For over six decades, Jim Henson's beloved characters The Muppets have been entertaining fans of all ages all over the world. Whether fans prefer the original The Muppet Show, the classic movies like The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan, the 1990s renaissance with works like Muppet Treasure Island and The Muppet Christmas Carol, or recent ventures like 2011's The Muppets and the 2015 ABC series The Muppets, it's clear that these puppets have staying power. Their new Disney+ series Muppets Now only further exemplifies that.
It's also clear that opinions on favorite Muppets are endlessly varied, given the hundreds upon hundreds of characters that have been introduced into the franchise. But when it comes to the Muppet relationships, both platonic and romantic, there are some that clearly stand well above the others, and some that don't quite measure up.
Best: Statler and Waldorf
Though their defining personality traits might be grouchy and difficult, it's virtually impossible to not love the grumpy old men duo of Statler and Waldorf. As Muppets who can't stand the Muppets at large, these two are always ready with the perfect snarky remark, whether the time calls for it or not.
There are plenty of best friend duos in the world of the Muppets, but these two with their sarcasm and biting humor are possibly some of the most relatable to the human fans in the audience.
Best: Rizzo and Yolanda
Though Rizzo and Yolanda have long been background players in the Muppets universe, the romantic back and forth between these two really came to the forefront in the short-lived ABC series The Muppets. And honestly, it's hard to understand why it took that long.
Rizzo has always been a wise-cracking rat with a New Jersey accent and attitude, and Yolanda is quite literally one of the only Muppets able to keep him on his toes and take him to task. Hopefully, there will be much more of these two in the years to come.
Worst: Scooter and Skeeter
Sibling relationships are often hard to get right in the world of television and film, as it's easy to have one sibling's treatment of another veer into annoying and downright bully-level territory. Take, for example, the infrequently used duo of twins Scooter and Skeeter.
Glimpsed only in both iterations of Muppet Babies, these two have yet to really find the right balance of sibling rivalry and affection, with the overbearing Skeeter often bossing poor Scooter around. It's no wonder, then, that Skeeter has never appeared in actual Muppet form, and only in animation.
Best: Bunsen and Beaker
The world of the Muppets is often a chaotic one, but it'd be hard to find a friendship filled with more chaos than the one between Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his lab assistant, Beaker.
Any time these two appear together, two things are guaranteed: Beaker is going to wind up hurt during an experiment gone awry, and the laughter will be endless. Sometimes, physical humor is all it takes, and even Muppets are masters of that.
Best: Fozzie and Kermit
One of the seminal relationships at the heart of the Muppets as a franchise is the relationship between best friends Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear. The friendship between the Muppet leader and standup comedian is an unlikely one, and often finds Kermit doing his best to humor Fozzie's, well, humor.
But more than anything, it's clear that these two Muppets really care about each other. Some of the most heartwarming scenes in the entire franchise take place between these two, and it's not hard to believe that they really are best friends.
Worst: Kermit and Piggy
As hard as it may be to admit, there are certain sides to Kermit and Piggy's iconic relationship that aren't exactly healthy, no matter how beloved this interspecies couple may be.
Piggy can be incredibly abusive, both emotionally and physically. It's impossible to count the number of times she's shoved and hit Kermit over the years. Kermit also isn't exactly the most forthright in terms of his feelings, and often seems unwilling to commit.
Best: Kermit and Piggy
But no matter the ups and downs of their decades long romance, it would be impossible to create a list of the best of the best Muppet relationships without including Kermit and Piggy among the best, too.
For so many fans, Kermit and Piggy are what immediately come to mind at the mere mention of the Muppets. Their romance is one of the defining features of the franchise, and their love for each other, though rocky, has survived all this time for a reason.
Worst: Fozzie and Becky
Though the Muppets universe has featured comically exaggerated romances between Muppets and human performers on other occasions, something about the 2015 series' inclusion of Fozzie's relationship with Becky (Riki Lindhome) just felt off.
Much of that is due to the series' struggle with trying to incorporate edgier, and often times inappropriate, humor into its episodes. In the end, it just made much of Fozzie and Becky's relationship come across as more crass than most of the Muppets' other storylines.
Best: Rizzo and Gonzo
There are many friendships within the Muppets universe, but none of them are more hilarious, more well-suited, and more lovable than the one between resident weirdos Gonzo the Great and Rizzo the Rat. These two were introduced as a pairing in the 1990s renaissance, featuring in lead buddy comedy type roles in films and television alike.
It'd be hard to find two Muppets whose senses of humor are better suited to each other's than these two. Childish, adventurous, excitable, sarcastic, and compassionate all at once, Rizzo and Gonzo often feel like more than just best friends - they're family.
Worst: Kermit and Denise
Speaking of distasteful storylines from the 2015 series... Possibly the worst decision the Muppets has ever made as a franchise was to pair Kermit with another pig named Denise.
Designed as a younger, flashier, sexier Miss Piggy, Denise stuck out like a sore thumb in the series, making it feel like an attempt to stay relevant and timely more than anything else. Denise added nothing to the series, or the universe, only making Kermit look bad by extension.