The Muppet Christmas Carol almost featured a puppet version of Charles Dickens

Henson explained that "The Muppet Christmas Carol" has a reputation in England as one of the most faithful literary adaptations of the Charles Dickens story, a description he finds incredibly flattering. He credits screenwriter Jerry Juhl, as well as Goelz (Gonzo's interpreter) for the quality of the film, but reveals that during production he had come to a strange creative impasse. Although the story may stand on its own, Henson felt it was extremely unfortunate that Dickens' own voice was not included. It was then that a producer suggested the possibility of including Dickens in the story as an on-screen narrator.

After sort of mumbling a few ideas, Henson came up with the idea that Gonzo could play Dickens. But one of those whispers was indeed the theory that Dickens might be played by a puppet. Dickens, if any portraits of the author have been seen, had lovely wild hair and an expressive face. It's possible that Dickens translated correctly into the Muppet form. This, of course, would be the highest honor an author could achieve.

In the end, they went with Gonzo. Hating to leave a Muppet alone on screen, however, Rizzo (Steve Whitmire) was immediately brought in as a sidekick. Brilliantly, it turns out, Rizzo's street savvy proved to be a perfect counterpoint to Dickens' more classic prose. Plus, fans could now enjoy the first-ever Muppet feature that somehow featured Gonzo in the lead.

Well, after Scrooge, of course.