As lifelong fans of The Muppets, we’ve always admired the hard work of a puppeteer, and how their behind/under the camera work brings felt characters to life.
But what about the iconic scenes where The Muppets take to the streets, or are seen bicycling through a park? How on earth are those scenes made?
Youtuber Alex Boucher goes on a deep dive about how these iconic characters were brought to life, especially when there are no places where the puppeteers can hide.
All images © The Jim Henson Company
In The Muppet Movie, Jim Henson set out to do the impossible: make a gang of felt-and-foam misfits feel real in the wide-open human world.
“When you put cartoon-like characters into the very real outdoors,” Henson once said, “they gain an extra sense of reality.”
And somehow, they did.
Long before CGI took over Hollywood, Henson and his team used clever in-camera effects, radio-controlled props, and a whole lot of ingenuity to pull off the impossible. Want to see Kermit ride a bike?
Or sing solo onstage? No digital wizardry — just pure, handcrafted movie magic.
Filmmaker Boucher calls it “the illusion that’s baffled me for years — when the Muppets go outside and seem to break free from their puppeteers. They become little sentient creatures.”
Revisit some of your favorite Muppet moments in the video, and if you haven’t already, stream Jim Henson: Idea Man, a beautiful look at the brilliant mind who made us believe in frogs that dream and bears that tell jokes.
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