Muppets Fans Outraged Over Skeeter Being Replaced in Muppet Babies

The classic 80s children’s television series, Muppet Babies is coming back in March, but not all of the show’s beloved characters are returning and Muppets fans are just not having it.

Last week, Disney revealed that their upcoming Muppet Babies reboot series would feature a brand-new Muppet, a penguin named Summer Penguin. Unfortunately, the introduction of Summer Penguin comes at the expense of a favorite from the original cartoon: Skeeter.

Specifically created for Muppet Babies in 1984, Skeeter was introduced as a female character appearing alongside Miss Piggy. Athletic, spirited, and intelligent, Skeeter served as a counterbalance to Miss Piggy’s over-the-top ultra-feminine persona and to her brother, Scooter’s focus on computers and books. While Skeeter never made the leap to traditional puppet form, she continued to appear in various Muppet Babies and Muppet Kids stories. She was also prominently featured in The Muppet Show Comic Book all grown up during the “Family Reunion” story arc.

In contrast to Skeeter, Summer Penguin appears to lean a little more towards more traditionally feminine roles for the reboot. Executive producer Tom Warburton told EW that Summer Penguin would like art and dance while also being the smallest Muppet Baby.

“[Summer is] kind of our art girl,” Warburton said. “She’s super creative. She loves to draw, she loves to paint, she loves to dance — all at the same time. She’s the smallest of the group, but she definitely has the biggest heart.”

While Summer Penguin sounds like a fun addition to the Muppet Babies lineup, fans are not happy with Skeeter’s erasure and have taken to Twitter to express their displeasure and demand #JusticeForSkeeter.

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