10 Surprising Secrets Behind The Muppet Christmas Carol You Didn’t Know!

We consider ourselves among those individuals who believe they are authorities on all things related to The Muppet Christmas Carol, yet over the years, we have uncovered some aspects of behind-the-scenes information that even astonished us.

Take a look at some of the intriguing facts we’ve recently unearthed regarding The Muppet Christmas Carol that we simply had to share with everyone.

1. It marked Kermit the Frog’s first on-screen walk

The moment where Kermit the Frog’s Bob Cratchit strolls home with Tiny Tim on his shoulder, singing ‘Tis the Season together, is a more significant occurrence than we might have realized.

This scene was not only the most challenging to film but also the first full-body shot of Kermit that exhibited him walking.

The scene involved 10 (!) puppeteers, a rotating drum dressed in faux snow to create the illusion of motion, and a considerable amount of blue/green-screen technology.

2. 95% of Gonzo’s dialogue is directly from Charles Dickens

Despite Gonzo serving as the narrator of the story, embodying a version of A Christmas Carol author Charles Dickens, remarkably, the bulk of his lines are directly extracted from the novel.

During an interview with Uproxx, director Brian Henson shared: ‘This occurred early on when Jerry Juhl was enamored with the book.

‘He stated, “I want to introduce a character that represents Charles Dickens.” Then we pondered, “Who’s the least likely?” to add humor…

‘Gonzo was essentially the most unlikely option to portray Charles Dickens, and we paired him with Rizzo as his absurd little accomplice.

‘Almost everything that Gonzo utters is directly from the text. Probably 95% of his dialogue consists of Dickens’s prose, while merely 5% are additional comments and jokes we included.’

3. The movie was originally intended as a TV special

With substantial expectations resting on the film, marking the first since Jim Henson’s passing two years earlier and the debut film directed by Brian Henson, it seemed probable that this would become a television special.

However, once Disney acquired it, they recognized the potential, and following some modifications (which we’ll discuss shortly), it received a full theatrical release.

4. The actual reason for the existence of two versions of the film

While some viewers may have presumed the complete version was the one shown in theaters, followed by subsequent edits, it was actually the theatrical release that omitted the song When Love Is Gone!

The motive behind the song’s removal came from Disney’s former chairman, Jeffrey Katzenberg, with director Brian Henson disclosing at D23 that Jeffrey believed the scene would not retain children’s interest.

He felt it was overly mature for them, and they would lose interest; thus, after several discussions, an agreement was made to cut it from the theatrical release, on the condition that it would be included in the VHS release and on television broadcasts.

When uploaded to Disney+, it represented the ‘original’ theatrical version, but in 2023, they embraced the complete version in the film’s ‘extras’ to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

5. When Love Is Gone wasn’t the sole song removed (but it was the only one restored)

Although Brian Henson struggled to have Belle’s emotional song restored for the home release, two tunes remained excluded from the final version.

Chairman of the Board was intended to be sung by Sam the Eagle, who portrays Scrooge’s headmaster in the movie, while Room in Your Heart would have featured Bunsen and Beaker attempting to appeal to Ebenezer’s gentler nature to gather funds for charity.

Despite their omission from the final edit, both songs were actually part of the original soundtrack.

6. The shooting star is a signature of the Muppets

This writer must confess that as a kid, she believed the shooting star at the conclusion of One More Sleep was the rats shooting off home into space (I was four years old, okay?), but thankfully that misunderstanding was corrected in adulthood.

This shooting star, however, is a hallmark of the Muppets and appears in several of their films including Muppet Treasure Island and Muppets in Space.

7. The Muppet cast almost took on different roles

Some of our beloved Muppets were originally slated to portray the three spirits who would visit Scrooge on Christmas Eve, with Scooter and Robin the Frog (who performed as Tiny Tim in the film) under consideration for the Ghost of Christmas Past, Miss Piggy eyed for the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Animal and Gonzo lined up for the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

Ultimately, Henson and his team opted to create new characters to embody the ghosts, and while some characters retained a significant presence, others had their roles greatly minimized.

8. This marked the first instance of a human inhabiting a central character in a Muppet feature film

Indeed, humans had appeared alongside the Muppets in previous feature films, but this was the first instance where a human took on a major role (THE major role for many).

This format became the norm in subsequent films, a change we attribute to Michael Caine’s approach to the character.

During the DVD commentary, Henson stated: ‘In our very first meeting he said, “Brian, I’m going to portray Scrooge as if I’m performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company. I’m going to avoid any winks to the camera.

‘”I won’t modify my performance in any way just because there are puppets. I’m going to treat this as a profoundly sincere, dramatic adaptation of Christmas Carol, because that’ll be the funniest choice.”’ We couldn’t concur more.

9. The talent behind The Ghost of Christmas Past became a soap star

Although the character is represented by a uniquely crafted puppet (which was filmed in a water tank to create the illusion of floating), the voice artist later became a well-known figure in the British soap opera, Hollyoaks.

Yes, Jessica Fox, who portrays Nancy Hayton in the series, provided her voice for this role when she was merely eight years old.

10. There are hidden Easter eggs scattered throughout the film

There are numerous behind-the-scenes tributes to the cast, crew, and the Muppet franchise, one of which gives a charming nod to Michael Caine himself.

In A Thankful Heart, Scrooge enters a shop named Michlewhite’s, which references the iconic actor’s actual name.

Another store is named Statler and Waldorf’s, referencing the characters who portray the Marley brothers in the film.

Additionally, attentive fans have spotted a credit for ‘Rizzo’s personal caterer’ within the cast and crew list.