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| The Footers with Queen Laweiner | |
| DEBUT | 1993 |
Frankie Frank and the Footers is a rap group, led by Frankie Frank and consisting entirely of hot dogs, who appeared on the short-lived Saturday morning series CityKids.
They appeared in the pilot episode and reappear in "The Mural" (performing their new song "Here Come the Tongs") and "I Am Woman" (crashing a posh party as "Francis Frank and his Syncopated Society"). The group (sans Frankie) also perform back-up for Queen Laweiner in the episode "Becoming a Man." Their hype man is "Doggy Jay."
The hot dogs appeared in nine of the show's 13 episodes.[1] The segments would begin with the camera zooming in on a container they are being served from (typically a street cart), and the sketches would abruptly end with a pair of tongs taking one of the hot dogs away. In addition to appearing as a hip-hop rap group, the hot dogs also appeared as ancient Egyptians, lounge singers, television personalities, game show hosts, upper-class socialites, and a doo-wop group.
Puppeteers included David Rudman, Joey Mazzarino, John Henson, Noel MacNeal, Alison Mork, Carmen Osbahr and Don Reardon. Camille Bonora and Louise Gold also provide uncredited performances.
Sketches[]
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"Pilot" Downtown Beefy Brown (Gold) introduces Frankie Frank (Rudman) and the Footers. |
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"Pack of Lies" In 50 BC, a Cleopatra hot dog (Bonora) is carried around on her hot dog bun litter by a group of Egyptian hot dogs. Additional performers include Joey Mazzarino as Cleo's fan waver. |
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"Love Letters on the Hudson" In a night club, a female singer (Bonora) performs for a group of hot dogs while another hot dog (Rudman) plays piano. |
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"Becoming a Man" A hot dog (Mazzarino) introduces Queen Laweiner (Rudman) who performs a song with Becky Bopp and the Footers. |
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"Get a Job" Robin Beach (Rudman) reports on the Lifestyles of the Pump and Juicy from the beach. He interviews Marweine Dietrich (Bonora). |
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"The Mural" Doggy Jay (Mazzarino) introduces Frankie Frank and the Footers with their new hit "Here Come the Tongs." Additional performers include Don Reardon. |
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"I Am Woman" At a posh black-tie dinner, a hot dog (MacNeal) introduces "Francis Frank and his Syncopated Society" who proceed to crash the party with their rap music. |
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"Reputation" Frankie and his girl (Mazzarino) sing a 50's-style doo-wop love song with a quartet of female back-up singers. |
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"Quality Time" Wink Weinerdale (Rudman) and his co-host Nina Knockwurst (Bonora) host "That's Inedible," a game show where hot dogs perform disgusting feats for cash prizes. Additional performers include Noel MacNeal as one of the contestants. |
Gallery[]
Later Henson Company use[]
Brian Henson eats a hot dog with a hot dog puppet in a promo for Puppet Up (Instagram)
Beginning in 2006, the puppets resurfaced in various Jim Henson Company projects, since the puppets were retained after the sale of the Muppets to The Walt Disney Company. They were used as a part of Puppet Up! (in its different incarnations) and were later seen in other Henson Alternative productions Hotdog TV, Ketchup with the Hot Dogs, That Puppet Game Show, No, You Shut Up!, The Happytime Murders and numerous online videos for The Jim Henson Company, among others. They were also used in merchandise.
Footnote[]
- ↑ There were no hot dog segments in "The Curse of Ali Baba," "Alterations with Attitude," "Rooftop Thanksgiving" or "All My Trials."