The Ultimate Sesame Street Fan Just Definitively Ranked Everyone's Favorite Muppets

Published on 1/10/2017 at 1:48 PM

I Am Jim Henson

Every editorial product is independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our links, we may earn commission.

We've long been fans of New York Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer, whose Ordinary People Change the World series of children's books has introduced real-life heroes to a new generation of readers. The collection — which already includes Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, and Lucille Ball — was born out of a shopping venture he took with his daughter four years ago.

"All I could find were clothes with princesses on them," he told POPSUGAR. "Reality TV show stars. People who are famous for being famous. I'm tired of it. With each refresh, our kids are being fed garbage through their eyeballs. So I launched this series so I can give my own kids better heroes to look up to."

Meltzer's latest illustrated biography, on bookshelves today, is I Am Jim Henson, and with good reason:

"When I was 5 years old, Jim Henson on Sesame Street taught me that you can use your creativity to put more good in the world," he told us. "Goodness. Kindness. Creating. Pretending. These are things that should never get old. You should never apologize for being a do-gooder. I need those lessons for my kids today. And no one represents that like Jim Henson, Kermit, and the Muppets."

To celebrate his new book, we asked Meltzer to do one of the most difficult things a true Muppet fan can do: rank them.

"We all have our favorite Muppets. These are mine," he says of the below countdown of his top 10 favorites. "When I think about them, I'm 10 years old again. So here's to all of us: the lovers, the dreamers, and you."

Big Bird

"The child of the bunch. Full of heart and love. Plus, the only one who could see Snuffleupagus. I met Carol Spinney a few years ago. I almost burst into tears."

Statler and Waldorf

"Think of how subversive it was to have characters who ripped apart his own show. This is Jim Henson at his best."

Animal

"Eat drums! Eat drums! No, Animal: BEAT drums. Still the one Muppet that makes my kids laugh the most."

Oscar the Grouch

"Scram! The more he hates us, the more we love him. Jim Henson's dark sense of humor on full display in an angry grouch."

Fozzie

"Vaudeville is back, it wears a hat, and it's a bear. Good grief, the comedian's a bear!"

Cookie Monster

"C is for Cookie. And it will forever be good enough for us. We're all the beneficiaries."

Miss Piggy

"To this day, one of the greatest divas of all time. In The Muppet Movie, she left Kermit for a gig. But we love her anyway. Because she is always absolutely unapologetically herself."

Grover

"As a waiter, or as Super Grover, or (c'mon) as the monster at the end of this book, cuteness has no equal."

Ernie and Bert

"To this day nobody can beat the original odd couple. Jim Henson and Frank Oz are titans. Just imagine the very best in the industry giving their lives to children's public television."

Kermit the Frog

"From the first twangs of that banjo in 'The Rainbow Connection,' he has us. He is us. He's who we want to be."

I Am Jim Henson

I Am Jim Henson ($15)

I Am Jim Henson

From

$15