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''Jim Henson's Muppet Babies'', commonly known by the shortened title ''Muppet Babies'', is an American
animated television series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
produced by
Marvel Productions Marvel Productions Ltd., later known as New World Animation, was an American production company owned by the Fox Entertainment Group subsidiary of News Corporation which was founded in 1981 as the television and film studio subsidiary of the Mar ...
for
Jim Henson Productions 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 ...
. The show portrays toddler versions of the Muppets living together in a nursery under the care of a woman known as Nanny, involving the concepts of the power of imagination and creative problem-solving. The show's main target group is for children aged 2–5. The idea of presenting the Muppets as children appeared in a dream sequence in ''
The Muppets Take Manhattan ''The Muppets Take Manhattan'' is a 1984 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Frank Oz and the third theatrical film featuring the Muppets. The film stars Muppet performers Jim Henson, Oz, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Richard Hunt, Je ...
'' (1984), released two months before ''Muppet Babies'' debuted. The idea was a success, and it transformed into a spin-off. The show aired from September 15, 1984, to November 2, 1991, as part of the
Saturday-morning cartoon "Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series and live-action programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre was a ...
s lineup on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
. The show received universal acclaim for its animation, visuals, writing, humor, educational values, and appeal to younger and older audiences. It spawned a successful merchandise and won seven
Daytime Emmy Awards The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
(including four consecutive awards for Outstanding Animated Program), as well as a
Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an American award for film and television writing, presented to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful manner. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of ...
. Due to its popularity, the show remained on television in the United States for a decade. The rights are now held by
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 ...
following the company's acquisition of ''The Muppets'' franchise in 2004. A reboot of the series premiered on
Disney Junior Disney Jr. (formerly Disney Junior) is an American pay television network owned by the Disney Branded Television sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company. Aimed mainly at children two to seven year ...
on March 23, 2018.


Premise

The series stars
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 ...
,
Miss Piggy Miss Piggy is a The Muppets, Muppet character known for her Breakthrough role, breakout role in the sketch comedy television series ''The Muppet Show''. She is notable for her temperamental diva superstar personality, her tendency to use French l ...
, Fozzie Bear,
Animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Biology, biological Kingdom (biology), kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, ...
, Scooter, Skeeter, Rowlf the Dog, and
Gonzo Gonzo may refer to: People * Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname * Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo * Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose stage ...
as toddlers. Supporting characters include Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, and Camilla in the form of Gonzo's stuffed chick. In the final two seasons, Bean Bunny and
Statler and Waldorf Statler and Waldorf are a pair of The Muppets, Muppet characters from the sketch comedy television series ''The Muppet Show'', best known for their overly negative opinions and their tendency to Heckler, heckle people. The two elderly men fi ...
made regular appearances. Several Muppets made guest appearances, including Janice as an older
preteen Preadolescence is a stage of human development following middle childhood and preceding adolescence.New Oxford American Dictionary. 2nd Edition. 2005. Oxford University Press. It commonly ends with the beginning of puberty. Preadolescence is ...
and Kermit's nephew Robin as a
tadpole A tadpole or polliwog (also spelled pollywog) is the Larva, larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully Aquatic animal, aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial animal, ...
. The Muppet Babies live in a large nursery watched over by Nanny, who is seen from the neck down. The babies' imaginary games transition from the nursery into scenes that become " real" to the babies, such as outer space and the past. The fantasies have the babies interact with live-action backgrounds, old films and photos, engravings, and hand-drawn backgrounds. The babies used their imaginations to have their own adventures based on everyday things and toys around them. They also use their imaginations to solve a problem. In post-credits scenes, the babies are doing something related to the episode's plot. Their activities (mostly Gonzo's) are interrupted by Animal who crashes the scene in a comedic way and calls "Go bye-bye!"


Cast

*
Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...
as Baby Kermit, Adult Kermit (looped dialogue, episode 45), Baby Beaker, Baby Skeeter (Seasons 3–8), Camilla, Irma/Charlie (episode 12), The Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard (episode 31), Polly the Parrot (episode 38), Bosko the Snowman (episode 100) *
Laurie O'Brien Laurie O'Brien is an American actress. She is best known for voicing Baby Piggy on the 1980s Saturday morning cartoon '' Jim Henson's Muppet Babies'' from 1984-1991 & the CTW animated series '' Cro'' as Ivana the mammoth. As an on-camera actres ...
as Baby Miss Piggy, Captain Black Wig (episode 36) * Greg Berg as Baby Fozzie, Adult Fozzie (looped dialogue, episode 45), Baby Scooter *
Russi Taylor Russi Taylor (May 4, 1944 – July 26, 2019) was an American voice actress. She was best remembered for voicing the character of Minnie Mouse in English from 1986 to 2019, and was married to voice actor Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse, ...
as Baby Gonzo, Baby Robin, Aunt Fanny, and Camilla (occasionally) *
Katie Leigh Katie Leigh is an American voice actress. She has voice acted in both television, film and occasionally video game roles. Career Katie Leigh is known for her voice roles such as Sunni Gummi in '' Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears'', Zuzu in ...
as Baby Rowlf, Mrs. Mitchell *
Howie Mandel Howard Michael Mandel (born November 29, 1955) is a Canadian comedian, television personality, actor, and producer. Mandel is known for voicing Gizmo in the 1984 film ''Gremlins'' and the 1990 sequel ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'', playing rowd ...
(Seasons 1–2) as Baby Skeeter, Baby Animal, Baby Bunsen * Dave Coulier (Seasons 3–8) as Baby Animal, Baby Bunsen, Baby Bean Bunny, Baby Janice, Uncle
Statler and Waldorf Statler and Waldorf are a pair of The Muppets, Muppet characters from the sketch comedy television series ''The Muppet Show'', best known for their overly negative opinions and their tendency to Heckler, heckle people. The two elderly men fi ...
, Camilla (occasionally), Himself (episode 91) * Barbara Billingsley as Nanny


Additional

*
Peter Cullen Peter Claver Cullen (born July 28, 1941) is a Canadian voice actor. He voiced Optimus Prime in the original 1980s ''The Transformers (TV series), Transformers'' animated series, later returning to the role in ''Transformers'' media in 2007, sta ...
as Smoggy the Bear (episode 33), Football-Playing Bear (episode 33), Sor-Elbow (episode 33) *
Pat Fraley Pat Fraley is an American voice actor and voice-over teacher, known as the voice of Krang, Casey Jones, Baxter Stockman and numerous other characters in the 1987 ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' animated television series and voiced Falcon in ...
as Announcer *
Tress MacNeille Teressa Claire "Tress" MacNeille (; born June 20, 1951) >https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/macneille-tress-1951 is an American voice actress, who has contributed to voice-over work with credits including vo ...
as Skater Ka


Episodes


Production


Origin

The idea for the show was created 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'' ( ...
and his staff, originating in Jim Henson's art department. During the creation of Sue Venning's ''Muppet Show Bill'', Jim Henson suggested to include the Muppets as "tiny little selves and afterwards, as babies." The book was not changed, but the idea was described as "charming". Afterwards, the staff, including
Michael K. Frith Michael Kingsbury Frith (born 8 July 1941) is a British artist and television producer. He is the former executive vice-president and creative director of The Jim Henson Company. His contributions to Muppet projects have been extensive and vari ...
, created character designs of the Muppets as toddlers. After Frith showed a sketch of Baby Piggy to Jim Henson, Henson decided to turn it into a line of merchandise. Throughout 1983, several marketers featured prototype versions of the Muppet Babies on merchandise such as infant and toddler clothing, nursery decor and diapers while Jim Henson was developing toddler versions of the characters. On January 1, 1984, the Muppet Babies were included in the comic strip adaptation of the Muppets. During production of ''
The Muppets Take Manhattan ''The Muppets Take Manhattan'' is a 1984 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Frank Oz and the third theatrical film featuring the Muppets. The film stars Muppet performers Jim Henson, Oz, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Richard Hunt, Je ...
'',
Miss Piggy Miss Piggy is a The Muppets, Muppet character known for her Breakthrough role, breakout role in the sketch comedy television series ''The Muppet Show''. She is notable for her temperamental diva superstar personality, her tendency to use French l ...
's original fantasy sequence was written on the screenplay. Because Henson was enthused about the Muppet Babies, he convinced
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 '' ...
to include them in the film, replacing the original fantasy sequence. Despite Oz's dislike of the idea, he thought that the idea was brilliant. Shortly afterwards, the art department asked the workshop to create models of the puppets of the Muppet Babies. The staff of the workshop favored the idea and decided to include them in the film. The scene was shot on August 28, 1983. It is considered to be one of the most difficult scenes to shoot during production of the film, as the puppeteers had to perform the baby versions of the characters by using their "stubby little limbs." The film was released on July 13, 1984. The idea was a success, and it received very favorable reviews from fans. At the same time, Baby Kermit and Baby Piggy plush toys were promoted by
Pampers Pampers is an American brand for babies and toddlers products marketed by Procter & Gamble. This includes diapers, wipes etc. History In 1961, P&G researcher Victor Mills disliked changing the cloth diapers of his newborn grandchild. He assi ...
. A music video of Henson's self-directed "I'm Gonna Always Love You", combined with scenes of the film and new footage, was created for
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
. The song was remixed by John Benitez for the project. It was shot on April 10 and 11, 1984. The set used for the music video was larger than the set used in the film. The video became an airplay hit and received a nomination for Best Achievement in Music Video in the VPA Monitor Awards in 1985. Additionally, Jim Henson received a nomination for Best Director for the video.


Development

Network executives and several others suggested Henson Associates to transform the Muppet Babies into a
Saturday-morning cartoon "Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series and live-action programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre was a ...
. The concept of the show was created on March 10, 1984. On April 13, 1984,
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
colleague, Judy Price, granted permission to Jim Henson and his staff for its proposal. Jim Henson was initially skeptical, as he originally stepped away from Saturday-morning cartoons. However, he liked the idea a lot that he decided to create the show for something better. He visited every major studio in
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, choosing to work with
Marvel Productions Marvel Productions Ltd., later known as New World Animation, was an American production company owned by the Fox Entertainment Group subsidiary of News Corporation which was founded in 1981 as the television and film studio subsidiary of the Mar ...
after a meeting with Hank Saroyan. For the core theme of the show, Henson and Marvel Productions agreed to implement the theme of the power of creativity and encouragement of imagination. Bob Richardson transferred from producing and directing the first season of ''
Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...
'', to produce and direct the show, which needed help getting started. Scooter's twin sister, Skeeter, was exclusively created for the show to provide more feminine empowerment. Nanny was only seen from the neck down to represent the kids' view of an adult.


Writing

The team of writers consisted of Jeffrey Scott, Barry O'Brien, Bob Smith,
Chuck Lorre Charles Michael Lorre ( ; né Levine; born October 18, 1952) is an American television producer, writer, director, and composer. Nicknamed the "King of Sitcoms", Lorre has created/co-created and produced many sitcoms including '' Cybill'' (199 ...
, Sindy McKay, Larry Swerdlove, Star Kaplan, Maia Mattise, Barbara Beck, Stephen Robertson, Kathy Selbert, Rich Fogel, Mark Seidenberg, Ken Koonce, David Wiemers, Hank Saroyan, Lois Becker, Mark Stratton, J.R. Young, and Tony Marino. All of the writing scripts for the show were done in Marvel Productions. Jeffrey Scott wrote all 13 episodes of the first season.


Voice actors

The show had several cast members:
Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...
,
Laurie O'Brien Laurie O'Brien is an American actress. She is best known for voicing Baby Piggy on the 1980s Saturday morning cartoon '' Jim Henson's Muppet Babies'' from 1984-1991 & the CTW animated series '' Cro'' as Ivana the mammoth. As an on-camera actres ...
, Greg Berg,
Russi Taylor Russi Taylor (May 4, 1944 – July 26, 2019) was an American voice actress. She was best remembered for voicing the character of Minnie Mouse in English from 1986 to 2019, and was married to voice actor Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse, ...
,
Katie Leigh Katie Leigh is an American voice actress. She has voice acted in both television, film and occasionally video game roles. Career Katie Leigh is known for her voice roles such as Sunni Gummi in '' Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears'', Zuzu in ...
,
Howie Mandel Howard Michael Mandel (born November 29, 1955) is a Canadian comedian, television personality, actor, and producer. Mandel is known for voicing Gizmo in the 1984 film ''Gremlins'' and the 1990 sequel ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'', playing rowd ...
, Dave Coulier, and Barbara Billingsley. By the third season, Howie Mandel left the show, and his roles were given to Frank Welker as Baby Skeeter and Dave Coulier as Baby Animal and Baby Bunsen. All of the voices were recorded in various recording studios in Los Angeles. Henson and other puppeteers, such as Frank Oz and Richard Hunt, decided not to reprise their roles due to scheduling conflicts with their work on ''
Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...
'', ''
Fraggle Rock ''Fraggle Rock'' (also known as ''Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock'' or ''Fraggle Rock with Jim Henson's Muppets'') is a children's Musical film, musical Fantasy film, fantasy television comedy, comedy puppet television series about interconnected so ...
'', and any Muppet special. The team decided to set up auditions for an amount of voice cast that would voice the characters for the series. According to Laurie O'Brien, the audition had gathered 750 people. Katie Leigh was a Muppets fan and did the audition process by renting one of the Muppet movies at a Blockbuster location and watching it. As Leigh was also a fan of Rowlf, she realized that she could do his voice. Although Leigh accidentally forgot to transform her impression into a baby, she was cast, as Hank Saroyan described her as "one of the only people who really knew who Rowlf was." Laurie O'Brien did the audition process by imitating Baby Piggy with a mix between Miss Piggy and her "million dollar voice", as well as Baby Gonzo, while watching a videocassette rental of '' The Great Muppet Caper'' in her friend's house. After auditioning with the videocassette player, O'Brien was cast as Baby Piggy due to her potential and physical strength with her character. Greg Breg, who was also a Muppets fan, did the audition process a few years after he moved to
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
. Some of the voice actors had no singing experience prior to the show's production. Katie Leigh started taking singing lessons, while Howie Mandel needed a professional singer to help keep him on key.


Animation

Henson's idea for its animation was to mix genres and ignore "hard-and-fast rules." Characters and backgrounds were created by artists of Marvel Productions. Due to budget constraints, an idea was made by making Jeffrey Scott incorporate live-action footage and photographic backgrounds into the show to showcase
reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of everything in existence; everything that is not imagination, imaginary. Different Culture, cultures and Academic discipline, academic disciplines conceptualize it in various ways. Philosophical questions abo ...
of the imaginations. Film clips were also incorporated to encourage imagination and fantasy. The idea was well-liked, and it became one of the main concepts of the show, as it helped save money for animation. It was considered easy for Henson to secure the rights to films such as ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' and ''
Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Set in 1936, the film stars Harrison Ford as Indiana ...
'' since he was friends with
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...
and
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
. From the first season to the fifth episode of the fourth season, the series' overseas production was from
Toei Animation is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including '' Sally the Witch'', '' GeGeGe no Kitarō'', '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...
, which cost $30,000 per episode. In February 1985, the
Japanese yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro. Th ...
started to rise against the
US dollar The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
, and as a result, Toei Animation raised the cost to $50,000.
AKOM AKOM Production, Ltd. (Animation Korea Movie; ) is a South Korean animation studio in Songpa-gu, Seoul that has provided much work since its conception in 1985 by Nelson Shin. It is most notable for the overseas animation of more than 200 episo ...
was selected as an alternate, cheaper animation studio, animating the rest of the series.


Music

The show had approximately 100 of the songs co-written by
Alan O'Day Alan Earle O'Day (October 3, 1940 – May 17, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter, best known for writing and singing "Undercover Angel (song), Undercover Angel," a million-selling Gold-certified American No. 1 hit in 1977. He also wrote son ...
and Janis Liebhart. The theme song and "Rocket to the Stars" were written by Hank Saroyan and Rob Walsh, and "Merry-Go-Round", "Dreams for Your Inspiration", "Camilla", and "Best Friends" were written by Scott Brownlee. The seventh season episode "Sing a Song of Superheroes" had nine minutes of songs that required extra recording studio work. Due to an limited amount of the cast having singing talents, all of the songs were recorded with separate voice sessions in a recording studio. Some songs were extended for the albums ''Rocket to the Stars'' and ''Music is Everywhere''. The songs mainly compose kiddie lyrics and familiar music genres. Themes of the songs include
individuality An individual is one that exists as a distinct entity. Individuality (or self-hood) is the state or quality of living as an individual; particularly (in the case of humans) as a person unique from other people and possessing one's own needs or g ...
,
friendship Friendship is a Interpersonal relationship, relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. Althoug ...
, and
art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...
. During the first season, the show incorporated a "
doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...
feel" of the theme song to carry over the music. As the show evolved, more musical genres were incorporated, including a more
contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...
sound, which often included parodies and references to popular songs at the time. "Amadogus" (a parody of " Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco), a song featured in the third season episode "Fozzie's Family Tree", was released as a single in 1987 to promote the album ''Music is Everywhere''. The song was chosen as a Featured Pick by '' Cashbox'', stating that the "playful tune could garner notoriety as a novelty hit." Bill Wedo of ''The Morning Call'' called the song "particularly funny", but stated that "kids will enjoy it hileadults will find it a riot." Dee Ann Rexroat of '' The Gazette'' called the song as the "best-of-show honors" of the live show ''Muppet Babies' Live!''.


Themes

The show focuses on the central ideas of the power of
imagination Imagination is the production of sensations, feelings and thoughts informing oneself. These experiences can be re-creations of past experiences, such as vivid memories with imagined changes, or completely invented and possibly fantastic scenes ...
and
creative problem-solving Creative problem-solving (CPS) is the mental process of searching for an original and previously unknown solution to a problem. To qualify, the solution must be novel and reached independently. The creative problem-solving process was originally d ...
to promote an educational concept of
creativity Creativity is the ability to form novel and valuable Idea, ideas or works using one's imagination. Products of creativity may be intangible (e.g. an idea, scientific theory, Literature, literary work, musical composition, or joke), or a physica ...
. Hank Saroyan considered the idea as Jim Henson's vision for children to "believe that anything is possible." The techniques of imaginations contributed to the show, such as live-action footage and photographic backgrounds, was stated to interconnect ideas, stories, and characters in a dramatic play. Winnicott, a psychoanalytic theorist, described the show as "the intermediate area... allowed to the infant between primary creativity and objective perception based on reality-testing." Author Marsha Kindle described the show's techniques as the "kind of transgressive identification across other borders" and a "specialty." Other frequent themes involve books and reading, facing fears, new ways to play with old toys, imagining adulthood, and facing common childhood firsts. Diane LaBlanc of ''The Defender'' analyzed that the moral of the first-season episode "Scooter's Hidden Talent" is finding and developing "inspiration and talent". In the book ''Playing with Power in Movies, Television, and Games'', the sixth-season episode "The Green Ranger" was analyzed for its transmedia intertextuality, commodified masquerade,
obsolescence Obsolescence is the process of becoming antiquated, out of date, old-fashioned, no longer in general use, or no longer useful, or the condition of being in such a state. When used in a biological sense, it means imperfect or rudimentary when comp ...
, and death to address readers who are concerned about children's interactions on Saturday-morning shows. The seventh-season episode "Sing a Song of Superheroes" included popular opera arias to interest younger viewers in
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
. The episode also served as an unofficial tribute to Jim Henson.


Release


Broadcast

''Muppet Babies'' premiered on September 15, 1984, at 9:00 am ( EST) as part of the Saturday-morning lineup on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
. During the 1984–1985 television season, the show competed with
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's ''
The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...
''. The first-season episode "Gonzo's Video Show" was shown as a primetime special on December 18, 1984. For a brief run in the second season, the program became ''Muppets, Babies, and Monsters'', and a second half-hour was dedicated to a new show called ''Jim Henson's Little Muppet Monsters''. This show featured live-action puppets and cartoons starring the adult Muppet characters. The program ran from September 14 to September 28, 1985. At the time, the program faced competition with ABC's '' Ewoks & Star Wars Droids Adventure Hour''. After three episodes, Jim Henson pulled the plug, despite having partly filmed 18 episodes. This was reportedly due to the animation suffering from being produced quickly and the characters being lost in translation from live-action to animation, making the animation production harder for Marvel Productions to deliver the full season's animated segments in time for airing. As a result, Henson and CBS were unhappy about the product. The show then reverted to two episodes of ''Muppet Babies.'' In the 1987–1988 television season, ''Muppet Babies'' was expanded to three episodes after CBS pulled ''
Garbage Pail Kids ''Garbage Pail Kids'' is a series of sticker trading cards produced by the Topps Company, originally released in 1985 and designed to parody the '' Cabbage Patch Kids'' dolls, which were popular at the time. Each sticker card features a Garba ...
'' before it aired due to controversy. On July 11, 1988, '' Broadcasting Magazine'' announced that the series would be syndicated on Claster Television for the 1989–1990 television season. The show officially debuted on the network on September 18, 1989. The show continued in re-runs on the network until 1992. On October 5, 1992, the show started airing in re-runs on
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 ...
. The show continued in re-runs on the network until December 31, 1998. On April 1, 1999, it was announced the series would air as part of Odyssey Network's rebrand. The show reran on Odyssey Network from April 4, 1999, to March 2000.


Home media

Although not every ''Muppet Babies'' episode was released on VHS, a number of them were released between 1988 and 1999 in the United States.
Kraft Foods Kraft Foods Group, Inc. was an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate (company), conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. on October 1, 2012, and was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz on July ...
offered two ''Muppet Babies'' tapes sponsored by Kraft Marshmallows in 1989. Buena Vista Home Video released ''Explore with Us'', ''Let's Build'', and ''Time to Play'' on January 29, 1993, pricing at $12.99 per tape. The home video series, ''Yes, I Can'', was released with ''Yes, I Can Learn'' and ''Yes, I Can Help'' on June 16, 1995 and ''Yes, I Can Be a Friend'' on August 11, 1995 as part of Jim Henson's Preschool Collection, pricing at $12.99 per tape. The series focused on Robin the Frog, who asks his uncle Kermit for assistance in different chores he was struggling with. Each tape included two ''Muppet Babies'' episodes. In 1999, Interactive Learning Group released three ''Muppet Babies'' tapes for the Video Buddy interactive video play system, pricing at $15.95 per tape. In 2003, four episodes were made available, in uncut form, as bonus DVDs with 10-inch ''Muppet Babies'' plush toys distributed by Toy Play: "The Daily Muppet", "Eight Take Away One Equals Panic", "Piggy's Hyper-Activity Book", and "Gonzo's Video Show". There have been no plans announced of other
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
releases of ''Muppet Babies''. In 2023, animator Guy Gilchrist confirmed that ''Muppet Babies'' would least likely be available for streaming due to copyright and trademark difficulties.


Reception


Critical response

Throughout the show's run, it received universal acclaim from critics. After its debut, David Bianculli of Knight-Ridder Newspapers commented that it is one of the two Saturday-morning cartoons that "sound promising ompared to the other two programs and praised the show as a "wonderful addition to the Saturday-morning roster." Mike Hughes of Garnett News Service ranked the show as one of the two best Saturday-morning shows of 1984, describing the Muppet Babies as "cute" and the script as "fresh and funny". He praised the script as "much better than ther Saturday-morning shows" In his "On TV" review on ''
The Reporter Dispatch ''The Journal News'' is a newspaper in New York State serving the New York counties of Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam, a region known as the Lower Hudson Valley. It is owned by Gannett. History ''The Journal News'' was created through ...
'' issue from October 21, 1984, he also commented that the writing "ranks up" with ''
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends ''The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends'' (commonly referred to as simply ''Rocky and Bullwinkle'') is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the American Broadca ...
'' and '' Danger Mouse''. Steve McKerrow of '' The Evening Sun'' stated that the show is a "standout" to "cheaply-executed" Saturday-morning cartoons and described it as a "cartoon outgrowth ..that makes he audiencewish all children's programs could be this good." He also stated that it is the "kind of show that puts the bulk of the Saturday line-up to shame". He praised the show as "clever" and "honestly funny", commenting that the show takes a "floor-level, child's-eye view of the world". He also praised the Muppet Babies as "well and colorfully animated". Later, on his article from September 28, 1985, he commented that the program ''Muppets, Babies & Monsters'' is a "welcome addition to the aturday-morninglineup." Television critic Rick Forchuk reviewed that the show is "vastly better than ny primetime showsin 1984–1985 television season">1984–85 United States network television schedule">1984–1985 television season" He described the show as "different" and a "throwback to a different time". He also praised the animation as "superb, three dimensional, and vivid" and the plot and stories as "unpredictable" and "exciting as anything". He concluded that it is a "great show for adults ndkids." Walt Belcher of ''
The Tampa Tribune ''The Tampa Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Tampa, Florida. Along with the competing ''Tampa Bay Times'', the ''Tampa Tribune'' was one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area. The newspaper also published a ''St. P ...
'' commented that the show is " ne of thefew bright spots f Saturday-mornings and described it as "pleasant". In her initial review, Ellen Klein of Kids 'N' TV criticized its visuals as "not startling", but commented that the show has "enough originality to make it stand out to other Saturday-morning cartoons". In her revised review from 1985, she gave it a perfect 4 out of 4 stars, welcoming ''Muppets, Babies & Monsters'' as an exception to the Saturday-morning trend "full of robots, monsters, wrestlers, ghosts, and super-powered Galactic Guardians hat appealedto older children." She described the series as "fun", "inventive", and "exciting without being threatening or scary." She concluded that the series is "one of the best n Saturday-mornings" Howard Rosenberg of ''
The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...
'' stated that ''Muppets, Babies & Monsters'' was the "best Saturday-morning kid rogram, describing it as "wonderful". Ron Weiskind of ''
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving Greater Pittsburgh, metropolitan Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the fi ...
'' called the show the "most imaginative cartoon on the tube these days." Bill Wedo of ''
The Morning Call ''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second-longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after '' The Express-Times''. The newspaper is owned by Alden Global Capital ...
'' commented that the songs "manage enson's magic to entertain children and adults" Susan Stewart of ''
Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...
'' rated the series a perfect four stars, reviewing that it is a "vast improvement over hefirst-generation Muppets." The show was also well received by fans and audiences. In a Critics-at-Large review from May 5, 1985, Maria E. Allman from
Hamburg, New York Hamburg ( ) is a Town (New York), town in Erie County, New York, Erie County, New York (state), New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 60,085. It is named after the city of Hamburg, Germany. The town is on t ...
, called the show a "clever offering" and praised Baby Kermit, Baby Piggy, and Baby Gonzo for providing "humor and antics". She concluded that it is a "treat" and a "relief" for "parents and grandparents who have grown tired of the unappetizing fare and superhero junk .. In 1986, a survey in Woodrow Wilson School and Nellie F. Bennett School stated that their children's top-ranked show was ''Muppets, Babies & Monsters''.


Ratings

''Muppet Babies'' proved highly popular with audiences. In the 1984–1985 television season, the show was ranked as the most popular Saturday-morning cartoon on CBS and in the top five of 42 network shows. It was also ranked fifth on the most popular Saturday-morning show of the season. On December 18, 1984, the primetime broadcast of "Gonzo's Video Show" received a 9.9 Nielsen rating with a share of 15%. In 1985, the program ''Muppets, Babies & Monsters'' was rated No. 1 on CBS. After the program was replaced by two episodes of ''Muppet Babies'', the ratings increased from the previous season. The series remained as CBS's number-one Saturday-morning show. As of 1986, it was the second most popular children's programming among the top 30, and it attracted more than four million audiences on each week. It was also very popular with licensees at the time. Despite the success, ratings has decreased over time. In the 1989–1990 television season, the show only garnered a 2.4 Nielsen household rating with a 14% share due to competition with '' Garfield and Friends'' and ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...
'' at the time. Despite the decrease in ratings, the show still had success with the 2-11 and 6-11 age groups, garnering a 4.6 Nielsen rating with a 55% share in the 2-11 age group and a 4.9 Nielsen rating with a 63% share in the 6-11 age group.


Accolades

Between 1985 and 1991, ''Muppet Babies'' gained twelve awards from 27 nominations, including four consecutive
Daytime Emmy Awards The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...
for Outstanding Animated Program. On August 1, 1985, the show became the first recipient to receive an award for Outstanding Animated Program at the Daytime Emmy Awards. It continued to win the category until 1989, holding a record for the most wins in the category (tied with ''
Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...
''). In 1985, Jeffrey Scott received a
Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an American award for film and television writing, presented to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful manner. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of ...
for the first-season episode "Eight Take Away One Equals Panic", which earned him a $10,000 prize.


Honors

''Muppet Babies'' was voted "Top Cartoon of the Childhood Days" by the Irvin Hall newspaper's weekly review of the
Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...
in 2007. In January 2009, ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' named ''Jim Henson's Muppet Babies'' as the 31st-best in the Top 100 Best Animated TV Shows.


Impact and legacy

''Muppet Babies'' was known to start a trend of relaunching popular cartoon characters as younger versions of themselves. This trend can be seen in numerous TV series such as ''
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo ''A Pup Named Scooby-Doo'' is an American animated mystery comedy series produced by Hanna-Barbera. It is the eighth incarnation of the studio's ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise and depicts younger versions of the title character and his companions as ...
'', '' The Flintstone Kids'', '' Tom & Jerry Kids'', '' Jungle Cubs'' (based on characters from Disney's ''
The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' is an 1894 collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who ...
'') and '' Baby Looney Tunes''. As of 2000, approximately 300,000 animation cels of the show were stored by the Jim Henson Company Archives off-site. In 2007, a specific case dedicated to the show was added in The Jim Henson Exhibit in Leland, Mississippi.


Other media


Albums

The first album, ''Rocket to the Stars'', was released in July 1985 by Parker Brothers Music on LP and cassette. It featured an outer space adventure with eleven original songs starring the ''Muppet Babies'' characters. The songs and dialogue were mixed by Hank Saroyan, Rob Walsh, and Geni Jackson at Wilder Brothers Studio. It was reissued on July 20, 1987, by
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
. The album, renamed ''Rock It to the Stars'', was re-released in September 1993 by Jim Henson Records on CD and cassette. Sandra Tompkins of ''
The Fresno Bee ''The Fresno Bee'' is a three-times a week newspaper serving Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the larges ...
'' called the album an "exciting Oz-like journey", praising the songs as "catchy sing-alongs". Peter Fawthrop of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
gave the album four out of five stars, praising the songs and voices, but criticized the storybook format of the album, including the "dramatic lengths" and "loaded dialogue". The second album, ''Music is Everywhere'', was released on July 20, 1987, by Columbia Records on LP and cassette. Doug Hoagland of ''The Fresno Bee'' praised the music as "catchy".


Comics

In 1985,
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
produced a monthly comic book of the ''Muppet Babies'' with their
Star Comics Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and featured titles that were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys. The last comic published under the imprint ...
imprint, drawn by Marie Severin. The idea was created by Guy Gilchrist, who submitted approximately twenty samples to Jim Jenson, along with a multi-panel strip. The series lasted for 26 issues. The last two issues, #25 (May 1989) and #26 (July 1989), were drawn by Nate Butler. In 1992,
Harvey Comics Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey World Famous Comics, Harvey Publications, Harvey Comics Entertainment, Harvey Hits, Harvey Illustrated Humor, and Harvey Picture Magazines) was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alf ...
acquired the rights to produce ''Muppet Babies'' comics and produced a further three issues (restarting at issue #1). The Muppet Babies also appeared in ''
Star Comics Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and featured titles that were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys. The last comic published under the imprint ...
Digest'' (also known as ''Star Comics Magazine''). This comic was printed in digest-size format, and features a number of reprinted short stories in each issue. The series itself lasted for thirteen issues from 1986 until 1988. The Muppet Babies appeared in some, but not all, of the issues.


Live performances

''Muppet Babies'' had three live performances produced between 1986 and 1990. They are produced by Bob Shipstad and VEE Corporation. Each tour involved 16 cast members, eight crew members, concession staff, and support office staff. All of the voices and music were pre-recorded, and the costumes were designed and produced in Henson Associates, to retain authenticity. ''Muppet Babies Live!'' premiered on August 28, 1986, at Ohio Center in
Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
. The same premise followed with ''Muppet Babies' Magic Box'' in 1987 and ''Muppet Babies' Where's Animal?'' in 1988, which ended in May 1990 after 40 cities. The production values built in
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
, including the sets, properties, costumes, and lightings, cost $1 million. Professional dancers auditioned in New York City, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis to fill in roles. Approximately 600 people auditioned for the live performances per year. The cast would rehearse in Minneapolis for up to 10 hours per day in three weeks. Andrew Carl Wilk, director of the live performances, stated that directing them from prerecorded voices to costumes and movements was difficult. The production stage would be constructed with sets, properties, and lighting for four to seven hours for each destination. The dancers were transported by a chartered bus on each Monday and had a day off on each Tuesday. When the tours ended, they traveled back to their homes across the United States six times. The live performances received critical acclaim. In her review of ''Muppet Babies' Live!'', Sara Ann Conkling of ''Special to the Free Press'' praised Hank Saroyan's sketches as "full of color, sound, and activity." She also described the dancers as "remarkably agile" and added that the "special lighting effects added to the sense of wonderment." Dee Ann Rexroat of '' The Gazette'' commented that ''Muppet Babies' Live!'' is not "something parents have to suffer through", calling the live show "well produced" and "cute" and the sets and costumes as "quite imaginative". Dave Tianen of ''
Green Bay Press-Gazette The ''Green Bay Press-Gazette'' is a newspaper whose primary coverage is northeastern Wisconsin, including Green Bay. History The newspaper was founded as the ''Green Bay Gazette'' in 1866 as a weekly paper, becoming a daily newspaper in 1 ...
'' commented that ''Muppet Babies' Live!'' is "colorful, fast-paced, gentle, bright, tuneful, and mercifully short." In his review of ''Muppet Babies' Magic Box'', Bill Wedo of ''The Morning Call'' reviewed that the show was "true to the original", praising the scene changes as "quick and clever". He also praised the ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'' skit as the "beauty of the show", stating that "grown-ups can find kid stuff entertaining, too." In her review of ''Muppet Babies' Where's Animal?'', Esther Benenson of ''
Richmond Times-Dispatch The ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' (''RTD'' or ''TD'' for short) is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond, Virginia, and the primary newspaper of record for the state of Virginia. Circulation The ''Times-Dispatch'' has the second-highest circul ...
'' commented that parents "
ill ILL, or Ill, or ill may refer to: Places * Ill (France), a river in Alsace, France, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Vorarlberg), a river in Vorarlberg, Austria, tributary of the Rhine * Ill (Saarland), a river of Saarland, Germany, tributary o ...
have trouble getting excited about the plot" and have a "hard time adjusting to the piercingly high voice of Baby Piggy", describing the plot as "sparse" and praising some of the medleys as "entertaining".


2018 reboot

On October 26, 2016, it was announced that a
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
of the series began production. As opposed to the
traditional animation Traditional animation (or classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation) is an animation technique in which each frame is drawing, drawn by hand. The technique was the dominant form of animation of the 20th century, until there wa ...
of the original show, the reboot used CGI and is targeted to children ages 4–7 with each episode consisting of two 11-minute stories. Mr. Warburton, creator of
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
's '' Codename: Kids Next Door'', served as the executive producer while former ''
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
'' writer Eric Shaw served as the story editor. A reboot of the series premiered on
Disney Junior Disney Jr. (formerly Disney Junior) is an American pay television network owned by the Disney Branded Television sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company. Aimed mainly at children two to seven year ...
on March 23, 2018.


Other appearances

In 1987, the live-action version of the lead characters appeared, in the form of an old home movie, during '' A Muppet Family Christmas''. The segment itself was cut from American and Canadian home video releases due to copyright licensing issues with "
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a Christmas music, Christmas song written by John Frederick Coots, J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, and first recorded by Harry Reser and His Orchestra. When it was covered by Eddie Cantor on his radio show ...
". In 1990, Baby Kermit, Piggy, and Gonzo made small appearances in the drug prevention television special ''
Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue ''Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue'' is a 1990 American animated children comedy-drama social guidance film starring many characters from several animated television series at the time of its release. The plot follows Michael, a teenager who is us ...
''.


See also

* List of animated spin-offs from prime time shows * '' Sesame Beginnings''


References


External links

* * * {{Children's programming on CBS in the 1990s 1984 American animated television series debuts 1991 American television series endings 1980s American animated comedy television series 1990s American animated comedy television series 1980s American children's comedy television series 1990s American children's comedy television series 1980s American musical comedy television series 1990s American musical comedy television series 1980s preschool education television series 1990s preschool education television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated comedy television series American children's animated fantasy television series American children's animated musical television series American prequel television series American preschool education television series American television series with live action and animation Animated preschool education television series Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program winners American English-language television shows Animated television series about children Television series by Marvel Productions Star Comics titles Television shows adapted into comics Television series by Claster Television Television series by The Jim Henson Company The Muppets television series Television series about nannies CBS animated television series