So, here's a thing. The Muppets are mostly left-handed. That's right, with all of the things happening in the world right now it's news that my favourite Muppets are almost all left-handed. It may not be the most pressing news, but it put a smile on my face.
Having grown up left-handed but forced to change due to, well… 1980s reasons, I find it heartening to discover The Muppets are a left-handed breed of felt friends. This comes after some controversy around The Muppet's new logo design (certainly not one of the best logos around) so it's good to report on a good news story about The Muppets.
While around 90 per cent of humans are right-handed, The Muppets are the opposite. Since more of us are catching up with The Muppets on Disney+, we're beginning to pay closer attention. As pointed out by CBR, Jim Henson's creations are largely lefties because most humans are right-handed.
Our human genetics means puppeteers use their left hand to control the Muppet's head leaving them free to do more dextrous work with their dominant right hand – which turns out to be the Muppet's left. I wonder if this is true of – spoiler warning – Yoda?
While this news may seem frivolous this can be seen as yet another example of how unconscious bias can affect art. While the subject is often seen as negative, as we covered in our feature on how to encourage diversity in the design industry, it can also be a powerful tool for creativity. For example, the psychology of logo shapes reveals how major brands aren't chosen by chance but are picked by our subconscious seeking shapes it recognises.
Creating art, whether that's with puppets or on a canvas or digital screen is a complex and often intuitive process, and this recent news that The Muppets are predominantly left-handed is proof creativity can be a force for good, even if it's by accident.
If you want to watch the forthcoming Muppets Mayhem series and other shows, they're on streaming platform Disney+ right now, left handed and everything. You can read more about how the Muppets work in our feature, 'The science behind the Muppets'.
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