History Film / TheHappytimeMurders

''The Happytime Murders'' is an R-rated comedy-noir film from [[Creator/JimHensonsCreatureShop The Jim Henson Company]], directed by Creator/JimHenson's son Brian and distributed by [[Creator/STXEntertainment STXfilms]].

* SpiritualSuccessor:
** It's been gaining comparisons to ''Film/MeetTheFeebles'', another film that gives us a darker look at puppets usually used in children's shows. The difference being that this film was made by the actual creators of ''The Muppets''.
** People have also compared the movie to ''WesternAnimation/SausageParty'', another R-rated film that could be easily mistaken for a kids' movie.
** It's very similar to ''Theatre/AvenueQ'', another dark, raunchy comedy that happens to involve muppets.
** The basic premise of a crime story involving characters from a stylized medium as real people and second-class citizens is similar to ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''.
** An earlier movie called ''The Fuzz'' featured a puppet cop tracking down the dealers of a GRatedDrug (Jelly Beans rather than sugar), partnering with a human cop and dealing with anti-puppet prejudice. It was also of a darker, more adult tone.

* ButNotTooBlack: Since ''The Happytime Gang'' went off the air, Phil's brother Larry got some work done -- he has a more human-shaped nose, when he used to have a bulbous one similar to Phil's, and his, er, felt has been bleached to more of a pale blue.

* DyeHard: InUniverse, it's revealed in a ''Film/BasicInstinct'' parody that Sandra dyes her hair orange when it is naturally purple. [[spoiler:This becomes a major clue to her real identity as the daughter of the man accidentally killed by Phil's stray bullet]].

* TokenWhite: PlayedWith in the case of Jenny -- she's the Happytime Gang's Token Human.

* GRatedDrug: Rather ironic for an R-rated movie, sugar and candy are treated as hard drugs for puppets. Edwards [[spoiler:who has a puppet liver]] is snorting rock candy with a Twizzler as if it was cocaine, and it's even said that it's normally ''fatal'' for humans.

* InformedAttribute: Edwards is seen as masculine and sometimes mistaken for a man by several. Melissa McCarthy may not be the most feminine woman in the world, but it's hard for a typical viewer to be confused at her gender.

* InterspeciesRomance: In the film's world it seems absolutely normal for humans to have relationships with puppets, as the trailer and film shows many human-puppet couples walking on the street.

* WorldOfJerkass: The majority of characters here are foul-mouthed {{jerkass}}es.

* WrongfulAccusationInsurance: Phil is jailed on suspicion of murder. Edwards busts him out to prove his innocence - which is still illegal no matter how actually innocent you were - and they aren't in any trouble about it at the end.

* YourHeadASplode: When the killer is taking out puppets at the porno shop with a shotgun, their heads explode [[LudicrousGibs in popping piles of fluff.]]

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