10 Things to Know About 'The Muppets Take Manhattan' (1984)

We at Movies of the 80s love all of the Muppet movies but one Muppet Movie in particular is our collective favorite. Over on our Movies of the 80s Substack this week we've written a brand new column called 'Why it works' dedicated to our appreciation for the best and most underrated of The Muppet Movies, The Muppets Take Manhattan.

Meanwhile, with our The Muppets Take Manhattan profile video dropping on YouTube, we've written this companion piece to include even more trivia that we couldn't squeeze into the video profile.

Here are 10 Things to Know About The Muppets Take Manhattan

10 Making a Muppet Movie Takes Time

17 weeks. That was the schedule for The Muppets Take Manhattan. Director Frank Oz, due to the technology of puppetry, and the fact that he voiced and played a number of the Muppets himself, had to set an ambitious but patient schedule and just over 4 months is what they came up with to complete The Muppets Take Manhattan.

9 Miss Piggy’s Lady in Waiting

Did you know Miss Piggy had her own dedicated costume designer? It’s true. According to Frank Oz, costume designer Barbara Davis was dedicated specifically to Miss Piggy’s various outfits, earning Davis the nickname of Miss Piggy’s Lady in Waiting.

8 How Did Frank Oz Direct and Voice Multiple Muppets in The Muppets Take Manhattan?

With Oz, Henson and a number of other people underneath the stage with their respective puppets, Video Engineer Ian Kelly ran closed circuit televisions under the stage so that the Muppeteers can make sure their character is in frame and performing their respective actions. Behind camera, Camera Operator Dick Cretina captured the action, rolling until Oz drops out of his character voice, to his default, Fozzie Bear-esque voice and calls cut.

7 Despite being the voice of Yoda and Many Muppet Characters, Frank Oz Didn’t Want to be Constantly Associated with one Muppet in Particular

Frank Oz has a dry sense of humor, as captured by numerous contemporary interviewers in July of 1984. So it’s hard to say just how much Oz meant it when he was quoted as saying “I don’t want to walk down the street the rest of my life and hear “Heyyy, Miss Piggy!”

6 Miss Piggy Was Almost Pregnant!

It seems impossible but it comes from Frank Oz himself, an early version of the script for The Muppets Take Manhattan had Piggy and Kermit moving towards becoming parents. According to Oz, the only reason it didn’t happen was that it didn’t work out story-wise.

5 No, Piggy and Kermit Are Not Married

In a 1984 interview, Frank Oz was asked if Piggy and Kermit were secretly married. Oz replied in no uncertain terms, no, they’re not even living together, they’re each focused on their careers.

4 Loosely Based on a 1939 Musical

Though The Muppets Take Manhattan is a mostly original story, the Kermit and Miss Piggy part of the film and the Manhattan Melody musical was loosely inspired by the 1939 musical, Babes in Arms, starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney.

3 Why the Muppets Really Took Manhattan

It was a hometown affair for Jim Henson. After taking the Muppets to Los Angeles and London for their previous big-screen outings, Henson wanted to bring them back to New York. Partly suggested by his daughter, Lisa Henson, the Big Apple setting allowed the film to pay homage to classic cinema featuring hopeful playwrights attempting to find Broadway success.

Beyond the creative spark, the New York production was a matter of convenience; it kept Henson close to his other burgeoning projects, like Sesame Street and the early development of Muppet Babies. While interiors were handled at Empire Stages in Long Island City, the production utilized extensive location shooting across the island of Manhattan to capture that authentic city grit and glamour.

2 The Ambitious (But Failed) Celebrity Cameo Plan

Early on, the vision for the film included a roster of legendary Broadway producer cameos. Director Frank Oz and writing consultant David Misch were in talks with Dustin Hoffman, who was reportedly keen on playing a producer while channeling a parody of the iconic Robert Evans—a performance style Hoffman eventually brought to Wag the Dog.

However, Hoffman ultimately withdrew from the project, concerned that the caricature might damage his relationship with Evans. Following his departure, a domino effect occurred, and other high-profile stars like Lily Tomlin, Richard Pryor, and Laurence Olivier also opted out.

While this shifted the production toward more understated guest appearances, it gave us memorable moments like Brooke Shields visiting Pete’s diner.

1 The Muppet Babies Sequence as a Pilot Plant

The nursery fantasy sequence featuring the toddler-aged versions of the Muppets was integrated into the film at the personal urging of Jim Henson. Far from being a random gag, it served as a strategic "pilot plant" to provide early exposure for the Muppet Babies concept. This savvy crossover successfully paved the way for the animated series, which launched on CBS shortly after the film's release.