Crank Yankers

Crank Yankers is a puppet series (aimed at mature audiences, though rated TV14 usually) originally broadcast on Comedy Central from 2002- 2005 and later on MTV2 in 2007 in which the characters (voiced by professional comedians) make prank phone calls. The calls are then dramatized via puppets and sets.

Crank Yankers uses the slogan "The calls you are about to see are real. The names have not been changed. Screw the innocent." The calls dramatized on Crank Yankers are often of a somewhat adult nature. Some of the more risque calls have related to drugs or sex. Some, however, are of a more humorous or irritating nature, such as a woman who has her phone call to UPS hijacked by people who are intent on giving her anything but service.

Muppet Mentions

 * Short insert: Camera zooms left to a building that says 321 with a trashcan nearby and at the far end is a Big Bird parody smoking a cigarette. He notices the camera and remarks in his typical friendly voice, "Oh, hi!" until he starts to cough and is bothered by an itch on his bottom.


 * Crank Call: At the beginning of Special Ed's phone conversation with a man in a swamp, a Kermit parody is sitting on a log playing the banjo until the hillbilly's wife throws a soda can at him. He then yells out "Ow! Damn it!"


 * Crank Call: In Elmer's "crank call" segment and most of Special Ed's "crank call" segments, a Big Bird parody can be seen on a chicken wing bucket.


 * Short insert: At the same building where Big Bird was before, Kermit and Miss Piggy parodies are seen mating on top of a trashcan.


 * Short insert: Billy West announces a trailer for the shockumentry "When Puppets Explode!". A parody and tribute of Muppet Explosions.


 * Crank Call: At the beginning of Hadassah Guberman's "crank call" for a nanny position, the beginning had a blue background with toys as a voice says, "Today's show is brought to you by the letters, F, U, and K." Then alphabet blocks appeared with the announced letters on them. A parody and reference to the sponsor letters on Sesame Street.


 * Crank Call: In another Hadassah Guberman's "crank call," she calls a landfill to recover her diary and the scene ends with a trashcan thrown onto a pile of garbage bags and out pops a beat-up Oscar parody.


 * Crank Call: In a "crank call" between Robbie, an anti-fur protester, and a fur salonist, a coat made of Grover can be seen in the background.


 * Crank Call: At the beginning of Cammie's "crank call" for a house sitter from Season 3, a dark city alley had a graffiti art of Ernie & Bert parodies with machine guns with R.I.P. on the bottom on them. Then it pans to a character beating up Oscar the Grouch. As soon as the character leaves, Oscar moans, quickly pulls out a tissue or handkerchief and cries out loud.


 * Crank Call: In a season 3 crank call, Birchum, a Vietnam vet, volunteers to help a man hunt Bigfoot. In the background, there are 3 mounts in the background, one of which is Cookie Monster.


 * Crank Call: OCD Ken's "crank call" to a theater with the title of a show entitled "Bi-Bi-Birdie" with a picture of a Big Bird Parody.

Connections

 * Fred Armisen voiced Chip Douglas
 * Jack Black voiced himself
 * Carol Binion puppeteered various roles and served as costume designer
 * Ronald Binion puppeteered various roles Special Ed, Elmer Higgins, Dick Birchum, Niles Standish
 * Julianne Buescher puppeteered various roles for an appearance at MTV Awards
 * Tyler Bunch puppeteered various roles in the third season
 * Kevin Carlson puppeteered various roles
 * Stephen Colbert voiced various roles
 * Dane Cook voiced Sav Macauley, Gene Winterbuck, and Foreign Guy
 * Alice Dinnean puppeteered various roles in the second season
 * Snoop Dogg voiced himself
 * Eric Engelhardt puppet builder and puppeteered various roles
 * Artie Esposito puppeteered Elmer Higgins, Tony DeLoge, and Deaf Frat Guy for seasons 4 & 5 and various roles
 * Jeff Goldblum voiced Ira Fermstein
 * Jason Schwartzman voiced Jammer Knight
 * Seth Green voiced Travis Grummin
 * David Alan Grier voiced Danny and Landalious "The Truth" Truefeld
 * Kathy Griffin voiced Marion Simons
 * BJ Guyer served as coordinating producer, puppet builder, and puppeteered various roles
 * Michelle Hickey puppeteered various roles
 * Jimmy Kimmel co-created and voiced Elmer Higgins, Terrence Catheter, The Nudge, and Jimmy
 * Denis Leary voiced Denis
 * Rick Lyon served as chief puppeteer, designed, and puppeteered during the first season
 * Gilbert Gottfried voiced George Zucco
 * Hugh Martin served as director for the second and third season
 * Hank Azaria voiced Chief Yellow Feather and Crazy Yitzhak
 * Drew Massey puppeteered various roles
 * Ted May served as director for the first and second season
 * Paul McGinnis puppeteered various roles
 * Alison Mork puppeteered various roles
 * Patton Oswalt voiced Boomer
 * Marc Petrosino puppeteered various roles
 * Sarah Silverman voiced Hadassah Guberman
 * Robert Smigel voiced various roles
 * Nicole Sullivan voiced Esperanza Torres
 * Allan Trautman puppeteered various roles in the third season
 * Andy Richter voiced Lloyd
 * James Wojtal served as puppet builder
 * Wanda Sykes voiced Gladys Murphy
 * Victor Yerrid served as chief puppeteer in the second season and puppeteered Spoonie Luv, Hadassah Guberman, Cammie, and various roles