Miss Piggy's MotorcycleHere's how a real Muppet and a real Suzuki Savage came together to create movie magic in The Great Muppet Caper.When you're a kid, most of the time, you just kind of accept what you see on your screen.On some level, maybe you know it isn't real, and you go along with the fun anyway. But at the same time, what I'm trying to say is that most kids aren't out here debunking the physics of that safe scene in the streets of Rio in Fast 5 (you know the one). That doesn't come until you're older, usually. So if you, like me, didn't even think to question how a Muppet could possibly operate a motorcycle if you saw The Great Muppet Caper as a kid, you're going to have fun with this one. I'll assume that if you thought about it now, you'd obviously come to the conclusion that some talented stuntperson was involved; and heck, you might also have spent at least a few valuable moments of your time going down a rabbit hole to identify exactly what motorcycle the inimitable porcine queen was riding.For When You're Not Riding, But You're Still Thinking About BikesChanning Tatum's Isle of Man Movie Is Filming During the Race, and He's in Full Race KitAt Last, Here's A Motorcycle Movie That Captures The Essence Of Moto Love On ScreenAbout Miss Piggy's BikeIt's a Suzuki TS250, also known as the Savage. The Great Muppet Caper came out in 1981, and so was filmed toward the end of this bike's run; in a sense, it seems like kind of a fitting way to go out for a bike that Cycle World called "the best Japanese dual purpose street and trail 250 ever tested by CW" when the model was first introduced back in 1969. AdvertisementAdvertisementSpend any amount of time looking at motorcycle content online, and chances are excellent that you'll find at least a story or two about someone and their Savage; there are a lot of happy memories that people have of these bikes. It's unclear where Miss Piggy's specific machine may have gone after filming; if you have any information on that, feel free to share! Who Did Miss Piggy's Stunts, Anyway?Thanks to Brian Vanhooker over at Polygon, we now have a glimpse into the man, the myth, and the legend who donned Piggy's silver Evel Knievel-inspired glittery jumpsuit, helmet, and even a big Piggy head to do the deed. It's professional stuntman and actor Kiran Shah, who you've probably seen many times over since this film, even if you didn't know it. In fact, playing Miss Piggy's stunt double came early on in Shah's career, though still after such memorable films as Superman (1978) and Outland (1981). IMDB notes that Shah is "the world's shortest professional stuntman, "as he hits the height charts at 4'1 1/2." Since TGMC, he's appeared in everything from Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) to both the Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings franchises. More recently, he even appeared in the excellent Andor series.This is a guy who's done A LOT, and also brought a lot of us a lot of joy over the years. Going back in time to filming this particular thing, though, it's worth noting one other credit on Shah's resume, and it's one that probably won't surprise you. You see, before he did TGMC, Shah also did another childhood staple of the era, The Dark Crystal. AdvertisementAdvertisementAs he told Polygon, "I was working on The Dark Crystal at the time, doing pre-production. We were rehearsing things, different characters and that stuff. There were quite a lot of characters I ended up doing in that movie. One day, Jim [Henson] and Frank [Oz] came to me and they went, 'We would like you to double Miss Piggy' and I said, 'Yes, I will do that.'"I mean, if we've learned nothing else from movies of that era, there's one thing that comes to mind: The next time someone asks if you're a god, you say YES. Shah went on to tell Polygon about the process, relating that he had to fit into a suit that wasn't custom-made for him, but he made it work anyway. But perhaps the biggest logistical thing that might be vexing your brain if you're a rider is, how'd he operate a motorcycle at all while wearing a Miss Piggy head? About that, he said, "While the stunt was happening, the eye of the head had to be cut out on one side, on the blind side of the camera, so that I could see while driving."It's all about where the camera isn't pointing, in addition to where it is, and that's how the magic gets made. Or at least, how it did before everything was green screens. Practical effects FTW!
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