Muppet Babies

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CBS (ended 1990)
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Show Summary

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Muppet Babies was a very successful cartoon series in its own right. This show basically featured Jim Henson's famous Muppets as babies. Each episode, each of the Muppet Babies had adventures that their imaginations take them on. Often however, their imaginations would sometimes get the better of them, all for comic effect.''''Since Muppet Babies first hit the airwaves in 1984 it was instantly a favorite of its demographic. However, the show had appealed to viewers of all ages, child, teen, and adult. Let's face it, the 80's was a time of change, technology, and adventure. Muppet Babies was no expectation. In a decade when most television shows promoted a toy line or clothing this show had nothing at all to sell, no gimmick, just pure education. Now here is a little tidbit about the iconic Muppet Babies which was a very successful cartoon series in its own right. This show basically featured Jim Henson's famous Muppets as babies. Each episode, each of the Muppet Babies had adventures that their imaginations take them on. Often however, their imaginations would sometimes get the better of them, all for comic effect. The featured Muppets were Baby Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Rowlf, Animal, Scooter, and a new character, Skeeter, Scooter's look-alike sister. Occasionally they had visits from Baby Bunsen and Beaker, and even Statler and Waldorf came to visit, and later we see a recurring appearance by a "baby" version of Bean Bunny from Tale of the Bunny Picnic. The moral glue that held these Muppets together was Nanny (voiced by Barbara Billingsley of Leave it to Beaver fame), a character whose body was only shown from the waist down and we all remember the green striped socks.''''The one thing that made the Muppet Babies memorable were not the Muppets themselves, but the live action that was inter-cut with the cartoon action (consisting mostly of film and TV clips, etc). Also, the Muppet Babies were inspired by a small scene in the 1984 film, "The Muppets Take Manhattan".''''In 1986, the show was extended to an hour to accommodate another cartoon series Little Muppet Monsters, and then in 1987, new episodes were shown with repeats of previous Muppet Babies episodes.''''Little Muppet Monsters''''After the huge success of Muppet Babies CBS decided to expand the series by adding an extra half hour which was to be filled by a new show called "Little Muppet Monsters". The whole hour would be dubbed "Jim Henson's Muppet's, Babies and Monsters". The mixture of live action puppetry and animation featuring Muppet characters proved too much and the show was pulled by Jim Henson, after only two shows had aired. After the end credits and logos were shown, there was an ending segment in which eventually Animal shouts "Gooooooooo bye-bye!".''''Reruns were shown on Nickelodeon through the early to mid 1990's on Nick. Jr at 10:30 - 11:00 A.M. In 1997 Nick Jr stoped airing re-runs to acominadate the new series Franklin''Some of the first Nick Jr shows that aired with Muppet Babies were [show]The Busy World of Richard Scarry (9:30-10:00 a.m. and 1:00-1:30 p.m.), Allegra's Window, Little Bear, Gullah Gullah Island Also on the NICK JR. schedule are Rupert (10:00-10:30 a.m.), Jim Henson's Muppet Babies (10:30-11:00 a.m.) and Papa Beaver's Storytime (1:30-2:00 p.m.). First Telecast: November 5, 1984''''Last Telecast: December 29, 1990''''Episodes: 107 Color episodes Production: CBS. Animation''''Re-Runs: Nick Jr (Nickelodeon) August, 11, 1992 - November, 2, 1997. Muppet Babies was taken off of Noggin in 2003. Episodes no longer air on any channels.''''The show aired on Nick Jr. Nick Jr is a morning block from 9 - 12 that airs child friendly programming.''''Current Shows:''''Current programs in US block''Go, Diego, Go! Blue's Clues Dora the Explorer LazyTown The Backyardigans Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends Wonder Pets Past:''''These have been featured either as part of the US block, or on the UK or Australian channels.''''The Adventures of the Little Koala Allegra's Window Angelina Ballerina Bob the Builder DangerMouse David the Gnome Doctor Snuggles The Elephant Show Eureeka's Castle Franklin Fred Penner's Place Gullah Gullah Island Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics Kipper Little Bear Little Bill The Little Prince Maisy Maple Town Maya the Bee Maggie and the Ferocious Beast''Muppet Babies Noozles Oobi Oswald Papa Beaver's Storytime Peppa Pig Pinwheel Rubbadubbers Rugrats Rupert Bear Shining Time Station Strawberry Shortcake The Busy World of Richard Scarry Tikkabilla Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends TUGS David the Gnome Today's Special Nick Jr has been vary successful in releasing DVDs, Apparrel, Food products, etc.''''Theme Song:''''Muppet Babies, we make our dreams come true''Muppet Babies will do the same for you''''(Kermit)When your world looks kind of weird and you wish that you weren't there''(Piggy)Just close your eyes and make believe, and you can be anywhere''(Kermit)I like adventures''(Piggy)I like romance''(Fozzie)I love great jokes''(Animal)Animal dance!''''(Scooter)I got my computer''(Skeeter)I flip through the air''(Rowlf)I play the piano''(Gonzo)And I got blue hair, ha!''(Bunsen)Me, I invent things''(Beaker)Meep, meep, meep, meeeeeeeeeeep!''''(Nanny)Is everyone alright in here?''(Babies) Yes, Nanny''''Muppet Babies, we make our dreams come true''Muppet Babies will do the same for you''''Muppet, Muppet, Muppet, Muppet''Babies, Babies, Babies, Babies''Your dreams will come true''''In both the second half-hour on CBS (and in later seasons), and in reruns, the theme song was significantly shortened.''''Muppet Babies taught lessons to children in many ways. The most powerful was through song. An example if from an episode in which Kermit does not know what he want to be when he grown up.''''Be be be what you want to be''Do do do what you want to do''Be be be what you want to be''It's up to you''wo-wo-wo-woah''''SCOOTER: Be a pilot and go for a flight'' Take us all to dinner in your jet some night''PIGGY: Or be the first farmer in history'' To figure out a way to grow an ice cream tree''ANIMAL: "Yummy"''''GONZO: What about an international spy?'' You could be an agent for the FBI.''ROWLF: Or you could be a singer at the top of the charts''ALL: Of course you'd hire us to sing the background parts''Wa-ooo''''PIGGY: You can have the things you want If you know what your looking for''- wa-ooo'' There's a world of possibilities''ALL: All you got to do is open the door''''Be be be what you want to be''Do do do what you want to do''Be be be what you want to be''It's up to you''''SCOOTER: Be a doctor and heal the sick''SKEETER: Or a football star''KERMIT: Well I can certainly kick''PIGGY: Be a playwright, put us in your plays''FOZZIE: Or you can be a teacher''ALL: Give everyone A's!''''GONZO: Be a plumber,''SCOOTER: Or a painter,''ROWLF: " Or ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States!"''PIGGY: " Oh thank you, thank you."''''You you you,''It's all up to you''woah woah woah woah''''Musical interlude''''GONZO: What about an international spy?'' You could be an agent for the FBI.''ROWLF: Or you could be a singer at the top of the charts''ALL: Of course you'd hire us to sing the background parts''''Be be be what you want to be''Do do do what you want to do''Be be be what you want to be''It's up to you''wo-wo-wo-woah''''Muppet Babies set a trend for other well known characters being features in animated pint-sized programs. Such shows include Baby Looney Tunes, Tiny Toon Adventures, The Flintstone Kids, The New Archies, A Pup Named Scooby Doo, Yo, Yogi, and Tom and Jerry Kids. Six of these shows were made in between 1984 (Muppet Babies) to 1990.''''Characters:''''Kermit: He is none-other then a small green frog with a big imagination. He is the leader of the group and his best friend is Fozzie. Frequently he has his famous gulp when things are not going as planned. It usually goes something like this, "Oh boy..GULP!"''''Fozzie: Wacko, Wacko, Wacko! Is what Fozzie frequent expresses after one of his jokes. Most jokes he says are actually not funny, but he has high spirits of becoming a comedian. Miss Piggy: This little piglet has a huge crush on Kermit the frog. She expresses her passion and love for him in many ways; verbally or emotionally. Her dream is to be Mrs.Kermit (while Kermit actually does not have the same "feelings" for her that she does for him.''''Gonzo: A mystery is right here on what this little guy is. Some thing he is a cross-over between a monkey and alien, but who really knows!? He has a huge crush on Miss Piggy and hopes that he and her will have kids someday. Gonzo sometimes gets a little annoying to the group, but he finds some way to make it up to them!''''Rowlf: A musician in the making. You hardly even seen Rowlf without playing his white piano. He is more of they shy type, but finds it easy to express himself through songs. He is more of a loner, but he is a great friend to all the nursery children.''''Animal: Many ask what kind of animal he is, but no one knows. He is a loud non speaking Muppet who is very energetic. Many times you will see him hanging on the nursery chandler while playing hide and seek. At the end of many episode he will have the last word weather is is an action or a big hearty laugh.''''Nanny: What oh what would the nursery be without her supervision? She teaches lessons to the Muppet Babies through tough-love, but they always get the point. We never learned what she looked like beyond her neck. She is famous for her green and white striped socks that only the babies were able to see. Nanny is always there for the young children whether they need a lesson on life or a "boo-boo" to be kissed.''''Airing Information''''CBS: September 15, 1984 to September7, 1985 as Muppet Babies. Thirty minutes. CBS: September 14, 1985 to September 6, 1986 as Jim Henson's Muppet Babies and Monsters. Thirty minutes. CBS: September 13, 1986 to September 12, 1987 as Jim Henson's Muppet Babies and Monsters. Sixty minutes. CBS: September 19, 1987 to September 3, 1988 as Jim Henson's Muppet Babies and Monsters. Ninety minutes. CBS: September 10, 1988 to September 7, 1992 as Jim Henson's Muppet Babies and Monsters. Sixty minutes. Rebroadcast on FOX: September 2, 1991 to September 4, 1992. Rebroadcast on Nickelodeon (Nick Jr): September 28, 1992 to November, 2, 1997.''''Rebroadcast on Noggin: ____ to 2003.''''The airdates for the following channels that Muppet Babies aired on are unknown:''Odyssey Networkv (Now Hallmark), The Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney, and non-network syndication.''''MTV2 has a show called Wonder Showzen in which their is a spin-off of Muppet Babies called Wonder Showzen Premies.''''In the mid 80's Mcdonald's sold small Muppet Babies toys with their Happy Meals (a menu item designed for children). The different toys are outlined below: 1986 Muppet Babies I Happy Meal (Limited Test Market Distribution) 1986 Canadian Happy Meal Set.Gonzo Fozzie Miss Piggy Kermit Animal (part of Canadian set only) 1987 Muppet Babies II Happy Meal Gonzo Fozzie Miss Piggy Kermit Animal Kermit (alernate w/ rollerskates) Miss Piggy (alernate w/ rollerskates) 1988 Storybook Muppet Babies Happy Meal Just Kermit and Me - book The Legend of Gimme Gulch - book Baby Piggy the Living Doll - book 1988 Christmas Plush 1991 Happy Meal Set.Baby Fozzie in Christmas Hat & Scarf. 10 1/2 inches. Baby Kermt in Christmas plaid vest & Santa hat. 8 inches. Baby Miss Piggy in Christmas Dress 1991 Muppet Babies III Happy Meal Fossie Gonzo Kermit Miss Piggy DVD Information:''''Many have been asking about a Muppet Babies DVD release. There is no news about one, but if it were to be released it would be under Disney. Disney has already started releasing their animation library of television shows i.e Ducktales, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, Gummi Bears, Talespin, Darkwing Duck, and Gargoyles. The problem is that Muppet Babies featured many clips from various movies which have an expensive price due to copy rights. If you like this show you will also like Baby Looney Tunes. "Go bye-bye! Lalalalala..."''''NOTE FROM EDITOR: I have had many individuals copy my summary for the show with out my permission! This is illegal and plagiarism. One example is www.dvdavenue.tv which is selling illegal bootleg copies of the show. If you see any other websites that have any portions or whole copies of this please PM me, jamminjake245.moreless
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Episode Guide

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S 7 :  Ep 19
S 7 :  Ep 18
S 7 :  Ep 16 Aired 12/29/90
S 7 :  Ep 15 Aired 12/22/90
S 7 :  Ep 14 Aired 12/15/90

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Fan Reviews (23)

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  • Adorable!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Minzi, Feb 01, 2012 Report Abuse
    I remember watching this on VHS when I was 6 years old in day care center right before I went to school.I actually like this more than the regular muppets.It's just one of the cutest shows ever seeing the muppets as little babies.Rowlf used to be my favorite out of all of them.

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  • It's the Muppets as babies!

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By clos_vf, Apr 08, 2008 Report Abuse
    I remember wathing Muppet Babies when I was a child it was a great show growing up. The characters went on many adventures and they had such active imaginations it was great. Nanny was cool too even though they never showed her... I always thought she was disfigured or something because they only showed her green and white socks and her shoes. The kids were all cool but my favorite as usual still is Kermit he was the leader of the pack and the guest stars were great too, the bunny and benson and beeker showing up. They should show re-runs again for the new generation of children they would definitly love the show.moreless

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  • Loved every minute and every rerun

    8.1
    "Great"
    By Inbredpoet, Sep 19, 2007 Report Abuse
    I fall into a special category of people who grew up watching Muppet Babies thinking that this is where it all started. Now I'm older and I love watching the Muppet Show and knowing that Muppet Babies was a spin off of the Jim Henson classic. Muppet Babies is yet another example of exactly how imaginative people can be. I don't think there was ever a truly original plot, because the show always leeched idea from popular culture, but!....Condensing some of these leeched plots into a 30 minute cartoon with the characters at hand is a work of genius. On top of that, the Muppet Babies using pop culture as plot devices was one of the early attempts to get parents to watch TV with their kids...I applaud Muppet Babies for their imagination and forward thinking.moreless

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  • One of the Best

    10
    "Perfect"
    By CTUBauer24, Mar 11, 2007 Report Abuse
    One of the best and most classic cartoons form my childhood most of the storys of the show are great for the whole family to enjoy i enjoyed this show when i was a kid and still do now at of all of the charters i do not have a favorite because all of them are super call and not of them are boring and the adventure that they go on are great as well i give this show a rating of 10 out of 10 points for basicly eveything about the show that is what i have to say the end.moreless

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  • Awww... they were so cute.

    8.3
    "Great"
    By blackwolf_13, Feb 01, 2007 Report Abuse
    I used to love the Muppet babies as a kid. I always thought Rolfe was the cutest. It was a nice cartoon series made for kids. Maybe they should make something like that again, (the Muppets don't seem like they have been doing anything lately as a muppet or cartoon...)

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