Minor Movie Mentions

The following is a list of Muppet Mentions made in movies outside of the Henson/Sesame fold, all of which are too brief or minor to constitute having their own page in the Movie Mentions category. See also: Minor TV Mentions.

Another Perfect Stranger

A 2007 film about a teenage girl who has conversations about life and religion with a stranger she meets on an airplane. In one scene, a woman is holding a baby who is wearing Elmo overalls.

Argo

In this 2012 Best Picture Oscar-winning movie, Ben Affleck plays CIA agent Tony Mendez who's trying to convince his superiors to agree to his plan for the rescue of six US Embassy employees in 1980 Iran. When meeting with Cyrus Vance (US Secretary of State played by Bob Gunton) and Stansfield Turner (Director of Central Intelligence played by Philip Baker Hall), his boss Jack O'Donnell (played by Bryan Cranston) tells him, "Brace yourself. It's like talking to those two old fucks on the Muppets."

Connections

• Alan Arkin played Lester Siegel
• John Goodman played John Chambers
• Bob Gunton played US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance
• Philip Baker Hall played Director of Central Intelligence Stansfield Turner
• Richard Kind played Max Klein

Bart Got a Room

As Danny goes through a list of potential prom dates, he asks his friend for an opinion of Sokolov. He replies, "Too tall for you. Like, Big Bird tall."

Connections

• Cheryl Hines played Beth Stine
• William H. Macy played Ernie Stine
• Jon Polito played Bob

Bee Movie

A 2007 computer animated feature by DreamWorks Animation, about a bee name Barry B. Benson deciding what to do after graduating from college. When Barry talks to Mr. Klauss Vanderhayden, since he is suing Honey Farms for taking the bee's honey, he finds the image of a bear as the jar of honey inappropriate to represent honey. However, Mr. Vanderhayden replies that they're very lovable creatures and names a few bears, including Fozzie.

Connections

• Matthew Broderick voiced Adam Flayman
• John Goodman voiced Layton T. Montgomery
• Larry King voiced a bee version of himself
• Ray Liotta voiced himself
• Megan Mullally voiced Trudy
• Michael Richards voiced Bud Ditchwater
• Chris Rock voiced Mooseblood the Mosquito
• Jerry Seinfeld voiced Barry B. Benson and was the writer and producer
• Patrick Warburton voiced Ken
• Oprah Winfrey voiced Judge Bumbleton

The Benchwarmers

The Benchwarmers is a 2006 sports parody film. According to IMDB, Muppets from Space was one of the many movies on self at the video store.

The Big Year

A 2011 movie about birding. In one scene, Stu Preissler (Steve Martin) is on a boat and get seasick. Commenting on his complexion, Preissler states, "It's not easy being green."

Connections

• Corbin Bernsen plays Gil Gordon
• Jack Black plays Brad Harris
• John Cleese narrates a historical montage
• Anjelica Huston plays Annie Auklet
• Rashida Jones plays Ellie
• Steve Martin plays Stu Preissler
• Joel McHale plays Barry Loomis
• Jim Parsons plays Crane
• Kevin Pollak plays Jim Gittelson
• Al Roker plays "New York Weatherman"
• Ben Stiller executive produced

Borat

2006 comedy film starring Sacha Baron Cohen as a character from Da Ali G Show. About 11 minutes into the film, Borat stands in the center of Times Square and the camera circles around him. During this, a large billboard with a picture of Kermit the Frog from the Values.com ad campaign can be seen prominently.

Boulevard

In this 2014 movie featuring Robin Williams, a game show is playing on a hospital TV, where the contestants compete under a category called Famous Lovers. One of the questions is, "One of TV's most unusual romances involved two characters from The Muppet Show, one is a pretty porker named Miss Piggy." The contestant correctly answers, Kermit the Frog.

Brewster McCloud

1971 dark comedy film starring Bud Cort and directed by Robert Altman. In one scene an old man in a limo keeps shouting about how he needs to get home so he can watch Sesame Street.

The Bucket List

The 2007 movie about two elderly men, diagnosed with cancer. They make a shared "Bucket list" with things they want to do before they die of their cancer. While Carter watches Jeopardy, one of the questions are "These two Muppets are roommates on the long-running show Sesame Street". Carter says the answer out loud, "Who are Bert and Ernie?"

Connections

• Morgan Freeman plays Carter
• Sean Hayes plays Carter's assistant Thomas
• Rob Reiner directed the movie
• Alex Trebek plays himself

Cats Don't Dance

One of the movie posters parodied at the end of the movie before the credits is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with T.W. Turtle as Raphael.

Connections

• Kathy Najimy voices Tillie Hippo
• Don Knotts voices T.W. Turtle
• Frank Welker voices Farley Wink.

Click

This 2006 parody comedy features a woman holding a Big Bird plush.

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope

2011 documentary directed by Morgan Spurlock about Comic-Con. Holly Conrad, a designer of custom creatures and costumes, is one of the film's subjects.

Holly: Why can't we bring puppets and animatronics back?

Colleague: Because Jim Henson died.

Holly: Well, you know what? We need to be the next Jim Henson, and make people realize these things are what brings magic out into the real world.

Later, during the masquerade portion of the con for which Holly was preparing, each contestant is announced by their number while the audience responds saying "ah, ah, ah" à la Count von Count.

Connections

• Seth Green appears as himself
• Stan Lee appears as himself
• Seth Rogen appears as himself

Crazy for Christmas

A 2005 Christmas TV movie, it features billionaire Fred Nickells, who has suffered a nervous breakdown, giving early retirement to all his staff. Two members stay on, the doorman and Nickell's lawyer, Arthur Finnegan. Finnegan (Daniel Fathers) is gay. Telling Nickell's new driver about his relationship, he says "he works on Sesame Street. He plays Snuffleupagus' back end." The boyfriend appears at the end, however the role was not credited.

Connections

• Joe Flaherty played Roger the doorman
• Joyce Gordon played Mrs. Granger

Death to Smoochy

A dark comedy following Sheldon Mopes' (Edward Norton) rise to stardom with his Barney-like character Smoochy the Rhino, and all the amoral inner workings of the children's entertainment that he encounters. Early in the film, Sheldon states "I was born on November 11th, 1970. You know what else happened on that day? [The] first broadcast of Sesame Street!" (The statement is factually incorrect by one year and one day.) Later, while Robin Williams' character Randolph Smiley (aka Rainbow Randolph) smashes Angelo's television set, he calls Smoochy a "Muppet from hell," during a barrage of expletives. The film also features the Leonard Bernstein song "I Feel Pretty," which the Muppets have performed numerous times.

Connections

• Danny DeVito directed and co-starred as Burke Bennett
• Harvey Fierstein played Merv Green
• Todd Graff played Skip Kleinman
• Jon Stewart played Marion Frank Stokes
• Robin Williams played "Rainbow" Randolph Smiley

Dinner for Schmucks

Barry tells a couple from Switzerland that he speaks some of their language, and proceeds to deliver some mock Swedish.

Connections

• Steve Carell played Barry
• Jemaine Clement played Kieran
• Paul Rudd played Tim
• Zach Galifianakis played Therman
• Octavia Spencer played Madame Nora

The Expendables

In this 2010 action film, Toll Road (played by Randy Couture) says, "It's not easy being green" while explaining how he got his cauliflower ear.

Connections

• Eric Roberts played James Munroe
• Mickey Rourke played Tool
• Arnold Schwarzenegger played Trench
• Sylvester Stallone played Barney Ross
• Bruce Willis played Mr. Church

The Five-Year Engagement

A scene between a woman and her friend involves an argument done in the voices of Cookie Monster and Elmo to amuse her daughter.

Connections

• Jason Segel co-wrote the movie and played Tom Solomon
• Nick Stoller co-wrote and directed the movie
• Emily Blunt played Violet Barnes

Fletch Lives

In the 1989 sequel to 1985's Fletch, following a scene in which he's made a man squeal like a pig in order to get a termite out of his ear, the title character begins an internal dialogue, "After my close call with Miss Piggy, I couldn't wait to get home."

Connections

• Chevy Chase played Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher in both movies
• Richard Belzer played Phil in Fletch Lives
• Geena Davis played Larry in Fletch
• George Wendt played Fat Sam in Fletch
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played himself in Fletch

Flushed Away

A 2006 computer animated feature by Aardman Animation, about a mouse trapped in the sewer. At one point, heroine Rita addresses the villainous toad with "Hoy! Kermit!"

Connections

• Sean Barrett supplied additional voices
• Hugh Jackman voiced Roddy
• Miriam Margolyes voiced Rita's Grandma
• Andy Serkis voiced Spike
• Kate Winslet voiced Rita

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

1985 comedy written by Amy Spies. Janey Glenn, arguing with her father about getting to go out at night shouts, "We made a deal when I was seven and a half, nightlife was The Muppet Show!"

Connections

• Sarah Jessica Parker played Janey Glenn
• Helen Hunt played Lynne Stone

The Glimmer Man

1996 action movie starring Steven Seagal and Keenen Ivory Wayans. In one scene a police detective is surprised by a couple of kids playing with toy guns as he makes his way through an apartment building. He quips to himself that it's a "Showdown on Sesame Street. Big Bird will pop out of one of these doors next."

Connections

• Stephen Tobolowsky played Christopher Maynard

Helvetica

A 2007 independent feature-length documentary film about typography and graphic design, centered around the typeface of the same name. During the montage of the usage of the Helvetica font for video media, a clip of Telly Monster talking about D words with the letter D is shown.

Also, when graphic designer Michael C. Place is introduced, and the camera goes to his company office, a Big Bird Kubrick is seen behind figurines of his own creation.

Hot Pursuit

In a fight over a gun, Rose Cooper calls Daniella Riva's slurs dirty and disgusting. Riva responds, "Dirty? I'm gonna show you dirty, Miss Piggy."

Connections

• Sofía Vergara played as Daniella Riva
• Reese Witherspoon played Rose Cooper

I Love You, Man

When Peter Klaven gets set up on a man-date with a guy from his brother's gym, he gives him the nickname Elmo because of his high, squeaky voice.

Connections

• Jane Curtin played Joyce Klaven
• Rashida Jones played Zooey Rice
• OK Go played the wedding band
• Paul Rudd played Peter Klaven
• Andy Samberg played Robbie Klaven
• Jason Segel played Sydney Fife

Just Go with It

In the 2011 film, someone refers to a big nosed person as Snuffleupagus.

Connections

• Kevin Nealon played Adon
• Adam Sandler played Danny Maccabee

Miss Congeniality 2

Gracie Hart, wearing a flamboyant, feathered Las Vegas costume: "You can do this, you know you can because you are Sam fuller F.B.I. Nothing and nobody scares you. And I am Gracie Hart and at this moment I am also Big Bird and nothing scares me except... except loosing Cheryl, because having a friend like her and having any friend for me is a really really rare thing. Okay?"

Connections

• Sandra Bullock played Gracie Hart
• Regis Philbin played himself
• William Shatner played Stan Fields
• Candice Bergen played Kathy Morningside in the first movie
• Michael Caine played Victor Melling in the first movie

Miss Representation

2011 documentary by Jennifer Siebel Newsom about the disparaging portrayals of women in media. During a comment in which Jackson Katz says "People learn more from media than any other single source of information", a clip is briefly shown of children watching Sesame Street. Later in the film, Katie Couric's comments are illustrated with a screenshot of an article on Jezebel.com featuring a photo of Couric with Elmo.

Connections

• Margaret Cho is interviewed
• Katie Couric is interviewed
• Geena Davis is interviewed
• Rosario Dawson is interviewed
• Jane Fonda is interviewed
• Rosie O'Donnell provides an introduction to the television broadcast
• Oprah Winfrey provides an introduction to the DVD release

Morning Glory

When Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) is unsuccessful at rebooting a fourth place morning show, station executive Jerry Barnes (Jeff Goldblum) sarcastically suggests that she might go to PBS, "to kill Sesame Street."

Mr. Jealousy

In the 1997 romantic comedy, Eric Stoltz's character says he does a "pretty good Muppet walk" as he bounces off-screen with his head tilted into the air.

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Mr. Popper's Penguins is a 2011 movie starring Jim Carrey loosely based on the 1938 children's book of the same name. At one point in the movie, while the main character, Thomas Popper Jr., is talking about penguins, he mentions that Big Bird is a Muppet.

The book was an optioned property by Jim Henson Pictures in 1995, but was never produced.

Connections

• Jim Carrey played Mr. Popper
• Philip Baker Hall played Franklin
• Jeffrey Tambor played Mr. Gremmins

Noises Off

Noises Off is a farcical play about the behind-the-scenes troubles of a new play. In a scene shot for the film version in New York City, an advertisement poster for Kodak can be seen displaying an image of Elmo and Big Bird.

Connections

• Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Julie Hagerty, Christopher Reeve, and John Ritter appeared in the film.
• Louise Gold appeared in the last month of a West End revival (October 2003).
• T. R. Knight appeared in the Broadway revival.
• Paxton Whitehead played Frederick Fellowes in the original Broadway production.

Notting Hill

William Thacker, played by Hugh Grant, opens the 1999 movie Notting Hill, talking about the location of the same name. His voice-over describes a montage of scenes:

"Notting Hill -- my favorite bit of London... There's the market on weekdays, selling every fruit and vegetable known to man... the tattoo parlour -- with a guy outside who got drunk and now can't remember why he chose 'I Love Ken'..."

(A woman with hair dyed bright blue exits a hair salon) "The radical hairdressers where everyone comes out looking like the Cookie Monster, whether they want to or not."

Preschool Power 3

When a little girl pretends to be a doctor with her doll as her patient, the Muppet University Kermit plush can be seen in the background.

Private Parts

In this 1997 film loosely based on Howard Stern's memoir (and starring Stern as himself), when Howard goes to Detroit, the on-air morning man comments that Stern looks like Big Bird. He also jokes that Big Bird will have Kermit the Frog on the upcoming show.

Connections

• Allison Janney played Dee Dee
• Ozzy Osbourne played himself
• John Popper played himself
• Richard Portnow played Ben Stern
• Reni Santoni played Vallesecca

Problem Child 3

In this made-for-TV sequel, a Big Bird doll appears in the background in one scene.

Connections

• Gilbert Gottfried played Dr. Peabody
• Marianne Muellerleile played Miss Hicks
• Jack Warden played Big Ben Healy

The Pursuit of Happyness

A scene from the 2006 film, which is set in 1981, shows protagonist Christopher Gardner with a Sesame Street lunchbox featuring Grover, Big Bird, Prairie Dawn, Oscar the Grouch, Barkley, Lefty the Salesman and Sherlock Hemlock.

Connections

• Dan Castellaneta played Alan Frakesh
• Will Smith played Chris Gardner

Rollercoaster

In this 1977 crime drama directed by James Goldstone, two kids are throwing a frisbee over a man's car while he's washing it. The man yells at them, "Go home and watch Sesame Street!"

Connections

• Henry Fonda played Simon Davenport
• Helen Hunt played Tracy Calder

Rubber

In the 2010 movie Rubber an old Ernie plush doll could be seen in the desert in the opening along with other old junk.

Rumble in the Bronx

In the 1995 Jackie Chan movie, a little girl wears a blue sweater with Bert's head on it. She can be seen building large sandcastle when Keung (Jackie Chan) comes ashore with the hovercraft.

Connections

• Greg Berg provided voices in the English dub

The Sasquatch Gang

The 2006 film features a scene in which Gavin (Jeremy Sumpter) and Sophie (Addie Land) discuss their favorite fantasy films, including Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal.

Connections

• Stephen Tobolowsky played Ernie Dalrymple

She's All That

Mackenzie asks Laney when was the last time she tweezed her eyebrow. When Laney mentions she never did, Mackenzie asks if she watches Sesame Street and if she knows the character Bert.

Connections

• Jarrett Lennon played Naylon
• Matthew Lillard played Brock Hudson
• Kevin Pollak played Wayne Boggs

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The 2005 film based on the novel of the same name features a scene in a department store in which a muzak version of "Sing" is playing over the sound system. The subtitles describe it as "bland music". Joe Raposo is credited for the song which was performed by "With The Quickness".

Connections

• Ken Kwapis directed the film
• Blake Lively played Bridget Vreeland

Skinny Tiger and Fatty Dragon

Skinny Tiger and Fatty Dragon

1990 buddy cop martial arts comedy movie starring Sammo Hung as a policeman. In one scene, when he impersonates a jewel thief to foil a robbery, he finds several robbers wearing cartoon masks (mostly Sesame Street characters).

The Smokers

2000 movie directed by Kat Slater, starring Dominique Swain and Thora Birch. One character does a Kermit the Frog impression and laments over what kids would call him when he was short and ugly in the eight grade, "Kermit the Frog coming to you live from The Muppet Show".

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

1974 movie about a New York subway car that's hijacked and held for ransom.

Lt. Zachary Garber (played by Walter Matthau): Rico, you want to make yourself useful? Get personnel and tell them to get together a list of all motormen discharged for cause during the past five to ten years.

Lt. Rico Patrone: What are you looking for?

Lt. Zachary Garber: Somebody down there knows how to drive a train. You don't pick that up watching Sesame Street. Tell them we want it today.

Connections

• Bill Cobbs played a man on the subway platform
• Doris Roberts played the mayor's wife
• Jerry Stiller played Lt. Rico Patrone

Tower Heist

The titular heist in the 2011 comedy is set at a tower on the route of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. A Kermit balloon is featured in the parade, his theme music being "Disco Frog" from Sesame Street. When Charlie, the building manager, wonders if anything suspicious is going on at The Tower, a CCTV monitor responds that Miss Piggy has been cut from the parade.

Connections

• Alan Alda played Arthur Shaw
• Matthew Broderick played Mr. Fitzhugh
• Judd Hirsch played Mr. Simon
• Eddie Murphy played Slide
• Ben Stiller played Josh Kovacs

The Trip

The Trip is a British 2010 comedy starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. Twice throughout the movie, Brydon's impressions are compared to Muppets.

Waiting for Superman

Waiting for Superman is a 2010 documentary about the American school system. In one scene, a Bear in the Big Blue House book is seen in a little girl's room.

Connections

• John Legend performs the theme song from the movie

What Would Jesus Buy?

What Would Jesus Buy? is a 2007 documentary produced by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) about American consumerism. Several Sesame Street toys are featured including various incarnations of Tickle Me Elmo.

Words

Words is a 13-minute short film produced by the Writers Guild of America in 1987, compiling famous lines in film and television. A brief clip of Grover and John-John in a Muppet & Kid Moment on Sesame Street is used around the 7-minute mark. (YouTube)