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Glig

Gligs, the first known Muppet endangered species

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Kermit introduces the Endangered Species Chorus Line on The Muppet Show

Grapdelites

Endangered: Grapdelites on Dinosaurs

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Not endangered: The Great Poonga Poonga on Sesame Street

Endangered species describes animals which are so diminished in numbers as to be facing extinction. The term is often used in connection with the United States Endangered Species Act of 1973, which covered both endangered species and those which may become endangered in the near future (threatened). Several projects by Jim Henson and other Muppet-related productions examined the topic of endangered species and environmental concerns.

References[]

  • The earliest Muppet instance to address endangered species is a Land of Gortch segment on Saturday Night Live (November 8, 1975). King Ploobis discovers that the once plentiful Gligs, preyed on as both a culinary luxury and for fashionable clothing, is down to one remaining male (which almost goes down The Mighty Favog before the pragmatic idol returns him to repopulate).
  • Cookie Monster is collecting money for endangered species in Sesame Street Episode 0849 (1976). He defines what an endangered species is, and he and Buffy give examples such as the American eagle, the whooping crane, and the polar bear. At the end, Cookie Monster reveals the endangered species in question is actually himself, reasoning that "as me only Cookie Monster, me endangered species."
  • Sam the Eagle, in his editorial in The Muppet Show episode 217 (1977), scoffs at a list of endangered animals which "namby-pamby conservationists" seek to protect, including the mountain lion, the timber wolf... and the American bald eagle. The latter leads him to declare the list inoperative. By the time of Muppets Tonight episode 110 (1996), Sam is more comfortable openly declaring himself to be an endangered species.
  • The subject of endangered species on Sesame Street was revisited in Episode 1576 (1981), as part of the 13th season's curriculum emphasis on the environment. After being discovered by two birdwatchers, Big Bird is declared an endangered species by bureaucrat Mr. McNulty. After being taken to a bird sanctuary for protection, however, an unhappy Big Bird is returned home (and the arrival of Uncle Slim indicates his species may be less endangered than presumed).
  • The Jim Henson Hour special The Song of the Cloud Forest (1989) directly addresses endangered species and extinction as applies to rainforest species. The golden toad, the central species in the special, was declared extinct that same year.
  • Sesame Street Episode 2876 (1991) examines the plight of Floyd Fluter-tooter, a bird who is endangered after his habitat is destroyed and the rest of his species have disappeared. Big Bird and Gina help him find a new home at a wildlife reserve, which attracts others of his kind and raises hope for the future of fluter-tooters.
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