The Muppets’ greatest hits

There’s lots of buzz around the 40th anniversary of "Sesame Street." And as a member of the first generation
of viewers of that groundbreaking show, I feel compelled to chime in.

Here, then, is a very subjective collection of
12 moments where the Muppets proved themselves as wonderfully fun, moving, and/or original as anything ever created by mankind.
(Adapted from a chapter in "Kid Culture" (Cider Mill Press), which I co-wrote
with my former Indy Men’s Magazine collaborator Todd Tobias.

Feel free to chime in with moments
you think I’ve missed.

1. Kermit the Frog singing "It’s Not Easy Being Green." ("Sesame
Street")

2. Ernie singing "Dancing Myself to Sleep" and driving his roommate Bert crazy
in the process. ("Sesame Street")

3. Johnny Cash singing "Dirty Ol’ Egg Suckin’ Dog"
with an offended Rowlf the Dog on piano. ("The Muppet Show")

4. Kermit on the bicycle. ("The
Muppet Movie")

5. Ernie and Shawn Colvin singing "I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon." ("Elmopalooza")

6.
Bert presiding over the meeting of the National Association of W Lovers. ("Sesame Street")

7. The "Don’t
Forget to Watch the Movie" pre-movie short. (Lowe’s Theaters)

8. The alien creatures doing the nonsensical "manamana
song." ("The Muppet Show")

9. Beaker singing "Feelings"–although the laugh track is annoying.
("The Muppet Show")

10. Every page of "Grover and the Everything in the Whole Wide World Museum."

11.
Ernie jamming to "Put Down the Duckie." ("Sesame Street")

12. The moment when Statler
and Waldorf join in with John Denver and the Muppets on "Home on the Range." ("The Muppet Show)

Care
to add your own favorites?