The Strange Disappearance of Jim Henson's Muppet Babies (1984)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
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Welcome to a journey down memory lane as we delve into the captivating history and perplexing vanishing act of one of the most beloved animated shows of all time - Muppet Babies!
Uncover the enchanting origins of Muppet Babies, tracing back to 1984 when these pint-sized versions of our favorite Muppets first graced our TV screens. Join us in reliving the magic that made us laugh, learn, and sing along with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, and more, all while exploring the colorful and imaginative worlds they conjured in every episode.
And we'll explore the unexplained disappearance of Muppet Babies from our screens, we'll dive into the theories, rumors, and speculations that have kept fans puzzling for years. What led to the end of this beloved show, and why did the Muppet Babies suddenly vanish into thin air?
SOURCES:
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slate.com/tech...
muppet.fandom....
www.mentalflos...
www.mentalflos...
www.cartoonbre...
web.archive.or...
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Muppet Babies is yet another example of how great it was to be a kid growing up in the 80's! I enjoyed the show a lot, but my cousin absolutely loved the show and watched every episode every Saturday morning faithfully.
Same here. Waking up at 530 to watch it with my brother.
I caught the last season or two of it on Saturday mornings in the early 90s, but
my strongest memories of the show are from watching the reruns on Nickelodeon every weekday afternoon from ~’92 to ‘96.
I had a half-sister who I haven't seen since I was a child in the Muppet Babies era but we used to love getting up early and watching the show together. The memory of her is now intrinsically tied to the Muppet Babies. Fantastic work on this episode, thanks for the memories!
Send her this video.
Are you Scooter? Is your sister Skeeter?
Find her before it's too late.
Go get your sister friend.
Hearing the theme song this 41 year old was instantly transported back to when I was 5, watching the show with my little sister at our Grammas. Thank you Dan.
Wow that's cool man I'm 34 now 89 baby here this used to coke on nick ju ior back than early 92 to probably 95 at least from I can remember I was in preschool kindergarten around those times and still😢about it I wish we can ne I the 80s/90s again
Same age. I felt chills. I miss the 1980's. Peak humanity, right there.
@@calanon534 I have The Muppet Babies Rock It To The Stars CD!👶🐸🐻🐷
@@SuperMarioBrosIII ..AND your username is based on the defining video game of the generation..
Gotdangit, I wanna go baaaaaacckk!!
I too miss those times.
This was another one of the few shows my sisters and I could agree on. It was a must-watch for us. 👦🏻👧🏻🧒🏻
Plus we also loved so many of the “de-aged” copycats like A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Life with Louie, Tiny Toons, Yo Yogi, and Flintstone Kids. Good times, good times 💜
Life With Louie was more of a cartoon biography (not 100% accurate of course and some changes had to be made for making it more kid friendly) of his childhood and not a de-aged cartoon like those others (Tiny Toons is more fitting in that category than Life With Louie. Even though Tiny Toons shouldn't be there either). And some of the stories and lines are actually from Louie Andersson's stand up routine. RIP Louie Andersson.
Muppet Babies was the original Rugrats!
@@JW666 Technically Tiny Toons wasn't de-aged characters. They had younger COPYCAT characters, but the ACTUAL Looney Tunes were still their normal selves as their teachers. Baby Looney Tunes would be a better example.
@@WOLVERINE25TH You're correct. Been so tired I couldn't think straight, but you're right. Fixed it.
1988-1992 was a great time to be a viewer. Disney put out quality cartoons like Ducktales and Darkwing Duck, Saturday morning was at its zenith, and even Fox was starting to get their act together. I miss those times.
Some of my earliest memories growing up was watching this show in the 90s. What I would give for a complete set of the series.
So would I
Its like some companies just want to see Jolly Rogers everywhere...
@@Sephiroth144 🎶Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum!🎶
Bootleg versions are not that good, though I tried one. I want a real licensed version.
@@Sci-Fi-Mike Original source material availability is a problem piracy rarely addresses. Somewhere out there may be the animation cells, or a TV station master reel.
How does this channel not have a million subscribers? The research, the info, the format, the nostalgia, it’s practically perfect. Awesome content, as always. Thank you!
What do you mean practically lol
Maybe it’s not on cable tv.
People just don't subscribe to channels these days.......
It's so much more watchable than 'the toys that made us' too, which itself has good research but insufferable presentation.
Because, this channel doesn't appeal to the 10 to 15 year old demo, which is the largest watching demo on TH-cam. It's also not super "topical" in what it covers. Therefor the algorithm doesn't push their videos on the home page. Most of the topics they cover are from 30 to 40 years ago, which by it's very nature, means that most of the people interested in watching will be anywhere from 30 to 45 years of age. They also only produce one video a week instead of 3 to 7. That typically translates to slower growth due to longer wait times between new content. I honestly don't think they're really sweating it. Secret Galaxy knows what they're making, and who they're making it for. They'll most likely never get rich or famous, but they can still make some decent money doing something they enjoy.
I never missed an episode of Muppet Babies as a kid. To this day, I wish Skeeter had graduated to adult character in the movies and shows.
My dad told me the nanny was June Cleaver
Barbara Billingsley was June Cleaver & the voice of Nanny, hence the comparison.
Dan thanks so much for doing this video! Your channel is great! I actually had recently searched to see if you had done a video on Muppet Babies before and didn’t see one. I was going to recommend it.
It’s criminal that this show has never had a DVD release or been put on streaming. Especially considering Disney probably owns most of the rights that would be tied up in it. Hopefully some day!
Star Trek, Ghostbusters, Sesame Street, the Peanuts, Superman, Popeye, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Bugs Bunny, The Jetsons, etc. would all like a word with you on that.
This one got me right in the nostalgia! These videos are great, especially when they’re about something I grew up with. 🙂
I loved this show as a kid. When it came out I was a toddler. I felt like this show was made for me. They taught me about the power of imagination.
I've been trying to find a copy of this show so I can let my kids see it while they grow up. I'm not surprised they got rid of a show that teaches you to use your imagination
Yes I wish I could find this version and not the newer one. I might be 39 but I want to see if again
You can find most, if not all of them on TH-cam.
@@WOLVERINE25THTHANK YOU (great name btw)
You missed the part where he talks about the legal issues that prevent the show from being released today?
The show is hard to find legally because of the movie clips it used.
I had a really rough first few years of life growing up with almost dying, being abandoned, homeless and whatnot. Thanks to my grandparents, I remember my little sister and I watching this. The songs were so catchy. Got to find my Muppet Babies baby blanket now.
Muppet Babies was awesome! I also credit it with introducing Star Wars to me. I was blown away when I found out the scary guy (Darth) and the ships that shot lasers in Gonzo's closet gag had a whole movie. I immediately asked if we could head to the grocery store and rent the movie
I can still sing the whole song. Love this show. I miss the 80s so very, very much. We lived through the best of the best. Wish I would've slowed down and soaked it all in more...but we were kids.
I absolutely loved that show! I felt young for a second watching this.
One of the few shows that I would pay full price for.
Don't forget the one random Closet gag where Gonzo opens the door and we see of all things, a Flipping skeksis from The Dark Craystal!
Something frustrating is when the Disney channel re aired the classic episodes, some episodes got trimmed for I'm assuming time constraints.
Case in point: Treasure Attic. When the Muppet initially go up, they begin exploring, Fozzie, Rolf and Piggy bump an old Phonograph, it begins playing and they freak out.
The next scene Gonzo walks past a painting with eyes following him, he double takes, asks the audience "did you see that!?"
Animal yells Peekaboo and Gonzo goes flying in a panic.
Both these scenes were CUT from the episode. If you look for German Muppet Babies on youtube, you can find the episode in its entirety!
My sister & I binged watched Muppet Babies in the 90’s.
Muppet Babies was a cartoon that we could both agree on to watch together on our Saturday Morning Cartoon binge of Beetlejuice, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, Slimer! And The Real GhostBusters, TMNT, & Bill & Teds Excellent Adventures[cartoon].
Muppet Babies made all my dreams come true!
Baby Rowlf killed it on the piano during the nursery scene in Muppets Take Manhattan. 😁
RIP Jim Henson; thank you for helping my childhood to be amazing.
Please, please, please, please do one over Rainbow Brite! I loved that cartoon so much as a little girl. I'd also love to see Care Bears, Get Along Gang, Shirt Tales, The Littles, Monchichi, and Inspector Gadget.
Oh!!! Pepper Ann! That would be another good one to do a video on.
I had many episodes taped on Beta because I used to love them when I was growing up. I can't believe they're not available anymore!!!
Fun Fact: Muppet Babies was executive produced by Lee Gunther, who was also executive producer on numerous Marvel Productions, and get this, he was even the executive producer of the Nickelodeon show The Angry Beavers, that was produced by Gunther Wahl Productions, a company that he and Michael Wahl formed.
Born in 84 and I grew up with this and loved it so much
Man, Shout Factory and the like have been awesome to me, but this is the one show my DVD library sorely needs! As difficult as it would be, I'm still holding hope.
Haa!
Used to have So Much fun watching this when i was young, i used to get a kick out of the live action stuff being on the other side of a door when it would get opened.
😄👍
I'm convinced this show gave me my love of referential humor 🙌🏾
Wow the summer of 1984 movie lineup! And I watched 2 episodes of Muppet Babies every Saturday for several years…probably through the entire run? It may be what got me into Star Wars.
I think about this show from time to time but never really wondered as to what it's fate was, so I appreciate this video for shining a light on a beloved childhood series. One moment that always sticks out to me is when they order something and are told it will arive in six to eight weeks, but they misunderstood it as SIXTY-EIGHT weeks. Of course, being babies, they have no firm grasp of time and think they'll be old by the time the package arrives. In a world where we can have same-day delivery and on-demand streaming content, it's always good to reflect upon simpler times to where you excitedly woke up to watch cartoons early Saturday morning or to go and hurriedly check the mail everyday for a package (even though you probably just ordered it the day prior). Do I miss being a child? Not really, but some days I sure as heck don't enjoy being an adult. Now excuse me while I eat sweets as a meal with no one around to tell me otherwise.
The fact that they didn't have a larger physical media release in the 00's when studios were making easy money leads me to think this is entirely a case of some combo of music,film clip and charecter ownership rights issues.
One of the greatest cartoons of all time. Child and Adult. The cross overs with Lucas and Spielberg are amazing. It's insane it hasn't been remastered/released or streamed. They tried a new series awhile back, but it was a cheap grab.. none of the magic. Preschool only stuff.
Well, I blame the overt references to other established IPs as the sole culprit as to why the show's not seen an official release (the genuine stock footage from _Star Trek_ & _Ghostbusters_ as well as the blatant sendups to other well-known properties that go beyond simple parody).
Thanks Dan and Greg! Loved the Muppets [very much including the babies] as a kid.
I definitely was a fan, though I've been a Muppets fan since I was a little kid watching The Muppet Show and The Muppet Movie. So basically, any and all Muppets. But yeah, The Muppet Babies was always fun.
This is one of those cartoons I'd love to revisit through legitimate means. Eek! The Cat is another one, and I hope it (along with Terrible Thunder Lizards) will get covered here eventually.
Muppet Babies was my first experience with the Muppets. Loved it as a kid.
Muppet Babies was appointment TV for us. It was always fun to see real movie and TV clips included in the show.😊
Understandable you'd get gremlins and muppets mixed up considering Howie Mandel voices a few characters in the OG Muppet Babies.
I watched Muppet Babies constantly through the 80s. The clips from contemporary and older movies/shows were great (the Star Wars episode was my favorite). I recently rewatched the first episode where Beaker is scared of the dark; they try to help him get over it by putting a blindfold on his eyes but it freaks him out. When Kermit puts it on, the creepiest, scariest laugh and eyes appear and jeezus that creeped the hell out of me even now. Amazing what the 80s cartoon managed to get away with.
From the first season to the fifth episode of the fourth season, the series' overseas production was from Toei Animation, which it costed $30,000 per episode. In February 1985, Japanese yen started to rise against US dollars, and as a result, Toei Animation risen the cost to $50,000. AKOM Productions was selected as an alternate, cheaper animation studio, which remained for the rest of the series, both of which also animated G.I. Joe, The Transformers and Jem for Marvel Productions and Sunbow Productions, Defenders of the Earth, Fraggle Rock: The Animated Series, Little Clowns of Happytown, Kid 'n Play, and season 1 of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes for Marvel Productions.
I remember really liking this one! thinking my fave episode had to be 'it's only pretendo' where the kids got an NES in the nursery, definitely some copyright hurdles with the game footage there, haha.
Gremlins and Muppet Babies were also a huge part of my childhood.
I loved the original Muppet babies, I wish I could get all the episodes.
This was my absolute favorite show as a kid. I am really glad that you only used the “rights issues” horse hockey that’s been thrown around as a theory as to why the show hasn’t been made more widely available. I think at least one of them (probably the issue of potential confusion with the new show) is at least partially true.
it's exactly the problem. you can borrow clips and air it but getting the rights to copyrighted things on dvd is way harder. remember the show cold case? you never see that in reruns or on dvd because they used so many copyrighted songs and licensing issues.
@@christianlorre however, I have been in touch with original Muppet Babies executive producer Robert J Richardson and he told me that the rights were in perpetuity and for all forms of media. So for me, the theory that the documentation of said rights was possibly lost in a sale makes so much sense. The music rights are not any issue whatsoever because they were all basically in house recordings as it were. And while I remember Cold Case I never saw that show enough to remember much about it. The music licensing fees are ridiculously expensive so I don’t blame the owners of that show for basically not bothering to try. But Muppet Babies’s issue, I think, is finding the documentation of the ownership rights of all the clips used (might be easy or hard depending on how that was handled) and also potentially seeing if the original master elements still exist.
@@BJWanlund it's still the same basic problem of they were allowed to borrow old clips to air, but dvd or streaming rights are a different issue. Things get ruined all the time. Married With Children has music problems too. Like when they played We Are The Champions but in reruns it's generic music that doesn't say anything. And when the full series was coming out on DVD, along the way, Frank Sinatra's estate demanded more money for "Love And Marriage", so they replaced it with generic music in the opening.
I used to always stare at that Marvel logo with Spider-Man during the outro and dream of an actual show with him in it. We’ve definitely come a long way and of course I loved that FOX Kids run of Spider-Man when it went live.
I was a kid when it first came out. I loved it. It's aged well.
Still have my Gonzo from a Happy Meal around 1985-86 and my mom still has the Christmas plushes at her house and they get put out every year.
If watching Secret Galaxy videos had a drinking game, we'd need to take a shot every time Peter Cullen and/òr Frank Welker get mentioned. It's honestly amazing the sheer amount of programs either, or even both, were in.😊 I usually give Steve Blum crap for the sheer number of more recent cartoons, and games, he's lent a voice to, but I feel like he pales to either of these 80s cartoons titans. I'll have to hope that Cullen is kept safe, or that he follows in James Earl Jones' lead, and lets whomever keep using, abd synthesizing his voice, after he dies. He's been Optimus Prime my whole life,and I'm still not prepared for that to change, regardless of whether he just retired, or had passed away.
Muppet Babies was a staple growing up
I love the show growing up. Thank you for doing this.
I worked for McD's when it came out. I owned all 3 of the Christmas stuffies and the line up of "cars" from the Happy Meals. My brother adored it so I watched it wwith him (11 years younger than I am), but I admit I also loved it. It was wholesome and encouraged imagination. Now that I'm 55, I'd still love to see the series again and introduce my youngest to it.
to me NANNY was my animated mom, my mother was always at work but Nanny was there always giving me love and entertainment.
Saturday morning in the 80s was just kid me pouring cereal at 7am and then sitting down and eating my cereal while watching Muppet Babies and every other cartoon on all the big networks until it was 12pm and my mom made me go outside finally.
that was my FAVORITE cartoon growing up, and I feel extremely sad that I can't watch it anywhere now :(
I always thought they were in a daycare. Is was a must see for me and my little sister. Getting up early, eating a big bowl of cereal, good times.
Was thinking of this show just yesterday. Wild haha. Loved this cartoon. Watched it on Nickelodeon all the time.
I watched the Muppet Babies before I learned about the Muppets!! It was weird seeing the Muppets “all grown up”
I didn't get into it until far too late - 1990 or so. I was flipping channels and stopped on what I thought was Star Wars. What a delightful show. It got through to me even though I was in my angsty teenage Claremont X-Men phase at the time. McDonald's must have milked it until '92 or so, I know I bought a kids meal just for a Muppet Babies toy and I'm pretty sure I was driving then. It was Fozzy. My stepdaughter has him now.
The gremlins origin "slip" was priceless....
Wow! Nanny was the same woman who did jive talk on Airplane! I can't unhear that voice now! (Never saw an episode of Leave It To Beaver so that's my point of reference.)
Nanny always had different men just kinda “hanging out” at the house I remember…🤔🤔😂😂
i hope the complete series will one day come to dvds
I loved this show as a kid. I had the McDonalds Happy Meal toys and my brother and I played with them a lot.
1984 - 1991 I was between 7 - 14 years old! I'm 46 now! 😮😮😁😁 and I really liked it! It was awesome!!
As always, it’s easier to apologize than ask permission. I’d be curious to see who comes out of the woodwork if Disney put Muppet Babies on Disney+?
I watched this show on XETV FOX 6 (Tijuana/San Diego) in my home town of Tijuana. RIP XETV you were the best.
Muppet Babies was my very first introduction to the wonderful world of Jim Henson.
Muppet Babies was among the first cartoons i ever watched in the mid-late 80’s aside from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, GI Joe, Transformers, Inspector Gadget, The Super Mario Bros Super Show, Chip And Dale Rescue Rangers, Ducktales, and He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe. God bless Ronald Reagan and the 1980’s!
"I couldn't wait for more of both!" Ha ha. I felt the same
I can't believe i was only 2yo when Muppet babies came out, time flies...
Thank you for sharing this. I was wondering why I couldn't find it anywhere.
I just want the show to be released on DVD unedited and uncensored so I can watch them with my kids.
Muppets babies was a big part of my childhood. I wish we could get a complete set so that I one day my kids can watch the show as well. I'm sure they would love it just as much as I did.
I swear I heard someone at work say "Yippee-Skippie!" last week. The legacy endures.
I know it's a copyright nightmare and now Disney owns most of the licenses in the show, scarily now. Maybe we'll see it again in the future.
But yeah, the best theory is Disney still doesn't know what to do with The Muppets and doesn't care to stream it.
Loved Muppet Babies back in the day!
This was my Jam when i was a young whipper snapper, can still hear the theme song in my head ! 😂
I loved this show, and had most of the books that were put out based on it as well.
I loved muppet babies as a kid and the muppets when I got older. My 6 yr autistic son will not sit down for anything and isn't I terested in TV but the reboot muppet babies and puppy dog pals are the only thing he will watch
I still have my muppet babies Casio keyboard! Loved it!
Me too
Dude! The KCBA kids club was local to my town! You hella brought back some memories.
There’s a new version of muppet babies on Disney plus and it’s GREAT
nothing like being an 80s child, gummy bears, A-team, die hard, Muppet babies.. good times
Never thought my brain would barbiheimer muppet babies and gremlins but it will now, thanks for that one.
In the 80s/90s, if you didn't come with a thematic little car in a Happy Meal, you weren't a real success (see also: Fraggles, Tiny Toons)
My favorite show as a toddler.
Love the Muppet Babies!
Another example of a great Saturday Morning cartoon also!
Big fan as a kid. I remember being amazed by the integration of movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Such a bummer the series is not available.
I enjoyed this show so much more than I thought I would!
It was the best cartoon series ever to exist. There is little to debate.
Then there was that very rare side project, Jim Henson's Edgar Winter Babies that suspiciously looked like bleached out Cabbage Patch dolls. (Only dedicated Mysties will get this reference)
I loved the theme song to this show!
I grew up w Babies and knew them as that. When I later saw them in “adult” form, I was greatly displeased. The adult voices & personalities were much less stomachable (for me), and I nvr returned to muppets again cuz of that 🥲
Muppet Babies fo’lyfe! 😆
Great show and groundbreaking innovativeness
11:42 A stage show featuring Karate Kat, the Street Frogs, the Silverhawks and Lion-O???????
Why, oh why, did I not know about this??????
I'm kind of shocked at just how much Muppet Babies shared in common with Rugrats
Before the first VHS release, if you were watching Star Wars on a TV, you were watching Muppet Babies.
The thing that bugs me about Muppet Babies is Scooter (and by extension, his twin sister Skeeter). In the original show Kermit is required to involve Scooter in the Muppet Show in some regard because Scooter's uncle owns the theatre; implying he was some snot-nosed kid while the others were adults. How he got to be a baby with all the others kind of suggests he's not much younger than the others at all. Guess he's just got a baby face!
Had a few episodes on a vhs tape. Loved it!
I remember Muppet babies and Muppet babies and monsters, although monsters only vaguely.
I'm 42 and have such a weird relationship with these kids cartoons, I know I pretty much watched the entire series but I don't think I saw it in the 80s, I think I watched it in the 90s in the UK and like all kids TV I loved, I think by then I was technically too old to be watching it 😅