The Muppets: Twenty-First Century Reboot

In this new age of million-dollar digital special effects budgets, it's great to see that we still have room in our hearts for some good old-fashioned puppets.

But not just any puppets: specifically, the Muppets, those fuzzy, lovable creations of Jim Henson that have starred in movies, cartoons, commercials, and more. The limitless imagination of the man who almost gave puppets up for good early in his career long ago provided the world with anthropomorphic versions of animals, monsters and more, from eagles to frogs, from pigs to penguins, and from rats to whatever the heck Gonzo is supposed to be. They sing, they dance, they even teach us the alphabet. They've made cameo appearances in more places than you can count. They're a wonderful testament to the lasting impression icons can make on pop culture, even if those icons are made of feathers and fabric and controlled by hands and strings.

And now the Muppets are back, and in a big, big way. They started taking YouTube by storm only a couple of months ago with their rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. After that came more videos, including a skateboarding dog spoof and a cooking demonstration by a bazooka-wielding chef. More recently, a tongue-in-cheek video showing online commenters flaming a musical performance by accident-prone lab assistant Beaker drew thousands of views on Digg.

Let's not forget about the big screen. There's talk of a new Muppets movie in the works, with a working title of The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time. The title may seem premature, but if you think about it, it's not quite so far-fetched given the amount of positive attention the other recent Muppets projects have garnered.

These developments come as no surprise as we continue through an era of reboots. Catching but a glimpse of Muppets characters who have attended childhoods for decades now brings a whopping dose of nostalgia to viewers young and old. In a way, it's like finding that long-lost stuffed animal that used to be your favorite friend in the whole world. And what could be better than seeing those childhood heroes brought to life in gorgeous HD?

It just goes to show that you can take the Muppets away from the spotlight, but you can't take the spotlight away from the Muppets. They've returned in full force, with all of the strange, adorable quirkiness that made us adore them in the first place. Here's to many more years of Muppet love.