I will admit to you that I am a Muppet fan, a serious Muppet fan. I mean, like, I’ve loved the Muppets for as long as I can remember. Sadly, years gone by, they sort of fell off my radar.

I am, however, happy to announce that with the release of The Muppets I was able to fall back in love at my favorite movie theater, The El Capitan.

If you’ve got Muppet fever, then you must know about a very special event going on at Disney’s Soda Fountain (aka El Capitan’s next door neighbor), Disney’s Most Sensational Muppet Party. Muppets, food, cupcakes, and a special surprise…what could be better!!! My two sons and I were recently treated to a very special afternoon in Hollywood. Read on to hear all about it!

Specs

Before we dive into the review, I want to let you know the details if you’d like to book your spot at The Most Sensational Muppet Party! It’s offered pre- or post-movie at Disney’s Soda Fountain on Saturdays and Sundays, November 23rd through January 5th. Available party times are 11:15, 1:00, 5:00 & 6:45.

Ticket prices include the The Most Sensational Muppet Party and admission to see The Muppet Movie at El Capitan Theatre next door. Adult tickets are $40, Children 3-11 & Seniors are $37. Or you can go all out with VIP Admission for $50, which includes reserved premium seating, a souvenir tub of popcorn, and a bottled drink of your choice.

To make reservations, call 818.845.3110 between the hours of 8:00am and 6:00pm. Now, on to the review!

Atmosphere

As soon as we walked into Disney’s Soda Fountain, we knew we were in for a treat! Colorful decor, feathers, fun signage, and party favors were all set up in an intimate corner of the Restaurant/Studio Store just for us (well, and 13 other people!).

Each family/group got their photo taken together, which was printed out with a fun Muppet border and sent home in a souvenir folio.  After we had our picture snapped, we were shown to our seats.

After we took in all of the adorable decor and place settings, attentive cast members immediately made their way to the tables to take drink (also included) orders. Options ranged from soda, to coffee, iced tea, milk, chocolate milk, etc.

As our drinks were being brought out to us, we were asked to look at our menus and decide which Muppet we were most like. My boys told me I was half Kermit, half Fozzie, so I got two stickers! Each guest shared who they were most like and they got to wear our Muppet stickers proudly!

Eats

After we were stickered up, we started on lunch. Fresh cups of fruit salad were sitting at out place settings along with cups of carrot & celery sticks, grapes, and colorful gumballs (one of the most important food groups, right?).

While we snacked on our “first course,” we got to listen to some Muppet facts as well as answer some fun Muppet trivia.  Can YOU name 5 Muppet Movies? I was only able to get four, and the dude who named the fifth got a prize! Lucky duck.

During this time, green salads were brought out to those of us who wanted them. Dressing options included Italian and Ranch. I had the Italian; the dressing was tasty — your standard issue Italian — and the salad was nothing thrilling, but definitely edible (I’m sort of a salad snob, sorry).

As we ate, we got to hear Muppet Jokes and answer more trivia. What’s the name of the “famous” Muppet band, and can you name all of it’s members?

While we were eating our salad, our fabulous cast members walked around with bottomless variety trays of finger sandwiches. First up was the kid pleaser, good ol’ PB & J, on white bread. Which, by the way, always tastes better when someone else makes it for you.

I put one on my plate as did my 10 year old. My picky 7 year old doesn’t like jelly, so to his delight, a plain peanut butter sandwich was brought out especially for him.

Next up was one of my all time favorite sandwiches: Egg Salad.  I have to say, I make a pretty mean egg salad sandwich myself, so these ones would have to be pretty spectacular for me to enjoy…. AND, they were.

Served open face on wheat bread topped with the perfect amount of paprika, these tasty bites got my seal of approval.  I even took seconds.

But wait! There are still more sandwiches to choose from.  Next up were roast beef with cheese and tomato. The roast beef minis came on cute little buns with fresh tomato, a slice of American cheese and a thin layer of mayo.

By this time I was getting pretty full, but in the name of journalism, I kept on tasting. Another great little sandwich. The bun was soft, the tomato was flavorful, and the cheese was firm and not processed-tasting.  I also appreciate the fact that the mayo was not overwhelming, which kept the sandwich from getting soggy.

Two different wrap sandwiches came out next; one was turkey & cheese, and the other was hummus. The turkey wraps were rolled with turkey, lettuce, chees,e and mayo. I really liked the both wraps; they were tasty and crisp.

The hummus wrap was also a great vegetarian option. It was rolled with hummus, tomato, and lettuce and had a really nice flavor to it.

Now that we were stuffed, it was time for the two final activities; one we knew about, one was a super surprise!

As our dessert cupcake kits were being passed out, we were told that we had a very special “non-edible” treat in store for us! But first up, cupcake decorating time!

We were each given a cupcake kit from Frosted Cupcakery that included a vanilla cupcake, two frosting “shots” — one vanilla & one chocolate — sprinkles, and a cute little spreader to apply the frosting. My FAVORITE cupcake flavor is vanilla, so I was super excited.

I quickly spread my frosting, sprinkled my sprinkles and dug in. The cupcake was moist and the frosting was perfection. My only suggestion? I think it would have been super fun to make the decorating “Muppet” themed.  Maybe green frosting and Kermit eyes? Just a thought.

The Surprise!

While we were decorating and enjoying our cupcakes, two amazing guests came out to give us a “Muppeteering” lesson!

Alex Villa & Art Vega both worked on The Muppet Movie, and they did such a great job telling us all about the “What Nots” (any Muppet other than a main character)! We were taught about the design process and how something as simple as turning the eyes can completely change the “mood” of the character.

We learned the correct way to move your hand to make Muppets “speak,” and we also learned that being a puppeteer is pretty much one of the most awesome jobs in the world (well, that’s what I got out of it anyway).  Both Alex and Art were great — answering questions from both children and adults — and they were happy to share trade “secrets” about working with Muppets. This segment of the party alone makes it worth the ticket cost. I mean how often do you have a chance to learn about “Muppeteering” from a true “Muppeteer?”

After Alex & Art were done sharing their Muppet wisdom, I totally wanted to buy myself a “What Not Workshop” kit and start puppeteering. But I restrained. My boys REALLY wanted the kits too, so maybe we’ll ask Santa…

Alex & Art were the “grand finale” of the Most Sensational Muppet Party, and really they were the perfect ending to a fabulous party.

The Movie

Once the party was over, we headed into the El Capitan to watch The Muppet Movie. We were very lucky to have the VIP Admission tickets, so we picked up our souvenir popcorn buckets and drinks and made our way to our seats.

Now, as for my review of the movie… Let’s just say, I’ve already seen it twice and I’ve purchased the soundtrack.  It’s a must see for all ages, especially if you grew up with Kermie and the gang playing in your living room!

Overall

We had a great time at the party and the film. A big giant thank you to Disney for hosting my boys and me; we truly had a Most Sensational afternoon.

Don’t forget that you can attend the Most Sensational Muppet Party, too! To make reservations, call 818.845.3110 between the hours of 8:00am and 6:00pm. I can’t wait to hear what you think!!

Can you answer any of the trivia questions above?  Have you seen The Muppets yet? If your answer is no, I say Manah Manah yourself over to the theater immediately!

Heather Sievers is the Disney Food Blog’s Dining in Disneyland columnist. See more of her columns here!