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This week, I wanted to take a different approach to my “What If” series. I could go on and on imagining what it would be like having performers like Richard Hunt or Jerry Nelson with the Muppets today, but I’m sure I’d be repeating myself. We’re so lucky to have Frank Oz around still, and I loved seeing him appear at Star Wars Weekends earlier this year to discuss the Muppets a little, as well as seeing him on the PBS special about Jim Henson (which I highly encourage everyone to watch, purchase and support!). Yet while Frank isn’t totally absent from the Muppet community, he’s still not around as much as I’m sure we’d all hope he was. Sure, Frank once in a while finds his way back to Sesame Street to perform a sketch as Bert or Cookie Monster or Grover. But his presence is still often missing, even if wonderful performers such as Eric Jacobson and David Rudman have stepped in and taken on the roles of his characters brilliantly. The 2011 Muppets film itself proved how remarkable Eric Jacobson is at especially performing Miss Piggy, and David Rudman has certainly given Cookie Monster new life with viral videos. Why did Frank Oz really leave it all behind? Will he ever return? And what would it be like if he didn’t leave?

Why did Frank Oz leave the Muppets? From my own research, the reason why Frank Oz retired from the Muppets was due to his directorial career. After directing The Dark Crystal alongside Jim Henson in 1982, the two began to pursue separate projects, with Henson creating Labyrinth and The Storyteller, and Oz directing comedy films such as Little Shop of Horrors and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Frank’s first solo directorial film, however was The Muppets Take Manhattan, which gave him the opportunity to get comfortable in the director’s chair in a familiar surrounding. In 1989, The Jim Henson Hour premiered on television and Henson included segments known as “MuppeTelevision” to feature his classic Muppet characters. Due to the demands of his film projects, Oz filmed solo segments with Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy, including the special “Miss Piggy’s Hollywood.”

Following Jim Henson’s death, Oz continued to take a smaller role in Muppet projects, often having his characters in supporting roles and sometimes even cameos, such as Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy playing supporting characters in A Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island (the latter of which he didn’t puppeteer much of, instead having Kevin Clash perform characters to pre-recorded dialogue by Oz). Through the 90s, Frank Oz’s participation with the Muppets became selective, voicing the characters for a few musical albums and having his characters featured in a much smaller capacity in Muppets Tonight and Muppet Classic Theater. When Muppets from Space went into production, Oz was again not available for filming to perform his characters and continued providing pre-recorded dialogue while the physical characters were performed by others. Most notably Peter Linz performed Miss Piggy, later going on to star as Walter in the 2011 Muppets film. In the late 90s and early 2000’s, Frank’s busy schedule led him to choose new performers for his Sesame Street characters, with Eric Jacobson taking on Bert and Grover in 1997 and 1998 and David Rudman becoming the new Cookie Monster performer in 2001, although Oz performed the characters for The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. Knowing what his directorial schedule was like, he didn’t feel it was right to make his Sesame Street characters disappear for a few months due to his unavailability, choosing Eric and David because he felt they respected his characters. By the early 2000’s, he had retired from the Muppets, handing Eric Jacobson responsibility of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Animal in time for It’s A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and later as Sam Eagle as well in The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz.

Will Frank Oz Return? What I find most interesting about Frank Oz is, I think his return would come down to business and respect. Frank was originally approached for the 2011 Muppets film, but turned it down as he didn’t like the script or feel the film did the characters justice. Now I personally loved the film, but I do wonder why Disney wouldn’t just give Frank what he wants at least one time. Let us have one Muppet film or television special with Frank Oz in control, at least as a director. If he would agree to make one last performance as Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear, I’m sure we’d all be thrilled. I think what he brings to the Muppets is classic comedy again. He knows how the characters work (and don’t work) and along with Jim Henson, was part of one of the greatest comedy duos of all time. In recent interviews, Frank has said that he would return if he were asked. Why is Disney not asking? It could be over money or it could be over concern with whether or not Frank can keep the “Disney image.” I don’t know and I don’t want to speculate. What I do know is that, as Muppet fans, we want the chance to see Frank with the Muppets again in some capacity.

What If Frank Oz Stayed? I don’t want to focus much on this topic because it’s only speculation, but I do think the Muppets wouldn’t have fallen so fast into the category of Children’s Entertainment with Frank still there. I can’t picture projects like Studio DC going into production. However, just as with Steve taking over Kermit from Jim, I can’t imagine what a Frank Oz-Miss Piggy would have been like performing “Something So Right.” Eric Jacobson brought so much heart to the character in the last two films, and his chemistry with Steve Whitmire’s Kermit is stellar. While Steve and Frank had wonderful chemistry as the characters in Muppet Treasure Island, especially in the “Love Led Us Here” sequence, I can’t imagine where the characters would be today. Would Miss Piggy be toned down a little? Would Fozzie be telling the same kinds of jokes? I don’t know and, again, I don’t want to predict.

While I’ve grown to love Eric’s Miss Piggy, I miss seeing Frank’s Fozzie Bear on screen, and found myself often wishing he’d at least return to play that character, although I think Eric is slowly grasping the character much better with each performance. The Muppets need Frank Oz. They need that “father figure” who knows the characters like the back of his hand and knows where they belong and where they should go. I think with the loss of Jim Henson and Jerry Nelson, the company needs a voice to keep the integrity of these characters, although I applaud individuals like Dave Goelz and Steve Whitmire who have been working with the characters for so many years and continue to introduce them to new audiences. So in conclusion: Disney, please bring back Frank Oz. If not as a performer, let him direct a Muppet project. Let him bring the characters back to where he feels they belong.

I know I planned on making these a series of articles, however I think I’m going to take a little break and maybe return to these “What If” scenarios down the road. Please continue sharing your thoughts and opinions on Facebook and Twitter. Let’s get some Muppet conversations going.