Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on May 25, 2020

Some Muppets dont even have lower bodies. But they might all have faith traditions.

Last night, Twitters favorite rabbi, Danya Ruttenberg, invited the internet to speculate on the religious affiliations of every Muppet ever.

This is a daunting task worthy of at least another tractate in the Talmud. There are SO many Muppets and, technically, even the awful, flocked foam characters in The Happytime Murders, which were produced at the Henson Creature Shop, count in the canon. Still, the subject could not be scuppered due to the sheer size of the task. Therefore, we must list the Muppets from most to least Jewish.

For the purposes of this exercise, we will stick to named Muppets no Muppet extras, no singing vegetables and nothing outside the core Muppet franchise. So, no Labyrinth, no Dark Crystal and no Fraggles. If Kermit has not made an appearance in the show or film they come from, they dont count. So: Sesame Street is in and anything else that doesnt have Muppets in the title is out. OK, lets get going.

Getty/Alberto E. Rodrigue...

Statler and Waldorf

Originally Stavisky and Waldman, these loge-sitting critics started on Second Avenue before hanging up their act to critique other artists. Its a shame, because their two-hander, Two Motls, One Kishka, reportedly showed promise. Its no mistake that these two resemble some notable Jewish senators.

As Ruttenberg points out, it was Baer in the Old Country. Sources tell us he is actually a relation to World Heavyweight Champion Max Baer. Fozzies side of the family remained committed to religion and his father was a cantor. But Fozzie soon broke with tradition to become an entertainer in the Borscht Belt, leaving his tenement home with nothing but a bindle and a seltzer bottle. Hes since abandoned most of his faith traditions. His father was appalled that he shared the stage with a pig.

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Oscar the Grouch

Oscar is a sometimes ill-tempered but large-hearted monster with relations in Israel (cousin Moishe Oofnik) and a member of Bnai Brith. Why he elects to live in a trashcan is his business, but many believe its a political statement.

The porcine diva is Jewish and heiress to the Piggys department store fortune. How can such a treyf creature be Jewish? She just is.

The Muppets longtime stage manager was shul-shopping for a while before he landed here. But once he discovered Reconstructionism, it just made sense to him, yknow?

Snuffy gets docked points for not being real nevertheless, here he is blowing the shofar.

He was taken out of Hebrew school for hyperactivity, but as a profusion of childrens books can confirm, he is still very involved in Jewish tradition, and always learning lessons on Tikkun Olam. Grover is actually his last name, so this ones pretty obvious.

Bert is a typical beleaguered Jewish Manhattanite though apparently many Episcopalians count him among their ranks. Hes on the board of the New Shul. Ernie, meanwhile, is Unitarian.

Gonzo only discovered his Space Judaism in 1999s Muppets in Space, but once he did, he realized his rich cultural heritage and annoyed the chickens in his act by taking Space Shabbos (Thursdays) off.

Bandleader of the Electric Mayhem, Doctor Teeth used to hang around Benny Goodman and was an intern at the Brill Building before Motown changed his life. When Chevy Chase left Steely Dan for SNL, Teeth was briefly their replacement drummer. He left on sour terms and Donald Fagen still owes him money.

Getty/Scott Dudelson/Cont...

Janice

She went in to have her deviated septum fixed and walked out without a nose. A lifelong addiction to quaaludes followed after one fatal visit to an Esalen retreat, where she went in an attempt to recapture what she experienced at Camp Solomon Schechter.

Sweetums is dangerous and should be avoided.

Getty/Neilson Barnard/Str...

Kermit

Kermit has some neuroses to be sure, but he actually is a member of the Society of Friends.

Like Jews, Big Bird is plagued by doubt and full of questions, but his mannerisms all indicate that he comes to them through Catholicism and may someday consider the priesthood.

A Jew does not play drums this way.

Getty/Paul Zimmerman/Cont...

Cookie Monster

We would love to claim this blue-haired monster as a Member of the Tribe, but, alas, it was not to be. He gladly eats hamantaschen, though, and often goes to churches of different denominations to sample their communion wafers. Hes yet to find one he likes and briefly floated the idea of developing one where gorging on cookies was a sacrament.

Needs no explanation, but in case you were wondering, he is a staunch supporter of Israel.

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The Yip-Yips

Asked about his faith journey in Swedish daily Aftonbladet, the Chef described his journey in these terms. bork der flicke stbin yubetcha!

Not a Jew. In fact, problematic.

PJ Grisar is the Forwards culture fellow. He can be reached at Grisar@Forward.com.

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The Jewiest (and least Jewish) Muppets The Forward - Forward

Category: Talmud
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