E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Sesame Street on TV

Big Bird on TV: "I think it came from outer space."

Bert slipper hanging on the wall

Fisher Price Animal puppet & Scooter doll

"E.C. the Extra-Celestial"

In the post-credits epilogue of "From a Galaxy Far, Far Away," Kermit rides a bicycle with Animal and Irma as passengers in the basket silhouetted against the moon, paying homage to an iconic scene from E.T.

Aliens in the Family

The Muppets Take the Bowl

The Muppets comic strip

The Muppets comic strip

E.T. the Extra Terrestrial is a 1982 film directed by Steven Spielberg about an alien left behind on Earth who befriends a young boy and his siblings in the suburbs of California.

E.T. later made an appearance in The Earth Day Special, which also features a sketch with the Muppets.

Mentions

• During a scene with E.T. and Gertie (played by Drew Barrymore), Sesame Street plays on the TV long enough for two sketches to appear. The first is an animated film (First: Episode 0237) about the letter B that aids E.T. in learning how to speak. The second scene features Big Bird introducing Grover on the steps of the carriage house as he demonstrates two chin-ups. The audio that ends the scene, however, was taken from Episode 1364 to provide a more appropriate dialogue for the film: Big Bird observes a rocket ship and remarks, "I think it came from outer space," just as E.T. begins to communicate his desire to phone home.

• Sets featuring the children's bedrooms offer brief glimpses of Muppet toys: during a scene in which E.T. is reading a coloring book in the closet, a Bert slipper can be seen hanging on the wall behind him; a toy closet between two bedrooms houses both a Scooter plush doll and an Animal puppet.

• A scene from William Kotzwinkle's 1982 novelization of the film moves the Sesame Street scene from the living room to the mother's bedroom. From here, Gertie turns the TV on to an unspecified show with an unnamed Muppet asking the viewer to count to ten. Gertie uses the opportunity to teach E.T. some words, similar to the film version. The book describes the Muppet dancing around on big feet prompting Gertie to look at E.T.'s similarly large feet and ask if he's a Muppet.

• Footage from the filming of the movie included in the 2002 DVD feature "A Look Back" features Steven Spielberg and a studio executive discussing other movies that will be open at the box office when E.T. releases. The executive mentions Conan the Barbarian, the Steve Martin comedy Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, and The Dark Crystal. Spielberg acknowledges the latter as the most competitive with his film, stressing that it creates a world of its own.

References

Muppet Magazine

• The film's story was the basis for a comic spoof featured in the January 1983 issue. "E.C. the Extra-Celestial" featured Gonzo in the role of a visiting alien who takes up residence with the Muppets, creates a psychic bond with Kermit, watches Sesame Street with Annie Sue, and finds himself under the microscope of Muppet Labs.

• E.T. makes an appearance in another comic book story published in the Summer 1983 issue. He doesn't speak or take part in the story, but appears to be a part of the crew of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars.

• In a "Miss Piggy's Advice" column from the Winter 1984 issue of Muppet Magazine, Piggy answers a letter from "A Secret Admirer" stating that she recently auditioned for Spielberg's new film "E.T. Goes Back to the Future for a Close Encounter with a Poltergeist."

• When Gonzo and Ethan Hawke take off for the stars in a home-made spaceship fueled by oatmeal in the Fall 1985 issue, Camilla sends them off with a farewell sign that reads "Phone Home." Her message echoes a famous line from the 1982 film when E.T. communicates a desire to contact his people.

• The Winter 1986 issue features a photo spread for an interview with Hollywood sound designer Mark Mangini. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew is pictured controlling a device created in Muppet Labs to create sound effects. One of the various parts labelled on the side is a phone with a sign that reads "Phone Home," another reference to a famous line from E.T.

Muppet Babies

• In a 1984 episode, "What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?" a brief clip from the movie is shown when Baby Piggy and Baby Kermit imagine themselves being movie stars. As Kermit arrives, the clip of Gertie screaming is used. Later in the episode, when Kermit imagines himself as a taxi driver to the moon, E.T. himself, unseen (voice by Frank Welker) asks for a ride home.

• In another 1984 episode, "From a Galaxy Far, Far Away...," the Babies find Irma, a strange creature who they assume is an alien, left behind on Earth. They attempt to contact the alien's family, and build a giant slingshot to send her home. The creature turns out to be a koala who escaped from the zoo. The basic plot is a similar take on the events of E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial -- save for the slingshot and the koala.

• Yet another 1984 episode, "Eight Take-Away One Equals Panic," features the song "Table for One" in which the Muppet Babies try to convince Baby Fozzie that flying solo can be okay. During the song montage, Baby Piggy cruises by in a flying saucer and makes reference to E.T. in the lyrics.

• In the 1987 episode "This Little Piggy Went to Hollywood," Baby Piggy dreams of being discovered by a famous director in a record store. In walks Steven Weirdbird (played by Baby Gonzo) looking to cast a role in his latest film, "ET's Close Encounter with Indiana Jaws."

Sesame Street

• In Episode 2053, the Martians discover a telephone in the Fix-It Shop and make an attempt to "phone home."

• In a Sesame Street News Flash, the Martians descend onto Old MacDonald's Farm. They address reporter Kermit the Frog as "E.T.?"

• In an interview about Follow That Bird, on Canadian news magazine Midday, Big Bird was asked whether there were many movies that kids his age could see. "Why, even E.T., I got so scared, that I didn't think it was so good."

• In a 2017 Vanity Fair video, Cookie Monster utters "E.T. phone home" while pointing and wiggling his finger.

Other

• In the January 18, 1983 edition of The Muppets comic strip, Miss Piggy is seen at a phone booth being bothered by someone who turns out to be E.T., who phones home.

• The December 4, 1985 comic strip depicts Dr. Bob performing open-heart surgery on E.T. having simply replaced the light bulb.

• A lyric from "Now You Has Jazz" improvised by Billy Crystal in episode 103 of Muppets Tonight mentions "E.T. phone home."

• The Aliens in the Family episode "Too Good to Be True" features two characters in the credits flying in silhouette past the moon on bicycles.

• In a live Pigs in Space sketch at The Muppets Take the Bowl, First Mate Piggy proposes having a "close encounter" with someone from the front rows. Dr. Julius Strangepork retorts that "none of these E.T.s want to phone ham." The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra then plays a sample of John Williams' score from the film, as a silhouetted Kermit rides his bike past the moon.

Connections

• Drew Barrymore played Gertie in the film
• Debra Winger was among those to provide the voice for E.T. in the film

External links

• IMDb