music play.
179** In keeping with the "kayfabe" ethos mentioned in the trope description, the "Making of..." video doesn't show a puppeteer at any point, but does have an interview with Red.
180* The music video for "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUY9w3zVF1M Grit/Love You Like This]]" by Danny Byrd has cameos from various Muppets.
181* A music video for a remastered edition of the disco classic "We Are Family" crossed over the casts ''Series/SesameStreet'' and ''Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse'' with the core Muppets characters, [[Series/BarneyAndFriends Barney]], [[Series/BetweenTheLions the Lion family]], and the cast of ''Series/{{Zoom}}''. In addition to these, characters from nearly the entire animated show catalogs of Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}, Creator/PBSKids, and Creator/DisneyChannel[[note]]circa 2005[[/note]] appeared via archival footage. This video was produced to promote diversity and tolerance among primary-aged children.
182* Music/JoshGroban sang [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv8msHbqaFE&ab_channel=LindseyStirling "Pure Imagination"]] with the Muppets, accompanied by Music/LindseyStirling. Miss Piggy tried, unsuccessfully, to steal the spotlight from Lindsey, and [[ChekhovsGun a large cake]] that appears at the start of the video lands on everyone at the end.
183[[/folder]]
184
185[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
186* As a means to promote ''Film/TheMuppets2011'', the cast guest-starred on WWE's RAW, leading to some great moments.
187** First was one of the Divas kissing Kermit in front of Miss Piggy (and escaping unscathed, surprisingly).
188*** Kermit and Miss Piggy later had a confrontation with Vickie Guerrero and Jack Swagger with Kermit accidentally calling Vickie Jack's mother and then Vickie and Miss Piggy shouting "EXCUSE ME"!/"Excuse Moi!" for a few seconds.
189** Then you had Beaker running into Wrestling/{{Sheamus}} - who immediately [[BrickJoke welcomed his cousin]][[note]]Edge once made the comparison of Sheamus to Beaker[[/note]] and expressed regret that he couldn't make the family reunion that year.
190** Followed by Hornswoggle (a ''huge'' fan of theirs in reality, to the point that he has tattoos of 6 characters) hitting on (and getting hit ''by'') Miss Piggy (who was hitting on John Morrison at the time).
191** Gonzo meeting Jack Swagger and getting an arm stretched (as in stretched like ''noodles'').
192** And culminating in Beaker getting [[GargleBlaster a mysterious concoction]] to the ring to help Wrestling/SantinoMarella win his match... which works because Santino was so disgusted by the taste of it that he did a SpitTake into Jack Swagger's face.
193** Animal was the one who got to ring the bell for a match.
194* The Muppets would later meet up with WWE again for the ''Tribute to the Troops'' special.
195** Daniel Bryan gets into a BigNo / BigYes shout-out with Animal before he leaves and calls him a "Goat face". Then a goat comes in and assumes Daniel is a cousin of his.
196[[/folder]]
197
198[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
199* In ''Series/SesameStreet'''s sibling show ''Series/TheElectricCompany1971'', Grover became lost and wound up on the show, Oscar gave grouchy lessons, and Big Bird met Fargo North.
200* The cast of ''Theatre/AvenueQ'' gave the ''Series/AceOfCakes'' bakers puppet-versions of themselves as a thank-you; the puppet-bakers reappeared in the intro to the ''Lost'' episode.
201* The Creator/{{CITV}} puppet chat show ''The Pig Attraction with Billy the Pig'', which normally interviewed British puppets such as Roland Rat and the Honey Monster, once had an episode devoted to a live satellite uplink with Miss Piggy ... which, much to Billy's disappointment, didn't work. Eventually, they managed to get a connection, but interviewed Big Bird instead.
202* Big Bird, Ernie and Bert, and Elmo once made cameo appearances in ''Series/BetweenTheLions''.
203* Elmo made a cameo in the ''Series/BigBag'' episode "Elmo's Visit", where it is revealed that Elmo is Chelli's pen pal. The show was made by the same people as ''Sesame Street'', Children's Television Workshop, but the puppets in the show are not Muppets.
204* The ''Sesame'' characters made occasional appearances on ''Series/TheMuppetShow'':
205** Bert and Ernie appeared in the Connie Stephens episode.
206** Big Bird appeared with Creator/LeslieUggams.
207** The entire cast appeared at the end of the Creator/MartyFeldman episode as part of an obligatory OpenSesame joke.
208* After Jim Henson's death, Kermit rarely ever appeared in new material on ''Sesame Street'', but when he did, it was considered this. Probably the best known recent appearance of Kermit was the 2001 hurricane storyline when he was once again cast as a reporter.
209[[/folder]]
210
211[[folder:Radio]]
212* ''More Or Less'' Creator/TheBBC Radio 4 series about numbers in the news, once had an interview with [[Series/SesameStreet Count von Count]].
213* The Radio 4 current events programme ''Today'' has a feature called "Tweet of the Day", a quick ornithology lesson beginning with a bird-call. During Radio 4's Character Invasion theme day, in which the factual programmes all featured fictional characters as if they were real people, the "Tweet of the Day" featured the distinctive sound of ''avis gigantes'', better known as Big Bird.
214[[/folder]]
215
216[[folder:Video Games]]
217* In ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', the player character is apparently a big fan. At one point you can mention how you don't like horror films because there's never enough Muppets, and after getting an unmarked, presumably gruesome tape, the description states "You hope it's one of the Muppet Movies."
218* The Muppets DLC in ''VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet'' has the Muppets themselves running a show in Craftworld, and you, the Sackboy can join the show.
219* ''VideoGame/Overcooked2'' had a DLC skin that allowed players to play as the Swedish Chef.
220[[/folder]]
221
222[[folder:Webcomics]]
223* ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'' is a CampaignComic adapting the ''Franchise/StarWars'' movies. The comic had finished adapting the six Lucas movies and ''Film/RogueOne'', and the creators wanted to stall for time before covering ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' and its sequels. So what do they choose to cover next? [[Recap/TheMuppetShowS4E17 That time when Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, and the droids appeared on]] ''The Muppet Show''.
224[[/folder]]
225
226[[folder:Web Original]]
227* During the WebVideo/{{Vlogbrothers}}' 2016 Project For Awesome charity drive, Big Bird made an appearance during the livestream.
228* [=TVTropes=] is fond of JustForFun/StatlerAndWaldorf.
229-->'''[[JustForFun/StatlerAndWaldorf Statler:]]''' Well, they got something right for once. We are the best of the Muppets.\
230'''Waldorf:''' That's not exactly a high mark to reach, is it?\
231'''Both:''' Do-ho-ho-ho-hoh!
232* ''Wired'' has a video [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc2yFoq09ug where the cast of Sesame Street answer Google Autocomplete questions about themselves.]] They even kept with the canon of the show and had someone read the questions to three-year-old Elmo.
233* Website/YouTube's 2021 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ-juLXoFxM "Dear Earth" environmental stream]] kicked off with Kermit being the first to speak, and later on the Electric Mayhem performed "Mr. Blue Sky".
234* WebVideo/{{Vsauce}}, WebVideo/MatthewSantoro and the Muppets collaborated on a video entitled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6sGARbnnfM "What if Quicksilver Ran Past You?"]], scientifically breaking down what would happen if a speedster like ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} ran by someone at Mach 10, a few feet away. It's in a [[NoirEpisode Noir style]], with Gonzo narrating, Rizzo commentating, Jake Roper and Matthew Santoro playing the role of two detectives working on "The Quicksilver case", Constantine playing the role of a witness, and Beaker playing the role of a scientific consultant knowledgeable about the extreme wind speeds generated by someone running as fast as Quicksilver, which would be 20 times faster than that of a category 5 tornado.[[/folder]]
235
236[[folder:Western Animation]]
237* ''WesternAnimation/TakeTwoWithPhineasAndFerb'': One of the guest interviewees is Miss Piggy.
238* ''WesternAnimation/BigCityGreens'' has an episode with a guest spot from Fozzie Bear (Eric Jacobson) voicing a non-Muppet dentist. The episode announcement was accompanied by an interview video with Fozzie in the recording booth in a spectacular commitment to Muppet {{Kayfabe}}. Fozzie is even listed in the credits as the voice actor, with Jacobson being credited as Fozzie's "personal handyman".
239* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' has multiple behind-the-scenes meta-examples with Kermit, seeing as it's a show about frogs.
240** [[https://twitter.com/KermitTheFrog/status/1141095743572381696 Kermit is a guest star in a D23 panel]] focused on the above ''Big City Greens'' and ''Amphibia''.
241** Kermit has also been shown to be a [[https://ew.com/tv/2019/07/15/kermit-the-frog-amphibia-disney-channel-exclusive/ frog consultant]] for the crew, making sure they're portraying his culture accurately.
242** And the Disney Channel [=YouTube=] Channel has a reaction video of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ENlVOqTLlk Kermit watching the opening.]]
243** Kermit the Frog guest stars in the episode "Swamp and Sensibility", playing Crumpet the Frog, who is basically Kermit from the shape of his pupils to the way he is lip-synced. Unlike the ''Big City Greens'' example above, the credits list Kermit's actor Matt Vogel with the role of Crumpet, but promotional material refers to Kermit as the guest star.
244[[/folder]]

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