At first it didn’t seem like the guy would show. He had to! It was his job on the line, after all. Only weeks ago Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney said that as much as he liked PBS and Big Bird, public broadcasting—and Big Bird—would lose their federal funding if he won the election. It would only make sense for Big Bird to show up at a protest for his own livelihood, right?

And he did. Along with plenty of other muppets, some of the Sesame Street variety, others from different shows and plenty more that emerged from the depths of people’s imaginations. They didn’t come by the millions, exactly, but a few hundred animated protesters—and their muppet friends—did march on the U.S Capitol today as part of the Million Muppet March. The message was simple: don’t defund public broadcasting.

Instead of reading any more, just enjoy a sampling of pictures of what may have been the most colorful protest to hit Washington in, well, ever.