Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: The Elvises

Today's article was written by our frequent contributor Kyle Mahoney.

THE ELVISES

Performed by...
Various

First appearance...
Muppet Classic Theater (1994)

Most recent appearance...
It’s A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)

Quotes…
“Thank you, thank you very much. I’d like to thank the both of you.”

“Don’t make me use my karate on you.”

Ben Franklin: I have just discovered electricity!
Elvis: Rockin’ news! Now we can play these electric guitars!

WHO ARE THE ELVISES?
The Elvises are a group of guys who may or may not be Elvis Presley. They all look and sound and act like him, but last time we at The Muppet Mindset checked, there was only one Elvis Presley. But this doesn’t stop these guys.

The Elvises first appeared with the Muppets in Muppet Classic Theater. Due to Rizzo mishearing Gonzo state the title of the next story of "The Elves and the Shoemaker" as "The Elvises and the Shoemaker," when the titular magical creatures come to help Kermit and Robin’s shoe shop, they appear as a group of Elvises (much to Gonzo’s surprise). As in the original story the Elves make a bunch of amazing shoes for the cobbler, but since these are Elvises, they not only sang a rockin’ tune, they created a whole mess of Blue Suede Shoes. In thanks for their help, Kermit and Robin made the Elvises white sequin jump suits and, according to Rizzo, they went to Las Vegas where they play "The Big Room" at The Palace.

After their stint in Las Vegas, the Elvises returned in 1996 for the Muppets Tonight recurring segment "Great Moments in Elvis History" where amazing moments in history are retold the way god intended them… with Elvises. These moments include The Signing of the Declaration of Independence, The King and his Round Table, Elvis of Arabia, Tarzan of Graceland, Sir Elvis Newton, and the death of Elvis Ceasar.

In their last onscreen appearance, The Elvises were featured in the full version of "Moulin Scrooge" in It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. There, they briefly sing "Jingle Bells," interrupting Miss Piggy’s big "Santa Baby" number.

WHY DO THE MUPPETS NEED THE ELVISES?
One thing that makes the Elvises special is that they are solely based on a human and yet they are recurring which doesn’t happen often in the Muppets. Although they don’t do much, they are a funny group of impersonators who I wish would pop up again.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com