I’ve decided to start a series to explore different “what if” scenarios related to the Muppets (“what if this happened,” or “what if that changed?”). In this series, I want to explore these scenarios, and why things may have worked out for the best in the end, regardless. When I first began to think up “what ifs” in the Muppet world, the first one is the natural question: What if Jim Henson was still alive today? Who would Jim be in today’s world? So many questions came to mind encompassing this idea and I just want to share my thoughts on them and hear what the Muppet fan community thinks about these ideas.
Would Steve Whitmire ever have taken over as a performer for Kermit the Frog? Based on all of the interviews I’ve seen and stories I’ve heard and read, I can’t picture Jim totally giving up performing Kermit. I could picture possibly passing the baton for someone else to take over characters like Waldorf or The Swedish Chef, but Kermit (and to a lesser extent, Rowlf) seem to be the ones closest to Jim’s heart. If Jim were alive, would he be their only performer? Would Steve Whitmire ever have performed Kermit? Or Bill Barretta taking over as Rowlf the Dog? With it being the last major project he was working on before his death, I immediately began to picture what “One More Sleep Till Christmas” would sound like with Jim as Kermit instead of Steve.
Would Disney have bought the Muppets sooner? The deal for Disney to buy the Muppets was in the works when Jim passed away, but it got me wondering if that deal would still have fallen through. And even if it did, would another deal have come sooner or been made sooner if Jim were around to fight for it? If the deal had been finalized sooner, would projects such as Muppet Treasure Island or Muppet Wizard of Oz ever have come to fruition? Would Muppets from Space have even happened since it was a film not released by Walt Disney Pictures?
Would The Muppets have a greater presence in the Disney parks? At the time of Jim’s death, Muppet Vision 3D was in production and plans were made for future projects that could bring the Muppets into the Disney parks. All the plans and proposals we’ve heard about, and fantasized over (such as Gonzo’s Pandemonium Pizza Parlor or The Great Muppet Movie Ride). If Jim were alive, would these plans have been realized? And more importantly, would those attractions still be around today? Could a Muppet-centric land, or even theme park, have ever occurred like Sesame Place did?
Would The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted have ever been made, and would Walter have ever joined the Muppets? When I started thinking about these films, I thought how they were basically made due to Jason Segel’s love for the characters, and his wish for them to return to a national spotlight like they once did. If Jim were alive, would they have ever left that spotlight? Would the Muppets still be current? Would they need a major motion picture like The Muppets to bring them back to a new audience? Would Peter Linz have gotten the opportunity to become a major Muppet performer? Would Walter have ever been created if there was no The Muppets film?
There are so many other “what ifs” I could go through. But more importantly, I think this is something that we as Muppet fans can think about and discuss together. Comment below. Share your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter. How do you picture a world with Jim Henson alive today? Do you think he’d still be involved with The Muppets? Would he just be working behind the scenes or would we still see him performing Kermit the Frog today? Share your thoughts and let’s get a conversation going. I’m happy to say I have a few other ideas to make this a series of “What If” blog posts, and I look forward to talking to other Muppet fans about this and so much more. There’s a new Muppet television show and today is a great day to be a Muppet fan, and to meet other Muppet fans.
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