- 11 hours ago
Nobody breaks a cast quite like a Muppet. Join us as we count down the funniest times the Muppets made their human co-stars — and even each other — completely lose it on set! From unscripted cow conversations to deadpan robots, these moments prove that no performer, no matter how seasoned, is safe when felt and foam are involved.
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00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the funniest ways the Muppets got their human co
00:11-stars or fellow Muppets to break.
00:15Number 10. Bovine Audience. The Muppet Movie.
00:18Kermit, run. There's bulls all over the place here.
00:20What?
00:21There's bulls here.
00:22There's bulls here?
00:22Yes.
00:23The heart of the Muppets' first film is Kermit and Fozzie's relationship.
00:27To make their chemistry feel effortless, director James Frawley did some tests before production began.
00:33As soon as the camera started rolling in the English countryside, there was comedy gold.
00:38The footage shows Jim Henson and Frank Oz riffing as their characters and building on jokes in real time.
00:43At one point, they improvise an exchange with a group of farm cows.
00:47What do you think about the way to Hollywood? Hollywood, California?
00:51No, it's over near Los Angeles.
00:53Have you ever been to Los... Have you ever been to Los... Excuse me.
00:57I've ever been to Los...
00:58The banter never feels forced or planned, and you can hear their genuine surprise as they often crack each other
01:04up mid-take.
01:05Have you...
01:08It's a good audience, Fozzie.
01:09The pure joy in seeing them create Muppet magic is infectious.
01:13Okay, I think I've milked this far enough, right guys?
01:15Number 9. Robots Can't Drive. The Muppets.
01:21Jason Segel didn't just star in the 2011 revival. He lived it.
01:26As a lifelong fan, Segel compared Kermit to the likes of Jimmy Stewart and Tom Hanks.
01:31He also cited The Great Muppet Caper and Muppets Take Manhattan as inspiration for the film.
01:36His love for the franchise carried onto the set, sometimes a little too much.
01:40Outtakes show him repeatedly losing his composure while shooting.
01:43After you.
01:44Fine.
01:45Well, I'm going this way.
01:46Well, I'm going this way.
01:47So let's go this way.
01:50One of the best moments comes courtesy of 80s Robot, who calmly admits that he's not a qualified driver.
01:56There's no build-up or flourish, just stupidly dry honesty.
02:00Matt Vogel's deadpan delivery gets Segel to immediately break.
02:0480s Robot only has his learner's permit.
02:07Grief.
02:09Number 8.
02:10Constantine Breaks Badgie.
02:11Muppets Most Wanted.
02:13Speaking of actors who struggle to keep a straight face, it seemed like Ricky Gervais barely tried on the set
02:18of Most Wanted.
02:22Cast as Dominic Bad Guy, sorry, Badgie, he appears to have spent much of the production barely holding it together.
02:28The gag reel makes that painfully clear.
02:32I'm so sorry.
02:34I'm so sorry.
02:35Most of his breaks happen opposite Constantine, Kermit's evil yet funny doppelganger.
02:40His absurd accent alone is dangerous to be around.
02:43Matt Vogel leaned hard into bravado and sharp improv, almost like he was trying to derail a take by getting
02:49his co-star to break.
02:56Honestly, though, we understand why Gervais kept breaking.
02:59Any one of us would have found it impossible to go on without laughing.
03:03That's all I can get.
03:05That's all I get from what you say.
03:08Number 7.
03:09Ed and Bobo.
03:10Muppets from Space.
03:11Human actors often heighten Muppet humor by playing it straight.
03:14In Edgar Singer's case, he takes it to the extreme.
03:18He is stern, humorless, and cruel, especially towards Gonzo.
03:23On paper, Jeffrey Tambor's villain is all menace.
03:26In practice, that sometimes was a problem for the actor.
03:30During a scene at the Covenant facility, Singer orders Agent Rentro to fetch a remote.
03:34Rentro, or Bobo the Bear, mishears his boss in a quick and simple joke.
03:38Yes, sir?
03:39The remote.
03:42The goat?
03:45The remote!
03:47The remote!
03:48The remote, I thought he said the goat.
03:50But behind the scenes, the actors could barely finish the scene.
03:54Tambor couldn't help but crack a smile, and puppeteer Bill Beretta stumbled trying to hold in his laughter.
03:59The remote.
04:01The goat?
04:04The remote!
04:06The remote!
04:07The remote!
04:10Number 6.
04:11David Arquette's Holiday Break.
04:13It's a very merry Muppet Christmas movie.
04:15Howard Tubman may not be a lead character,
04:17but he proves that even a supporting Muppet can be just as funny as the main cast.
04:22In this holiday parody inspired by It's a Wonderful Life,
04:25he shares a moment with Daniel the Angel, played by David Arquette.
04:28Tubman casually asks if Daniel's a dancer,
04:30and you can see Arquette's composure start to slip.
04:33A grin sneaks through right before the shot cuts away.
04:36Are you a dancer?
04:38No.
04:40You've got the legs for it, sweetie.
04:42In another take, Tubman piles on the flattery,
04:45tossing out compliments and even asking about his pants size.
04:48Arquette cannot help but smile through the interaction.
04:51It's too bad somebody yelled cut.
04:53A little more Muppet improv would have been a gift.
04:55Turn around, what size are you?
04:57What are you, a 30 regular?
05:00Cut!
05:00Number 5, Jump Scare Laugh, Muppet's Haunted Mansion.
05:04This special leans into a spooky atmosphere,
05:06but the real screams came from laughter.
05:09Right before starting the Life Hereafter musical number,
05:12Will Arnett's character, the host,
05:14attempts a quick jump scare on Gonzo and Pepe.
05:16Of course, their over-the-top shriek was enough to break Arnett on set.
05:21We now invite you to relax.
05:25Normally, it is the human actors who have trouble staying in character,
05:28but in another take,
05:29Gonzo's puppeteer Dave Goals breaks the second Arnett opens his mouth.
05:33No punchline needed.
05:35Looks like a trick.
05:36It's a trick.
05:37It is technically a trick.
05:38In true Muppet fashion,
05:40even the threat of a gag is enough to send everyone into hysterics.
05:44Number 4, Scrooge Finally Smiles,
05:47The Muppet Christmas Carol.
05:48God bless us, everyone.
05:50Michael Caine famously played this Dickens classic
05:53as if he were surrounded by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
05:55Through the songs, slapstick, and singing vegetables,
05:58he remained totally sincere.
06:00Well, he almost did.
06:01During a festive musical number,
06:03the ghost of Christmas present makes a lively swing
06:05and smacks right into Caine's face.
06:07The Oscar winner powers through
06:09and clings to Scrooge's icy dignity,
06:11for just a few solid seconds anyway.
06:13You can see him fighting it.
06:15Eventually, he gives in,
06:16and judging by the audio,
06:18the crew surrendered to laughter before Caine did.
06:21The season of the heart,
06:23a special time of caring,
06:26the ways of love make clear.
06:33Number 3, Prince's Weird Night,
06:36Muppets Tonight.
06:37Wait, wait, wait, fellas,
06:38what are y'all doing?
06:40Few superstar guests have blended into the Muppet mayhem
06:43quite like this music icon.
06:44During his late 90s visit to Muppets Tonight,
06:47Prince's composure did not stand a chance.
06:55In a control room sketch,
06:58the dummy Gary Cahuenga botches a line
07:00and addresses the crew,
07:01thanks to a slip from Dave Goals.
07:03The flub is so perfectly awkward
07:05that Prince immediately cracks up.
07:07I agree with all of that.
07:10Can you speed that up in the edit?
07:13Then he leans into the fun,
07:15playfully mirroring Gary's jerky movements
07:18and turning the mistake into pure comedy.
07:20Later, while coming up with a song out of menu items,
07:23he breaks while talking to Clifford and Rizzo.
07:25The visible delight on his face cemented him
07:27as one of the franchise's most charming guest stars.
07:30I could write a song about that.
07:32Get out of here.
07:33No, really I can't.
07:34Number two, Crimes of Passion,
07:36the Muppet movie.
07:37The chemistry between Kermit and Miss Piggy
07:40was clear even before their first movie began production.
07:43I don't know, you know,
07:43you got that long hair.
07:45Yes.
07:46And your eyes are quite outstanding.
07:51In the early camera tests,
07:53Jim Henson and Frank Oz
07:54didn't even need a finished script
07:56to make their dynamic work.
07:57While Kermit stays calm and polite,
07:59Piggy is a fiery and dramatic performer.
08:02At one point,
08:03Piggy casually confesses
08:04that she hurt Miss Mousy in pretty absurd ways.
08:07I'm not sorry I hit Miss Mousy.
08:10What?
08:11You hit Miss Mousy?
08:13Well, just an easy,
08:15easy, easy, easy hit.
08:17Henson audibly stammers,
08:18then quickly makes Kermit look stunned
08:20to cover the break.
08:21Frank Oz then adds some unexpected flair
08:23to an already absurd premise.
08:25You can see Henson fight back laughter
08:27more than a few times.
08:28And I just didn't know what to do.
08:31So I cut her in half.
08:33You cut her in half?
08:35Mm-hmm.
08:36Whether it's him or director Jim Frawley
08:37chuckling off camera,
08:39the moment shows just how sharp Oz's timing is.
08:42She said she was run over by a truck.
08:45Oh, dear.
08:46Mm-hmm.
08:47Before we continue,
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09:03Number one.
09:04Chicken in the Basket.
09:05The Muppet Show.
09:06Although some of the show's difficulties
09:08are scripted,
09:09some of its best moments were unplanned for,
09:11including this moment
09:12when the Swedish chef plays basketball
09:14with a very unlucky chicken.
09:20Performed by Jim Henson,
09:22the chef repeatedly tries to toss the bird
09:24into a hoop and keeps missing.
09:26Each failed shot only gets funnier than the last.
09:35The chef's wild gibberish
09:37grows louder and more frantic,
09:38and the chicken's squawks
09:39start to sound more tired and human.
09:42Then, in a perfect final beat,
09:44the chicken gets stuck in the net.
09:45You can sense everyone on set
09:47trying not to lose it.
09:48It's simple slapstick,
09:50but the unhinged chaos of it all
09:51makes it unforgettable.
09:56Who do you think is the funniest Muppet?
09:59Animal?
09:59Pepe?
10:00Miss Piggy?
10:01Let us know who knocks your socks off
10:03in the comments.
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