Since being acquired by Disney, The Muppets have had many fits and starts in their journey. Multiple attempts at series have been unsuccessful, including 2015's The Muppets and 2020's Muppets Now, and recent films have been polarizing at best. But with Muppets Haunted Mansion, it's possible that the beloved characters might have finally found their footing again.

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By combining the canon of the Muppets with the revered history of the Haunted Mansion, the Disney+ special finds the perfect blend of spookiness and heart, and plenty of humor, too. With great cameos by many beloved Muppets, and a stellar guest cast, Muppets Haunted Mansion is the funniest Muppet production in recent history.

"Don't You Have Anything Better To Do Than Boo Me?" / "We're Ghosts." / "Yeah, Booing Comes With The Territory."

Gauzy the Hatbox Bear performs standup comedy in Muppets Haunted Mansion

As the Hatbox Ghost in the Haunted Mansion, Fozzie Bear provides the ghosts in the ballroom with his own patented form of entertainment. But even in the afterlife, Fozzie is still a struggling comedian, and Statler and Waldorf, two of Jim Henson's most iconic creations, still make it their "life's mission" to heckle their fellow Muppets every chance they get.

In the middle of Fozzie's standup routine, Statler and Waldorf zoom by and provide the less than funny comic act with some much-needed snark. Even though Statler and Waldorf's sarcastic commentary involves some common puns, their jokes nevertheless land even better than Fozzie's.

"I Bet They'll Hand Us Swag Bags And Great Parting Gifts." / "You Mean Departing Gifts." / "I Don't Get It. What You Mean? What You Talking About?"

Pepe & Gonzo in Muppets Haunted Mansion

The pairing of Gonzo and Pepe the King Prawn makes for a new entry into the canon of popular Muppet relationships. Although these two characters are very different, they still manage to find some real moments of humor together, even if these mostly occur through jokes made by one at the other's clueless expense.

Additionally, Pepe is often completely oblivious in most scenarios, and a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to wordplay. That makes him a perfect object of mockery for Gonzo, who is all too eager to make darkly comedic jokes that twist Pepe's words as he gets into the spooky theme of the Haunted Mansion.

"Sixth Time's The Charm, They Say. 'They' Being Henry VIII."

The ghost of Uncle Deadly talks to Pepe the King Prawn in Muppets Haunted Mansion

Even though Disney has largely marketed The Muppets toward family and children, The Muppets have always been characters designed to entertain adults. Muppets Haunted Mansion continues this tradition in some of its higher concept jokes, which contain elements and references that no child would be able to understand.

When the ghost of Uncle Deadly appears to officiate the wedding between Pepe and Constance Hatchaway, he gets to make quite a few of these jokes. But the funniest of them, and also the most morbid, involves him joking about Henry VIII's pattern of having his wives killed.

"If I Don't See Some Champagne Cocktails And Horsey Derves ASPCA, I'm Out Of Here, Okay?"

Yvette Nicole Brown & Pepe in Muppets Haunted Mansion

Pepe is an odd choice as Gonzo's plus one for the night he spends at the mansion. But from the very beginning of the special, it is clear that Pepe doesn't care about the mystery of the Great MacGuffin; he is only in this adventure to see "famous peoples," including Ryan Gosling, Beyoncé, and "Bard Pitts."

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Pepe fancies himself to be a celebrity in his own right, with a love of the ladies and the partying scene. But he's also completely clueless about the way the party scene works, which he makes clear when he asks for some "horsey derves ASPCA." Pepe is all about the finer things in life - or he would be, if he knew what they really were.

"Yes. Yes. A Thousand Times Yes." / "Si. And One Time No Way, Jose."

Will Arnett stands beside Pepe the King Prawn and Gonzo the Great in Muppets Haunted Mansion

It takes a lot to ruffle Gonzo's feathers. The seemingly fearless daredevil Muppet is thrilled the further he and Pepe get into the Haunted Mansion, and he eagerly welcomes each and every one of the 999 Happy Haunts they come across. Pepe, on the other hand, is a total scaredy-cat, which allows for some humorous contrasts to be drawn between the two.

Some of the humor that these two create together simply comes from the unexpectedness of their dynamic, and the ease with which the viewer can question why they were paired together in the first place. So when Pepe initially agrees with Gonzo here, only to insist on "one time no way, Jose," it's a great reminder of just how unexpected their bond is.

"Gee, No One Says Goodbye Here. They Just Ghost You. ... Oh, I Get It."

Gonzo prepares to enter room 999 in Muppets Haunted Mansion

Sometimes, The Muppets are known for particularly sophisticated humor that takes a little while to understand. Other times, they make the obvious jokes that anyone would. But even in those latter cases, the jokes routinely land, thanks to the strength of the writing within this special, which is a marked improvement over their prior Disney+ outing, the hit or miss Muppets Now.

As Gonzo wanders alone along the halls of the Haunted Mansion, with only the floating candelabra to guide him, it's almost expected that he would make a joke about being "ghosted" by his Ghost Host. But that doesn't make the joke any less hilarious in the moment.

"Tips Are Encouraged." / "Don't Trust Free Cheese."

Pepe is stunned as he meets the Ghost Bride in Muppet Haunted Mansion

When Gonzo and Pepe happen upon the room inhabited by "Madam Pigota," they come away with instructions about where to go next in the Haunted Mansion. Piggy is questionable in her usefulness as a spirit guide, but also in her rhyming ability, telling the friends to spy a "glowing Exat" sign, since what could possibly rhyme with bat?

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Pepe, of course, rattles off three examples: fat, rat, hat. But rather than leave it at that, Muppets Haunted Mansion makes good on the unspoken promise, introducing the seldom-used fat rat character, Bubba, as another guide for the duo, to whom Pepe gives a tip - "don't trust free cheese." It's a brief exchange of one ridiculous moment after another, and one of the special's funniest as a result.

"Dun, Dun, Dun... Dun." / "No, That's Too Many Dun Duns, Isn't It?"

Mummy and Duddy banter in the hallway in Muppets Haunted Mansion

The Muppets have introduced many characters in the post-Jim Henson era, but few have had as hilarious first appearances as the duo of Mummy and Duddy. Mummy, a mummy, and Duddy, a skeleton, are two of the ghosts roaming the halls of the Haunted Mansion who regularly infuriate Will Arnett's Ghost Host and each other.

In each of their appearances, they try to inject some drama and suspense into whatever is going on, by bursting into the scene and proclaiming "dun, dun, dun!" However, as goofy and dim-witted Muppets, they are almost always late, and almost always have the wrong number of "duns," making for a hilarious running gag across the special.

"What's The Matter With You? You Can't Say That. This Is A Family Show."

The ghosts of Sal Minella, Johnny Fiama, a penguin, and other Muppets argue in Muppets Haunted Mansion

More than most characters in the Disney universe, The Muppets are known for breaking the fourth wall quite regularly. That tradition is thankfully continued in Muppets Haunted Mansion, largely due to the reintroduction of the iconic duo of Johnny Fiama and Sal Minella.

In the dramatic sequence in the Haunted Mansion's attic, Johnny, Sal, and other Muppets appear as the ghosts of Constance Hatchaway's deceased husbands. When a penguin ghost gets a bit too exuberant in his explanation of his own murder, however, anger erupts within the group, who scold the penguin and remind him that "this is a family show."

"But She Loves Me. She Calls Me Jumbo."

Constance Hatchaway (Taraji P Henson) and Pepe the King Prawn sit together in Muppets Haunted Mansion

Poor stupid, blinded-by-love Pepe. One of Muppets Haunted Mansion's most dramatic storylines finds Pepe seduced by Taraji P. Henson's Constance Hatchaway, and on the verge of becoming her next victim until Gonzo intervenes.

All throughout their incredibly fast courtship, Pepe never sees anything wrong, even when Constance begins to feed him grapes laced with spiders and poison. After all, what is there for Pepe not to love, when she calls him Jumbo? Pepe is always looking for love, but this time, he really did find it in the worst possible place.

NEXT: The 9 Best Muppets Haunted Mansion Characters