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The year 2025 marked the 70th anniversary of The Muppets, a milestone that, in true Muppet fashion, was celebrated not with a stately parade but with the chaotic energy of an exploding confetti factory. For fans, it was a year of profound emotional whiplash. The central paradox was this: Disney, the proud owner of the Muppet brand, chose to honor this legacy by simultaneously dismantling one of its most cherished monuments while strapping the rest of the cast into a super-stretch limo aimed at 60 miles per hour in under three seconds. It was a year that saw the Muppets both fading into obscurity and rocketing toward a new, possibly uninsurable, beginning. This left fans everywhere asking the same question: What does it mean when a 70-year-old franchise is simultaneously saying goodbye and flooring it?  

The Great Walt Disney World Shuffle: A Requiem for a Cheap 3D Trick

Saying Goodbye, Going Away: The End of Muppet*Vision 3D

On June 8, 2025, the curtain fell for the final time on Muppet*Vision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It was, for many, the end of an era. This wasn’t just any attraction; it was the last major Muppet project directed by Jim Henson himself and the final time he voiced Kermit the Frog. Its closure felt less like a simple ride retirement and more like the demolition of a landmark.  

The show was a masterclass in organized chaos. It began with Sam the Eagle’s earnest safety instructions (“Do not attempt to walk while wearing your 3D glasses… frankly, you will look foolish”) and ended with a cannon blowing a hole in the theater wall, prompting Kermit’s frazzled assurance: “What an explosion!…this theater suffered only minor damage”. In between, audiences were subjected to a barrage of bad jokes, a terrifyingly abstract CGI creation named Waldo C. Graphic, and a live, full-bodied Sweetums menacing the front rows.  

The fan reaction was one of genuine heartbreak. Reddit threads swelled with eulogies. “I’m not ashamed to say I shed tears when the closure was announced,” one user wrote, “and I full on cried when we left”. For many, the attraction was interwoven with family memories, a place where they could still hear a lost parent’s laughter. The knowledge that it was Henson’s final project made its loss feel particularly acute. In a poignant final act, Disney filmed the show for archival purposes, with cast members invited to be part of the taped audience, and Jim Henson’s own daughter, Heather, attended one of the last public performances—a quiet, dignified farewell to her father’s last laugh.  

Can You Picture That? A Limo Ride with Animal

Just as fans were wiping their tears, Disney pivoted with dizzying speed from the somber to the exhilarating. The Muppets weren’t leaving Hollywood Studios; they were just “movin’ right along” to Sunset Boulevard. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, the park’s high-speed indoor coaster, would be re-themed to star Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, with a planned opening in 2026.  

Concept art depicts the Mayhem crammed into a super-stretch limo with a license plate cheekily reading “MUPP3TS”. The storyline promises a mad dash to get to their “rockin’ music festival”. The announcement sparked a wave of gleeful speculation. What songs will blast through the speakers? Will the ride vehicles, now “limos,” feature Animal in the back, providing a percussive accompaniment to every hairpin turn? Will the pre-show, a critical element according to fans, feature the band trying to talk their way past a security guard played by Sam the Eagle?  

This move also revealed a fascinating strategic shift. By closing an all-ages, no-height-requirement show and re-theming a high-intensity thrill ride, Disney signaled a change in its target audience. This wasn’t about creating a new generation of young Muppet fans; it was about cashing in on the deep-seated nostalgia—and disposable income—of the Gen X and Millennial fans who grew up with The Muppet Show and now have kids of their own (or at least, the credit cards to fund a trip). The Muppets were being repositioned from a “for everyone” franchise to a “nostalgia” franchise for adults, a move that risks turning them into a beloved legacy act with diminishing relevance to newcomers.  

The Unblinking, Leafy Guardians of EPCOT

Amidst the demolition and construction, one Muppet presence remained blessedly stable: the Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy topiaries at the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. Having been relocated in 2023 from the United Kingdom pavilion to a serene spot between Morocco and France, these leafy effigies stood as stoic, silent witnesses to the chaos unfolding across the resort. They are the unchanging, perpetually green heart of the Muppets’ presence, a quiet reminder that no matter what happens, it’s not easy being green.  

Dr. Frog’s Guide to Higher Education (and Post-Party Etiquette)

The “Kermencement” Address

While their theme park home was in flux, the Muppets scored a massive public relations victory. On May 22, 2025, Kermit the Frog delivered the commencement address at the University of Maryland, the alma mater of his creator, Jim Henson. The event, quickly dubbed the “Kermencement,” was a masterclass in the Muppet art of blending sincere wisdom with delightful absurdity.  

Kermit, clad in a “very tiny cap and gown,” opened with his signature self-aware humor. The speech was peppered with classic Muppet gags. He put out an APB for one of his bandmates: “Can you be on the lookout for Animal? I hear he hit a few graduation parties last night and we haven’t seen him since”. He pondered the eternal mystery of his friend Gonzo: “…which is why you’ll see me hanging out with a bear, and a pig, and a penguin, and a prawn, and, uh, whatever Gonzo is. Seriously, if anybody knows, please see me after the ceremony”. He even offered a word of warning about his campus statue: “please do not rub my nose, unless you’re a fly. In which case, I’d say, lunch is served”.  

The Rainbow Connection to Reality

The brilliance of the speech lay in its use of humor as a delivery mechanism for profound sincerity. The situation was objectively silly—a felt frog offering life advice to thousands of graduates—but that very absurdity disarmed the audience, bypassing modern cynicism and allowing the core message to land with unexpected force.

Kermit’s advice centered on three themes: “finding your people,” “taking the leap,” and “making connections”. He urged graduates to build their own eclectic ensembles, just as Jim Henson did. But the line that resonated most deeply, echoing across news reports and social media, was a simple plea for collaboration: “Rather than jumping over someone to get what you want, consider reaching out your hand and taking the leap side by side, because life is better when we leap together”.  

The speech’s emotional climax came when Kermit led the entire stadium in a sing-along of “Rainbow Connection”. Social media posts from graduates described a sea of smiling faces and teary eyes, a moment of pure, unadulterated joy. To cap it all off, the world’s most famous amphibian was presented with a formal citation from Maryland Governor Wes Moore, honoring his “high integrity and ability” and his service to the state. It was proof that the most effective way for the Muppets to stay relevant is not to chase trends, but to embrace their unique power to be both hilariously ironic and genuinely heartwarming.  

The Conquistadors of Comic-Con and the Squared Circle

A Spotter’s Guide to the Humans Behind the Felt

While Kermit the Frog was hobnobbing with governors, the human artists who bring the Muppets to life were hitting the grueling international Comic-Con circuit. This highlights a fascinating duality in Muppet celebrity: the fame of the characters themselves versus the craft of the performers. For the dedicated fan, 2025 offered a chance to meet the wizards behind the curtain. While you couldn’t get an autograph from Beaker, you could meet his former performer, Steve Whitmire, at the Garden State Comic Fest, or chat with longtime Muppet performer Mike Quinn at NorCon in the UK.  

This careful balancing act preserves the “magic” for the general public, where Kermit is a real celebrity, while celebrating the immense artistry of the puppeteers in more niche, fan-centric spaces.

The Most Bizarre Crossover: Muppets on WWE Raw

In perhaps the most quintessentially chaotic Muppet moment of 2025, the gang made a guest appearance on WWE’s Monday Night Raw in March. While specific details of the encounter remain shrouded in mystery (and possibly legal waivers), one can only imagine the mayhem. Picture it: Animal, challenged to a drum-off by a hulking superstar, decides a steel chair makes for a better snare drum. Miss Piggy, insulted by a wrestler’s fashion choices, delivers a swift “HI-YAH!” karate chop that sends the 300-pound behemoth reeling. From a private skybox, Statler and Waldorf heckle the entire event: “You know, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a clothesline that wasn’t holding up laundry!” “No, but it’s put a lot of people out to dry!” It was a perfect example of the Muppet formula: drop into an established format and gleefully derail it.  

For the Pig Who Has Everything: A Guide to 70th Anniversary Swag

The Diva, Immortalized in.999 Fine Silver

In a year with no major new film or series, the flagship product for the 70th anniversary was not a new story, but a piece of high-end memorabilia: the 2025 Miss Piggy 1-ounce Silver Coin. Retailing for between $129 and $189, this was no mere souvenir; it was a luxury collectible for the diva who has everything and now wishes to become legal tender.  

Struck in 99.9% pure silver, the shaped, colorized coin features a “high-relief engraving of Miss Piggy in her signature glamorous pose, radiating her characteristic charm and elegance”. With a limited mintage of just 1,000 worldwide and its status as official legal tender on the island of Niue, it’s the ultimate accessory. This focus on premium merchandise reveals a strategy of servicing the existing adult fanbase rather than creating new, broad-appeal media. When you can’t produce a new movie, you can always monetize the deep-seated nostalgia of the fans who remember the old ones.  

The Rest of the Rock (and the Restless Fans)

Other merchandise trickled out, most notably a vinyl picture disc for season two of Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, featuring guest artists like Adam Lambert and Daveed Diggs. But this merchandise-heavy approach only highlighted the content gap for many fans. “We deserve it!” one blogger pleaded, asking for anything from a 15-minute Disney+ special to more TV talk show appearances. “Just do SOMETHING FUN WITH REAL MUPPETS THIS YEAR!”. The year was also marked by a poignant nod to the Muppets’ long history with the sad news of the passing of Loretta Swit, who guest-starred on  

Conclusion: What’s the Connection for 2026?

The Muppets’ 70th year was a study in contrasts: a somber farewell to a piece of Jim Henson’s soul, a thrilling promise of a high-octane future, a surprisingly profound “Kermencement,” and the baffling debut of a porcine-themed precious metal. It was a year of bewildering change that left fans both heartbroken and hopeful.

As we look toward 2026 and the grand opening of the Electric Mayhem’s roller coaster, the future of the Muppets feels as wild and unpredictable as ever. Will this mark a true renaissance, or just another gloriously chaotic chapter in their long and storied history? Perhaps the best answer comes from Kermit himself, quoting the final lines of The Muppet Movie to a field of hopeful graduates: “Life’s like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending”. For the Muppets and their fans, it seems the show is far from over.