Jim Henson's Muppet Babies

''Jim Henson's Muppet Babies'', commonly known by the shortened title ''Muppet Babies'', is an American animated television series produced by Marvel Productions and Henson Associates. The show aired from September 15, 1984, to November 2, 1991, as part of the Saturday-morning cartoons lineup on CBS. Due to its popularity, the show remained on television in the United States for a decade.

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 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 Jim Henson liked the idea that it was turned into a cartoon spin-off.

The show received praise from critics and fans, spawned a successful merchandise, and won seven Daytime Emmy Awards (including four consecutive awards for Outstanding Animated Program), as well as a Humanitas Prize.

The rights are now held by The Walt Disney Company which separately acquired both the Muppets characters and Marvel. 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

Overview

The Muppet Babies live in a large nursery watched over by Nanny, who is seen only 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. Often, these 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, but occasionally their imaginations run away with them.

In post-credits scenes, the babies are doing something related to the episode's plot, either in their imaginations or reality, sometimes with an appearance by Nanny. Their activities (mostly Gonzo's) are interrupted by Animal who crashes the scene in a comedic way and calls "Go bye-bye!"

Characters

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. Scooter's twin sister, Skeeter, was unique to the ''Muppet Babies'' animated series, having no live-action puppet incarnation, although she did appear in the "Family Reunions" issues from the Boom Kids! comic adaptation of ''The Muppet Show''.

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.

Cast

* Greg Berg as Baby Fozzie, Baby Scooter
* Barbara Billingsley as Nanny
* Dave Coulier (1986–91) as Baby Animal, Baby Bunsen, Baby Bean Bunny, Baby Janice, Uncle Statler and Waldorf, Camilla (occasionally), Himself (ep. 91)
* Katie Leigh as Baby Rowlf, Mrs. Mitchell
* Howie Mandel (1984–86) as Baby Skeeter, Baby Animal, Baby Bunsen
* Laurie O'Brien as Baby Piggy, Captain Black Wig
* Russi Taylor as Baby Gonzo, Baby Robin, Aunt Fanny, and Camilla (occasionally)
* Frank Welker as Baby Kermit, Baby Beaker, Baby Skeeter (1986–91), Camilla, Irma/Charlie (ep. 12), The Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard (ep. 31), Polly the Parrot (ep. 38), Adult Kermit (looped dialogue, ep. 45), Bosko the Snowman (ep. 100)

Additional

* Peter Cullen as Smoggy the Bear (ep. 33), Football-Playing Bear (ep. 33), Sor-Elbow (ep. 33)
* Pat Fraley as Announcer
* Tress MacNeille as Skater Ka

Episodes

Production

Origin

The idea 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". Afterwards, the staff, including Michael K. Frith, created sketches and drawings of the Muppet Babies. After Frith showed a sketch of Baby Piggy to Jim Henson, Henson decided to turn it into a merchandise. 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. On January 1, 1984, the Muppet Babies were included in the comic strip adaptation of the Muppets.

The Muppet Babies appeared in ''The Muppets Take Manhattan.'' They were included in Miss Piggy's musical fantasy sequence of its imagined early lives of the Muppets, such as Kermit and Miss Piggy. The pitch was an idea that was not in the script, replacing Miss Piggy's original fantasy sequence from the screenplay. 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. Despite Frank Oz's dislike on the idea, he thought that the idea was brilliant. 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 scene was shot on August 28, 1983. The idea was a success, and it received very favorable reviews from fans. At the same time, Baby Kermit and Piggy plush toys were promoted by Pampers.

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

The concept of the show was created on March 10, 1984. Network executives and several others suggested Henson Associates to transform the Muppet Babies into a Saturday-morning cartoon. On April 13, 1984, CBS colleague, Judy Price, granted permission to Jim Henson and his staff for its proposal. Jim Henson was initially skeptical, as he thought it would not have as much educational value as ''Sesame Street''. However, he liked the idea a lot that he decided to create the show. He visited every major studio in California, choosing to work with Marvel Productions 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.

Scooter's twin sister, Skeeter, was exclusively created for the show to provide more feminine empowerment. Nanny being seen only from the neck down was done to represent the kids' view of an adult.

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. Jeffrey Scott wrote all 13 episodes of the first season.

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.

Henson and other puppeteers, such as Frank Oz and Richard Hunt, decided to not 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. According to Laurie O'Brien, the audition had gathered 750 people. Katie Leigh was cast as Baby Rowlf, as Hank Saroyan described her as "one of the only people who really knew who Rowlf is." Laurie O'Brien did the audition process by imitating Baby Piggy with a mix between Miss Piggy and her "million dollar voice" while watching a videocassette rental of ''The Great Muppet Caper'' in her friend's house. Brien was cast due to her potential and physical strength with her character, although, she also auditioned as Baby Gonzo. Greg Breg did the audition process a few years after he moved to Hollywood. All of the voices were recorded in various recording studios in Los Angeles.

For the songs, some of the voice cast never had a singing experience prior to the show. Katie Leigh started singing lessons before she recorded the songs. Due to Howie Mandel not having a sense of tune and rhythm, a professional singer was hired to sing to keep him on key.

Animation

For the animation, Henson's idea 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 for the Muppet Babies' imaginations to have reality. 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'' and ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' since he was friends with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

In order for 107 episodes to be produced, Henson and Marvel hired two companies: Toei Animation for seasons 1–3 and the first five episodes of season 4, and AKOM for episode six of season 4 through season 8.

Music

The show had approximately 100 of the songs co-written by Alan O'Day 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 song that played during the ending credits was laughingly titled "Hank in the Box" in deference to Hank Saroyan. Most episodes have a song per minute. The seventh season episode "Sing a Song of Superheroes" had nine minutes of songs that required extra recording studio work. Some songs were extended for the albums.

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. The songs and dialogue included in its debut album, ''Rocket to the Stars'', were mixed by Hank Saroyan, Rob Walsh, and Geni Jackson at Wilder Brothers Studio.

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.

Themes

The show focuses on the central ideas of the power of imagination and creative problem-solving to promote an educational concept of creativity. 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 new ways to play with old toys, imagining adulthood, and facing common childhood firsts. 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. 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.

Release

Broadcast

''Muppet Babies'' premiered on September 15, 1984, at 9:00 am ( EST) as part of the Saturday-morning lineup on CBS.

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 lasted from September 14 to September 28, 1985 before Jim Henson pulled the plug, despite 18 episodes having been made. 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 was unhappy about the product. The show then reverted to two episodes of ''Muppet Babies.'' ''Muppet Babies'' later expanded to three episodes after CBS pulled ''Garbage Pail Kids'' before it even aired due to controversy. CBS continued to air reruns of the series until the fall of 1992.

Syndication rights were sold to Claster Television, Fox (1991–1992), Nickelodeon (1992–1999), and Odyssey Network (1999–2001).

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. 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. The home video series, ''Yes, I Can'', was released with ''Yes, I Can Share'' and ''Yes, I Can Help'' on June 16, 1995 and ''Yes, I Can Be a Friend'' on September 1, 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 releases of ''Muppet Babies''. One possible reason is that clips from other TV shows and movies (such as ''Star Trek'', '' Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'', '' The $25,000 Pyramid'', ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' and '' Batteries Not Included'') were used extensively in imagination sequences, closet opening scenes, and scenes on the television in the nursery and thus could pose difficulties in terms of resolving possible copyright issues, such as high prices on licenses.

Reception

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. In 1985, the ratings for ''Muppet Babies'' increased from the previous season after the program ''Muppets, Babies, and Monsters'' was replaced by two episodes of ''Muppet Babies''. 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'' 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.

Critical reception

The show received praise from critics.

The show was conceived as an advanced social message for children by author and psychologist Gordon L. Berry.

Frank Oz disliked the idea of the Muppet Babies, although he understood the potential of the idea.

Accolades

Between 1985 and 1991, ''Muppet Babies'' gained ten awards from 25 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. 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 "Eight Take Away 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 in 2007.

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

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''.

Nanny's role has been analyzed by various writers. Marsha Kindle described Nanny as an "ambiguous figure", who enables a "wide range of kiddie viewers to cast her as significant other in their own varied family scenario." Kindle also analyzed that her "headlessness" evokes the "Aunt Jemima–type from the old ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoons" and her "consistent costuming in brightly colored stripe stockings and baggy skirt and sweater" suggests a "subordinate class position– as a hired nanny rather than a biological granny." She concluded that despite her "stabilizing presence", her "ambiguity" makes her parental authority "easily appropriable by patriarchal characters featured in specific episodes." Winnicott analyzed her as a "responsible person, who must be present to alleviate the frightening aspects of play." Hélène Cixous described her as a "displacement of male castration anxiety into a woman."

Marsha Kindle divided Baby Skeeter and Baby Piggy into two options of a female spectator: Skeeter, the transvestite position, and Piggy, the subversive female masquerade with narcissism and aggression. She stated that the divided roles are "conveniently for advertisers" and "directly to costuming."

As of 2000, approximately 300,000 animated 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

There were two ''Muppet Babies'' albums produced and released. Both albums were produced by Hank Saroyan and Rob Walsh and featured extended versions of songs from certain ''Muppet Babies'' episodes.

The first album, ''Rocket to the Stars'', was released in July 1985 by Parker Brothers Music on LP and cassette. It featured a fully produced stereo story-adventure starring the ''Muppet Babies'' characters in which the songs were woven into an all-new story written by Hank Saroyan. It was reissued in 1987 by Columbia Records. The album, renamed ''Rock It to the Stars'', got its first CD release in 1993 by Jim Henson Records and BMG Kidz. Peter Fawthrop of AllMusic gave the album four 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 in 1987 by Columbia Records on LP and cassette.

Comics

In 1985, Marvel Comics produced a monthly comic book of the ''Muppet Babies'' with their Star Comics 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 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 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. Other short stories contained in ''Star Comics Digest'' included Madballs, Heathcliff, the Care Bears, and Top Dog.

Live performances

''Muppet Babies'' had three live performances produced throughout 1986 to 1990. They are produced by VEE Corporation and featured performers in oversized costumes dancing and acting. The production values built in Minneapolis, including the sets, properties, costumes, and lightings, costed $1 million. ''Muppet Babies Live!'' toured around the United States in 1986. The same premise followed with ''Muppet Babies' Magic Box'' in 1987 and ''Muppet Babies' Where's Animal?'' in 1988, which ended in May 1990. Each tour involved 16 cast members, eight crew members, concession staff, and support office staff and ended after 40 cities. All of the voices and music were recorded, and the costumes were produced in Henson Associates, to retain authenticity. Andrew Carl Wilk, director of the live performances, stated that directing them from prerecorded voices to costumes and movements was difficult.

For the live performances, professional dancers auditioned in New York City, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis to fill in roles. Once they were cast by the director and choreographer, they rehearsed in Minneapolis for up to 10 hours per day in three weeks. When the show toured, the production stage would be constructed with sets, properties, and lighting for four to seven hours. Once an engagement was done, the dancers were transported by a chartered bus. They had a travel day on each Monday and a day off on each Tuesday. When the tours ended, they traveled back to their homes across the United States six times.

2018 reboot

A reboot of the series premiered on Disney Junior on March 23, 2018. As opposed to the traditional animation of the original show the reboot instead uses CGI, but is still targeted to children ages 4–7 with each episode consisting of two 11-minute stories. Disney Junior, Disney Consumier Products and Interactive Media's Content & Media group, and TVNZ are co-producing the show. Mr. Warburton, creator of Cartoon Network's '' Codename: Kids Next Door'', serves as the executive producer while former '' SpongeBob SquarePants'' writer Eric Shaw serves as the story editor.

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 Coming to Town".

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

See also

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

References

External links

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{{Children's programming on CBS in the 1990s

1984 American television series debuts
1991 American television series endings
1980s American animated television series
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American children's animated comedy television series
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American children's animated musical television series
American prequel television series
American television series with live action and animation
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Child versions of cartoon characters
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program winners
English-language television shows
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Television series by Marvel Productions
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