Little Muppet Monsters



Little Muppet Monsters was a short-lived Saturday morning TV show, of which only three episodes aired on CBS in 1985. The first season of Muppet Babies did very well in the ratings, so CBS decided to expand the series from half an hour to a full hour, pairing Muppet Babies with Little Muppet Monsters. The umbrella title for the hour-long package was Muppets, Babies and Monsters.

The show was anchored by three young Muppet monsters: Tug, Boo, and Molly. Occasionally, Muppet Show characters such as Scooter, Kermit the Frog and various penguins would drop by in cameos. The Electric Mayhem were featured in the opening credits sequence watching the show on television, as they excitedly bounced about on a living room sofa.

Recurring animated segments included "Pigs in Space," "Kermit the Frog, Private Eye," and "Muppet Sports Shorts" (featuring Animal). Muppet segments included "Fozzie's Comedy Corner," with Fozzie discussing issues related to old jokes, illustrated through animation, and Gonzo presenting a cavalcade of weirdness, using silent film footage. Each episode also featured an original Muppet song.

Storyboard director Scott Shaw discussed the show in MuppetZine issue #3 (Winter 1993):"The concept of this second half-hour was neither simple nor particularly well-developed. A trio of new (live-action) Muppet Monster Kids, working from the basement of the adult Muppets' home, create their own television station which broadcasts only to the TV sets in the house upstairs...

Although eighteen episodes were produced, only three of them ever aired; Henson Associates and CBS agreed that the concept had never been properly thought out and just wasn't up to Henson's high standards. To Jim's credit, it was his idea to pull the show from the Saturday morning lineup.

I've always felt that the juxtapositioning of live-action and animated Muppets invited an unfavorable comparison, to which the cartoon version inevitably suffered; the puppetry was just too good. The combination of Muppet babies, adults and kid monsters was very disorienting. Also, due to a lack of development time, the concept -- and therefore, the writing and designs -- never quite jelled.

The now-vacant second half-hour was filled with repeats of the first season's Muppet Babies episodes, and the ratings stayed strong."

After Little Muppet Monsters was canceled, an instrumental version of its opening theme was used for the Muppet Babies end credits from 1985 onward.

The three monster kids were also seen briefly in the special The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years, which was broadcast in January, 1986. The special was shot before the decision was made to take Monsters off the air, so the show cheerfully plugged the Muppets' latest production -- even though that production had been cancelled four months earlier.

Puppet Cast

 * Richard Hunt as Tug Monster, Scooter, and Janice
 * David Rudman as Boo Monster
 * Camille Banora as Molly Monster


 * With


 * Pam Arciero (as penguin), James J. Kroupa (as Nicky Napoleon), Cheryl Blaylock (as cow and alien), Martin P. Robinson (as rat and cow), Michael Earl Davis (as penguin), Noel MacNeal (as rat and cow)


 * And


 * Jim Henson as Kermit and Dr. Teeth
 * Kathryn Mullen as Rat
 * Frank Oz as Fozzie and Animal
 * Jerry Nelson as Floyd Pepper
 * Dave Goelz as Gonzo

Voice Cast

 * Frank Welker as Kermit and others
 * Hal Rayle as Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and Animal
 * Greg Berg as Fozzie Bear and Dr. Julius Strangepork
 * Bob Bergen as Link Hogthrob and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew
 * Richard Hunt as "Muppet Sports Shorts" Narrator and Beaker

Crew

 * Producers: Bob Richardson, Hank Saroyan
 * Creative Producer and Conceptual Designer: Michael K. Frith
 * Executive Producers: Margaret Loesch, Lee Gunther, Diana Birkenfield
 * Associate Producers: Adam Bleibtrau, John Gibbs, Ritamarie Peruggi
 * Writers: David Babcock, Sarah Durkee, Chris Grabenstein, Bardley Kesden, Steve Morgenstern, Kathryn Mullen, Julia Murray
 * Animation Writing Consultants: Chuck Lorre, Barry O'Brien, Jack Mendelsohn, Bob Smith
 * Story Editors: Rick Merwin, Hank Saroyan
 * Performance Director: Richard Hunt
 * Director: Terry Maskell
 * Creative Consultant: Andrew Wilk
 * Voice Director: Hank Saroyan
 * Production Design: Victor Di Napoli
 * Muppets By: Edward G. Christie, Larry Jameson, Joanne Green, Will Morrison, Jan Rosenthal, Rollin Krewson, Robert Flanagan
 * Set Dressing: Richard Termine, Karl Soderstrom
 * Score Composer/Conductor: Robert J. Walsh
 * Songs: Michael Carney, Michael Carroll, Joe Carroll, Christopher Cerf, Sarah Durkee, Kevin Joy
 * Music Coordinators: Don McGinnis, Joe Carroll
 * Music Consultant: Christopher Cerf

Episode Listing

 * "In the Beginning" - 9/14/1985
 * "Space Cowboys" - 9/21/1985
 * "The Great Boodini" - 9/27/1985
 * "Hi, Mars" - Unaired
 * "Monster Measles" - Unaired
 * "Gonzo's Talent Hunt" - Unaired
 * "Can't Stop the Music" - Unaired
 * "Boo Monster Ace Reporter" - Unaired
 * "Feels Like Rain" - Unaired
 * "Foo-Foo Phooey" - Unaired
 * "Penguin for a Day" - Unaired
 * "Gunko" - Unaired
 * "Mail-Order Guest" - Unaired
 * "Episode 14 (Title Unknown)" - Unaired
 * "Episode 15 (Title Unknown)" - Unaired
 * "Episode 16 (Title Unknown)" - Unaired
 * "Episode 17 (Title Unknown)" - Unaired
 * "Episode 18 (Title Unknown)" - Unaired