What Beaker (The Most Awesome Muppet) Is Really Saying

Value #1: Balancing "Me" and "We"

The Story

Over the holidays, my family and I watched one of our favorite movies, The Muppet Christmas Carol. (Gonzo as Charles Dickens is just perfection.) You know who Bunsen and Beaker are, yes? Bunsen is the scientist with the green, honeydew-shaped head (his last name is, in fact, Honeydew) and Beaker is his assistant with a long, peach head, fiery orange hair, and downturned mouth flap. In their partnership, Bunsen does all the talking; Beaker responds merely with “Meep, meep,” but because he doesn’t have the lip flap for the “p” sound, it sounds like “Me, me.”

“Me me me,” Beaker says, all day long.

__________

When I first started learning to play the flute at age nine, I wasn’t motivated. I knew that I had some talent and needed to practice in order to make myself better. When I was in my small group lessons, I tried my best. But it took me all the way until I was in eighth grade— four years later— to find my reason to practice at home.

More on that later.

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It’s kind of fun to imitate Beaker. “Me, me, me.” It’s like saying over and over: “I’m the star, I get all the attention.” Like a toddler or a teenager.

But while I was watching Beaker interact with his fellow Muppets (and Michael Caine as Scrooge), I realized something funny. Beaker may be saying “Me, me, me.” But what he really means is, “Yes, yes, yes.”

When Bunsen speaks, Beaker doesn’t add anything new to the dialogue. He can’t! He can only speak one syllable! He uses that syllable only to agree with Bunsen’s dialogue. Beaker is basically Bunsen’s “Yes man.”

Bunsen is the character the rest of the Muppets turn to when they need to solve a problem. He’s the practical, logical, non-silly voice of the group. But while Bunsen sometimes pokes holes in a proposed solution, or explains why a certain approach won’t work, he always supports the group. Whether they want to put on a show, move to Hollywood, or catch the bad guys, Bunsen is all in. And so is Beaker. He says yes to Bunsen, who is saying yes to the group.

Which means that while Beaker is saying the syllables “Me, me, me,” and meaning “Yes, yes, yes,” it really translates to “We, we, we.”

__________

Here’s why I started practicing my flute, which led to more performances, performing groups and accolades, and eventually to my acceptance to the Crane School of Music.

In eighth grade, I finally had a band teacher who made me understand that my practicing made the group better. He held me accountable in ways my previous teachers hadn’t. That was the year I truly began to love band, because I knew that my individual contribution mattered to the whole.

That was the year I began to practice on my own. I finally had a reason.

__________

We are all, individually, important and unique. Who would the Muppets be without Beaker, or Fozzie, or Miss Piggie? What would a band sound like without each member practicing on their own? Each of us must take care of ourselves, make sure that we’re strong and happy and fulfilled. Sometimes, we all must say, “Me, me, me.”

But in the end, we are inescapably “We, we, we.” We are a group of humans (or Muppets). We are a family. We are a band. We are a school. We are a school, a community, a town.

Our “Me” is in service of our “We.” The balance of these two leads us to a fulfilling life.

This was the first in the Good Character VALUES series! Next week, stay tuned for Value #2: the loop of past, present and future.

Stuff You Might Like To Know

IN A FLASH is currently open for submissions on the theme of DREAMS until January 15. Send us your best, under 500 words.

I’m reading Amor Towles’ short story collection TABLE FOR TWO and the excellent novel FLORENCE ADLER SWIMS FOREVER by Rachel Beanland; and I’m listening to THE STAND IN by Lily Chu on Audible.

I’m listening to all the Apple Music playlists of top songs from 1995-2024 and working on a long playlist covering all the best songs from the last 30 years (which is basically the amount of time I’ve been listening to pop music).

I’m watching “A Man on the Inside” on Netflix with Ted Danson. Thanks to my friend and “Flashies” buddy Casey for the recommendation! (Apparently I look a little like Ted Danson’s daughter.)

Happy New Year, everyone. Keep hoping. Keep caring. Keep trying.