Lipton

Kermit-Be-More-Tea — Kermit performing "Be More Tea" next to a blank picture.

Lipton is a brand of tea founded and named after Thomas Lipton in the late 1800s. In 2014, Lipton launched their "Be More Tea" campaign with commercials starring the Muppets as a promotional tie-in with Muppets Most Wanted.

One iconic image from the commercials quickly became an Internet meme in the following years.

Commercials[]

The first commercial features Kermit enduring a New York City populated by multiple Animals. In a cafe, Kermit tries a cup of Lipton tea, which gives him a calmer outlook. As Kermit continues his trek across the city (underscored by Harry Nilsson's "Everybody's Talkin'"), he readily helps an elderly Animal cross the street, entertains a fussy Baby Animal in his stroller, and offers a frazzled Miss Piggy a bottle of Lipton tea. Four edits of the ad were produced; a 90-second version (debuting online on February 26), a 60-second version (airing during the 86th Academy Awards), and two different 30-second versions (appearing as in-stream ads on YouTube videos).

Following the first commercial, Lipton released a series of brief videos starring Kermit, Piggy and Animal to their web outlets on YouTube and Instagram. One video features Kermit singing an upbeat tune on his banjo called "Be More Tea" while being fascinated by a picture. The composers of the song were Chris Bowsher and Frances Leach.^[1]

A 30 second commercial for Lipton Fresh Brew Iced Tea finds Miss Piggy hosting a picnic for Fozzie, Gonzo, Rowlf and Animal, who disapproves of drinking water. Kermit comes in with a pitcher of tea, singing a variation of his "Be More Tea" serenade. The ad was officially released to Lipton's YouTube channel on July 11, 2014, ending with a voice-over promoting the Muppets Most Wanted video release. A 15 second version was also made.

Behind the scenes[]

The production for the initial commercial was handled by Framestore over the course of three weeks. Seven Animals were used, as well as some CGI versions for out-of-focus crowd shots.^[2] Puppeteers on the shoot included Eric Jacobson, Steve Whitmire, Peter Linz, Mike Quinn, Alice Dinnean, Michelan Sisti, Bruce Lanoil, and Julianne Buescher.