''Muppet Babies'' is an American

computer-animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refer ...

television series featuring toddler versions of

the Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompas ...

characters that began airing on

Disney Junior Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven ...

and

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Comp ...

on March 23, 2018Schwartz, Dana (January 25, 2018)
"Meet the new Muppet Baby! A first look at Summer the penguin"
''Entertainment Weekly''. and is aimed at a target audience of children from ages 3 to 8.Flaherty, Keely (January 25, 2018)
"The Muppet Babies Are Returning To TV With A Brand New Muppet"
''Buzzfeed''. It is 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 original 1984 animated series of the same name. The show retains several of the younger incarnations of the classic Muppet characters seen in the previous series, including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, The Great Gonzo, and Animal. The series also sees the second appearance of Nanny (now known as "Mrs. Nanny"), and the first appearance of a new Muppet Babies member named Summer Penguin. The series finale aired on February 18, 2022.

Plot

The show details Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Summer Penguin, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and The Great Gonzo and a cast of characters using their imaginations.

Episodes

Characters

Main

* Kermit (voiced by

Matt Danner Matthew Thomas Danner (born June 30, 1981) is an American animator, screenwriter, storyboard artist, director, producer and voice actor. His credits include work on '' The Ripping Friends'', '' ¡Mucha Lucha!'', '' The Looney Tunes Show'', '' X ...

) – A level-headed and friendly frog who enjoys acting out adventure and making music with his banjo. However, he can get flustered rather easily, usually by the antics of those around him. Kermit is also the official leader of the Muppet Babies, as he is typically the one who helps devise their plans. * Piggy (voiced by Melanie Harrison) – A temperamental and self-centered pig who considers herself a star and harbors a crush on Kermit. She mostly speaks in a high-pitched voice but would at times greatly deepen when she gets passionate or angry. She is best friends with Skeeter and Summer. * Fozzie (voiced by

Eric Bauza Eric Bauza (born December 7, 1979) is a Canadian-American voice actor and comedian. His most-known roles include Stimpy on '' Ren and Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"'', Foop on '' The Fairly OddParents'' and its reboot '' Fairly Odder'', Thunderbol ...

) – A cheerful and goofy bear who aspires to be a

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audienc ...

, but also shows skills as a

ventriloquist Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is ve ...

, magician, and a

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wr ...

like his two best friends, Kermit and Rowlf. While adorable and good-hearted, Fozzie also has a mischievous streak, as he is fond of playing

practical jokes A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...

on the other Muppets. He can also get frightened rather easily, not sharing Gonzo's love of the paranormal and grotesque. *

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 sta ...

(voiced by

Benjamin Diskin Benjamin Isaac Diskin (born August 25, 1982) is an American actor who was affiliated in Studiopolis, Bang Zoom!, SDI Media, Funimation, VSI Los Angeles, and NYAV Post. Early life Diskin was born in Los Angeles County, California to a Jewish fa ...

) – An eccentric and unpredictable toucan-like creature called a "whatever" who has a love for anything that can be considered strange, specifically horror movies, works of

Gothic fiction Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...

phenomena, and

conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...

, having ideas such as about hippopotamuses having their own language. *

Animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage ...

(voiced by

Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'', '' Codename: Kids Next Door'' ...

) – A proud frenzied monster who likes playing the drums. * Summer (voiced by

Jessica DiCicco Jessica Sonya DiCicco (; born June 10, 1980) is an American actress. She is known for voicing in animated television series and video games. Her first voice role was the announcer for Nickelodeon's educational channel Noggin. DiCicco has since vo ...

) – A good-hearted and sweet-natured penguin from the South Pole who loves to make art. She is best friends with Piggy. * Miss Nanny (voiced by

Jenny Slate Jenny Sarah Slate (born March 25, 1982) is an American actress, comedian, and author. Born and raised in Milton, Massachusetts, Slate was educated at Milton Academy and studied literature at Columbia University, where she became involved in the ...

) – The teacher of the Muppet Babies and proprietor of her school who is only seen from the neck down. The pattern on her stockings changes to reflect relevant elements in the episode plot. She won a gold medal in a gymnastics discipline at the Sport-A-Thon. In episode 69a ("A Mitzvah for Mrs. Nanny"), it is revealed that Miss Nanny is Jewish, and actually the daughter of Nanny from the original series.

Other Muppets

* Camilla (vocal effects provided by Melanie Harrison) – A white chick and Gonzo's best friend who is involved with the Muppet Babies' activities. * Mr. Statler and Mr. Waldorf (voiced by

and

respectively) – The neighbors of Mrs. Nanny who often comment about the Muppet Babies' activities from the balcony of their home. * Rizzo (voiced by

) – A self-centered and sarcastic rat who lives in the mouse hole in the school. * Bunsen Honeydew (voiced by

) – A young aspiring scientist. * Beaker (voiced by

) – Bunsen’s assistant. * Dr. Teeth (performed by Bill Barretta) – The band leader of the Electric Mayhem. He appeared in a live-action transmission in "Muppet Rock" where he saw Animal perform backstage and is interested in having him join the Electric Mayhem. Animal turns him down for now as he needs to continue practicing. * Rowlf (voiced by

) – A fun-loving and friendly dog who loves to sing and make music, typically with his piano. He is best friends with Kermit and Fozzie, often acting as the middleman between the two. *

Sweetums The Muppets are an ensemble group of comedic puppet characters originally created by Jim Henson. The Muppets have appeared in multiple television series, films, and other media appearances since the 1950s. The majority of the characters listed ...

(voiced by

) – An

ogre An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...

who lives next door to the school. *

Chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a ki ...

(voiced by

) – A mock Swedish-speaking cooking prodigy. *

Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') ** Bush-robin **Forest r ...

(voiced by

) – A small polliwog who is Kermit's nephew. He has a tail due to being in his tadpole state. * Scooter (voiced by Ogie Banks) – A young boy who wears a green and yellow track jacket. * Skeeter (voiced by

Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is a American-Canadian actress and singer. She has worked extensively in animation, voicing long-running characters such as Susie Carmichael in '' Rugrats'' and Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and ...

) – Scooter's athletic twin sister who wears a sports-inspired purple jacket, a baseball-shaped watch, and pig tails. * Sam (voiced by

) – An eagle. In this show, Sam is shown to fly. * Jill (voiced by

Ashley Spillers Ashley Rae Spillers is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her film roles as Elizabeth in the 2013 comedy film ''Last Vegas'' (2013), Amy in the 2014 neo-noir thriller film '' Two Step'' (2014) and Olivia in the Netflix comedy ...

) - A female frog from across the street who occasionally visits the other Muppet Babies. *

Pepe Pepe is a pet form of the Spanish name José (Josep). It is also a surname. * People Mononyms * Pepe (footballer, born 1935), real name José Macia, Brazilian footballer *Pepe (footballer, born 1983), real name Képler Laveran Lima Ferreira ...

(voiced by

) - A prawn that appeared in Scooter's video game. * The Newsman (voiced by

) - A news anchor.

Other characters

* Priscilla (vocal effects provided by

) – One of Camilla's fellow chicks who is yellow. * Beep – One of Camilla's fellow chicks who is brown and makes the sound of a car horn instead of clucking. * Carlos (voiced by

Todrick Hall Todrick Hall (born April 4, 1985) is an American singer, choreographer, and YouTuber. He gained national attention on the ninth season of the televised singing competition ''American Idol''. Following this, he amassed a huge following on YouTu ...

) - A blue frog that appears in "Frogs of a Feather". In "Frog Scouts", Carlos becomes part of the Frog Scouts alongside Kermit and Robin. * Mr. Manny (voiced by

Dulé Hill Karim Dulé Hill (; born May 3, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as personal presidential aide and Deputy Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff Charlie Young on the NBC drama television series ''The West Wing'', for whi ...

) - A friend of Miss Nanny's and the Substitute teacher of the kids when Miss Nanny is unavailable. Like Miss Nanny, his head is never shown. Mr. Manny is known for his catchphrase where he states that a certain thing "is groovy" which is always accompanied by Mr. Manny doing horizontal gestures with his hands, bending his knees, and doing a motion that has him wiggle his hips. He is also shown to be a volunteer at the local library and the scout troop leader of the Frog Scouts. * Orville H. Octopus (voiced by

in "The Card Shark",

in "Frog Scouts") - An animated purple octopus that appeared in the Muppet Babies' fantasies. * Rozzie (voiced by Charlie Townsend) - A young

koala The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the ...

who is Fozzie's adopted younger sister.

Production

Unlike the previous series, the update is produced using computer-generated animation and features two 11-minute stories per episode. The series is aimed at children between the ages of four and seven. Tom Warburton, best known for creating

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

's '' Codename: Kids Next Door'', is the executive producer and Eric Shaw, former writer on

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

's ''

SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American Animated series, animated Television comedy, comedy Television show, television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It ...

'', is the story editor and co-producer. The show is a co-production between

, Odd Bot Animation, Snowball Studios and The Muppets Studio.

Production lawsuit

On October 23, 2020, it was reported that original '' Muppet Babies'' writer Jeffrey Scott would sue

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...

for using ideas that originated in the 1984 series without permission or credit. Scott also stated that he presented ideas and concepts to Disney in 2016 that were used without his permission. On January 27, 2021, Disney filed a motion to dismiss it. Disney argued that Scott had no legal grounds to sue because his ownership to the copyright had ceased when he filed for bankruptcy in 2003. The case was dismissed without prejudice on March 31, 2021. However, in September 2022, a U.S. district judge declined Disney's request to officially dismiss the case, finding Disney had allegedly copied elements from Scott's production bible. Among the presented evidence was the "nanny character with her distinctive colored socks" and similarly-themed episodes between the original series and the reboot.

Broadcast

The series premiered on

on March 23, 2018 in the United States, the following day in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, and in Mexico on June 10. On September 7, 2018, it was renewed for a second season which premiered 11 months later on August 9, 2019. On July 25, 2019, it was renewed for a third and final season, which premiered on January 4, 2021.

Ratings

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{Disney Junior 2018 American television series debuts 2022 American television series endings 2010s American animated television series 2020s American animated television series The Muppets television series Disney Junior original programming 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 computer-animated television series American preschool education television series American television series with live action and animation Animated television series reboots Animated television series about children Animated preschool education television series 2010s preschool education television series 2020s preschool education television series Disney animated television series Child versions of cartoon characters English-language television shows Television series by Disney Children's and Family Emmy Award winners