Dinosaurs

ABC (ended 1994)

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Show Summary

Premiered: Apr 26, 1991
Status: Ended

The show was conceived by the Muppet masters at Jim Henson Productions, who wanted to do a sitcom-style show with puppets using the animatronics processes the company had developed. The brain trust settled on the idea of doing a straightforward show about a family that happened to be composed of dinosaurs. Henson Productions offshoot The Creature Shop developed huge, lifelike puppets that could be operated from inside by puppeteers, and Brian Henson, Jim's son, devised a process called 'audio animatronics' to bring the facial expressions of these puppets to life. ''''The shows premise mixed elements of The Flintstones and The Simpsons, focusing on a blue-collar family of dinosaurs. Earl, the father, worked for the Wesayso Corporation and leveled trees to make way for tract homes. His blustery qualities were balanced out by his even-tempered wife Fran. The Dino clan had three children: rebellious teen Robbie, shopaholic preteen Charlene, and Baby, a smart-alecky infant. Rounding out the family was Grandma Ethyl, who always seemed to be locked in a battle of wills with Earl. Other characters included B. P. Richfield, Earl's fearsome boss, and Roy Hess, a prehistoric swinger buddy of Earl's. ''''Dinosaurs depicted dinosaur life as being very close to human life: they watched television, shopped at supermarkets, and held down nine-to-five jobs. This allowed the show to tackle relevant social concerns in their stories. For instance, in Steroids To Heaven Robbie tried to overcome feelings of inadequacy by building up his body with an artificial growth hormone called 'thornoids.' You didn't expect a very special episode of Dinosaurs, now did you? ''''In making the dinosaurs human-like, the show allowed itself a unique opportunity to comment on our foibles as human beings. Much like modern homo sapiens, the shows prehistoric protagonists wasted their precious resources and allowed themselves to stay bound to outmoded ways of thinking when they could turn things around by trying out more progressive ways of thinking. The latter concern was usually voiced by Robbie, who questioned many of his dinosaur family's customs. ''''Dinosaurs managed to rack up 65 episodes before being cancelled in July of 1994. It is a memorable entry in the sitcom canon, not only for its use of technology but also for the social messages it passed on to its viewers...through a group of animatronic dinosaurs (who knew?). ''moreless

8.8

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Episode Guide

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S 4 : Ep 14	Georgie Must Die
S 4 : Ep 13	Into the Woods
S 4 : Ep 12	Working Girl
S 4 : Ep 11	Variations on a Theme Park
S 4 : Ep 10	Life in the Faust Lane

Dinosaurs News

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19

May 1, 2007 DVD Releases

By Ian Micklewright, Apr 30, 2007

dvd_weekly_roundup.jpg Beverly Hills, 90210The Complete Second Season Buy the DVD! More Beverly Hills, 90210 Show Summary | Episode Guide | Forum Melrose PlaceThe Complete Second Season Buy the DVD! More Melrose Place Show Summary | Episode Guide | Forum The… more
4

Interview with Brian Henson

By Colin Mahan, May 02, 2006

If you're a fan of The Muppets, Sesame Street, Dinosaurs, Fraggle Rock, or cool movies like Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, or Little Shop of Horrors (and really, who isn't?), then you're a fan of the The Jim Henson Company. This production… more

Cast & Crew

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Sherman Hemsley

B.P. Richfield
Sam McMurray

Voice of Roy Hess
Sally Struthers

Charlene Sinclair

Fan Reviews (59)

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"Not the Mama!", but a review of "Dinosaurs".

10

"Perfect"

By Jaykeson, Nov 23, 2010 Report Abuse

The Jim Henson production company did it ONCE AGAIN!

Certainly, some of the saddest news to come out of 1990 was the death of Jim Henson. He was, in many ways, a lot like Walt Disney. Sure he never created a themepark and called it "Hensonland" or "Henson World" - but he really did know how to entertain people of all ages.

"Dinosaurs" was one of the last great ideas that Jim Henson would envision, before his untimely death.

"Dinosaurs" is (in many ways) the kind of show you would end up with if you crossed "The Flintstones" with "The Simpsons" and "Fraggle Rock".
It concerns a family of Dinosaurs known as "The Sinclairs", who are are made up of: Earl (the father), Fran (the mother), Charlene (the daughter), Robbie (the son) and Baby Sinclair (yes, a baby whose name is actually "Baby"...)

Dinosaurs also had a way of airing controversial topics, but sometimes disguising it as something else. Usually the topics would go over a kid's head - and older viewers would be left trying to explain the situation to their kids. This is usually why Dinosaurs aired during primetime.

A great show, with fantastic comedy, and one of the shows that made being a kid in the 80s & 90s so cool.moreless

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this brought memories

10

"Perfect"

By NathanRoth, May 29, 2010 Report Abuse

When i was a little kid i used to watch this show every Saturday night with the family.the anamatronics was genius and it could only have been done by the puppet master Jim Henson.this show was almost as original as the Flintstones which has been a Classic for almost 50 years now.it just makes you think if dinosaurs were still alive they would be living like we do.This show was silly but in the way were it wasn't so corny like today's sitcoms are. This show delivered humor from all of the cast including Baby Sinclair.it was a great show for the 90's and its one of those shows that made me laugh.moreless

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1 0
i really liked watching this show when i was a kid it was funny.

7.5

"Good"

By cube2k8, May 07, 2010 Report Abuse

the show dinosaures is about a family that is dinosaoure like sorta a comdedy family show but with dinosaoures it has the dad who is like a construction worker and the baby and the mommy. its a funny show and had some really good stories to them like the baby would repeated every ep bash the father over the head with a pan and the father would get angrey the mother was always doing the cooking and other things. but it was a good show i thought that . and had alot of good funny moments like any other sitcom but this one had dinosaoures in it.moreless

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Excellent show.

10

"Perfect"

By cactusjack39, Mar 01, 2009 Report Abuse

I have to say that this was one of the best comedies of all time. It was probably the most unique show and it was very much. I found so many of their bits hilarious and it was really original comedy. My favorite characters were the baby and the father dinosaur. They both were great characters and very funny sources. I must admit that this was a show for the patient and the people that like to laugh at good humor. Overall, this was a great show and an all time classic. I wish it was still on the air. Thank you.moreless

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2 0
The Dad, Earl, looks like a construction worker. The Mom, Fran is a house mom who takes care of the Baby. The oldest son Robbie, a teenager who has a mo-hawk. The daughter Charlene who is also a young teenager going to school. Finally you have the baby!moreless

9.0

"Superb"

By sharklover88, Jan 16, 2009 Report Abuse

This is by far one of my most fondest memories growing up. It was a huge deal in our family. Anytime it was on, we would gather around and watch it together. We even have adopted "Refrigerator Day", from one of the episodes. We cover the refrigerator in wrapping paper and each person in the family gets a stocking-like present. Nothing big, but it is an amazing tradition. I would actually recommend it to everyone! It is almost as big of deal as Christmas to us, and it has definately brought us closer together as a family. I love this show, and always will!!moreless

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Replies

The Last Episode
Is it true that when the last episode first premiered on TV, that they warned people that thier kids could cry because of a sad en...

By leodonmikeraph, Jul 20, 2007

11/24/10

7
Reply
Where are they now?
I have a little theory about television shows that have been cancled or not on the air anymore. They go to the "Lost Channel" netw...

By cactusjack39, Nov 24, 2008

11/24/08

1
Reply
The Baby... gotta love me
"Not the momma""You think your pretty funny huh?" "I'm a scream!"lol just felt like adding :D

By missgigles87, Aug 05, 2006

08/18/08

24
Reply
If you could be one of the Dinosaurs
which would you chosemy pick would be B.P.Richfield being that he's big, rich, and scary

By Slade811, Feb 19, 2007

06/18/08

7
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Episode Discussion: Changing Nature (Warning: Contains Spoilers)
I heard that the last episode of 'Dinosaurs' 'Changing Nature' was sad because it ended with all of the cast being killed off. My ...

By PPG-Katelyn, May 27, 2007

03/02/08

9
Reply