ode to joy (meep remix)

So I used to be deathly afraid of the Muppet Beaker when I was a little kid. Whenever that segment of The Muppet Show came on (and I seem to remember it was pretty often!) I would start crying and have to be taken out of the room until my parents said it was safe to return. I'm not really sure what scared me about Beaker...the hair? The meeps? The fact that he was always blowing up? Today, as someone who is very into science but not so much wack-o scientists, it strikes me as odd that I would have been scared of the poor lab assistant instead of the crazy
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, who was clearly the one with a screw loose.

Fortunately, a few years ago my brother helped me reconcile with Beaker by buying me a little Beaker doll, and we've been friends ever since. So with that, I give you the inimitable lab assistant, who wishes you a very happy and healthy (and safe!) holiday season. ∞