What Nanny From Muppet Babies Really Looked Like
There was a period of time when beloved TV characters would get reimagined as babies or younger children. This included the likes of "Tiny Toon Adventures" and "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo." However, arguably the greatest addition to this incredibly specific subgenre was "Muppet Babies," which is easily one of the best Muppet shows to ever come out.
The series ran from 1984 to 1991, covering a wide range of adventures for the pint-sized Muppets. Baby Kermit, Baby Piggy, and the rest of the gang would be in a nursery and use the power of their imaginations to envision all kinds of creative experiences. All of this was done under the watchful eye of Nanny, who was only ever seen from the shoulders down.
"Muppet Babies" received a reboot in 2018, with Nanny (now known as "Miss Nanny") still remaining an enigma of sorts. Some fans may be tying themselves into knots trying to figure out what she looks like, and as luck would have it, we actually have an idea of how she would appear if her face were ever shown. Someone close to the series has confirmed that Nanny looks like Barbara Billingsley, best known for her role as June Cleaver on "Leave It to Beaver." June is dedicated to her family, and Nanny exhibits a similar motherly nature on the beloved animated series, so really, it's a perfect match.
Muppet Babies: Who is Nanny, and why don't we see her face?
Someone has to watch all of those rambunctious Muppets all day, and that is precisely Nanny's job on "Muppet Babies." She is the loving caretaker who usually comes right in the middle of the Muppet tots' imaginary adventures. The truth behind this particular faceless TV character is that her face was never meant to be shown since the show is told through the perspective of the diminutive Muppets. In fact, no adult faces are shown on the series. Nanny even has a sister, Aunt Fanny, who shows up at one point, and most of what we see from her is also her legs.
The original "Muppet Babies" goes to great lengths to keep Nanny's face hidden. On Season 3's "Treasure Attic," Nanny showcases some photos of herself when she was a baby. Two of them show her from the back with a bonnet covering her head, while another seems to have her facing forward, except it's overlapped by another picture. It's an amusing running gag, even if some viewers may be frustrated to not know what she looks like.
Why Muppet Babies' Nanny sounds so familiar
There's a reason why Nanny on "Muppet Babies" was so comforting for viewers — she was voiced by the actress who played the matriarch of the Cleaver family on "Leave It to Beaver," Barbara Billingsley. Prior to lending her voice to the Muppets universe, Billingsley appeared on over 200 episodes of the classic sitcom. She'd return to that role in various capacities, such as the 1983 TV movie "Still the Beaver," as well as "The New Leave It to Beaver," which aired from 1983 to 1989.
Of course, that franchise represents only a small sampling of Billingsley's filmography. Her career spanned from the 1940s to the 2000s, and she sadly passed away in 2010 at the age of 94. But June Cleaver was far from her only claim to fame, as she was also the infamous "Jive Lady" in 1980's "Airplane!" One high-flying fact about "Airplane!" is that the two Black performers in that scene — Norman Gibbs and Al White — tutored Billingsley so that she would be able to say her "jive" lines authentically.
When "Muppet Babies" was rebooted in 2018, Miss Nanny was voiced by Jenny Slate, who has an impressive voiceover resume of her own. She's lent her talents to shows like "Bob's Burgers," "The Great North," and "Star vs. the Forces of Evil." But for many, Nanny will always be affiliated with Billingsley's soothing tones.
What Nanny from Muppet Babies really looks like
Despite numerous episodes across various permutations, Nanny's face is never shown on "Muppet Babies"; however, there's a simple explanation for what she looks like. Guy Gilchrist, a cartoonist for Jim Henson, spoke about "Muppet Babies" during the 2023 L.A. Comic Con (via Instagram) and mentioned what Nanny really looks like: "Barbara Billingsley, Mrs. Cleaver [from 'Leave It to Beaver'], she was Nanny. Now you know what Nanny looks like."
There you have it; when rewatching "Muppet Babies," just imagine June Cleaver is watching after the tiny tykes. While the mystery has been laid to rest, that won't stop people from continuing to speculate. Redditor u/MDH2881 used AI to envision what Nanny might look like, and appropriately, she's a Muppet with short white hair with what looks like some pink undertones. It's not quite a Muppet version of June Cleaver, but if Nanny's identity were ever revealed on the show, one would imagine she'd have to be a Muppet, too.
Arguably, the best conspiracy theory to emerge out of the Trump administration was that Melania Trump was the nanny from "Muppet Babies" because she had a portrait taken in front of a window that's similar to the one featured on the cartoon. All of the theories and fan art can come to an end now that we know what Nanny is supposed to look like.