Muppet Babies (1984 TV series)

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Muppet Babies
Also known asJim Henson's Muppet Babies
Genre
Created byJim Henson
Based onThe Muppets
by Jim Henson
Developed byJeffrey Scott
Written by
  • Jeffrey Scott
  • Sindy McKay
  • Larry Swerdlove
  • Hank Saroyan
  • J.R. Young
Voices of
Theme music composerHank Saroyan
Rob Walsh
Opening theme"Muppet Babies"
Ending theme"Muppet Babies" (instrumental) (Season 1)
"Little Muppet Monsters theme" (instrumental) (Season 2–8)
Composers
  • Rob Walsh (Season 1–6)
  • Robert Irving (Season 7–8)
  • Hank Saroyan (Season 7–8)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes107 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Running time25 minutes
Production companiesMarvel Productions
Henson Associates
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 15, 1984 (1984-09-15) –
November 2, 1991 (1991-11-02)
Related

Jim Henson's Muppet Babies,[1] commonly known by the shortened title Muppet Babies, is an American animated television series produced by Marvel Productions and Henson Associates. The show portrays toddler versions of the Muppets living together in a nursery under the care of a woman known as Nanny,[2] involving the concepts of the power of imagination and creative problem-solving. The show's main target group is for children aged 2–5.[3] The idea of presenting the Muppets as children appeared in a dream sequence in The Muppets Take Manhattan (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 cartoons lineup on CBS. 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 (including four consecutive awards for Outstanding Animated Program), as well as a Humanitas Prize. 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 following the company's acquisition of The Muppets franchise.[citation needed] Outside the United States, the show was distributed by Walt Disney Television. A reboot of the series premiered on Disney Junior on March 23, 2018.

Premise

Promotional artwork for the series, featuring (clockwise from bottom-left) Baby Animal, Baby Skeeter, Baby Scooter, Baby Fozzie, Baby Piggy, Baby Kermit, Baby Gonzo, and Baby Rowlf

The series stars Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Scooter, Skeeter, Rowlf the Dog, and Gonzo as the main characters in their baby counterparts. Supporting characters include Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, and Camilla in the form of Gonzo's stuffed baby chick. In the final two seasons, Bean Bunny and Statler and Waldorf began making regular appearances. Several Muppets made guest appearances, including Janice as an older preteen and Kermit's nephew Robin as a tadpole.

The Muppet Babies live in a large nursery watched over by Nanny, who is seen from the shoulders down. The babies' imaginary games transition from the nursery into scenes that become "real" to the babies, such as outer space and the past.[2] The fantasies have the babies interact with live-action backgrounds, old films and photos, engravings, and hand-drawn backgrounds.[2] The babies used their imaginations to have their own adventures based on everyday things and toys around them.[2][4] 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

Additional

Episodes

Main article: List of Muppet Babies (1984 TV series) episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
113September 15, 1984 (1984-09-15)December 8, 1984 (1984-12-08)
213September 14, 1985 (1985-09-14)December 7, 1985 (1985-12-07)
316September 13, 1986 (1986-09-13)December 27, 1986 (1986-12-27)
418September 19, 1987 (1987-09-19)January 16, 1988 (1988-01-16)
513September 10, 1988 (1988-09-10)December 3, 1988 (1988-12-03)
618September 16, 1989 (1989-09-16)January 13, 1990 (1990-01-13)
78September 15, 1990 (1990-09-15)November 3, 1990 (1990-11-03)
88September 14, 1991 (1991-09-14)November 2, 1991 (1991-11-02)

Production

Origin

The idea was created by Jim Henson and his staff.[5] It was originated 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".[6] Afterwards, the staff, including Michael K. Frith, created sketches and drawings of the Muppet Babies.[6][7] After Frith showed a sketch of Baby Piggy to Jim Henson, Henson decided to turn it into a merchandise.[7] Throughout 1983, several marketers promoted prototype versions of the Muppet Babies with playsuits, underwear, dresses, and overalls while Jim Henson was developing baby versions of the Muppets.[8][9] On January 1, 1984, the Muppet Babies were included in the comic strip adaptation of the Muppets.[citation needed]

During production of The Muppets Take Manhattan, Miss Piggy's original fantasy sequence was written on the screenplay.[7] Because Henson was enthused about the Muppet Babies, he convinced Frank Oz to include them in the film, replacing the original fantasy sequence.[10] Despite Oz's dislike on the idea, he thought that the idea was brilliant.[7] Shortly, 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.[6] The scene was shot on August 28, 1983.[11] 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."[citation needed] The film was released on July 13, 1984.[12][13] The idea was a success, and it received very favorable reviews from fans.[7] At the same time, Baby Kermit and Piggy plush toys were promoted by Pampers.[14]

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.[15] The song was remixed by John Benitez for the project.[15] It was shot on April 10 and 11, 1984.[12] The set used for the music video was larger than the set used in the film.[15] 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.[15]

Development

Network executives and several others suggested Henson Associates to transform the Muppet Babies into a Saturday-morning cartoon.[2] The concept of the show was created on March 10, 1984.[12] On April 13, 1984, CBS colleague, Judy Price, granted permission to Jim Henson and his staff for its proposal.[7][9][12] Jim Henson was initially skeptical, as he originally stepped away from Saturday-morning cartoons.[16] However, he liked the idea a lot that he decided to create the show for something better.[2][16] He visited every major studio in California, choosing to work with Marvel Productions after a meeting with Hank Saroyan.[17] 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.[18][19] Bob Richardson transferred from producing and directing the first season of Dungeons & Dragons, to produce and direct the show, which needed help getting started.[citation needed] Scooter's twin sister, Skeeter, was exclusively created for the show to provide more feminine empowerment.[2] Nanny was only seen from the neck down to represent the kids' view of an adult.[2]

Writing

The team of writers consisted of Jeffrey Scott, Barry O'Brien, Bob Smith, Chuck Lorre, 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.[9] Jeffrey Scott wrote all 13 episodes of the first season.[20]

Voice actors

The show had several cast members: Frank Welker, Laurie O'Brien, Greg Berg, Russi Taylor, Katie Leigh, Howie Mandel, 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.[9]

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, Fraggle Rock, 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.[citation needed] According to Laurie O'Brien, the audition had gathered 750 people.[21] 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."[22] 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.[21][22] After auditioning with the videocassette player, O'Brien was cast as Baby Piggy due to her potential and physical strength with her character.[22] Greg Breg, who was also a Muppets fan, did the audition process a few years after he moved to Hollywood.[22][23] Some of the voice actors had no singing experience prior to the show's production. Katie Leigh started taking singing lessons,[22] while Howie Mandel needed a professional singer to help keep him on key.[24]

Animation

Henson's idea for its animation was to mix genres and ignore "hard-and-fast rules."[2] Characters and backgrounds were created by artists of Marvel Productions.[9] 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 of the imaginations.[7][12] Film clips were also incorporated to encourage imagination and fantasy.[16] The idea was well-liked, and it became one of the main concepts of the show, as it helped save money for animation.[7][17][25] It was considered easy for Henson to secure the rights to films such as Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark since he was friends with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.[17][26]

From the first season to the fifth episode of the fourth season, the series' overseas production was from Toei Animation, which it costed $30,000 per episode.[9][27] In February 1985, Japanese yen started to rise against US dollars, and as a result, Toei Animation risen the cost to $50,000.[27] AKOM was selected as an alternate, cheaper animation studio, which remained for the rest of the series.[citation needed]

Music

The show had approximately 100 of the songs co-written by Alan O'Day and Janis Liebhart.[28][29] 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.[30] The seventh season episode "Sing a Song of Superheroes" had nine minutes of songs that required extra recording studio work.[31] 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.[22] Some songs were extended for the albums Rocket to the Stars and Music is Everywhere.[22]

The songs mainly compose kiddie lyrics and familiar music genres.[32] Themes of the songs include individuality, friendship, and art.[33] During the first season, the show incorporated a "doo-wop feel" of the theme song to carry over the music. As the show evolved, more musical genres were involved, including a more contemporary sound, which often parodies and references popular songs at its time.[28]

"Amadogus" (parody of "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco) was released as a single in 1987 to promote the album Music is Everywhere.[citation needed] The song, "Amadogus", was chosen as a Featured Pick by Cashbox, stating that the "playful tune could garner notoriety as a novelty hit."[34] Bill Wedo of The Morning Call called the song "particularly funny", but stated that "kids will enjoy it [while] adults will find it a riot."[32] Dee Ann Rexroat of The Gazette called the song as the "best-of-show honors" of the live show Muppet Babies' Live!.[35]

Themes

The show focuses on the central ideas of the power of imagination and creative problem-solving to promote an educational concept of creativity.[7] Hank Saroyan considered the idea as Jim Henson's vision for children to "believe that anything is possible."[31] 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.[12] 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."[36] Author Marsha Kindle described the show's techniques as the "kind of transgressive identification across other borders" and a "specialty."[36]

Other frequent themes involve books and reading,[5][37] facing fears,[5] new ways to play with old toys,[citation needed] imagining adulthood,[citation needed] and facing common childhood firsts.[citation needed] 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".[38] In the book Playing with Power in Movies, Television, and Games, the sixth-season episode "The Green Ranger" was analyzed for its transmedia intersexuality, commodified masquerade, obsolescence, and death to address readers who are concerned about children's interactions on Saturday-morning shows.[36] The seventh-season episode "Sing a Song of Superheroes" included popular opera arias to interest younger viewers in opera. The episode was served as an unofficial tribute to Jim Henson.[31]

Release

Broadcast

Muppet Babies premiered on September 15, 1984, at 9:00 am (EST) as part of the Saturday-morning lineup on CBS.[39][12] During the 1984–1985 television season, the show competed with NBC's The Smurfs.[40] For a brief run in the second season, the program became Muppets, Babies, and Monsters,[41][42][43] and a second half-hour was dedicated to a new show called Jim Henson's Little Muppet Monsters.[12] This show featured live-action puppets and cartoons starring the adult Muppet characters. The program lasted from September 14 to September 28, 1985.[12][41][42][43] At the time, the program faced competition with ABC's Ewoks & Star Wars Droids Adventure Hour.[44] After three episodes, Jim Henson pulled the plug, despite 18 episodes having been made.[45] This was reportedly due to the animation suffering from being produced quickly and the characters being lost in translation from live-action to animation,[26] making the animation production harder for Marvel Productions to deliver the full season's animated segments in time for airing.[46][47] As a result, Henson and CBS was unhappy about the product.[17] The show then reverted to two episodes of Muppet Babies.[26] In the 1987–1988 television season, Muppet Babies was expanded to three episodes after CBS pulled Garbage Pail Kids before it aired due to controversy.[48][49]

On July 11, 1988, Broadcasting Magazine announced that the series would be syndicated on Claster Television for the 1989–1990 television season.[50] The show officially debuted on the network on September 18, 1989.[51] On January 3, 1989, Fox's former vice-president, Steve Leblang, announced that the series would be acquired by Fox's Children Network.[52] On July 15, 1991, it was announced to rerun throughout the 1991–1992 television season on Fox after losing negotiations to continue syndicating on Claster Television, which was implied to have reran on the network throughout the 1990–1991 television season.[53] As of August 4, 1991, the show's debut date on the network was scheduled to be in September 1991.[54] On October 5, 1992, the show started reruns on Nickelodeon.[55] The show continued reruns on the network until December 31, 1998.[citation needed] On April 1, 1999, it was announced the series would air as part of Odyssey Network's rebrand.[56] The show reran on Odyssey Network from April 4, 1999,[57] to March 2000.[citation needed]

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 offered two Muppet Babies tapes sponsored by Kraft Marshmallows in 1989.[58] Jim Henson Video and 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.[59][60] The home video series, Yes, I Can, was released with Yes, I Can Learn and Yes, I Can Help on June 16, 1995[61] and Yes, I Can Be a Friend on August 11, 1995[citation needed] as part of Jim Henson's Preschool Collection, pricing at $12.99 per tape.[62][63] 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.[64][65]

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".[citation needed] There have been no plans announced of other DVD 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.[66]

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 [compared to the other two programs]" and praised the show as a "wonderful addition to the Saturday-morning roster."[67] 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 [other Saturday-morning shows]."[68][69] In his "On TV" review on The Reporter Dispatch issue from October 21, 1984, he also commented that the writing "ranks up" with The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends and Danger Mouse.[70] 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 [the audience] wish 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".[71] Later, on his article from September 28, 1985, he commented that the program Muppets, Babies & Monsters is a "welcome addition to the [Saturday-morning] lineup."[72]

Television critic Rick Forchuk reviewed that the show is "vastly better than [any primetime shows] in [the 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 [and] kids."[73] Walt Belcher of The Tampa Tribune commented that the show is "[one of the] few bright spots [of Saturday-mornings]" and described it as "pleasant".[74] 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".[75] 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 [that appealed] to 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 [on Saturday-mornings]."[76][77] Howard Rosenberg of The Los Angeles Times stated that Muppets, Babies & Monsters was the "best Saturday-morning kid [program]", describing it as "wonderful".[78] Ron Weiskind of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called the show the "most imaginative cartoon on the tube these days."[79] Bill Wedo of The Morning Call commented that the songs "manage [Henson's magic to entertain children and adults]."[32] Susan Stewart of Detroit Free Press rated the series a perfect four stars, reviewing that it is a "vast improvement over [the] first-generation Muppets."[80]

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, 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[...]"[81] 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.[82]

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.[83] It was also ranked 5th on the most popular Saturday-morning show of the season.[44] In 1985, the program Muppets, Babies & Monsters was rated No. 1 on CBS.[84] After the program was replaced by two episodes of Muppet Babies, the ratings increased from the previous season.[26] The series remained as CBS's number-one Saturday-morning show.[85] 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.[86] It was also very popular with licensees at the time.[12]

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 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.[36]

Accolades

Between 1985 and 1991, Muppet Babies gained twelve awards from 27 nominations, including four consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards 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.[87][88][89][90] It continued to win the category until 1989, holding a record for the most wins in the category (tied with Arthur). In 1985, Jeffrey Scott received a Humanitas Prize for the first season episode "Eight Take Away One Equals Panic", which earned him a $10,000 prize.[91][92][93][94]

List of awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
1985 12th Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Animated Program Won [87][88][89][90]
Outstanding Film Sound Editing Robert T. Gillis
Richard C. Allen
Ron Fedele
Michael L. DePatie
Richard Bruce Elliott
Michael Tomack 		Won
10th Humanitas Awards Children's Animation Category Jeffrey Scott (For "Eight Take Away Equals Panic") Won [91][92][93][94]
1986 13th Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Animated Program Won [95][96][97]
Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition Rob Walsh Nominated
Outstanding Film Sound Editing Robert T. Gillis
Alison Cobb
Michael Tomack
Michael L. DePatie
Ron Fedele
Richard Bruce Elliott
Richard C. Allen 		Nominated
Outstanding Film Sound Mixing Bill Thiederman
Bob Minkler
Lee Minkler 		Nominated
8th Youth in Film Awards Exceptional Family Animation Series or Specials Won [98]
1987 14th Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Animated Program Won [99][100][101]
Outstanding Film Sound Mixing Bill Oliver
Paul Aronoff 		Nominated
Outstanding Film Sound Editing Ron Fedele
Michael Tomack
Jim Blodgett
Steven C. Brown
David Hankins
Warren Taylor
Alison Cobb
Richard C. Allen 		Nominated
1988 CINE Competition Animation Jim Henson Won
15th Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Animated Program Won [102][103]
Outstanding Film Sound Mixing Jeffrey J. Haboush
Greg P. Russell 		Nominated
Outstanding Film Sound Editing Richard C. Allen
Ron Fedele
Rusty Tinsley
Billy B. Bell
Scott A. Tinsley 		Nominated
13th Humanitas Awards Children's Animation Category Star Kaplan
Maia Mattise (For "My Muppet Valentine") 		Nominated [104]
1989 16th Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Animated Program Nominated [105][106]
Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series Barbara Billingsley Nominated
Outstanding Film Sound Editing Al Breitenbach
Ron Fedele
Richard C. Allen
Steven D. Williams
Kenneth R. Burton 		Won
Outstanding Film Sound Mixing Jeffrey J. Haboush
Greg P. Russell 		Won
22nd NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Comedy Series Won
1990 17th Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series Barbara Billingsley Nominated [107]
Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing Al Breitenbach Nominated
Outstanding Film Sound Mixing Andy D'Addario
Jeffrey J. Haboush 		Nominated
Outstanding Film Sound Editing Al Breitenbach
Ron Fedele
Steven D. Williams
Kenneth R. Burton
Jackson Schwartz
Dean G. Manly 		Nominated
23rd NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Comedy Series Won
1991 16th Humanitas Awards Children's Animation Category Jeffrey Scott (For "Romancing the Weirdo") Nominated [104]

Honors

Muppet Babies was voted "Top Cartoon of the Childhood Days" by the Irvin Hall newspaper's weekly review of the Pennsylvania State University in 2007.[citation needed]

In January 2009, IGN named Jim Henson's Muppet Babies as the 31st-best in the Top 100 Best Animated TV Shows.[108]

Impact and legacy

The 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, The Flintstone Kids, Tiny Toon Adventures (the main characters actually are the "successors" of the Looney Tunes, the latter themselves as their instructors), and Tom & Jerry Kids.[45]

As of 2000, approximately 300,000 animation cels of the show were stored by the Jim Henson Company Archives off-site.[109]

In 2007, a specific case dedicated to the show was added in The Jim Henson Exhibit in Leland, Mississippi.[110]

Other media

Albums

The first album, Rocket to the Stars, was released in July 1985 by Parker Brothers Music on LP and cassette.[111][112] It featured an outer space adventure with eleven original songs starring the Muppet Babies characters.[113] The songs and dialogue were mixed by Hank Saroyan, Rob Walsh, and Geni Jackson at Wilder Brothers Studio.[111] It was reissued on July 20, 1987, by Columbia Records.[114] The album, renamed Rock It to the Stars, was re-released in September 1993 by Jim Henson Records on CD and cassette.[113] Sandra Tompkins of The Fresno Bee called the album an "exciting Oz-like journey", praising the songs as "catchy sing-alongs".[33] Peter Fawthrop of AllMusic 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".[115]

The second album, Music is Everywhere, was released on July 20, 1987, by Columbia Records on LP and cassette.[30][114] Doug Hoagland of The Fresno Bee praised the music as "catchy".[33]

Comics

In 1985, Marvel Comics produced a monthly comic book of the Muppet Babies with their Star Comics imprint, drawn by Marie Severin.[116] The idea was created by Guy Gilchrist, who submitted approximately twenty samples to Jim Jenson, along with a multi-panel strip.[11] The series lasted for 26 issues.[116] The last two issues, #25 (May 1989) and #26 (July 1989), were drawn by Nate Butler.[citation needed] In 1992, Harvey Comics acquired the rights to produce Muppet Babies comics and produced a further three issues (restarting at issue #1).[116]

The Muppet Babies also appeared in Star Comics 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.[citation needed]

Live performances

Muppet Babies had three live performances produced between 1986 and 1990. They are produced by Bob Shipstad and VEE Corporation.[117] Each tour involved 16 cast members, eight crew members, concession staff, and support office staff.[118] All of the voices and music were pre-recorded, and the costumes were designed and produced in Henson Associates, to retain authenticity.[86] Muppet Babies Live! premiered on August 28, 1986, at Ohio Center in Columbus, Ohio.[119] The same premise followed with Muppet Babies' Magic Box in 1987[117] and Muppet Babies' Where's Animal? in 1988,[120] which ended in May 1990 after 40 cities.[121] The production values built in Minneapolis, including the sets, properties, costumes, and lightings, cost $1 million.[19]

Professional dancers auditioned in New York City, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis to fill in roles.[118] Approximately 600 people auditioned for the live performances per year.[118] The cast would rehearse in Minneapolis for up to 10 hours per day in three weeks.[121] Andrew Carl Wilk, director of the live performances, stated that directing them from prerecorded voices to costumes and movements was difficult.[122] The production stage would be constructed with sets, properties, and lighting for four to seven hours for each destination.[121] The dancers were transported by a chartered bus on each Monday and had a day off on each Tuesday.[121] When the tours ended, they traveled back to their homes across the United States six times.[121]

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."[123] 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".[35] Dave Tianen of Green Bay Press-Gazette commented that Muppet Babies' Live! is "colorful, fast-paced, gentle, bright, tuneful, and mercifully short."[124] 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 skit as the "beauty of the show", stating that "grown-ups can find kid stuff entertaining, too."[125] In her review of Muppet Babies' Where's Animal?, Esther Benenson of Richmond Times-Dispatch commented that parents "[will] 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".[126]

2018 reboot

Main article: Muppet Babies (2018 TV series)

On October 26, 2016, it was announced that a reboot of the series began production.[127] As opposed to the traditional animation 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's Codename: Kids Next Door, served as the executive producer while former SpongeBob SquarePants writer Eric Shaw served as the story editor.[127] A reboot of the series premiered on Disney Junior on March 23, 2018.[128]

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.[129] The segment itself was cut from American and Canadian home video releases due to copyright licensing issues with "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town".[130]

In 1990, Baby Kermit, Piggy, and Gonzo made small appearances in the drug prevention television special Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue.[131]

See also

References

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