Minor TV Mentions

The following is a list of Muppet Mentions made in other media outside of the Henson/Sesame fold.

Baby Looney Tunes
Warner Bros. animated series featuring infantilized versions of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and other classic Looney Tunes characters. The setting of the show, with the characters in a nursery under the watchful eye of Granny, is very similar to Muppet Babies.

Connections

 * Rick Lyon puppeteered Baby Bugs in a Baby Looney Tunes puppet video pilot.

Dexter's Laboratory
Cartoon Network animated series created by Genndy Tartakovsky. An occasional segment is a show-within-a-show called "Puppet Pals," featuring two Muppet-like characters named Puppet Pal Mitch and Puppet Pal Clem. The characters are slightly reminiscent of Ernie and Bert, as Mitch's head is tall and pointy, and Clem's is squat and football-shaped. The characters have thick Southern accents, and their running gag is that they tell jokes that have the punchline replaced with one of the Pals bonking the other over the head with a rubber mallet:


 * Puppet Pal Mitch: (Bonking Clem with each word)Bonk bonk.
 * Puppet Pal Clem: Who's there?
 * Puppet Pal Mitch: (bonk)Bonk.
 * Puppet Pal Clem: Bonk who?
 * Puppet Pal Mitch: (bonk)Just bonk.

The characters have appeared in animated form and as live-action puppets, and have also appeared on Dexter's Laboratory's sister show, The Powerpuff Girls.

Home Alone
Successful 1990 comedy scored by John Williams. In one scene, Kevin (Macauley Culkin) is at church sitting with neighbor Mr. Marley. Kevin mentions that he once got a Big Bird sweater, which the neighbor thinks is nice. "Not for a guy in second grade. You could get beat up for that," responds Kevin.

Connections

 * John Candy played Gus Polinski
 * Ken Hudson Campbell played Santa Claus

Drawn Together
In the episode "Little Orphan Hero", Foxxy Love, Princess Clara, Spanky Ham and Ling Ling gather around the telephone, going "Yip yip yip yip yip...", like the Yip Yips from Sesame Street. In the scene, all the characters actually have strange triangular mouths.

The Office
NBC sitcom starring Steve Carrell, an adaptation of the popular British comedy of the same name. The series' executive producer and director is Ken Kwapis.

The show has made a few Muppet references over its run, such as this exchange from the second season episode titled "The Fire."


 * Michael: (doing a bad Yoda impression) Much advice do you seek... (in regular voice) Do you know who that was?
 * Ryan: Um...Fozzie Bear?
 * Michael: (disappointed) Aw no, no, that was Yoda.

The Proud Family
Animated series that aired on the Disney Channel from September 2001 - August 2005. The show centered around an African-American teenager, Penny, her family, and her friends. Basically an animated sitcom in format, it was geared towards a pre-teen and teen audience.

Muppet Mention
Episode 214: Pulp Boot Camp: Penny's family sends her to boot camp because they fear she is becoming a bully, and she steals cookies from a little girl there. The sergeant catches her and says "Well, well. We have ourselves a little Cookie Monster."

Connections
Some actors who have appeared in Henson/Muppet productions performed voices on The Proud Family.
 * Kyla Pratt as Penny Proud
 * Tara Strong as Bebe Proud
 * Soleil Moon Frye as Zoey

Recess
Animated series by the Walt Disney Company that aired from 1997 to 2001.

In the episode "Goodbye Principal Prickly", Principal Prickly greets T.J. and his friends by saying, "Why, hello there, my little grade-school Muppets".

Connections
Several actors who have appeared with the Muppets or in Creature Shop productions performed voices on Recess.
 * Ed Asner performed Thaddeus T. Third V
 * Dabney Coleman played Principal Peter Prickly
 * Paul Dooley played Hank the janitor
 * James Earl Jones played Santa Claus
 * Charles Kimbrough played Mort the newscaster
 * Andy Lawrence played T.J. Detweiler
 * Jarrett Lennon performed additional voices
 * Andrea Martin played Lunchlady Harriet
 * Sam McMurray played Col. Griswold and Mr. Spinelli
 * Rob Paulsen played Mr. Hishira
 * Frank Welker performed additional voices

Rugrats
Animated television show that first aired on Nickelodeon in 1991. This series focuses on the point of view of a group of babies, including Tommy Pickles, Chuckie Finster, Phil and Lil, and Angelica Pickles.

In the episode "Toys in the Attic", Tommy and Angelica's granparents, Boris and Minka, argue over which one of them will turn on the "Sesame Seed", an obvious reference to Sesame Street.

One of the show's directors, Craig Bartlett, animated a handful of Sesame Street segments.

Possible References/ Coincidences
This show has had some similarities to Muppet Babies. However, there is no evidence as to whether these were intentional or just coincidences (of course Muppet Babies reruns were shown on Nickelodeon when the majority of this series was in production). The similarities include:


 * The fact that both shows include a pair of fraternal twins as main characters (Baby Scooter and Baby Skeeter on Muppet Babies; Phil and Lil on Rugrats).


 * Both shows have had episodes titled "Beach Blanket Babies".


 * Both shows have had episodes where the television set breaks and so the main characters use a cardboard box as a television.

Shortcuts
Aomic that gives information about a cetain topic and is sponsored by a famous star with a parodied name based on the topic.

In one comic about Hermit Crabs, the sponsor was Hermit the Frog which was Kermit's head with a red shell and green claws.