‘Muppets Haunted Mansion’ Cast Suggest a Spooky Followup Special: ‘The Muppets Shining’

No matter season and no matter the reason, the time for Muppets is always now—and I’m not just talking about Muppets Now. The Muppets are back in action on Disney+ with Muppets Haunted Mansion. This brand new special marks the first time that the Muppets have dared to tread into the spooky season, and they’ve set up shop in one of Disney’s most frightful buildings: the Haunted Mansion.

Muppets Haunted Mansion has everything that fans of both iconic franchises would want from a TV team-up. There are antics aplenty, ghosts running amuck, and a celebrity cameo under every headstone. Can Gonzo and Pepe the King Prawn last a night in the most notoriously scary home in the Magic Kingdom? You’ll have to watch Muppets Haunted Mansion on Disney+ to find out.

Ahead of the special’s release, Decider had the privilege of speaking with members of the cast of Muppets Haunted Mansion: Missy Piggy, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Pepe the King Prawn. We talked about everything, including what it’s like to set foot inside the real Haunted Mansion. Without further ado, here’s Piggy!

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Decider: It’s so great to talk to you, Miss Piggy. First—have you ever visited the real Haunted Mansion?

Miss Piggy: Oh, sure. Yeah, I’ve been to Disneyland, absolutely. It’s so much fun. You know, it’s certainly better than the tea cups. Oh my gosh—don’t eat anything before going on the tea cups [laughs].

I loved seeing Kermit get into Miss Piggy drag in this special. What was it like seeing Kermit dressed up like you?

Miss Piggy: You know I… I look a lot better [laughs]. But it was funny wasn’t it? It was very funny. He dressed up like me and I dressed up like him.

You obviously love a fashion moment. When it comes to Halloween, do you like going scary or more glamorous?

Miss Piggy: Well, I love to dress up, don’t get me wrong, but Halloween is a time when most people think they want to dress up as somebody else. You know, kind of wish fulfillment, right? Who am I going to dress up as? Who do I want to be that’s not me? I mean, if you can name somebody, please, please. I’m all ears.

No, I can’t think of anyone else. I also loved seeing you on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars this past summer. Do you have any advice to any aspiring queens out there?

Miss Piggy: Oh, gosh—look: you gotta be you, right? You can’t be somebody else. It’s not about, you know, wearing a costume. It’s about being who you are and letting that shine through in your outfits and everything else. How about that?

Insightful! How do you feel about Gonzo hosting Muppets Haunted Mansion? He was the host of Muppet Christmas Carol, and now he’s got Halloween —

Miss Piggy: Well he’s not really hosting. Will Arnett is kind of the host of Muppets Haunted Mansion, but [Gonzo] is getting some spotlight. You know, I think it’s because he’s kind of weird and creepy, and so he’s kind of a natural for a Halloween special. Moi on the other hand? I don’t really fit in that category. So I don’t have a lot to do in the special, but what I do do is amazing! And you should definitely check it out, just for moi.

Do you have a favorite scary movie? Do you like scary movies?

Miss Piggy: Oh, I like to watch a good scary movie when I’m on a date. That’s the best time, because something jumps out and scares you and then you gotta grab the person next to you [laughs].

With Halloween coming up, are there any treats that you’re excited to indulge in?

Miss Piggy: I I love the chocolat. I love it. Love, love, love, love, love it. But also, the candy corn. A lot of people don’t like the candy corn. I like the candy corn. I don’t have a lot of teeth in here [points to mouth]. So what I do is I take the candy corn and I kind of like, stick it in my mouth and use it like teeth, and then I can bite down hard on the hard candy. And then afterwards, I can suck on my candy corn teeth and it’s just a sugary, sugary sweet heaven. That’s what it is.

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Decider: Hello! Great to meet both of you. What was it like working with each other? Pepe—what was it like working with Yvette?

Pepe the King Prawn: Oh, it’s a dream. Look at her. She’s so beautiful and funny. She just makes everybody happy, you know? You can imagine right? Can’t you tell, Brett?

Yeah of course—

Pepe: Sunshine! She’s like sunshine!

Yvette, what was it like working with Pepe?

Yvette Nicole Brown: I mean, Pepe is very flirty and he’s very complimentary to the ladies, which is always nice. And then just to work with the Muppets in general is a dream come true. It’s a childhood dream come true. I’m pinching myself to this day.

Have either of you ever visited the real Haunted Mansion?

Yvette: I have. I was terrified. When I got into the first elevator and the pictures started to—and I’m like, “Are they moving?! Are they growing?!” I was like, “Oh, this is going to be something that I’m not going to enjoy very much because I don’t like to be scared!” But it’s a delightful scare. It’s the kind of scare that you enjoy, so I loved it. How about you Pepe?

Pepe: I like because it’s like music right away, you know. It’s not super scary, but there’s music as you go on the ride and then you just see a lot of funny things. I like the dog who quivers. You know, he’s quivering.

Pepe—what was it like working with Gonzo? You two are the main Muppets in this special.

Pepe: Yeah, it’s a nightmare.

What’s the hardest thing about working with Gonzo?

Pepe: Ehh, he can’t remember his lines. And he’s always telling the director well, you know, “You’re too close for my nose. Can you back up, put another lens on it?” But, you know, what are you gonna do? He’s been around. He’s been doing this stuff for a long time, Brett.

Yvette—if you could dress up as any Muppet for Halloween, which one would you choose?

Yvette: Well, people would say that I’ve already dressed up as Miss Piggy on Community. I thought I was Glinda the Good Witch but everyone let me know that I was actually Miss Piggy, so I think I’ve already done it.

And Pepe, you got to spend a lot of time with Taraji P. Henson in this special. What was it like working with Taraji?

Pepe: Oh, a lot of fun. She’s so fun. We got along great. We get to sing together, we get to dance together, we got to fall in love, you know? It was great. We laughed a lot.

Do either of y’all have a favorite Halloween candy?

Yvette: I always enjoy a Reese’s Cup. I think that they’re delicious, they’re “travelable” and you can eat them however you’re feeling and they’re always fulfilling and delicious.

Pepe: Ehhh…chocolate covered plankton?

Yvette: Okay…

Pepe: That’s a good one.

Hershey’s Plankton.

Pepe: Yeah, Hersey’s Plankton Peanut.

Lastly, what scary movies are you looking forward to watching this month?

Yvette: Ooh, you know, I’m looking forward to watching the Muppets Haunted Mansion October 8th on Disney+. That’s on my list. How about you Pepe?

Pepe: Ehhhh, I like The Shining…

Yvette: Yeah, that’s good.

Pepe: Yeah.

Yvette: Ooh, The Muppets Shining would be good.

Pepe: Yeah.

Yvette: I want the Muppets to do everything.

Pepe: “Come and play with us Danny.”

Yvette: See? And Danny Trejo did in this one.

Pepe: Yeah, Danny Trejo came and played with us [in Muppets Haunted Mansion]. No, I love the Muppets Haunted Mansion, okay? It’s gonna be a lot of fun, Brett. I promise. I promise you’re gonna have a lot of fun.

Stream Muppets Haunted Mansion on Disney+