In honor of National Pig Day on March 1, we wanted to celebrate our favorite and most fabulous pig, Miss Piggy herself. The diva of The Muppets, Miss Piggy’s humor, vivacity, and fashion that made her an icon.
The Early Days of Miss Piggy
Miss Piggy burst onto the scene in an episode of The Muppet Show in 1974. For several decades, from when The Muppet Show officially began in 1976 to 2002, she was performed by Frank Oz, who was eventually replaced by Eric Jacobson in 2001 and onward. Miss Piggy went from a side character to one of the central characters fairly quickly, in part because of her on-and-off again relationship with star Kermit the Frog,
“I remember that Miss Piggy used to be, in the very first year of the show, just a nondescript pig puppet that we had originally used prior to The Muppet Show, in a halfhour pilot called ‘Sex and Violence.’ There was a bit in that pilot with a whole bunch of pigs and she was just one of the pigs. But in one rehearsal, I was working as Miss Piggy with Jim [Henson], who was doing Kermit, and the script called for her to slap him. Instead of a slap, I gave him a funny karate hit. Somehow, that hit crystallized her character for me — the coyness hiding the aggression; the conflict of that love with her desire for a career; her hunger for a glamour image; her tremendous out‐and‐out ego — all those things are great fun…” – Oz to the New York Times, June 10, 1979
Yet Miss Piggy’s over-the-top personality also garnered her a huge fanbase. In fact, her 1981 book (by Henry Beard), Miss Piggy’s Guide to Life, was so popular that it spent 29 weeks on The New York Times Best-Seller List.
Television and Film Appearances
Just like the rest of The Muppets, Miss Piggy has gotten her fair share of screen time in the last several decades. From television appearances and specials to films, Miss Piggy’s stardom is evident.
Here are just a handful of Miss Piggy’s appearances in film and television since she premiered in 1974.
T.V. Appearances
- The Muppet Show (1976-1981)
- Muppet Babies (1984-1990)
- Little Muppet Monsters (1985)
- The Jim Henson Hour (1989)
- Muppets Tonight (1996-1997)
- Muppets TV (2006)
- The Muppets (2015-2016)
- Muppets Now (2020)
Movies
- The Muppet Movie (1979)
- The Great Muppet Caper (1981)
- The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
- The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
- Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
- Muppets from Space (1999)
- It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)
- The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz (2005)
- The Muppets (2011)
- Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
Some T.V. Specials That Featured Miss Piggy
- Herb Alpert and the TJB (1974 – first appearance)
- The Bob Hope All Star Christmas Comedy Special (1977)
- Julie Andrews: One Step Into Spring (1978)
- The Muppets Go to the Movies (1981)
- I Love Liberty (1982)
- The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show (1982)
- The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (1986)
- The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990)
- The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990)
- Holiday Greetings from the Ed Sullivan Show (1992)
- A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008)
- Lady Gaga & the Muppets’ Holiday Spectacular (2013)
- Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)
- The Muppet Show special (2026)
Miss Piggy Off-Screen
Miss Piggy is not just known for her work on screen. She has also appeared on stage in the real world as well. Even in the last year, she had her Broadway debut with Kermit the Frog for Rob Lake Magic with Special Guests The Muppets and an appearance with Sabrina Carpenter during a concert. Miss Piggy has become a cultural phenomenon.
Visitors to the Atlanta Puppet Museum were even able to see Miss Piggy from Muppet Treasure Island (seen above) during the special 70 Years of The Muppets exhibit. In the exhibit, there was even a large image of Jim Henson with Miss Piggy, Kermit, Bert, Ernie, and other Muppets characters he created.
Miss Piggy in the Parks
The most obvious spot to formally see Miss Piggy in the Disney Parks would have been the fountain in Muppets Courtyard in Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort. The fountain was outside of MuppetVision 3D until the area closed permanently on June 7, 2025. The fountain showed Miss Piggy dressed as the Statue of Liberty surrounded by fish and rat statues in the water.
In Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom in Disney World, there was a live performance called The Muppets Present…Great Moments in American History. The show was performed from October 2, 2016, until October 5, 2019. It came back briefly for the holidays in 2019 before its permanent closure on February 17, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Watch the final performance below:
More recently, Miss Piggy could be seen alongside Kermit at the Disney Holidays in Hollywood at Disney Jollywood Nights during Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios at Disney World. She can also be seen in the World of Color – Happiness nighttime show at Disney California Adventure Park.
Check out our video of her performance at Jollywood Nights below:
When it comes to Miss Piggy, fans can’t seem to get enough. Although she’s been around for over 50 years, there seems to be no stopping The Muppet diva from stealing the show. We’re sure she’ll be around for decades to come, telling Kermit what to do and demanding the spotlight.
What are your favorite Miss Piggy moments? Let us know on social media!
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