Day 16: Oh, It’s like a show!
October 16, 2022
Dear Disney,
I love the Muppets. Some of my earliest memories are sitting in the living room of my grandmother’s house, eating macaroni and cheese from a pressed tin Pac-Man tv tray, and watching The Muppet Show on her old, turn-knob tv, the kind with the satisfying click that you heard every time you changed the channel. I would laugh at Miss Piggy and Kermit, at Fozzie’s terrible jokes, and Gonzo’s bizarre behaviors. The Muppets are madness, chaos, anarchy, and I love them. So, in 2021, Disney announced a new Muppet special bring Muppet’s to one of my favorite holidays and rides/franchises: The Haunted Mansion. My excitement was palpable. When it came out, Darling and I sat on our couch, got our popcorn, and I fell into a nostalgic bliss. Today, for the 16 day of Disney Halloween, we will be watching the Muppets Haunted Mansion.
The plot is relatively loose, with Gonzo and Pepe participating in a challenge to spend one night in the same mansion that Gonzo’s favorite magician, The great MacGuffin, stayed in before he vanished forever! Gonzo and Pepe stay in this haunted mansion, hi-jinks ensue, and, eventually, everything turns out in the end. I do not want to spoil it for anyone, as it is only a year old, but if you have not watched it yet, go to Disney+ and watch it. It is well worth your time.
One of my favorite things to do on Muppet specials is play the “where/Who’s that cameo?” and watch all the walk-on bits that random stars will do for the show and how the Muppets react or don’t. Because the Muppets Universe is tied with the real world, I never know if they are going to place a lamp on why this “A-list” star is now the janitor or digging graves. it’s just delightful.
The Muppet Haunted Mansion is the first Muppet Halloween Special. I always assumed that a franchise as old as the Muppets should surely have done a special for all of the holidays, but alas, it took until 2021 for a spoopy Halloween special to be produced.
Before I go, I wanted to bring up a couple of things to highlight: as you are watching this special, see how many easter eggs from the ride you can find.
Sincerely,
Jim Dear
