A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa



A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa is an hour-long Christmas special starring the Muppets, which first aired on December 17, 2008 on NBC. The plot involves the Muppets mistakenly intercepting three letters sent by children to Santa Claus and their attempts to fix the problems created by their mishap.

Celebrity appearances include Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Sirico, Steve Schirripa, Richard Griffiths, Jane Krakowski, Uma Thurman, Jesse L. Martin, Madison Pettis, Petra Nemcova, Nathan Lane, Paul Williams and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Plot
The program opens with the Muppets waiting in line at the post office to mail their Christmas cards. While there, the Muppets mistakenly intercept three letters sent by children to Santa Claus. Later, Claire, a young girl who lives in the same building as the Muppets, is disappointed when Gonzo reveals that the Muppets will not be around for Christmas as they are all going on vacation. However, the Muppets soon realize that the spirit of the holidays is more important than their vacation, and they attempt to fix the problems created by their mishap and get the averted letters to Santa Claus before Christmas. They rush to the airport via taxi, where they encounter Joy, a friendly ticket agent, and Officer Meany, a bitter airport security guard. They try to catch a flight to the North Pole before it's too late.

The special features four original songs written by frequent Muppet collaborator Paul Williams, who also appears in the special as an elf.

Trivia

 * One of Fozzie's joke cards says "What do you call a reindeer wearing ear muffs? Anything you want because it can't hear you!" This is a reference to the song "North Pole Comedy Club" from the album A Green and Red Christmas.

Cast

 * Muppet Performers:


 * Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz, Bill Baretta, Eric Jacobson, Pam Arciero, Heather Asch, Tyler Bunch, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, James Godwin, Jim Kroupa, Matt Vogel, Tim Lagasse, Peter Linz, Edward Noel MacNeal, Jim Martin, Paul McGinnis, Marty Robinson, David Rudman


 * Human Cast


 * Michael Bloomberg as himself
 * Whoopi Goldberg as a cab driver
 * Richard Griffiths as Santa Claus
 * Jane Krakowski as Claire's Mom
 * Nathan Lane as Officer Meany
 * Jesse L. Martin as postal worker
 * Petra Nemcova as Beaker's girlfriend
 * Madison Pettis as Claire
 * Steve Schirripa as Mafia guy
 * Tony Sirico as Mafia guy (Johnny)
 * Uma Thurman as Joy
 * Paul Williams as Santa's chief elf

Muppet Cast

 * Muppet Characters
 * Rizzo the Rat, Camilla, Pepe the Prawn, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog, Sweetums, Luncheon Counter Monster, Big Mean Carl, Sam the Eagle, The Swedish Chef, Lew Zealand, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Scooter, Robin the Frog, Rowlf the Dog, Statler and Waldorf, Beaker, Crazy Harry, Dr. Teeth, Animal, Floyd Pepper, Zoot, Pigeons


 * Background Muppets
 * Rats, Pops, Beauregard, Chickens, Penguins, Turkey

Crew

 * Directed by Kirk L. Thatcher
 * Story by Paul Williams and Hugh Fink & Scott Ganz & Andrew Samson
 * Teleplay by Hugh Fink & Scott Ganz & Andrew Samson & Paul Williams
 * Original Songs by Paul Williams
 * Score by Chris Caswell
 * Produced by Martin G. Baker
 * Edited by Jamie Kirkpatrick
 * Puppet Captain: Bill Barretta
 * Muppet Workshop: Jane Gootnick, supervisor; Melissa Creighton, Peter MacKennan, Tom Newby, Stephen Rotondaro
 * Visual Effects by Look FX N.Y.
 * Puppets Provided by Puppet Heap
 * Filmed in Part at Steiner Studios and on location in New York City
 * Special Thanks To: New York State Office for Motion Picture & Television Development; The City of New York Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting
 * ©2008 The Muppets Studio LLC