Another big panel we attended on the Walt Disney Archive Stage Friday afternoon at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event was entitled “The Muppets 70: A Glamorous Miss Piggy Retrospective.” Below is my recap of this informative presentation.
Unfortunately the standby line for this panel wasn’t let in until the presentation had already begun, so we missed the very beginning. We entered as a video message from Miss Piggy herself played and she complained that she would not be among the Disney Legends award recipients this year: “Frank Oz? What kind of made-up name is that?” Then we were introduced to the hosts for this panel: actress Yvette Nicole Brown (Muppets Haunted Mansion) and the two experts who would be showing off some very cool stuff: Dani Iglesias from The Muppets Studio and Becky Cline from The Walt Disney Archives.
The panel started out with Becky Cline talking about how special the Muppets are to the Walt Disney Company, and then she began unveiling the objects underneath a cloth on the table. The first archival prop was the “Miss Bogen County” sash prop worn by Miss Piggy in 1979’s The Muppet Movie.
Up next was Piggy’s bicycle from The Great Muppet Caper (1981), which Cline said needed significant restoration after the Disney Archives received it.
The third item displayed during the presentation was Miss Piggy’s Benjamina Gunn costume from Muppets Treasure Island (1996).
Then we got to see the actual, original Foo-Foo dog puppet from The Muppet Show (1976-1981).
Cline also showed off Piggy’s engagement ring given to her by Constantine posing as Kermit the Frog in 2014’s Muppets Most Wanted, which is the most recent theatrical Muppets movie and is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.
We also saw the delightful costume from when Piggy dressed as Kermit for Halloween in the Disney+ Muppets Haunted Mansion special from 2021.
Becky Cline talked about having actually witnessed Jim Henson filming Muppet*vision 3-D on the Burbank Walt Disney Studios lot in 1989, and Iglesias mentioned that Kermit’s banjo (which was not present) from The Muppet Movie has also recently joined the collection of The Walt Disney Archives and is currently being restored.
There was a Q&A session, during which someone listed off their resume and asked how they can get a job at The Walt Disney Archives, to which Becky Cline responded, “Jobs at the Archives are few and far between.” But she suggested meeting the staff and checking the Disney jobs website. Then the presentation closed out with Disney Legend Jodi Bension (voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid and certified Miss Piggy fan) performing the memorable song “Never Before, Never Again” from The Muppet Movie.
For much more coverage from D23 2024 this past weekend in Anaheim, be sure to check right back here at Laughing Place.
