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Piggy in Paris

Piggy tower paris

Piggy dreams of Paris in Ready, Set, Recycle!

One of Miss Piggy's defining characteristics is her penchant for using a sparse amount of the French language in her dialogue.

She uses "vous" and "moi" in place of "you" and "me" to the degree that the practice is commonplace for her, and not every French word she utters is notable. Rather, Piggy will typically dial up her use of the language as a means to make herself appear more classy than she may be. This front can sometimes backfire when interacting with those who speak the language fluently, but in other situations, her somewhat limited foreign vocabulary has worked to her advantage.

Moi[]

Piggy's use of "moi," in reference to herself, has become so prominent, that she hardly uses "me" or "my" in her dialogue at all. At times, this has caused some confusion for those with whom she has shared the stage. When Kermit hosted The Tonight Show in 1979, Piggy tells musical guest (and previous Muppet Show guest) Leo Sayer that her outfit is a change, "just for vous." Sayer responds, "Vous? I thought it was moi."

"Moi" has become so associated with Piggy that she begins the introduction of her book Miss Piggy's Guide to Life with "Call me Moi," her real-life perfume launched in 1998 was called Moi, and used again for a viral campaign in 2014 that pushed the limits of (and parodied) high-class fashion marketing.

Proficiency[]

  • In episode 109 of The Muppet Show, Charles Aznavour explains to Kermit that "French is the language of love, so if you want to be a great ladies' man… learn French." Kermit says, "None of the girls I know speak French," and Aznavour demonstrates on Piggy (whom Kermit confirms "doesn't speak a word of French") that it doesn't matter.
  • Miss Piggy comments on Raquel Welch's custom costume in episode 311 of The Muppet Show by telling Welch that it was made "especially pour vous. How très très happy I am pour vous." Welch responds in French saying "merci beaucoup, Miss Piggy. Vous ç'est très enchantez avec moi." A confused and dismissive Piggy responds, "Yeah, yeah, whatever."
  • Elke Sommer tells Gonzo in episode 319 of The Muppet Show that there's another person on the show who speaks another language — "That's Mademoiselle Piggy, who speaks French not half bad." Gonzo retorts that "the only French she knows is what she's read off a perfume label." Later Piggy struggles to keep up the illusion that she is indeed bilingual with Sommer.
  • Kermit questions Piggy's use of the phrase "Pardonnez us, everyone"? in episode 404 of The Muppet Show. Piggy explains, "That is French. All vous knows is swamp talk."
  • In episode 418 of The Muppet Show, Miss Piggy knocks on Christopher Reeve's dressing room door to ask "may I have a word avec vous?" He replies "Mais oui, bien sûr. Entrez." A confused Piggy says, "What?" and Reeves clarifies that he means "come in."
  • Kermit tells Piggy that she can talk French together with guest star Jean-Pierre Rampal in episode 510 of The Muppet Show. A panicked Piggy says, "I just remembered, I have laryngitis. My vocal coach told me not to speak French. I'm not even supposed to eat french fries." When Piggy is unable to translate Rampal's French, she clarifies to Kermit, "I can speak French. I just can't hear it."
  • On a contrived date with Roger Moore in The Muppet Show episode 524, Piggy tells her would-be date that they are meant to be, "Vous et moi." When Moore clarifies, "Nous?," Piggy is confused by his response in French. He explains that it means "we," but, in her obliviousness, Piggy responds in the more commonly-heard French word, "Oui."
  • Piggy tries to plea for a ride from a truck driver in The Great Muppet Caper saying, "Couldn't you make an exception for little old moi?" He is unmoved, stating, "Not even for little old vous."
  • As an employee in the parfumerie department at Bergdorf Goodman in The Muppets Take Manhattan, Piggy sells a fragrance called Quelle Difference ("what a difference"). When she returns from her lunch break perturbed, Eileen asks if there's anything wrong. Piggy responds, "No, I'll be fine. I'll be just bien!" (French for "good").
  • During a pre-taped appearance for the 1985 Montreux Golden Rose Television Festival, Piggy pronounces the Swiss city Montreux as "Montruks" and expresses her disappointment for not traveling as "quelle fromage" ("what cheese"). As they're addressing a partially French-speaking audience, Kermit challenges her: "You speak French so well, why don't you thank everybody out there for this wonderful award in French?" Piggy sends Kermit away to fetch Jim Henson and struggles through an introduction: "Ladies and gentlemen, bon appetit. Moi takes great pleaseaure [exaggerated accent] in introducing mon le grand petite entertainer-type person, monsieur Jim Henson."
  • The 2011 film The Muppets establishes Piggy working as a plus size editor for Vogue Paris. Her staff refers to her as Mademoiselle Cochonett ("Miss Piglet") and she displays a successful demonstration of the French language when she tells everyone to leave and "dépêche-toi" ("step on it").

See also[]

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