Ask A Muppet: Kermit responds to fans on Disney Movie Rewards

[Duke Remington]

I love how he is not avoiding being in a relationship with Piggy anymore. There use to be all these pig jokes and Kermit not really accepting them in a relationship he is now and I think it's nice for a change.

True. Not only that--Piggy did seem to get some of her old complex personality back in the new movie, including her vulnerable side.

However, reading interview articles like this makes me think that the frog and pig are still making occassional jokes at each other's expense at times, such as the part where Kermit claims that Piggy wouldn't let him near Amy Adams and Kermit saying that he has no choice in the matter in regards to their relationship.

While I agree that the pig has always been territorial with the frog, I don't think she was ever THAT territorial--that's getting way too extreme and makes her a little less likable and more one-dimensional to me, which is what the pig has often been portrayed in the post-2000's. It makes it seem as if she doesn't think there's such a thing as innocent affection like a mere hug or quick peck.

It's probably just my over-sensitive and emotional side talking here, but I can't help but feel what I have just said.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

Yeah but you know Kermit he always gives silly answers. But I can tell you there are plenty of interviews of Kermit I've watched recently where the answers are genuine. The fact that he's come out with they're dating says that their tired of batting it around. And Steve actually has more freedom to say more about the relationship where before it would totally shut down by denying it. I said this in another post Kermit could probably do fine without Miss Piggy but he doesn't want to be. I know in an interview that Zoebell sent me Kermit actually calls into a radio show asking for relationship advice. And I've noticed in magazine articles or radio shows he tends to give more adult answers as opposed to regular interviews. Anyways I think Kermit has always loved Miss Piggy it just took him 35 years to realize it. LOL!

 

[zoebell]

also, frankly, piggy has always reacted extreme to stuff like a peck on the cheek or a hug. remember episodes of the muppet show with annie sue? i really don't think that's out of character for her, she IS that territorial

 

[Pinkflower7783]

Yep she is and that's why I love her! To be honest I think she's the most supportive of Kermit IMO. I mean she didn't really freak out in the movie when they kissed after singing the rainbow connection but then again that was kind of a serious moment so I don't know if that count. Like I said I wish had her confidence and this arrogance about her that she's not gonna let people just walk all over her. Even Jim said at one time " Miss Piggy sort of lives in her own fantasy world, she's not a very good actress, or singer but she tries really hard at everything she does even trying to win a love that's unrequited." And Frank said she's probably one of the most expressive characters in the muppets.

 

[Duke Remington]

also, frankly, piggy has always reacted extreme to stuff like a peck on the cheek or a hug. remember episodes of the muppet show with annie sue? i really don't think that's out of character for her, she IS that territorial

True. Another example is in The Muppets Take Manhattan ("Friends hug. They don't spy."--a valuable lesson that the pig seems to have forgotten, which is a shame).

Sorry, but it just leaves a bit of a taste in my mouth when you consider how much they've depicted the pig as a jerk in recent years (with the exception of the new movie), acting meaner towards the other Muppets than she did in the past and losing a lot of her compassion as well as her sense of humor (even though her answers in interviews are probably just silly or easy to take out of context anyway--Kermit's not the only who can give silly answers to questions in interviews like that).

Considering how much Piggy's character seems to have regressed within the last few years (something that I would agree with the ToughPigs people on), I even hesitate to think that she would dare to karate chop a little girl if the little girl in question was see giving Kermit an innocent hug or kiss.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

Ive seen Piggy with interviews with kids she's way different then with adults. She even gave a real answer in one interview saying kids need to get outside and play more. I personally think it depends on who's interviewing her. Again there's a reason she's been just as popular as Kermit if not more. I personally think Miss Piggy besides Kermit is the glue of the muppets. Jim even said he was amazed at how many people gravitated towards her because she's such a demensional character.

 

[Duke Remington]

Ive seen Piggy with interviews with kids she's way different then with adults. She even gave a real answer in one interview saying kids need to get outside and play more. I personally think it depends on who's interviewing her. Again there's a reason she's been just as popular as Kermit if not more. I personally think Miss Piggy besides Kermit is the glue of the muppets. Jim even said he was amazed at how many people gravitated towards her because she's such a demensional character.

I agree, but what I'm saying is that it feels as if her character losts its depth and became more one-dimensional in recent years, especially before the movie. She has come off as being meaner than she was when Frank Oz was still her performer.

This, of course, is not a slam against Eric Jacobson in any way, but I think that he, Jim Lewis and Kirk Thatcher probably should get some better insight into her character from Frank. The only people that have seemed to get her character right have been Jerry Juhl, Jason Segel and Nick Stoller.

I'm not trying to discredit or bash her character in any way either.

It's just that some things can rub some people the wrong way. Or the actions of a character that was a lot more likable in their earlier years could make people hate all versions of said character and possibly ruin that character.

To better illustrate what I mean, a perfect example is Mr. Krabs from "Spongebob Squarepants"--Krabs was more likable in the pre-movie Spongebob episodes (sure, he was always unable to let go of even a penny and had his moments of pure greed, but it was just a mere quirk that he had and it was not his most dominant personality trait), but the episodes that came out after the movie changed his character for the worst, over-emphasizing his greed and making him more uncaring about others and self-centered to the point where a lot of people don't like him anymore.

Homer Simpson is another prime example--after The Simpsons' first decade or so, he started to stop being the lovable oaf that he was in the show's golden age and became more of a jerk (for instance--even though he has always strangled Bart, it was done infrequently at best in earlier episodes, which made it somewhat more tolerable, but now they emphasize it to the point that it just comes off as embarassing and depressing rather than spontaneous comedy, and even in the older episdoes, Homer never actually threatened to strangle Bart and just did it on random impulse, but today, and even in The Simpsons Movie, he actually seems to strangle Bart intentionally and does threaten to do it now, making him come across as being a truly abusive parent to the point where people don't like old Home-Boy so much anymore).

In the case of Piggy, even some other posters have felt that she has been depicted as a jerk in recent years, such as in some of the Disney XD videos. Same with the ToughPigs people--one example they gave is her habit of saying "You said WHAT?! HII-YAH!" and just beating up people right away, abusing her power (same with getting a possible impression of Piggy & Kermit having a possibly abusive relationship)--in the old days, when she would do a karate chop, there was almost a slow progressive build-up towards it, while in the movies, she mostly reserved her karate for beating up or threatening the villains (Marla, Carla & Darla; Miss Poogy; Long John Silver's pirates; Doc Hopper's goons; etc.--all characters that deserved hiney-whoopings anyway).

So, when a multi-dimensional ends up having one specific trait, especially a negative one, over-emphasized to the point of abuse, it can make people see them in a bad light.

 

[CensoredAlso]

So, when a multi-dimensional ends up having one specific trait, especially a negative one, over-emphasized to the point of abuse, it can make people see them in a bad light.

That is pretty much what happened with the Muppets in general in the '90s and early 2000's.

 

[Duke Remington]

That is pretty much what happened with the Muppets in general in the '90s and early 2000's.

And that still happens with Piggy more often than not, as previously stated.

 

[CensoredAlso]

And that still happens with Piggy more often than not, as previously stated.

I think she finally came across well in The Muppets (2011). But yeah some of the TV appearances do remain a bit one dimensional. She still kinda treated like a joke and sadly I think it's partially the weight thing. We haven't come that far as a culture.