I don't even remember what the commercial is for. I think a seafood restaurant. Something fishy, anyway. But it has Pepe the shrimp shilling in it, and that bothers me.

I grew up watching Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. I love all the muppet movies (weird and uninspired though parts of Muppets in Space were) and specials (all the way back to Hey, Cinderella!). I was genuinely depressed when Jim Henson died, and it took me quite awhile to adjust to Steve Whitmire taking over Kermit's voice (even though I already had an appreciation for his talents based on his work voicing Rizzo the Rat and Bean Bunny).

I loved Muppet Babies for the whacked-out paean to the power of imagination that it was. I didn't mind the Henson Productions alliance with Disney World. I watch every time (twice, so far) that they try to relaunch a new version of The Muppet Show. I'm even looking forward to the next attempt (coming soon! Third time's the charm!).

It is a little disheartening that original muppeteers have either died before their time (Richard Hunt) or become too busy with weightier career matters to be on tap all the time (Frank Oz). But over the years I have tried to keep an open mind about the addition of new characters to replace ones that can no longer be center stage (new characters like that baboon Clifford, and like Pepe the shrimp). Things change and art evolves. Otherwise the world stagnates. I realize this.

But I liked Pepe. He was one of the few parts of Muppets in Space that struck me as genuinely clever and amusing. He deserves better than to be rented out for commercials.

Then again, some of the earliest entries on Jim Henson's resume include acting as the La Choy dragon and creating a Cookie Monster-like puppet for IBM. Plus a truly hilarious commercial for Wilkins coffee wherein one puppet blows up another.

So maybe I am being too curmudgeonly about the Pepe the shrimp commercial. Maybe Jim Henson Productions is just returning to its roots. I do like the fact that the company is still around, inventing new muppets and plundering its past, rather than letting itself fold after Jim Henson's death.

If they are going to plug Pepe into commericals, however, they could at least hold out for funny ones.