The Muppets have moved from television screens to the halls of national memory as they join the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. The display pulls together familiar faces from Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, offering visitors a way to trace how these puppets have shaped American life across generations of broadcast, education, and family ritual. Kermit the Frog stands for optimism and resilience; Bert and Ernie became symbols of everyday friendship and playful exploration; Elmo connected with a new generation by making curiosity a daily practice; Fozzie Bear embodies the rhythm and timing of a showman; Cookie Monster turned appetite into a simple, beloved refrain that sparked laughter. Miss Piggy’s addition adds a new facet to the narrative, bringing glamour, ambition, and a distinctive voice that influenced how audiences talk about performance and presence. The collection is arranged to show a journey from workshop puppetry to television stardom and beyond, reflecting how puppetry intersects with broader conversations about community, education, and identity. The curators aim to make the display engaging for families while offering thoughtful context for older visitors who remember the moments these characters defined. A special puppetry display opens in November featuring these figures and others from the wider puppeteer tradition, while Miss Piggy will headline a separate exhibition opening in the near future. Source: Smithsonian Institution
The November puppet display expands the scope by featuring a rotating selection of friends and colleagues from Jim Henson’s company, including modern iterations and preserved backstage artifacts that reveal the craftsmanship behind these beloved figures. The display invites visitors to see the work of puppeteers not only in front of the camera but also behind the scenes, showing how voices, strings, and sets come together to create lifelike characters. The Muppets illustrate a century of television, from early broadcast experiments to today’s streaming era, and they serve as a jumping off point for discussions about literacy, media production, and the role of children’s programming in American life. Miss Piggy’s dedicated exhibition will explore her evolution as a performer, from a witty on-screen partner to a strong cultural icon known for leadership, wit, and style. Her interactions with other Muppets, especially Kermit, illustrate a dynamic that audiences followed for decades. The display will also highlight how these characters were created, including sketches, puppets, costumes, and pilot footage, offering insight into puppetry as a thriving art form. The museum’s approach to education includes guided programs, storytelling corners for kids, and collaborative activities that connect to classrooms across North America, with materials aligned to literacy and arts standards. Source: Smithsonian Institution
The inclusion of the Muppets in the National Museum of American History underscores how fiction, humor, and communal play participate in the national story. Each figure embodies a particular era of entertainment and social dialogue, while their continued presence reminds audiences that creative voices can spark conversations that cross generations. The timing of the November display and the Miss Piggy exhibit signals an ongoing investment in puppetry as both art form and historical artifact. The museum’s care for these characters extends to maintaining their costumes, props, and performance tapes, ensuring that new generations can study the artistry behind the puppetry as well as the cultural conversations they provoked. For visitors, the experience offers more than nostalgia; it presents a lens on how media shapes memory, community, and identity across the United States. Source: Smithsonian Institution