ToughPigs’ Top 25 Muppet Cover Songs: How the list was made and what stood out

# Overview

# Eligibility rules and selection process

• A cover had to be recorded within the last 25 years.
• The performer (character, person, or band) must not have sung that song prior to 2001.
• Eligible sources are official Muppet, Jim Henson Company, Sesame, or ToughPigs productions.
• Unofficial covers and the many Muppet tracks on streaming platforms were excluded.
• The ToughPigs staff nominated covers, then voted to produce the Top 25.

These criteria narrowed the field and focused the list on relatively recent, official recordings rather than decades-spanning standards or third-party compilations.

# Notable entries (ranks 25–21) The original article includes commentary for every entry. The brief reproduces the details for five lower-ranked selections and the writers' perspectives.

1. 1"Rapper's Delight" — The Swedish Chef

• Writer: Joe Hennes
• Chef turns the rap classic into mock-Swedish gibberish. The performance appeals to listeners who don't follow rap lyrics closely because the Chef's nonsense delivery becomes the comedic point.

1. 1"A New Way to Walk" — Destiny's Child

• Writer: Meagan Barbeau
• Why it made the list: ToughPigs' writer cites nostalgia and the trio's harmonies. The cover delivers a smooth, catchy take on the original and includes a small Muppet moment — Elmo's line "You go, Beyoncé!" at the end.

1. 1"'Zat You, Santa Claus?" — The Electric Mayhem

• Writer: Mike Westfall

1. 1"In Spite of Ourselves" — Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy

• Writer: Cameron Garrity
• Why it made the list: Performed on The Muppets sitcom, the John Prine cover felt, for this writer, like an authentic Muppet performance. The duo's chemistry on the song made it feel like a core Muppet moment within the Disney-era show.

1. 1"I Want a Snuffleupagus for Christmas" — Big Bird and Anne Hathaway

• Writer: Anthony Strand
• Why it made the list: From the special Elmo's Christmas Countdown, this adaptation of the novelty song reframes the childlike wish as an adult desire — Oscar-winning actress Anne Hathaway sings alongside Snuffy and Big Bird, and the writer highlights Hathaway's evident enjoyment.

# What this list shows The Top 25 emphasizes variety: comedic transformations (the Swedish Chef), celebrity duets (Anne Hathaway), band-style jazz covers (Electric Mayhem), nostalgic pop harmonies (Destiny's Child), and intimate character duets (Kermit and Piggy). The staff's voting process and eligibility rules shaped a list that focuses on recent, officially produced performances that reinterpret existing songs through Muppet personalities.

# Closing practical note