They say a friend in need is a friend indeed – and mates don’t come more solid than Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear. Kermit gave failed standup comic Fozzie his first break in 1976-1981 variety revue The Muppet Show. Since then, Frog and Bear have starred in eight Muppets movies, travelling everywhere from Manhattan to Treasure Island, co-staring with everyone from Richard Pryor and Steve Martin to Ricky Gervais. In 1981’s The Great Muppet Caper, the duo even played identical twin brothers, decades before the rest of Hollywood dared to embrace colour-, fur-, and species-blind casting.
Off camera, the besties have always been there for each other. In 2015, Kermit and Miss Piggy consciously uncoupled just before TV sitcom the Muppets, set behind the scenes of Piggy’s late-night talkshow, Up Late with Miss Piggy. Kermit trusted Fozzie to host an episode of the original 70s Muppet Show when he was off sick (needless to say, Fozzie messed it up). The duo continue to work together, as last seen in Disney’s 2020s improvisational comedy, Muppets Now.
It’s also not Christmas until you’ve watched 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol, starring Michael Caine as Scrooge, the greatest (Dickens-based Muppet) Christmas film of all time. This year, Christmas Carol celebrates its 30th anniversary with a soundtrack released on limited-edition vinyl picture disc; it features One More Sleep ’Til Christmas by Kermit, Chairman of the Board by Sam Eagle, Fozziwig’s Party by Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem Band, and all your Christmas Muppet favourites.
So as Kermit and Fozzie (yes, the actual Kermit and Fozzie) prepare to tackle your queries, post your questions below by 6pm on Friday 30 September, and we’ll print what the pair have to say in the run-up to Christmas. It’ll be funny when you read it, honest. Wocka Wocka.
• The Muppet Christmas Carol vinyl picture disc is out on 14 October.
