Put your hand inside the puppet head

We saw Avenue Q again last Sunday and it got me thinking about my favorite puppets (it also made me question my decision to major in English/Literature in college, but that's for a my therapist).

Tom Servo, Crow, and Gypsy: Deep down I'm sure MST3K is one of my main inspirations for this blog. This was my favorite show when I was in middle school. I remember watching it whenever it was on--morning, noon, and night. My favorite episode is Pod People and I've literally watched it hundreds of times. I'm surprised the VHS tape still works.

Kate Monster and Princeton: Has there ever been a cuter puppet couple. True, Kermit and Miss Piggy were the first inter-species puppet couple, but Kate and Princeton are better singers and they have no problem having intercourse in front of a theater audience. Princeton's struggle reminds me of my own just after college which is probably why Avenue Q means so much to me. It's also the first Broadway show I actually saw on Broadway.

Sifl and Olly: In high school we didn't need drugs, man. We just needed Todd's basement and a VHS tape packed with Sifl and Olly episodes. To this day the best show featuring sock puppets, Sifl and Olly provided America with ridiculous songs that would stick in your head for weeks, the Precious Roy Home Shopping Network, and the term "crescent fresh." One of my only positive memories of high school. It truly was a show for all the chicks and the dudes in the universe...the universe USA.

David Liebe Hart: Not technically a puppet, but one hell of a puppet master. David Liebe Hart's songs about staying focused in school, father and son relationships, and extraterrestrial greetings provide some of the most memorable moments on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! He's been around forever and apparently performs outside the Hollywood Bowl. Salame, David. Salame!

Punch and Judy: Punch and Judy have been making spousal abuse fun for centuries. British children adore the antics of horrifically-deformed, baby-killing, wife-beating Punch and why shouldn't they? Sometimes you need to revel in a puppet's miserable existence to feel good about yourself. It's called schadenfreude people!

The Muppets: From Sesame Street to Fraggle Rock, from The Muppet Show to The Dark Crystal, people love Jim Henson's Muppets. And why wouldn't they? With such an assortment of creatures (frogs, Doozers, Skeksis, monsters, whatever the hell Scooter is, pigs in space, etc), the Muppet Universe reflects our own multi-cultural world, only with spontaneous singing and genuine concern for one another's well being. Makes you think--but not really.