''Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas'' is a 1977

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of en ...

directed by

Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, actor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notability as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was also well known for creating ''Fraggle Rock'' ( ...

, based on the 1971 children's book of the same name by Russell Hoban, itself inspired by "

The Gift of the Magi "The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by American writer O. Henry, first published in 1905. The story tells of a young husband and wife and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little mone ...

" by O. Henry. The special features characters from Hoban's novel, in a teleplay adapted by Jerry Juhl. The special features narration by

Kermit the Frog Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created in 1955 and originally performed by Jim Henson. An anthropomorphic green frog, Kermit is the pragmatic everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably as the showrunner and host o ...

, who tells the story of Emmet Otter and his widowed Ma, a poor family of

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...

s who struggle to get Christmas presents for the other as a result of their financial situation. The special was produced by

The Jim Henson Company The Jim Henson Company, Inc., formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc. (commonly referred to as Henson), is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is kn ...

and first premiered on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

on December 4, 1977. The special received positive reviews from critics and audiences, and would later be syndicated in the years that followed with airings on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

in 1978 and ABC in 1980. In 2019, it was announced that a film remake of ''Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas'' was in the works to be directed by

Bret McKenzie Bret Peter Tarrant McKenzie (born 29 June 1976) is a New Zealand musician, comedian, music supervisor, and actor. He is best known as one half of musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords along with Jemaine Clement. In the 2000s, the duo's com ...

Production

In 1977, Muppets creator

produced a one-hour television adaptation of the story video taped in Toronto. The special first premiered on

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

on December 4, 1977 with a U.S. premiere the following year on the fledgling

on December 17, 1978. The special later aired on ABC and

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

in the 1990s. The special features several original songs written by songwriter Paul Williams. The special utilizes a number of different puppetry methods. The main puppets used are the usual Muppet hand puppets, but the characters are frequently represented by

marionettes A marionette ( ; ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by ...

as well. It also utilizes the

bunraku is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or (puppeteers), the (chanters) ...

and Black Theater techniques. This is also one of the first Muppet productions to use radio control puppet effects, designed by Faz Fazakas. ''Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas'' also featured extensively platformed-up sets, all created with great attention to detail. Jim Henson explained: The original special featured an introduction by

, who also narrated certain scenes (in the 1978 release), and made an appearance near the end delivering closing remarks.

sold the rights to the Muppets (including Kermit) to

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

in 2004 (namely their branch in

The Muppets Studio The Muppets Studio, LLC is an American entertainment production company and subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, that owns and produces media content for The Muppets franchise. The division was previously formed as The Muppets Holding Company, ...

), and Kermit's scenes and narrations were thus omitted from the special's 2005 DVD. The 2018 releases of the special on Blu-ray and DVD reinstate Kermit's scenes, but not his narrations.

Plot

Kermit the Frog is introducing the story of Emmet

Otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...

when he is interrupted by the Riverbottom Gang, a group of hoodlums (made up of Chuck

Stoat The stoat (''Mustela erminea''), also known as the Eurasian ermine or ermine, is a species of mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern regions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Concern on th ...

, Fred

Lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

, Howard

Snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

, "Pop-Eyed"

Catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

, and Stanley

Weasel Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets, and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slend ...

), who insult him and steal his scarf. The scene then shifts to a river featuring Emmet and his widowed Ma, who scrape by on the small amount of money Ma gets from doing laundry and Emmet gets from doing odd jobs around their community in Frogtown Hollow. Emmet and Ma are kind to their neighbors, despite often being cheated out of what they deserve for the work they do. While window shopping in nearby Waterville, Ma and Emmet wistfully reflect on Pa's life, and his unsuccessful

snake oil Snake oil is a term used to describe False advertising, deceptive marketing, health care fraud, or a scam. Similarly, snake oil salesman is a common label used to describe someone who sells, promotes, or is a general proponent of some valueless ...

venture. As Christmas approaches, they each hear of a talent contest with a grand prize of $50, and separately decide to enter, so they can afford to surprise the other with a present: Ma, a fine guitar for Emmet, and Emmet, a piano for Ma. However, they must sacrifice each other's livelihood to be able to perform. Ma hocks Emmet's tools for dress fabric while Emmet turns Ma's washtub into a

washtub bass The washtub bass, or gutbucket, is a stringed instrument used in American folk music that uses a metal washtub as a resonator. Although it is possible for a washtub bass to have four or more strings and tuning pegs, traditional washtub basses ha ...

for a

jug band A jug band is a musical band, band employing a jug (instrument), jug player and a mix of conventional and homemade instruments. These homemade instruments are ordinary objects adapted to or modified for making sound, like the washtub bass, washbo ...

, each convincing themselves it is what Pa would have done. Emmet assembles Wendell

Porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...

, Harvey

Beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

, and Charlie

Muskrat The muskrat or common muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over various climates ...

as the Frogtown Hollow Jubilee Jug Band. Emmet and Ma each perform well (despite Emmet's band having to frantically change songs after another contestant performs their song), only to be defeated by the last-minute entry of the Riverbottom Gang as a rock and roll band called The Nightmare. However, as Ma and Emmet's band walk home together, disappointed, Ma realizes their two songs could fit together, and as they sing, they are overheard by Doc Bullfrog, one of the talent show judges, who hires them to play regularly in his restaurant. Emmet and Ma decide they will be happier performing together than with the thankless work they had been doing before, and Kermit concludes the special with Emmet, Ma, and the gang playing in front of Doc and his customers.

Muppet performers

Jerry Nelson Jerry Nelson (July 10, 1934 – August 23, 2012) was an American puppeteer, best known for his work with The Muppets. Known for his wide range of characters and singing abilities, he performed Muppet characters on ''Sesame Street'', ''The M ...

as Emmet

, Doc Bullfrog, Melissa

Rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

, Stanley

and Yancey Woodchuck *

Frank Oz Frank Richard Oznowicz (born May 25, 1944), known professionally as Frank Oz, is an American puppeteer, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for his involvement with Jim Henson and George Lucas through ''The Muppets'', ''Sesame Street'', and '' ...

as Alice Otter (puppetry only) and Chuck

* Marilyn Sokol as Alice Otter (voice) *

, Harvey

, Howard

and

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Harrison

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

* Richard Hunt as Charlie

, Fred

and George Rabbit *

Dave Goelz David Charles Goelz ( born July 16, 1946) is an American puppeteer and actor known for his work with the Muppets. He is best known for performing the characters Gonzo the Great, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, and Beauregard. He joined Jim Hens ...

as "Pop-Eyed"

, Wendell

and Will

Possum Possum may refer to: Animals * Didelphimorphia, or (o)possums, an order of marsupials native to the Americas ** Didelphis, a genus of marsupials within Didelphimorphia *** Common opossum, native to Central and South America *** Virginia opossum ...

* Eren Ozker as Gretchen Fox, Hetty Muskrat, Mrs.

Mink Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...

and Old Lady Possum

Songs

The special features several original songs penned by songwriter Paul Williams. Williams had previously worked with the Muppets on ''The Muppet Show'' and collaborated with the Muppets by writing the songs for ''

The Muppet Movie ''The Muppet Movie'' is a 1979 musical road comedy film directed by James Frawley and produced by Jim Henson, and the first theatrical film to feature the Muppets. A co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, the film was wr ...

'' and '' The Muppet Christmas Carol''. The song "Brothers in Our World" was later covered by

My Morning Jacket My Morning Jacket is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1998. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Jim James, bassist Tom Blankenship, drummer Patrick Hallahan, guitarist Carl Broemel, and keyboardist Bo Kos ...

for the Muppets cover album '' Muppets: The Green Album''. :List of songs :* "The Bathing Suit That Grandma Otter Wore" :* "There Ain't No Hole in the Washtub" :* " When the River Meets the Sea" :* "Bar-B-Que" :* "Our World" :* "Brothers" :* "Riverbottom Nightmare Band" :* "Brothers in Our World" On November 2, 2018, Varese Sarabande Records released the soundtrack on CD and LP. #"The Bathing Suit That Grandma Wore" – 2:43 #"Jam Session – 1:07 #"Ain't No Hole in the Washtub – 2:11 #"When the River Meets the Sea – 2:30 #"Bar-B-Que (Jug Band) – 1:39 #"Carrots the Dancing Horse – 0:51 #"Bar-B-Que (Yancy Woodchuck) – 0:36 #"Dancing Rabbit Act – 0:44 #"Squirrel Acrobatic Act – 0:39 #"Our World – 1:51 #"Brothers – 2:03 #"Riverbottom Nightmare Band – 2:42 #"Our World-Brothers – 2:13 #"Our World-Brothers Club Reprise – 0:50 #"When the River Meets the Sea Reprise – 2:32 #"Born in a Trunk – 1:09 (Bonus Track)

Releases

The special was released on

CED videodisc The Capacitance Electronic Disc (CED) is an analog video disc playback system developed by Radio Corporation of America (RCA), in which video and audio could be played back on a TV set using a special stylus and high-density groove system sim ...

in 1981, alongside " The Muppet Musicians of Bremen" as part of the "Tales from Muppetland" videodisc. In 2005,

HIT Entertainment HIT Entertainment Limited (stylised as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sophie Turn ...

released a "Collector's Edition" DVD which featured several deleted or alternate scenes, as well as a "lost" song that was recorded, but never actually used in the special. Called "I Was Born in the Trunk", the song was written for the talent show scene and was performed by the Waterville music store owner. Due to the sale of the Muppets to Disney a year earlier, Kermit's scenes and narrations were omitted from this release. On Saturday, December 12, 2015, a remastered version of the special's 1980 release had its cable channel debut alongside remastered '' The Bells of Fraggle Rock'' on

ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...

during its '' 25 Days of Christmas'' programming block. A 40th Anniversary DVD of the special was released by

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures libra ...

on October 10, 2017, followed by a Blu-ray release on December 18, 2018. For the 2015 airing, as well as the subsequent DVD and Blu-ray releases, Kermit's introduction and closing scenes were restored. In 2017, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the special, musician Matt Surowiec produced an officially licensed "tribute" album featuring all-new covers of Paul Williams' original songs from the special. In 2022, the special, with Kermit's introduction and ending but not his other narrations, was made available for streaming on

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

Reception

''Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas'' received very positive reviews from critics. John J. O'Connor gave the special a very positive review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' on December 15, 1980, for its ABC airing: "Jim Henson and the Muppets are on a dazzling winning streak these days... Mr. Henson has produced and directed one of the most charming Christmas specials of the last several years... Once again, Mr. Henson's creations verge on the marvelous, perfectly capturing the ''Wind in the Willows'' aspects of Emmet Otter's story... These really are the nicest folk on the river – and on prime-time television." Review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

gave the film a score of 100% based on 8 reviews, with an average score of 8.4/10.

Awards

''Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas'' was nominated for four

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

in 1981: * Outstanding Children's Program, David Lazer (executive producer) and Jim Henson (producer) * Outstanding Individual Achievement – Children's Programming, Calista Hendrickson (costume designer) and Sherry Ammott (costume designer) * Outstanding Individual Achievement – Children's Programming, Paul Williams (composer/lyricist) for the song "When The River Meets the Sea". * Outstanding Individual Achievement – Children's Programming, Tom Wright (lighting)

Later appearances

* Emmet Otter, Alice Otter, Mayor Harrison Fox, Gretchen Fox, Doc Bullfrog, Yancy Woodchuck, Will Possum, Fred Lizard, Stanley Weasel, Chuck Stoat, Howard Snake, Charlie Muskrat, Harvey Beaver, and Wendell Porcupine, George and Melissa Rabbit, two squirrels, and Old Lady Possum made cameos in ''

''. They are seen in the Rainbow Connection Finale. * Some of the puppets made cameos in ''

The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a variety sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and starring the Muppets. It is presented as a variety show, featuring recurring sketches and musical numbers interspersed with ongoing plot-lines with ru ...

'': ** Mayor Harrison Fox's puppet was reused in several episodes that included the Woodland Animals including the "

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

" episode (where he was in the "

For What It's Worth "For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound)", often referred to as simply "For What It's Worth", is a song written by Stephen Stills. Performed by Buffalo Springfield, it was recorded on December 5, 1966, released as a single on Atco Reco ...

" number with unclothed versions of Old Lady Possum, James Badger, Will Possum, George Rabbit, and Nat Muskrat alongside a deer, a mouse, a toothless beaver, and a weasel), the "

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...

and

Rita Coolidge Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945) is an American recording artist. During the 1970s and 1980s, her songs were on ''Billboard'' magazine's pop, country, adult contemporary, and jazz charts, and she won two Grammy Awards with fellow musician and th ...

" episode (where he alongside James Badger, Nat Muskrat, and Will Possum were repurposed for the "We're All Alone" song that also featured Billy the Bear, a Deer, a Beaver, and a Weasel), and the "

Leo Sayer Leo Sayer (born Gerard Hugh Sayer, 21 May 1948) is an English-Australian singer and songwriter who has been active since the early 1970s. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009. Sayer launched his career in the United Kingd ...

" episode (where he was featured in the "When I Need You" number with Billy the Bear, Mickey Moose, Harold Woodpecker, a beaver, a weasel, James Badger, and Crazy Harry). ** Fred Lizard was seen in the " Shields & Yarnell" and the " Dyan Cannon" episode. * Emmet Otter, Alice Otter, Mayor Harrison Fox, Gretchen Fox, and Wendell Porcupine appeared in '' The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years''. * Doc Bullfrog, Yancy Woodchuck, Old Lady Possum, George and Melissa Rabbit, and two squirrels appeared in the "Jim Henson's Musical World" concert at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

. * In the eighth episode of '' The Muppets Mayhem'', Floyd Pepper exclaims: "Yeah, we don't beef with nobody. Well, except that one band from Riverbottom," with Dr. Teeth adding, "Yeah, they were a nightmare," referring to the Riverbottom Gang and their band, Riverbottom Nightmare Band.

Film adaptation

On October 21, 2019, it was announced that

is writing the script and songs for a film adaptation of the TV special, which will be produced by

, Pacific Electric Picture Company, and Snoot Entertainment.

References

External links

* *
''Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas''
at Muppet Wiki {{Jim Henson films Christmas television specials The Muppets television specials The Jim Henson Company films HBO network specials Television shows directed by Jim Henson 1977 television specials Television shows written by Jerry Juhl American Christmas television specials Canadian television specials 1970s Canadian television specials