The Unruly Beginning of the Muppets
I’m currently reading a biography of Jim Henson, creator of all my beloved Muppets. I’m learning all sorts of stuff I didn’t know, including how Jim started out creating 10-second ads for instant coffee. It’s amazing how even within 10- second skits he’s able to display the same sort of unruly mayhem that would characterize the Muppet Show a couple of decades later.
Check out the Wilkins Coffee ads here. The Wilkins character is clearly an early version of the puppet and voice that would become Kermit the Frog. In each ad Wilkins finds some way to bash on Wontkins because Wontkins doesn’t drink the coffee. Edgy, but when it’s puppets it’s amazing what you can get away with.