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| Music by | Joe Raposo |
| Lyrics by | Jim Henson |
| Publisher | Jonico Music Inc |
"Hugga Wugga" evolved from a longtime favorite Jim Henson sketch originally titled "Sclrap Flyapp." Henson's love of jazz is evident in the performance of "Hugga Wugga," in which he played with the idea of combining eerie music, visual imagery, and special effects. The song is registered with BMI as "Hugga Wugga" but is sometimes referred to in Henson documents as "Buggy Mugger".[1]
In the sketch, a nasty, gravel-voiced creature marches through an alien swamp, chanting "Hugga Wugga!" When he finds creatures that sing different songs, he blasts them with steam. This bully is infuriated when he meets a creature who sings "You Are My Sunshine." Hugga Wugga blasts him, but the happy creature turns the tables on his aggressor.
The sketch was first performed as part of Nancy Sinatra's Las Vegas stage show, Movin' with Nancy: Nice 'n' Easy, in 1971. In 1976, it was performed in episode 118 of The Muppet Show. In Gonzo Presents Muppet Weird Stuff, it's revealed that this is Gonzo and Camilla's song (though they refer to it as "Hugga Wugga Buggy Mugger").
Releases[]
- Audio
- The Muppet Show (album) (1977, international releases only)
- Video
- Book
- The Muppet Show Book (1978)
Characters[]
"You want a thingy-thing, I'll give it to you."
- Hugga Wugga (Performer: Frank Oz) - This purple creature has moving eyes a funnel nose used to blast creatures that don't chant what he's chanting. This character, sporting red fur instead of purple, would later make a cameo in The Muppet Show Comic Book issue #4. It also appeared in The Muppet Show Comic Book: Pigs in Space. The Muppets director James Bobin named Hugga Wugga during the Muppets' Google+ Hangout as one of his favorite characters of all time.
- Iggy Wiggy (Performer: John Lovelady) - This green bird-like creature has purple feathers on top of his head and has googly eyes.
- Happy yellow creature (Performer: Jerry Nelson) - This creature has eyes at the top of his skinny head. He sings, "You are My Sunshine." His design is reminiscent of the creatures who sang the "Business" number in The Ed Sullivan Show. This character has popped up occasionally, though miscolored pink, in The Muppet Show Comic Book, appearing in issues #1, 3, and 4, and in The Muppet Show Comic Book: Pigs in Space. The creature re-appeared in puppet form (rebuilt by David Valentine) in Muppets Most Wanted, where he's referred to as a "Thingy-Thing" by Constantine in the lyrics for "I'll Get You What You Want". For this appearance, he was puppeteered by David Rudman.[2] He also appeared in a group of obscure Muppets in The Muppets 2015 Presentation Pilot, performed by Peter Linz, and listed in the credits as "Happy Yellow Creature". He also appeared at The Muppets Take the Bowl and The Muppets Take the O2, where he was among a group of obscure Muppets in both shows. The original puppet is currently displayed as a part of The Jim Henson Exhibition.
Sources[]
- ↑ Jim Henson's Red Book - 6/16/1971 – ‘Opening night Nancy Sinatra – Hilton International’
- ↑ Personal communication with Matt Vogel by Anthony T.