One puppet loved coffee. The other puppet refused. Things got weird.
Years before he became synonymous with Kermit, Miss Piggy, or the Muppets, Jim Henson made TV commercials for a Washington, D.C. coffee company. He created two puppets for the campaign. One loved the coffee, but the other wanted nothing to do with it. Henson had seconds to sell the product, so he used an unusual approach to settle the puppets’ disagreement.
Today’s Trivia Question
Which coffee company hired Jim Henson to create the commercials?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
Bonus points if you know the names of the two puppets.
| A Few More for Fun… |
As you might know (or guess), Wilkins loved the coffee, but Wontkins wouldn’t even give it a try. In typical Henson style, things didn’t end well for Wontkins.
What future Muppet did Wilkins resemble?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
What did Wilkins Coffee eventually offer customers featuring the two characters?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
| A Few More Trivia Questions Before You Go… |
Science
History
What problem were early espresso machines designed to solve?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
Geography
What are the two countries that together grow around half of the world’s coffee supply?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
Movies
The Smithsonian owns a coffee cup and saucer used at which fictional TV coffee shop?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
Language
Before “mocha” meant coffee combined with chocolate, the word “Mocha” was linked to what?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
Answers
Today’s question Answer: C. Wilkins Coffee Bonus points if you knew the (traditionally witty Henson) names Wilkins and Wontkins. | |
| 01 | Answer: D. Kermit the Frog. |
| 02 | Answer: B. Toy hand puppets. Though the two don’t really pair well (coffee and hand puppets), the company turned its feuding advertising characters into children’s hand puppets! |
| 03 | Answer: B. False. An 8-ounce cup of decaffeinated coffee still contains from 2 to 15 milligrams of caffeine! |
| 04 | Answer: B. Coffee took too long to make. Early inventors used steam and pressure to make coffee faster for the ever-increasing number of customers. |
| 05 | Answer: A. Vietnam and Brazil. Together, they are the true heavyweights of the world coffee crop, growing roughly half of all of the world’s supply. |
| 06 | Answer: C. Cafe Nervosa. Frasier and his brother Niles Crane were shown as regulars at the Seattle coffee shop throughout the series run of Frasier. |
| 07 | Answer: B. A place in Yemen. The Red Sea port city of Mocha was the center of the coffee trade for at least two hundred years! |
How did you do? Score 1 point for each correct answer and 1 point for each bonus you knew. Perfect score: 10.
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