Doc Hopper

Doc Hopper is the Southern-bred owner of the Doc Hopper's French Fried Frog Legs chain of fast food restaurants in The Muppet Movie. When Hopper sees Kermit dancing, after being informed of the frog by his assistant Max, he's determined to have him as a spokesfrog, and he won't take no for an answer. Doc previously handled his own commercials, wearing a frog suit.
Doc Hopper's dream is to expand his franchise and own 1,000 restaurants. To achieve this goal, Hopper single-mindedly pursues Kermit halfway across the country in his limo, establishing himself as the villain of the film in the process. Doc's methods become increasingly desperate (bringing about a crisis of conscience for Max), hiring mad scientist Professor Krassman to brainwash Kermit (he kidnapped Miss Piggy to lure Kermit to Krassman) and later enlisting Snake Walker and other thugs to kill the frog if he refuses. Doc's ambitions and ruthless determination are contrasted with Kermit's desire to spread joy and happiness to others. While Kermit's dream "becomes better the more people you share it with", encompassing a range of characters, Doc's goals are exclusionary, isolating him even from Max.
During their final standoff at an abandoned ghost town, Kermit makes a final plea to Doc Hopper, saying that all he wants is to fulfill his and his friends' dream, and that perhaps if Doc put aside his own selfish intent, he would see that he didn't want to continue his pursuit of the gang. Doc ultimately decides that if Kermit isn't going to be his spokesman, then he should die instead. Just as Doc's men prepare to finish off Kermit, Animal plows through the roof of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's lab, having consumed a large number of Insta-Grow Pills. Animal roars loudly, scaring off Doc and his men, with Max wishing the Muppets the best of luck before he too flees.
In It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, The World in which Kermit was Never Born shows that Doc Hopper's Frog Legs is a thriving fast-food restaurant with a franchise in Bitterman Plaza, implying that Doc Hopper's chain was able to prosper because Kermit wasn't there to interfere.
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Category:Muppet Movie Characters
Category:Human Characters