The other night I was being so greedy for merchandise that I forgot to add my support for what's probably the most effective idea in the thread (as far as motivating people to go see the movie): Muppets invading talk shows.
Throughout the coming year (not just bunched up in the month or two before the theatrical release) they need to be popping up on TV shows to remind people that the Muppets are still here, they're still great, they're still unpredictable.
My suggestions:
I'd love to see Miss Piggy on Ellen.
Jimmy Fallon reminds me a lot of Fozzie, so it would be wonderful to see Statler and Waldorf heckling Jimmy during the opening monologue. And not just once—have them show up to give him a hard time several times in the months leading up to the movie release.
If Kermit could host the Tonight Show in Johnny Carson's day, why couldn't he or someone else guest-host a talk show this year? Gonzo might be my first choice, with Rizzo as sidekick.
Now here's a long shot: contact Paul Solman of the PBS NewsHour and ask if the Muppets could be helpful in one of his "Making Sense of the Economy" segments. While he's never done anything as wild as Muppet guests, his segments often take a playful, humorous approach to explaining financial matters in easy-to-understand ways. You never know, maybe he'd love the idea. (Yes, I thought of this because of the old "Bull Market/Bear Market" bit the Muppets did with Ted Koppel way back when.)