11 Games Parents Wouldn’t Let Kids Play if They Knew

Not every video game is created equal some are designed to make parents raise an eyebrow, clutch the instruction manual, or flat-out ban the console. From over-the-top violence to shocking content, these are the games kids have played while adults either looked the other way or didn’t know what was happening. They’re the titles that pushed boundaries, sparked debates, and sometimes even got banned or censored. Here’s a list of 15 games that, if parents had fully known, might have never made it into their living rooms yet kids still found a way to play them anyway.

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Among the many joys of the new Disney+ special The Muppet Show is the chance to catch up with some of our favorite characters. Sure, Kermit, Fozzie, and Miss Piggy may sound a little different. But they’re still the same beloved variety show performers that we’ve been following for years.

Perhaps the greatest disappointment of the special is that it’s only one episode, which means that we can’t spend too much time with any of the second and third-level Muppets. That’s a shame, because Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and the Muppet performers have created a host of lovable characters in a cast that goes far deeper than the regular big names.

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Until The Muppet Show gets a full revival season, we’ll celebrate those underrated Muppets here.

Beauregard

Were Beauregard just a standard dumb guy, he would still be wonderful. Performer Dave Goelz imbues him with such an innocent sweetness that we find ourselves laughing with him instead of at him, especially when he gets to do absurd bits like his tour of London in The Great Muppet Caper. But Beauregard gets even better within The Muppet Show milieu, where he serves as the janitor. Even more than behind-the-scenes guys like Scooter, Beauregard reminds us that it takes many hands to pull off a performance, and the people off-stage are just as weird as the people on the stage.

Lew Zealand

Lew Zealand, originally performed by Jerry Nelson and now by Matt Vogel, began as one of the many one-off weirdos on The Muppet Show, a guy who could do one thing and would stick to that one thing, even if it wasn’t very interesting. Namely, Lew Zealand would throw fish. However, Lew became so much weirder and so much more interesting when he moved off the stage and into “normal” situations. We never fail to laugh when flying fish start popping out of crowd scenes, and his devotion to using paper towels in jewel heists goes beyond any sort of logic into a whole new level of weirdness.

Clifford

The many failed attempts to revive The Muppet Show past the early eighties aren’t exactly a point of pride for Muppet fans, but that doesn’t mean they lack charm. One of the more interesting experiments involved Clifford, the cool catfish-looking Muppet who took over hosting duties for Muppets Tonight. Performed by Kevin Clash, Clifford brought a different energy than the constantly-frazzled Kermit, which helped set apart Muppets Tonight from other iterations. Since that show came to an end, Clifford has been a background player at best, but it would be nice if new projects put him back in the spotlight.

Pepe the King Prawn

While Clifford has been largely forgotten since Muppets Tonight, Pepe the King Prawn has only grown in prominence over the past years, to the point that he may not even belong on this list. Still, we’re including him just because he’s not from the franchise’s most successful era and, therefore, doesn’t always get the attention he deserves. And he really does deserve attention, as performer Bill Barretta has created an infectious character, a guy whose self-confidence goes far beyond the limits of his stature. Need proof? Just go to social media, where you’re sure to find plenty of clips featuring Pepe charming, or attempting to charm, anyone who might find him attractive.

Zoot

Zoot doesn’t do much. Zoot doesn’t say much. But when he does, it always matters. I’m not just referring to the note he sounds (or attempts to sound) at the end of every episode of The Muppet Show. I’m also referring to the one-liners and reactions he gets to give. Take the moment when he jolts awake in The Muppets Take Manhattan. Yes, bandmate Floyd Pepper gets the more prominent joke (“Go back to sleep, nobody’s landed”), but it’s the combination of relief and annoyance that performer Goelz plays that suggests that Zoot’s very still waters do indeed run deep.

Bobo the Bear

Like Pepe, Bobo the Bear debuted in Muppets Tonight and continues to appear in projects. However, unlike Pepe, he doesn’t have a frequent social media presence or a following. And yet, he remains a delightful member of the Muppet cast, precisely because he has the exact opposite energy as Pepe and Clifford. Performer Bill Barretta somehow makes Bobo’s desire to just be part of the gang into something endearing instead of annoying, and his genuinely good attitude makes for a nice, calming presence amongst the overall chaos of the various Muppet shows.

Big Mean Carl

Most Muppet fans first encounter the franchise as children, and, as they age, the fans talk about these characters as a source of warmth and comfort. But there’s another aspect to some Muppet characters, an aspect that many young children first watching the Muppets know well: some of the Muppets are scary. Over time, guys like Sweetums reveal themselves to be big softies, and that’s why we need characters such as Big Mean Carl, first played by Goelz and now by Barretta. There’s an affability to Carl that softens his big meanness, but you never know when he’s going to suddenly swallow a bag-pipe.

Digit

Speaking of scary Muppets: Digit. Digit made his first appearance in The Jim Henson Hour as the show’s technical advisor, and has only made a few background appearances since. Yet, you’re certain to notice Digit every time he shows up, and not just because of Goelz’s strong puppeteering. Digit has a completely unique look, one that has only become more distinctive—and disturbing—as we move away from the ’80s video art that initially inspired his creation.

The Amazing Mumford

Despite Congress’s attempts to gut it, Sesame Street continues to live on, which means that the Muppets for Henson’s other great series get plenty of screen time. One notable exception is the guy who feels like he should have made a few more visits to the Muppet Theater, the Amazing Mumford. Played by Jerry Nelson, Mumford is a magician whose tricks don’t always go right, most memorable for his magic phrase, “A la peanut butter sandwiches!” His indefatigable desire to put on a show makes him unique to Sesame Street, and he needs more attention.

Marvin Suggs

The Muppet Show is a vaudeville-esque show, so it follows that many of its lesser cast members would be performers with one hook for their act. But, with apologies to Crazy Harry, the weirdest and most wonderful of the bunch is Marvin Suggs. Dressed in a flashy flamenco outfit and performed by Frank Oz, Marvin would simply play musical numbers for his audience. It’s just that his instrument was the Muppaphone, a xylophone-like instrument consisting of ball Muppets that say “ow” in different tones when struck. It’s a bizarre bit, and we never get enough of it.

The Muppet Show is now streaming on Disney+.

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