Since Disney acquired The Muppets as a franchise, their attempts to “reboot” the beloved puppet characters for new audiences have been sporadic at best, and almost exclusively to mixed reviews at that. Looking back on some more recent works that glimpse their earlier glory, it’s clear that one of the best received productions to hail from The Muppets is 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol.
Still regarded as a classic, and the subject of many a meme and viral social media post in recent years, The Muppet Christmas Carol shows that The Muppets work extremely well when adapting beloved holiday material. Therefore, it’s about time that The Muppets find a new Christmas source to adapt for Disney+.
It’s A Wonderful Life
Few characters are more taken for granted and overlooked within a large group dynamic than poor old Kermit the Frog. Always working hard to ensure the Muppets’ success, and all of his friends’ happiness, Kermit is a real everyman (or every-frog) character, much like George Bailey before him.
A full Muppet production of It’s A Wonderful Life would be a great way to introduce the classic Christmas film’s morals to a new generation. It would also be a perfect production suited to incorporate the Muppets’ wide ranging cast of characters, all while keeping Kermit front and center as he should be.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
If there are any characters in all of fiction who could rival The Grinch in his grouchiness, it would be pretty hard to find two more suited for the job than The Muppets’ Statler and Waldorf.
Always willing to heckle and demean whenever the opportunity arises, the two old men would be a perfect fit for grumpy anti-holiday entertainment. Pair them up with a Muppet like Rowlf to play The Grinch’s trusty dog Max, and the adaptation could easily write itself.
Jack Frost
Jack Frost is one of the more bittersweet animated holiday classics, no matter how (ironically) warm and loving it may be. It finds Jack wishing he could be human, and falling in love with a human girl who pays him no real attention for she is in love with the actual Jack Frost in his wintry form.
It would be an interesting task for The Muppets to take on a production like this, perhaps with Kermit as the beloved winter spirit seeking the love of an aloof Miss Piggy. Their dynamic as fans know it already lends itself easily to that reading.
White Christmas
In yet another move to make a holiday classic accessible to a new generation of young viewers, a Muppet adaptation of White Christmas almost seems like a no brainer. The Muppets are always putting on productions and shows to save the day, especially to raise funds for their own shows and theatres.
A small group of Muppets joining forces with a quaint bed and breakfast in jeopardy of closing down and putting on a holiday pageant seems right up the Muppets’ alley. It’s just a matter of handing out the roles and numbers.
Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town
Origin stories are more popular than ever these days, due in large part to the surge of superhero movies taking the world by storm. Though Santa Claus may not be a typical superhero, Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town is a true hero origin story with great musical numbers, adorable animal characters, and compelling conflicts.
It would be a great vehicle for someone like Kermit, or maybe Kermit Claus. Miss Piggy would be a natural fit for Jessica, the future Mrs. Claus, and someone as weird as Gonzo would be great as the Winter Warlock.
The Little Drummer Boy
Hey, it was only a matter of time before Animal found a role he could really sink his teeth – or drumsticks – into. Though Animal might be much more animated and potentially chaotic than the sweet Aaron, star of the animated The Little Drummer Boy, it’s clear that Animal is the perfect analog for a Muppet version of this animated classic.
It would take some considerable reining in to get Animal to behave accordingly, but at the very least, a Muppet adaptation of this, along with other Christmas carols, would make a for a great collection of Muppet music video shorts.
The Year without a Santa Claus
It’s rare to find a Christmas special that focuses on Santa without featuring Santa as the lead character. The Year Without A Santa Claus is one such special, which features a great ensemble cast of Santa and Mrs. Claus, various elves and humans, adorable reindeer, and more.
If there’s any cast of existing characters that audiences know and love (other than, say, the Avengers) who are well-suited to an ensemble story, it’s the Muppets. Even having human actors cast in the roles of Santa and Mrs. Claus would work here, as the Muppets could take on the roles of the elves and children desperate to believe in Santa’s magic again.
The Gift of the Magi
The Gift of the Magi is a moving holiday story about the true meaning of the season, and the lengths that people will go to for people they love to ensure their happiness. It’s a deeply romantic story, one that would show different sides of both the anxious Kermit and the overbearing Miss Piggy.
It was also the basis for a Muppet advent calendar released in the 1990s, which shows that the groundwork is already done to take this production from the page to the screen.
The Nutcracker
There had to be a role for Pepe the King Prawn in here somewhere. One of the more popular Muppet characters in recent years, and the real standout character of the first Disney+ Muppet series Muppets Now, Pepe also has a real flair for ballet that has been so far underutilized.
No one would be better suited to lead a production of The Nutcracker. The Muppets also have plenty of rat characters, which would provide for a perfect casting of Rizzo the Rat as the Mouse King and many other rats as his mouse army.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Speaking of Rizzo the Rat, The Muppets have quite a few characters with odd noses that would make them perfect candidates for the lead role in a version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Though neither Gonzo the Great nor Rizzo the Rat are reindeer, it’s not hard to imagine a version of the classic tale with these characters in the lead.
Rizzo was even briefly given Rudolph’s shining red nose in an episode of the 1990s series Muppets Tonight. While the reindeer would certainly be on a much different, much smaller scale if the star was a rat, it’s clear that the potential for a fun and amusing adaptation is there.
