Muppet-Nappers Grab Bert, Ernie

Miss Piggy was under police protection Monday, after her colleagues Ernie and Bert were abducted.

Thieves knocked through a wall and plundered an exhibit of original Muppet puppets overnight Sunday at the Erfurt Garden Show. They also smashed a glass case, trying to rip Miss Piggy from her display, but were unsuccessful.

“We have not yet determined how extensive the damage was” to Miss Piggy, said exhibit organizer Adolf Blaschka.

Miss Piggy was placed in police custody Monday.

The trio were among 36 original Muppets rented by a Danish firm for the exhibit in Erfurt, 110 miles northeast of Frankfurt.

The Ernie and Bert puppets were valued at $126,000, Blaschka said.

Kermit, Big Bird and the other Jim Henson creations were not harmed, he said.