The story of The Muppets Fozzie Bear’s Studebaker
"A bear in his natural habitat: a Studebaker." So says Fozzie the Bear in The Muppet Movie while driving a 1951 Studebaker Commander borrowed from a hibernating uncle.He and Kermit the Frog set out towards Hollywood in the rusty beast, a journey that would eventually drive it straight into pop culture history – immortalised in Drew Struzan's poster for the film and, now, donated to the Studebaker Museum, awaiting a much-needed restoration.
Two cars were used for the film. One, unaltered, for the sweeping wide shots of Fozzie and Kermit driving through American landscapes, singing the Paul Williams-penned 'Movin' Right Along' and one for shots in which they're seen inside the car. The latter belongs on a long line of technical innovations made by the Henson organisation, allowing their characters to exist in the real world in ways previously unexplored by conventional puppetry. To pull off the effect of a felt frog and fabric bear driving a car, the filmmakers installed driving controls in the boot of the car so Jim Henson and Frank Oz could bring the characters to life up front. The driver was guided by a small television screen hooked up to a camera hidden in the distinctive 'bullet' nose of the car.
That nose is the most distinctive feature of the model, the car most often comes to mind when someone says 'Studebaker'. The company was founded in 1852, manufacturing horse-drawn wagons in South Bend, Indiana. In 1895 they started developing their first 'horseless carriages' and by 1920 they had ceased all production of horse-drawn vehicles and continued to grow – even through the roiling seas of the Great Depression, World War I and II. It was their prescience in anticipating the demand for automobiles in a post-WWII America (their tagline at the time was "first by far with a post-war car") led to the 1951 Commander. It exemplifies the spirit of the time: the nose inspired by aeronautic engineering, the sleek curves echoing the era's science fiction aesthetics and a robust road presence reflecting the prosperity of a country that would soon be taking to the stars.
But, just as Fozzie had to trade in his Commander at Mad Man Mooney's after Gonzo collides with it, Studebaker wasn't much longer for this world. Their Indiana location – far away from the centre of American automobile manufacture in Detroit – made it expensive to keep up with the boom in car production and they eventually became collateral damage in a pricing war between the 'Big Three' (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler). After fitful attempts to rehabilitate their finances, their last cars rolled out of a Hamilton, Ontario plant in 1966.
Movin' right along.
Find your own Studebaker today here on carsales.
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