Here Come the Muppets was a short-lived but historically important live stage show at Disney-MGM Studios. Presented in the theater that later became home to Voyage of the Little Mermaid, the attraction brought Jim Henson’s characters into a Disney theme park setting through a combination of full-size walk-around costumes, pre-recorded dialogue, musical performances, and the controlled chaos associated with The Muppet Show. It debuted on May 25, 1990, and continued through September 2, 1991.
The experience began before guests entered the main theater. In the holding area, Rowlf the Dog played the piano and sang while Sam Eagle periodically interrupted with his characteristically serious commentary. Once the stage show started, Kermit the Frog arrived expecting a performance to begin, only to discover that the rest of the cast was not quite ready. Mickey Mouse checked in through a futuristic picturephone, while Fozzie Bear attempted to explain that Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem were on their way. Their arrival was appropriately excessive: the band’s monorail appeared to crash through the theater wall. Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Bean Bunny, and other familiar characters soon joined the revue.
Here Come the Muppets was created during a pivotal period in the franchise’s history. Jim Henson worked with Disney on the show in 1989 while also collaborating with Walt Disney Imagineering on Muppet*Vision 3D. The live production opened only days after Henson’s death in May 1990, giving it an unexpectedly poignant place in Disney Parks history.
The attraction was never intended to become a permanent fixture. It functioned partly as an introduction to the Muppets while the more elaborate Muppet*Vision 3D attraction was under development. The two experiences overlapped briefly after Muppet*Vision 3D opened in May 1991. Here Come the Muppets then closed to make way for Voyage of the Little Mermaid, which debuted in January 1992. A separate live production, Muppets on Location: The Days of Swine and Roses, continued the Muppets’ presence elsewhere in the park through 1994.
Today, Here Come the Muppets is remembered as the first dedicated Muppet attraction at Walt Disney World and an early step in a relationship that has continued to evolve. The Electric Mayhem now headlines Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, giving the band’s wildly unreliable transportation habits a fitting modern encore.
