The Muppets: 10 Best Quotes In The Movies

Starting out on the small screen, the Muppets won the hearts of many more viewers when they began to appear in their own movies. With their silver screen career spanning over forty years, and projects ranging from cinematic releases to straight-to-television movies, the Muppets continue to delight new generations to this day.

With their wacky sense of humor, memorable musical numbers, heartwarming moments of friendship and faith, and great interactions with their human co-stars, the Muppets have garnered a number of iconic quotes and one-liners throughout the course of their movie career. The best of these quotes are timeless and live rent-free in fans’ heads.

Rizzo Breaks The Fourth Wall

“He Died?! And This Is Supposed To Be A Kids’ Movie!”

The Muppets are very famous for frequently breaking the fourth wall in their movies, and one hilarious yet morbid example is Rizzo’s outburst in the beloved Muppet Treasure Island. 

In an already tense moment due to pirates starting to invade the Benbow Inn, Billy Bones seemingly dies of a sudden heart attack. While Jim Hawkins and Gonzo look in horror, Rizzo cries out, “He died?! And this is supposed to be a kids’ movie!” This breaking of the fourth wall (and essentially the tension) is why this line is not only one of the best Muppet movie quotes but also one of the funniest quotes in Muppet Treasure Island.

Fozzie Can’t Spot The Bad Guys

“Should We Just Ask Permission From Those Nice Men With The Rifles?”

One Muppet movie that slipped under the radar for some is Muppets from Space, which focused on Gonzo as he discovers that after years of classifying himself as a “whatever”, he is actually an alien.This attracts the attention of a nearby top-secret facility specializing in extraterrestrial life and it’s up to the Muppets to rescue him.

Outside of the facility, Kermit ponders what their rescue plan should be. Fozzie gestures to the facility’s security and asks, “Should we just ask permission from those nice men with the rifles?” Kermit doesn’t hide his frustration when he retorts “Fozzie, those are the bad guys!” Even when he is a supporting character, Fozzie’s innocent cluelessness never fails to steal the show.

The Muppet Babies Make Their Debut

“I’m Gonna Be A Movie Star, And I’m Gonna Learn To Drive A Car, Gonna Be A Veterinarian Too, And I’m Gonna Always Love You!”

While it’s a lesser-known movie for most audiences, Muppets Take Manhattan should definitely be considered a milestone in Muppet history. This is because this movie is ultimately the debut of the now-popular Muppet Babies franchise.

In a slightly surreal yet adorable sequence, Miss Piggy imagines what it would have been like if she and Kermit had known each other when they were little, leading to the rather catchy song “I’m Gonna Always Love You.” Not only are these Muppet babies adorable but it’s very difficult for fans not to have the song lyrics “I’m gonna be a movie star” play over and over in their heads.

Uncle Deadly Defies Evil Stereotypes

“Just Because I Have A Terrifying Name And An Evil English Accent Does Not Preclude The Fact That, In My Heart, I Am A Muppet!”

Although he made his debut in The Muppet Show, the spooky yet dry-witted Uncle Deadly has become a more popular character among Muppet fans in recent years, especially as he is one of the things that worked for the Muppets Now series on Disney+. He earlier had a chance to shine in The Muppets (2011).

Initially working as an evil henchman for the villain Tex Richman, Uncle Deadly soon has a change of heart and stops Richman’s attempts to sabotage the newly revived The Muppet Show, and proudly claims he is a Muppet. This is a great step forward for Uncle Deadly to becoming a fan favorite, not to mention poking fun at the stereotypical villain.

Constantine Tries To Become Kermit

“Thee Lovers, Thee Dreamers, And Cheeeeeeeeese… Nailed It.”

Muppets Most Wanted is the most recent Muppet movie adventure, and introduced a brand new Muppet character into the franchise. Constantine the frog is a wanted criminal on the run from the law, who, aside from a birthmark and a distinctly different voice, happens to look exactly like Kermit.

Sending Kermit to prison in his place, Constantine tries to fool the other Muppets that he is their beloved amphibian leader. One such attempt includes him watching old Kermit videos and trying to replicate them. The scene is already quite funny but the most side-splitting moment is his disastrously incorrect attempt to sing the iconic “Rainbow Connection.”

The Ghost Of Christmas Present

“It Feels Like Christmas!”

It is fair to say that The Muppet Christmas Carolis not only one of the most beloved versions of the classic Christmas story, but it also introduced a whole new generation to the Muppets. While featuring fan favorites in key roles, it also created new Muppets to star as the Christmas Ghosts, and the most popular is easily the jovial Ghost of Christmas Present.

The Ghost takes Scrooge to Christmas Present, in which begins a lovely song “It Feels Like Christmas!” It’s one of the most memorable and the sweetest moments in The Muppet Christmas Carolas it captures the love and spirit of the holidays without being too forceful. Even Scrooge enjoys himself.

Beauregard’s Brilliant Plan

“What If We Jump Part-Way?”

The second Muppet movie is The Great Muppet Caper, a classic mystery caper that sees Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo travel to London. This is a really fun movie overall and features the Muppet gang perhaps at their best as a dysfunctional ensemble of misfits outside of the original The Muppet Show.

One moment sees the Muppets trying to stop the robbery of a diamond by catching the crooks in the act. Resident scientist Dr. Bunsen Honeydew suggests they jump down from the roof, then admits it’s not a good suggestion. The moment is made even funnier when simple-minded Beaureguard suggests jumping “part-way”. How they managed to successfully break into a museum to prevent the robbery is amusingly baffling.

Fozzie Doesn’t Know What The Sea Is

“Sailing For Adventure On The Big Blue Wet Thing…”

Muppet Treasure Island has some memorable musical numbers in it, and one of them is “Sailing for Adventure.” The song starts when the ship sets sail on its voyage to Treasure Island, and it really sets the tone for the swashbuckling adventure that’s about to come.

True to the Muppets, there are some funny lyrics in it such as “Margaritas at the midnight buffet!” But none are perhaps as funny as Fozzie belting out “Sailing for adventure on the big blue wet thing…” His trailing into embarrassed silence and Sam the Eagle’s bemused side-glance at the audience really rounds off the comedy of this moment.

Kermit’s Most Iconic Moment

“Someday We’ll Find It, The Rainbow Connection. The Lovers, The Dreamers, And Me.”

The first-ever cinema outing for the Muppets was simply titled The Muppet Movie, which is a re-telling to the Muppets (and the audience) of how the Muppets first met. It’s considered one of the best Muppet movies for many as it gives all of the major players a chance to shine.

The movie opens with Kermit sitting on a log in the swamp, playing the banjo and singing “Rainbow Connection”. This is such a beautiful song and is significant for Jim Henson fans everywhere. What’s more, Kermit with a banjo and sitting on a log has become one of the most recognizable images of the Muppets overall.

Gonzo Lit The Rat, Not The Lamp

“Light The Lamp, Not The Rat! LIGHT THE LAMP, NOT THE RAT!”

As the omnipresent narrators of the movie, and with great onscreen chemistry, Gonzo and Rizzo provide for a number of The Muppet Christmas Carol‘scomedic scenes. One particularly memorable moment is the lamp lighting scene.

Now in Scrooge’s past, Gonzo dramatically narrates the scene posing as a lamplighter, only to accidentally light Rizzo’s tail on fire. Rizzo screaming “LIGHT THE LAMP, NOT THE RAT!” is a very popular and hilarious line that is often quoted today — even by non-Muppet fans. The scene is perfectly rounded off with Gonzo pushing Rizzo into a bucket of ice-cold water to put out the fire.

About The Author