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Three Elvises appear in Muppet Classic Theater
Baby Kermit as Elvis
Elvis Presley (1935-1977) was an iconic rock and roll singer, often nicknamed "The King." Elvis' trademarks included his ensemble of jump-suits and capes, his thrusting body movements, and his voice, with a unique, varying center of gravity. He popularized such songs as "Heartbreak Hotel," "Return to Sender," and "Hound Dog," and parlayed his musical popularity into starring roles in several frothy musical films. With Elvis' death, his image and personality entered pop culture in a myriad of ways, from continued rumors of his survival or possible abduction by aliens, depictions of his likeness on velvet paintings, and his residence, Graceland, becoming a tourist destination.
References
- The most extensive referencing of Presley has occurred through the Elvises. In particular, their Muppets Tonight sketch "Great Moments in Elvis History" involved frequent allusions to many aspects of the Elvis legacy. This included riffs on various songs and casual mentions of karate (a motif in Elvis' films), "The King" moniker, his eating habits (barbecue and jelly donuts), his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, and his Graceland estate, amongst others.
- Rowlf appeared as Elvis in The Muppet Show on Tour: 2nd Edition and an installment of The Jim Henson Hour (performing "Hound Dog" in the latter).
- Dog, the stuffed dinosaur in Living with Dinosaurs, is obsessed with Elvis.
- Elmo appeared as Elvis in the Elmo's World "Singing" episode, performing an abbreviated version of "Blue Suede Shoes."
- Elmo's Elvis likeness was followed by a Blue Suede Shoes Elmo plush toy from Tyco.
- Later, Elmo appeared at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show, during a session on the effectiveness of children's educational electronics, singing "[Viva Las Vegas."
- In The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, Huxley points to a velvet Elvis painting as one of his many possessions.
- The Count dressed as Elvis to sing a parody of "Blue Suede Shoes" on Sesame Street.
- Kermit potrays Elvis at Graceland in a Muppet Babies coloring book.
- Bert and Ernie pose with a portrait of The King in the Sesame Street coloring book Let's Take a Trip!
- In the Abby's Flying Fairy School episode, "Genie in a Bottle", Gene the Genie does an Elvis impression when he mentions spending a vacation in Vegas. In another episode, "Gonnigan and the Beanstalk", Blogg forms the head of Elvis from his ear wax.
- Steve Whitmire performed The King of Reading and Writing, a somewhat Elvis-like Muppet in Sesame Street Beginnings: Talk, Read, Write.
- In a season 41 Word of the Day segment, Wanda Sykes' journal blabs on her to Elmo, revealing she thought one of her toenails looked like Elvis.
