| Mother Goose Stories | |
 | |
| Written by | David Angus |
| Director | Brian Henson |
The first episode of Mother Goose Stories retells the nursery rhyme of "Humpty Dumpty." The story was adapted from the tale of "Humpty Dumpty " in L. Frank Baum's "Mother Goose in Prose."
Story[]
There once was a large speckled hen who lived near the royal palace. One day, she laid an extraordinarily large egg. It was the prince of all eggs, and so she decided to name it "Prince Humpty Dumpty". The other eggs in the nest come to resent Humpty Dumpty because of his size, so they push him out of the nest. Humpty Dumpty enters the world with the deluded notion that he is a great prince. Humpty thinks the barnyard is no place for royalty and sets out for his proper place at the castle. He soon meets a bird named Coutchie-Coulou and invites him to come along and become his royal footman.
The pair soon reach the castle's outer wall. They are about the climb the wall when they hear the princess talking to a prince. The princess explains that her father the king has passed a law stating that whomever can create a riddle that he cannot answer will earn his daughter's hand in marriage. The prince is saddened by the news, as the two want to get married, but he is inept at devising good riddles.
Humpty, overhearing this, decides that the only thing more prince-like than living in a castle is marrying a princess. He decides to think up a riddle to ask the king and marry the princess himself. Humpty Dumpty climbs the wall and sits atop it while waiting for the king. The prince is also sitting in the courtyard trying to create a riddle a thinking out loud; however, Humpty chimes in and solves each one of the prince's riddles effortlessly.
Soon, the king approaches in his royal carriage. Humpty Dumpty calls to the king, declaring that he has a riddle for him. The king stops, but Humpty Dumpty, sitting to close to the edge, falls off the wall and cracks. This inspires the young prince with a riddle for the king; reciting the rhyme of Humpty Dumpty and asking "what was Humpty Dumpty?"
The king is stumped, and says there is no answer to such a riddle. The prince explains that Humpty Dumpty was an egg. The king is impressed and allows the pair to wed. As the king, princess and prince ride off into the castle, Coutchie-Coulou is left with the broken shell of Humpty Dumpty. Suddenly, Humpty Dumpty emerges from under the broken shell as a chick. The two birds walk towards the castle where Humpty Dumpty grows up to become king of the royal farmyard.
Muppet Characters[]
Cast[]
- James Conway as The Prince
- Katy Boughton Smith as The Princess
Video Releases[]
- Jim Henson's Mother Goose Stories: Humpty Dumpty (2005 DVD & VHS)
Notes[]
Mike Quinn and Jim Henson on the set.
- The episode was produced as a pilot for the series.[1] Taping took place on November 17, 1987.[2]
- The episode was packaged with "Dicky Birds" and "Rub a Dub Dub" to create a half-hour episode for Disney Channel and other outlets.
Sources[]
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| (first) | "Baa Baa Blacksheep" |