Free to Be... a Family (special)

Free to Be... a Family was a television special produced and hosted by Marlo Thomas. A sequel to Thomas' acclaimed 1974 special Free to Be... You and Me, the special was a co-production with Soviet Russia and aired over ABC on December 14, 1988. The hour-long special is divided between New York City and Moscow, with Tatiana Vedeneyeva as host of the Soviet segments, with both Russian and American children appearing and viewing each other via satellite. Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy appeared in scenes shot in both cities; in Moscow, they meet with Russian puppet Kriusha the Pig for a summit conferemce.

Other celebrities included Lily Tomlin, Robin Williams, Carly Simon, Penn and Teller, and Whoopi Goldberg. Christopher Cerf served as executive producer, and Michael K. Frith produced the Muppet segments. A companion album was also produced.