Before we begin, allow me to put on my “I appreciate The Muppets on a much deeper level than you” T-shirt.
I am, as many of you already know, an absolute Muppet freak. And Christmastime is a bonanza of Muppet awesomeness.
There’s “Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas”, a show that manages to be a Christmas special without a single reference to the holiday in any of the songs. (Words and music by Paul Williams, who also worked with The Muppets in their screen debut “The Muppet Movie”, and the first film following the death of Jim Henson, “The Muppet Christmas Carol.”)
There’s “Christmas Eve On Sesame Street”, even more heartwarming this year when viewed as a tribute to the great Bob McGrath. Also, little kids trying to explain Santa’s methods to the Muppets, which is just adorable. And Cookie Monster eating everything. It’s the perfect Christmas special. Well, tied with one other.
“A Muppet Family Christmas” offers us something we will almost certainly never see again: The three Muppet “universes” gather together in one spectacular show: the “Muppet Show” Muppets; the “Sesame Street” Muppets; and the “Fraggle Rock” Muppets. The “intellectual property” rights to these three groups of characters are now owned by three different companies; Henson Productions for Fraggle Rock, Sesame Workshop for the “Street” gang, and DIsney for the “Muppet Show” Muppets. Also, as we’ll discuss later, “A Muppet Family Christmas” is one of the final opportunities to see the characters performed by all of the original puppeteers.
The show begins with the classic Muppet cast–Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, the Electric Mayhem, etc.–cheerily traveling to Fozzie’s Mom’s house. When they get there, Ma Bear is packed for a trip to Malibu. She has rented her home to Doc and his dog Sprocket (of “Fraggle Rock”). But of course, Muppets arrive en masse and plans are changed.
I’m not going to do a full plot synopsis of this special because it’s not about the plot. It’s about Bert and Ernie making small talk. And Rowlf meeting Sprocket. And Robin the Frog finding a Fraggle hole. So here’s what I’m gonna do…I’m gonna drop the video of the complete special here…
And for those who don’t want to watch the entire thing (I don’t know if we can be friends, but whatever), I will highlight certain moments and, as always, check out the commercials and promos.
“Nope.”
Nut-less M & M’s used to be called “Plain.” At some point somebody at the company realized, hey, “plain” is not a positive descriptor. So they changed them to “Milk Chocolate.” You’d think after letting them be called plain for 40-something years, they’d have gone a step ahead and called them “Stellar” or “Iridescent”.
Hey 1987 kids! You’re probably gonna get the Disney version of “Pinocchio” on VHS in the next year or two, but why wait? How about a version by the studio that made “The Brady Kids” and “The Groovie Goolies”?
Fozzie finds a friend, and perhaps a sidekick, in this vaudeville-trained snowman. Their performance of “Sleigh Ride” is one of a handful of song sequences that were cut from home video (including DVD) releases of the special.
Look! It’s the Sesame Street gang! They’re also spending Christmas at Ma Bear’s place. After singing a medley of yuletide hymns, Big Bird notes, just on the cusp of the fade out, “I like Carols!”* It’s perfect execution. If you stopped the music and did a close up on Big Bird it would be really obvious, and not as funny. Catching it as it almost slips by you is a marvelous experience. And I listen for it every year.
*Carroll Spinney was the original performer of Big Bird, and Oscar the Grouch. So Big Bird saying “I like carols” is….well, I think I’ve explained it sufficiently.
This kid records his dog on his Casio keyboard to play back a “singing dog” song. Cute. You know what I did with my Casio? I recorded me and my friend clapping. Then, when I rolled my fingers around all the keys at once it sounded like a live studio audience….perfect for our goofy little radio shows we’d make.
With Miss Piggy back, and everyone gathered by a roaring fire, it’s time for the carol sing. Big Bird loves Carols. Hey, remember about a year ago back there I was talking about secondary characters getting a moment in the spotlight? Look who’s right down in the front row…yes, that’s the poor soul who always seems to get Grover as his waiter. His character name, used only internally at the Muppet Workshop, is Fat Blue. Points for accuracy!
“Well, they certainly seem to be having a good time out there, Sprocket.”
“Woof! Woof!”
“Yeah, I like it when they have a good time.”
“I like it when they have a good time.” Jim Henson, talking about….the characters he created. The men and women who helped him make his dreams come true. The fans of all ages who will never be too old for Muppets. I can’t think of a nicer way to conclude the show.
Random Notes:
The Muppets were still a hot property in 1987. This special won its time slot, ranked in the top 25 shows of the week, and pulled in a total of 19 million viewers. (The 19 million figure must be measured against a much thinner wall of competition. Fewer cable channels, no streaming… but still, 19 million viewers is notable in any climate.)
I never stopped loving The Muppets. But for many years I stopped being proud of it. It became frustrating to be a Muppet fan as a I got older, because teachers and adults would reference Cookie Monster and Big Bird…and I had by then long given up Sesame Street for The Muppet Show and the weekday cavalcade of cartoon violence. In 1987 I was 15 years old. But I was right in front of the TV to see “A Muppet Family Christmas”.
The beginning of the end? Well, that seems a little overdramatic. But the fact is, no Muppet project as good as this Christmas special was to follow before the untimely death of Jim Henson. In 1989 “The Jim Henson Hour” tried to emulate the anthology format of “The Wonderful World Of Disney”, with a week-to-week “MuppetVision” segment. The new Muppet segments were largely produced without Frank Oz, who had started a prolific film directing career. Oz was an essential part of the recipe–aside from the obvious work he did performing Piggy, Fozzie, Animal, etc. Oz was a great help working through scenes, contributing ideas, and providing that great chemistry with Henson’s characters. Kermit without Miss Piggy OR Fozzie is fairly hamstrung (sorry).
Oz did return for two final projects, both related to Henson’s planned sale of his company to DIsney. There was a one-hour special, “The Muppets In Walt Disney World”, which was amusing and fun–especially with “Great Muppet Caper” villain Charles Grodin on board–but suffered the shameless parade of plugs typical in any television show connected with the parks.
Finally, there was “Muppetvision 3D.” This was an interactive “4D” movie that still runs to this day at the DIsney’s Hollywood Studios park at Walt Disney World. “Muppetvision 3D” marked the final time that Jim Henson (who died in 1990 before the attraction was completed) performed his characters. It was also the final performance for Richard Hunt, who played Scooter, Janice, Beaker and other characters before dying in 1992.
Yes, “A Muppet Family Christmas” really is something special. It’s the grandest gathering of Muppets ever, with an abundance of warmth and humor. I like it when they have a good time.