Muppet Babies Family Halloween Costume

“ Muppet Babies! They make their dreams come true. Muppet Babies! They’ll do the same for you.” – Robert J. Walsh

My husband and I grew watching Saturday morning cartoons. When it came to last years family Halloween costume, we wanted to pick something nostalgic that brought us back to our beanbag chairs and the carefree days of our youth. After going back and forth, we landed on the iconic Muppet Babies.

For those of you who may not know, Muppet Babies first graced our TV screens in 1984 and continued to entertain audiences for 7 seasons. It was a spin-off of the beloved Muppet franchise. Beloved characters included pint-sized versions of Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, Animal and others. Nanny was the adult caregiver in the show, and her face was never revealed but her voice and loving character was a memorable component of the show. One of the core elements of the show was the power of imagination. The Muppet babies would embark on epic adventures without ever actually leaving their nursery. Through it all, the Muppet Babies friendships endured ups and downs serving as a reminder to children about the importance of loyalty and companionship as well as problem-solving.

My husband and I both fell in love with the Muppet Babies at an early age, and all things Jim Henson. Fun fact… we short listed Henson as a possible name for our son, but it didn’t make the final cut. None the less, we passed on our love and appreciation of the Muppet’s to our kids and they were more than on board with this family costume, which is quite something since they rarely agree on anything.

We have been photographing them with Muppet stuffies since they were little, so they were born into the Muppet family early on.

So, I went to work hand sketching the characters onto Foam Core using pencil and a black Sharpie marker. Then, I painted the characters accordingly using Acrylic paint in vibrant colors. I used sponges at the back near the forehead to keep the mask away from our faces and to allow some breathing room, and attached Elastic band to wrap around our heads and hold the masks in place. I used an X-Acto Precision Knife to carefully cut around the masks.

Then I had to curate the outfits to resemble the characters. This involved shopping our closets for what we already had, as well as checking out what was available in the stores at that time. I tried to find pieces that they could wear as part of their regular wardrobes afterwards to make sure that I wasn’t being wasteful. We had a lot of luck at Zara and Old Navy for the kids, and Jeff and I pickup up Fruit of the Loom Sweatshirts from Walmart. In the end, I loved how the outfits came together and how they had a streetwear vibe to them.

The most exciting and creative part of this family Halloween portrait was the gigantic Nanny legs that I made from scratch. I hand drew Nanny by gluing together a bunch of Bristol board sheets and hand drawing them as best I could. The most impressive thing about Nanny was her sheer scale. She was so large that she covered our entire wall, like a mural. I really felt like Nanny made this years costume extra special and one of a kind, and truly captured what it feels like to be a baby living in a great big world.

Whether you’re reliving your past or introducing a new generation to the magic of the Muppet Babies, this timeless series reminds us that with a little imagination, we can make our dreams come true. I hope this family costume transports you back in time and inspires you and your family to choose Muppet Babies for your next Halloween Family portrait. “Just close your eyes and make believe” and you can be anything you want to be. Happy Halloween!