Which Muppets Are Jewish? An Unofficial Guide - Hey Alma
Ever wished your daily struggles and complicated feelings could be explored by cute and furry puppets? That’s what the Muppets and “Sesame Street” have provided viewers for years. These lovable puppets were created by puppeteer Jim Henson while he was in college in the 1950s. During his time at...
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Ever wished your daily struggles and complicated feelings could be explored by cute and furry puppets? That’s what the Muppets and “Sesame Street” have provided viewers for years. These lovable puppets were created by puppeteer Jim Henson while he was in college in the 1950s. During his time at the University of Maryland, he had his own show called “Sam and Friends,” where he crafted puppets like Kermit the Frog and performed with them. After graduating, Henson began to use puppets to create commercials, and was approached by the Children’s Television Workshop about a show for children — which became the “Sesame Street” we know and love. Henson didn’t want to limit his iconic puppets to kids’ TV, so in 1976, “The Muppet Show” (basically “Saturday Night Live” with puppets) premiered, running until 1981.
“Sesame Street” is still running and continues to be the gold standard for kids’ TV, especially for its inclusivity. It has spun off international versions featuring new Muppets that are specific to that country’s culture. The Israeli shows “Rechov Sumsum” and “Shalom Sesame” have explored Jewish themes like Shabbat and the story of modern Hebrew. There are even adorable picture books featuring Muppets celebrating Jewish holidays. (My favorite title is “It’s a Mitzvah, Grover!”) And while Jim Henson wasn’t Jewish, one of his main puppeteers, Frank Oz, was. Over its 52–year run, “Sesame Street” has featured many Jewish guests.
I wish I could tell you that I grew up with an American “Sesame Street” special that encapsulated the Jewish experience with furry monsters. I remember how impactful the iconic “Rugrats” Hanukkah special was in making me feel understood. Yet Judaism mostly exists in “Sesame Street” as a nod to Hanukkah within its broader holiday specials. However, Adam Sandler did parody his famous “Chanukah Song” on Sesame Street — so at least we have that!
When I read up on Muppets that were canonically Jewish, I found a few asides that intimate a Muppet’s religious background, like Kermit wishing The Electric Mayhem’s Zoot a happy Hanukkah. So this got me thinking: How do The Muppets themselves identify? Are any of them Jewish? Below are my unofficial rulings.
Statler and Waldorf
These two do the most Jewish thing possible: loudly kvetch about the theater they just saw. Jews.Bert
He seems quite neurotic, but about things like his bottlecap collection. Seems more like a WASP, where the P stands for “puppet.” Not a Jew.
