Muppet eyes Eyes have long been an important part of the Muppet aesthetic . For example , one of the most distinctive aspects of Kermit the Frog is his eyes , originally made from ping - pong ball halves and with unique cross - lined pupils . The Magic Triangle . The placement of the eyes on a Muppet character is key to the success of the character . In " The Art of the Muppets " , the Henson Associates staff wrote , " Perhaps the single most important aspect of the Muppet look is the set of the eyes in relation to the nose and mouth . The Muppet people call this the ' magic triangle ' : correctly positioned , it creates a central focal point essential to bringing a puppet to life in the eye of the camera - - and therefore the viewer . " The development of this concept is often credited to Don Sahlin , chief architect responsible in many ways for the basic look of the Muppets . Jim Henson explained the importance of eye placement : " It would be the last thing [ Sahlin ] would do , and he always wanted me there , to make sure it was right for both of us - - making sure the eyes had a point of focus , because without that you had no character . " The focus of a Muppet ' s eyes depends on the placement of the pupils . The pupils are rarely in the exact center of the eye ; instead , they are placed toward each other , making the character slightly " cross - eyed . " This creates the illusion of focus , and makes it easier for the puppeteer to emphasize what the character is looking at . Because the eyes are such an essential element to the mechanics of the characters , Muppet builders usually wait until the last minute to add the eyes . Eyes and Age . The eyes of Muppet characters have often been broad and inviting , in the manner of cartoon character ' s eyes . Much in the manner of newspaper cartoonists , the size of the character ' s pupils have been a useful means of telegraphing a character ' s age . Sesame Workshop has explained this concept in a 2006 newsletter : " Muppet designers use different sized pupils depending upon how young or old they want a Muppet to look . The smaller the pupil , the older the Muppet looks ; the larger the pupil , the younger the Muppet looks . " Significantly , many child - like characters , such as PJ , Waffle , Emmet Otter and Pip and Pop have had eyes which consist solely of pupils , giving them an endearingly infantile , " button " look . Realistic Eyes . When the Muppet designers created the " Land of Gorch " characters for " Saturday Night Live " , Henson insisted on giving them taxidermy eyes - - realistic - looking glass eyes used for stuffing animals . The eyes lent a more naturalistic look to the characters , contrasting with their general abstract nature . Later productions used taxidermy eyes to blend the look of a real animal with comic anthropomorphism , as seen in such characters as Eliot Shag or Jake the Polar Bear . Creature Shop productions " The Dark Crystal " , " Labyrinth " , and " Dinosaurs " used taxidermy eyes almost exclusively . Eye Movement . For the majority of Muppet characters , the eyes are fixed in certain positions and essentially static . Since Whatnots and Anything Muppets have their features re - arranged frequently , the eyes are simple attachments . Once tacked on , the eyes remain there unless forcibly removed by another character . These eyes have no moving parts . Thus any eye contact or movement is generally an illusion created by the puppeteers through performance , or through calculated manipulation and clenching of the puppet ' s face at key moments . The most recent example of this clenching method is evident in Elmo - - performer Kevin Clash is able to make the character look up in pondering or appear to raise an eyebrow by slightly adjusting the structure of the puppet ' s head where its eyes are attached . For other characters , a variety of techniques have been used , both sophisticated and simple . Cookie Monster , for example , has googly eyes , created by pinning the pupils loosely onto the eyeballs , which gives him an excitable look and makes the character appear more animated . Other creations , such as Big Bird , Animal , Mr . Snuffleupagus , Mokey Fraggle , Hoots the Owl , and Telly Monster have complex eyes with lid mechanisms , which can open , close , expand or contract to create different expressions . Mahna Mahna and Floyd Pepper have had blinking eyes , unique in their design in that they are constructed simply as hollow " sockets , " while in his debut in " The Frog Prince " , Sweetums ' eyes lit up . One of the more advanced techniques used on a simple Muppet character is in the eyes of Wembley Fraggle . His spherical eyeballs are rigged with a mechanism that allow his pupils to appear to move within the realm of the eyes ' white space . Unlike Sam the Eagle ' s pupils , which only move left to right , Wembley ' s can move in any direction , and often in a rotating manner to create the illusion that he is " rolling his eyes . " Still other characters are expressive by means of the material around their eyes . Bert ' s eyes have always been fixed , but his brow is extremely mobile . Dr . Teeth wears a pair of sunglasses which consist only of an upper half , suggesting eyelids at rest for a laid - back appearance , but which can be flung back at a moment ' s notice to telegraph shock or excitement . In some cases when a scene requires total darkness ( such as the electricity going out ) , this is done by using standalone eyes resembling the character ' s eyes on a stick against a black background , a variation of the typical cartoon convention of eyes floating against the darkness . This can be seen in a 1969 sketch when Ernie and Bert blow a fuse running too many electrical things at once and cause a blackout , and in a later segment when Kermit attempts to demonstrate " light " and " dark " while Grover crashes around blindly in the darkness . Glasses and Obscured Eyes . Eyeglasses , monocles , sunglasses , and other spectacles are often useful not just as accessories , but as a defining part of a character ' s features . The eyes of Scooter and Herbert Birdsfoot are permanently attached to their glasses , while Pops ' spectacles hide a pair of perpetually squinting peepers . Bunsen Honeydew and Zoot have no visible eyes at all , with their glasses essentially functioning as eyes . Still other characters have no visible eyes whatsoever . Wendell and Boober Fraggle are key examples , with the latter ' s " eyes " implicitly obscured by his mop of hair and cap , in the manner of Beetle Bailey . Lashes , Lids , and Brows . Simplicity and suggestion can be just as effective as the most complex eye mechanism in shaping a character ' s personality . Miss Piggy ' s carefully crafted purple lids and lashes , placed over blue pupils , suggest strength and glamor . Waldorf ' s age and affinity for napping are suggested by the deep set of his eyes . Janice ' s eyes are simply a pair of angled lashes , while the Amazing Mumford and The Swedish Chef possesses nothing but a pair of bushy eyebrows . Eyebrows often emphasize ( or exaggerate ) certain personality traits ; aggressive Muppet monsters usually have large black eyebrows , whereas the mild - mannered Kermit doesn ' t have any . There are cases in which eyelids are built for a character who does not normally have them , or when the eyelids that they do have are modified to cover their eyeballs . This is done for scenes in which a character is required to sleep on screen , when the simpler solution of turning the eyes away from the camera will not work . Likewise , a slight off - camera tilt of a character ' s eyes between shots will do wonders for conveying emotions . A drastic , unexpected exchange of a set of eyes with another one , as seen with the Happiness Hotel gang in " The Great Muppet Caper " and Captain Abraham Smollett in " Muppet Treasure Island " , can induce hilarity .