"hand inside" joke

In addition to the Muppets making references to being puppets, it has often been joked (usually by Kermit the Frog) that "Jim Henson had his hand in a lot of things around here," or something to that effect.
* Appearing on The Saturday Show in 1984, host Isla St Clair asks Kermit how he knows Henson (in an interview where both appear on-screen together). Kermit responds that he doesn't quite understand that concept, but that Henson "has his hand in almost everything."
* Kermit makes such a joke when asked about Jim Henson by Gene Shalit in a July 11, 1984 interview on Today.
* In an interview featured in the documentary Henson's Place, Kermit says of Henson: "I hear his name bandied about a lot. I don't know him. He seems to have his hand in a lot of things around here. But I don't particularly know what that means."
* When accepting a special award for the 1985 Montreux Golden Rose Television Festival, Kermit states that Jim Henson is "not a man I know very well, but I have to say he's had a big hand in my career. [looks down] Uh, so to speak."
* Statler and Waldorf comment about Jim Henson at The Television Academy Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1986. At the conclusion of the song "Jim Is," when the Muppet performers are introduced on stage, Statler and Waldorf make the following exchange from the audience:
::Statler: Who are all these people?
::Waldorf: I think they do things for Henson.
::Statler: Well if they do things for Henson, what does he do?
::Waldorf: Oh I understand he has his hand in a half a dozen things.
::Both: Do'h, ho ho ho!
* Speaking directly to Jim Henson in The Jim Henson Hour Pitch Reel, Kermit says "I see that you, as usual, have your hand in almost everything here."
* During The Muppet Show Live, Kermit introduced Steve Whitmire, stating: "Pay no attention to that guy - he's just a hired hand. That's just a little Muppet humor there."
* Before You Leap is dedicated "For Jim Henson, who first held me up for the world to see." One passage from the book (on page 30) also relies heavily on hand puns: "I met someone else back then who had a big impact on my career. His name was Jim Henson. And although I'm not exactly sure what he did, whatever it was really moved me. Along with Jane, his wife-to-be, Jim was always ready to lend a hand around the Sam and Friends set. Whether it was writing a script, making a prop, or just giving us a lift, Jim was there. But he was more than a handyman. Jim was filled with great ideas and had a remarkable spirit that made you believe that anything was possible. And he wasn't afraid to roll up his sleeves and make it happen. Jim and I had a relationship that just kept growing over the years. It was as if we were a part of each other, connected at the heart as we went arm in arm through life."
* When asked "what was Jim Henson like" in The Muppets on Muppets interviews, Kermit responded: "He seemed to have a hand in everything we did. Nice guy."
* In the comic book page intros to Iron Monster and Sesame Heroes, an ad for "X-Ray Specs!" shows Elmo's silhouette with a human arm and hand inside.
* In an interview at the 2011 D23 Expo, Kermit said of Henson: "He certainly elevated me to new heights and had a hand in everything I did." 
* Kermit called Jim his "right hand man" at Jim Henson's Musical World in 2012.
==Other references==
When the Sesame Street characters appear in JD's fantasies in the Scrubs episode "My ABCs", JD's diagnosis after consulting Ex Ray's x-ray is "You have a hand inside you." Ray concludes that this explains many things.
In 2010, the Henson.com Podcast featured a video short with a puppet (DJ 1 from Animal Jam) who presses an X-ray button on a copy machine and is shocked to see a hand inside of him. 
Additionally, the name of Howard Handupme on Dinosaurs is a play on the fact that he has a hand up him.
File:Ex_Ray_x-ray.jpg|Ex Ray's x-ray on Scrubs.
File:hensonpodcastxray.jpg|Henson.com Podcast video
==In pop culture==
The joke of Muppet x-rays showing hands inside or naked Muppets being exposed hands has become a recurring meme and trope in popular culture, beginning in comic strips and extending to pop art and unofficial t-shirt designs.
Offthemark19950307.gif|Off the MarkMarch 7, 1995
Offthemark20080509.gif|Off the MarkMay 9, 2008
2014-01-08B.gif|Off the MarkJanuary 8, 2014
Offthemark140404.gif|Off the MarkApril 4, 2014
Grimm3.JPG|Mother Goose and GrimmJuly 20, 2004
MGG-2011-01-12.gif|Mother Goose and GrimmJanuary 12, 2011
Bizarro-08-28-11-muppet.jpeg|BizarroAug 28, 2011
Bz-panel-02-03-12.jpeg|BizarroFeb 3, 2012
Bizarro20160307.gif|BizarroMar 7, 2016
ArgyleSweater04062022.jpg|The Argyle SweaterApril 5, 2022
Jim Benton 2023-05-05.jpg|Jim BentonMay 5, 2023
American dad a little mystery.jpg|American Dad!September 11, 2023
Realitycheck101907.gif|Reality Check
KermitXray.jpg|paisdelocos.com
kermit-xray_02.jpg|smart-tees.net (T-shirt)
kermit xray.jpg|Joshua Kemble
alexmdc.tumblr hand inside joke.jpg|alexmdc on tumblr
the-good-frog-teefury.png|TeeFury shirt 
hand inside Ed Harrington.png|Ed Harrington, t-shirt artist
kerrycallen.blogspot for Threadless.png|Kerry Callen for Threadless
kermit-xray_03.png|Shirt Woot design by amegoddess
count-mirror.jpg|8tes.com t-shirt
big-bird-x-ray-captain-ribman.jpg|Captain Ribman, t-shirt artist
Nacho Diaz - Threadless.jpg|Nacho Diaz, t-shirt artist
Zoinks_by_mightyrain-d39i5hw.png|MightyRain
Kermit-nude.jpg|Cracked.com
Kermits-X-Ray-550x550.jpg|The Age of Nerd
kermit-xray-photo.jpg
==Notes==
* Marlon Brando infamously threw temper-tantrums on the set of The Score and would yell things at Frank Oz along the lines of "I bet you wish I was a puppet so you could stick your hand up my ass and make me do what you want."The Guardian: Brando creates tension on set of The Score, July 9 2001.
==Sources==
==See also==
* References to being puppets
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Category:Running Gags
Category:Self-References