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Pie

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Aunt amy

A billboard for Aunt Amy's Custard Pies comes in handy in The Muppet Movie.

PumpkinCarving06

A pie is a baked food typically composed of a pastry shell that can be filled with fruit, custard, cream, meat, or other ingredients. It is often covered with a pastry crust when consisting of fruit filling, though pies made of pumpkin or custard are more typically topped simply with whipped cream.

Pie in Humor[]

The "pie in the face" gag has been around since the days of Vaudeville. The Keystone Kops were credited with bringing it to the big screen. The "art" of the pie fight was later amplified in 1927 with Laurel and Hardy's short film The Battle of the Century. Monty Python, Charlie Chaplin, Bugs Bunny, The Three Stooges, Dick Van Dyke, Carl Reiner, and Mel Brooks have all used pie gags in their productions. The Muppets have used and adapted this joke on numerous occasions. Pies used on The Muppet Show for such gags are made from Crazy Foam, a children's bath product far easier to clean off of a puppet's fur and fleece than custard or fruit.[1]

Sesame Street[]

  • Numerosity: in a variation of the classic pie gag, a Baker falls down a flight of stairs while carrying the tasty treat:
  • *2 chocolate cream pies
  • *7 pumpkin pies
  • *9 coconut custard pies
  • Ernie and Bert: Bert holds the number 4 in hand and asks Ernie what it is. When Ernie keeps guessing that it is a pie, Bert hits him in the face with a pie.
  • "Surprise": The cast are hit with numerous pies throughout the song.
  • Episode 4260: Jerry O'Connell and Murray Monster demonstrate the word "observe" by looking closely at a pie Murray baked. He has used pepper instead of sugar, causing Jerry to sneeze and involuntarily jerks his face into the pie.

The Muppet Show[]

  • Episode 115: Fozzie bothers Kermit with deliveries for the sake of a running gag. At the end of the episode, Kermit finally gets Fozzie back by hitting him with a pie (and by extension, Candice Bergen).
  • Episode 119: Kermit promises “no silliness,” and is then immediately hit with a pie.
  • Episode 324: One line in the song "I Enjoy Being a Girl" has Miss Piggy singing "With a pound and a half of cream upon his face!" Kermit is then hit with a pie, though Kermit's later statement reveals that it was not cream but "lemon meringue."
  • Episode 511: As Paul Simon sings "Scarborough Fair," Fozzie approaches relating the "Simple Simon" rhyme with Fozzie playing the part of the pie man. When Simon asks Fozzie for a custard pie to go, Fozzie asks, "To go where?" Simon shows him where, putting the pie in his face.
  • Episode 524: Scooter and Beauregard arrive backstage with several pies, having thought Kermit asked to "use pies" (rather than "use spies") in the closing number. When Kermit orders them to toss the pies away, Bo takes him literally and Kermit ends up with a pie tossed in his face. Later, Roger Moore steps in one.

Other Uses in Comedy[]

  • The Muppet Movie: Fozzie crashes his car into a billboard advertising for Aunt Amy's Custard Pies. The pie from the billboard goes flying onto Doc Hopper’s car. Oddly enough, the billboard's designers thought it fitting to use a real, giant pie in its construction.
  • In Muppet*Vision 3D, Fozzie demonstrates to Kermit his remote controlled flying banana cream pie. When the remote control breaks, the pie hits Fozzie. Kermit says it is terrible, which Fozzie agrees, by adding, "Needs more sugar."
  • In a pie gag unique to the Muppets' sensibilities, the viral video “Cårven Der Pümpkîn” has The Swedish Chef prepare pumpkin pie with a bazooka.
  • Wilkins Coffee: Wontkins gets a pie in the face in a commercial for Wilkins Coffee, Kraml Dairy, Faygo Strawberry, Jomar Instant and Frank's Orange Nectar. Wontkins also got a pie in the face by Wilkins when he asked "Is it hard to do?" with Wilkins responding "No! It's easy as pie!" in a commercial for Standard Oil of Ohio for their jackpot winners list (named Sohio in the commercials), and he got a Strawberry Shortcake in the face as well.

General References[]

Sesame Street[]

  • Ernie and Bert: Ernie has two slices of apple pie. He takes the big piece, and gives Bert the small piece. Bert takes offense to this, saying that he would have given Ernie the big piece and kept the small piece for himself - but the outcome is the same, so what's Bert angry about?
    (First: Episode 1166)
  • Waiter Grover: On rhyming day, Grover brings Mr. Johnson apple pie instead of tuna on rye.

Fraggle Rock[]

  • The ceremonial pie throw is mentioned as being a part of trials that take place in the Fraggle Hall of Justice.
  • Fraggle Wars: Throwing a pie in the faces of the oldest Fraggles prevents the Cave Fraggles and the Rock Fraggles from starting a war. In the North American "Doc and Sprocket" segments, Doc is hit with two pies thrown at him by Ned Shimmelfinney and subsequently buys an arsenal of pies with the intention of getting revenge, but is "talked" out of it by Sprocket.
  • The Riddle of Rhyming Rock: In the North American "Doc and Sprocket" segments, Doc ends up with first whipped cream and then a pie tossed into his face due to his inability to follow the directions when putting together an automatic pie-baking machine.

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock[]

  • Deep Dive: Boober makes a blue pie as part of an elaborate plan to scare the Merggles out of their hiccups, but when Wembley accidentally slips on some greaseberries, he knocks the pie in Boober's face. This makes the Merggles laugh, ultimately curing them of their hiccups.
  • I'm Pogey: Boober prepares pies with both radishes and strawberries, to satisfy the culinary desires of both Fraggle factions.

Misc Muppet References[]

  • In the video "Bret McKenzie's Guide to Wellington", Bret McKenzie gives Walter a Kiwi pie. Walter says "you put those cute little adorable birds in pies?"

Merchandise[]

Honorary Mentions[]

See also[]

Sources[]

  1. ↑ Muppet Morsels Episode 115: Candice Bergen
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