Menacing Muppets on the TV Screen

Writing on his personal paranormal website in 1994, Brian Bethel told of a bizarre and terrifying experience that he had when he was only '*about four or five*' years old. He was staying at his grandparents' house with his mother, seeing as his father had gone out of town briefly for a work trip. His grandparents really quite enjoyed the marvels of modern televisual technology, and so they had a TV in both of the bedrooms in the house and one in the living room. Night had dawned gently, and Brian had just eaten his fill of one of his grandmother's homecooked meals. Soon, the entire family piled into the king-sized bed in his grandparents' room and fell asleep. Brian woke suddenly that night, and looked around the room. There seemed to be nothing the matter until the TV turned itself on...

## Dead Air

This happened in (approximately) 1977, and these were the days before television remotes were a widely-used commodity - thus meaning that it was rather unusual to see a TV turn itself on like the one before Brian had just done. Perplexed, Brian sat up and looked at the screen. The television in the room was a black-and-white one, and so Brian watched as the little white dot in the middle of the monitor expanded to cover the whole screen. There didn't seem to be anything on - it was just static. As he watched this dead air, however, '*shadowy things*' started to appear. They were hazy shapes, and they seemed to be watching him. He said they were scoping him out.

Eventually, a clearer image slowly became visible. The googly eyes and woollen fur of familiar puppets. The Muppets made themselves known - and Brian was '*elated*' at the sight of them, trying to wake his grandparents to show them. There were two of these Muppet-like characters, with one looking 'vaguely Groveresque' and the other reminding the witness of Herry the Monster. However, he started to become '*a bit uncomfortable*' about the odd vision on the screen as he looked at it closer. The puppets had fangs. These fangs apparently looked alarmingly '*real and out of place in an otherwise standard Muppet-style mouth*'. There were '*rows and rows*' of these bizarre teeth. Unsure how to proceed, Brian continued watching the television like a deer passively observing the car careering towards it.

The Muppets looked at Brian, which was not unusual seeing as the puppet characters from those sorts of television shows were known to sometimes acknowledge the audience. The Grover-like Muppet leaned over to the Herry creature, and apparently pointed to Brian while whispering something to its companion. It had '*very long, distinct talons*' on its hands, which Brian noted that he found '*very disturbing*'. After Grover had pointed him out, both Muppets turned to look at him in unison while whispering '*a strange, unusually guttural tongue*'. This language seemed to be totally random, but Brian clarified that '*to follow the meter and pattern of a language*'.

After this, the entities started to '*dance, sing and cavort about*' while nattering in their bizarre language. Brian found this '*sort of amusing*', and began to feel slightly more at ease. However, this feeling would rapidly dissipate when the Muppets motioned for him to come forward. He shook his head, but they insisted. The Muppets began to become visible angry, and with all their rows of vicious fangs this '*wasn't pretty*'. Despite the high volume of their cavorting mayhem, Brian's grandparents were not woken up by the noise - which disturbed the child even further. Jumping out of bed and creeping away into the living room, all the while making absolutely sure not to stray too close to the terrifyingly-active screen. The Muppet creatures now '*wore visages of absolute anger*' and were furiously motioning for Brian to come closer. He desperately tried to wake his grandparents but they were totally unresponsive.

In a state of total despair, he ran into the living room and collapsed onto his grandfather's chair before beginning to cry out of utter panic. Only - of course there were a television in the corner of this room as well. It had already turned itself on, and the shadowy forms that had previously morphed into the '*Henson-styled horrors*' were already beginning to flit around among the jarring static. Brian was paralysed with fear, and let out an extremely loud scream of desperation. Just as the cry left his lungs, the fanged faces of the Muppet monstrosities jeered their way onto the screen. However, Brian started to hear footsteps. They got louder and louder, and the Muppets '*looked worried*' before swirling back into their shadowy forms and vanishing completely. The television turned itself off as Brian's mother entered the room.

The mother took some time to console her hysterical child, and after she had done that they both went to check on the grandparents. The grandparents were awake, and had heard Brian's scream. All four of them remained awake for a while and talked among themselves - until Brian was calm enough to once again return to sleep. Nothing else happened that night, or ever again.

## Analysis

Brian insists that he was awake throughout the duration of this event. He was able to get out of bed and run into the living room, and his mother confirmed that she found him in the living room on that night. He believes that the entities on the TV screen that night had assumed the forms of the Muppets to lure him closer. The fangs and claws were probably elements of their true forms that they hadn't yet learned to hide, he thinks. To this day, he wonders what would've happened if he had approached the screen like the Muppets had demanded. '*What better way to snare a young boy than to show him something he loves, then pull him in unawares?*'

## Source

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/topic/52847-evil-muppets/