Hold everything, except the cheese! Rizzo the Rat has made a triumphant return, and of course, his break is coyly teased on the Muppets Instagram on Christmas Eve. Even rats have social media breaks. “Ho ho yo, it’s the most wonderful time of the year,” Rizzo began in the video, unaware that his return would be Christmas Eve dinner chatter. “But it’s not fashion week,” Miss Piggy replied. Rizzo then referenced one of his most iconic lines in The Muppets Christmas Carol: “Light the lamp, not the rat!” The diva pretended not to know what he’s talking about (“Not from one of the scenes I’m in, so who cares!”). But classic Rizzo loves giving a little nod to the audience, as he replied, “Oh, believe me, there are dozens of people that care!” There are dozens of us who love ya Rizzo, dozens! The rat was seemingly retired after Steve Whitmire’s dismissal from Muppets Studio and Disney in 2016 and hasn’t had any speaking roles since. So it was a huge surprise to see the old friend chopping it up with the pig.
The silly rat wasn’t the only Muppet making a surprise return on Christmas Eve. Bean Bunny, also formerly voiced by Whitmire, and Miss Piggy also did a special video for Disney Vacation Club members. His last big role was in The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz in 2005.
2026 is looking like the year of the Muppets. We’ll be getting a Muppets special featuring Miss Piggy’s friend, Sabrina Carpenter, and for some future dreaming, a Piggy movie written by Cole Escola at an undisclosed date. But at least for the rest of the year, there will be cheeses for us meeces.
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