The Great Santa Claus Switch was a Muppet television special that first aired on CBS on December 20, 1970.
Plot[]
Thig and Thog with Santa Claus
The show, narrated by Ed Sullivan, begins at the North Pole with Santa Claus and his elves getting ready for another Christmas. However, Cosmo Scam has hatched a plan to kidnap Santa and take his place. As part of the plan, Cosmo plans to abduct Santa's elves (one at a time) and replace them with his evil henchmen.
Development[]
Watercolor illustration by Jim Henson for a 1967 pitch for The Great Santa Claus Switch.
Illustration by Henson for the 1970 company Christmas card.
TV Guide: December 12, 1970
The idea for this Christmas special had been developed by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl for several years, and had a long evolution. Notes and sketches date as far back as 1963, when the project was originally titled The Witch Who Stole Santa Claus, and later The Sinister Santa Claus Switch. The story revolved around a failed plot to kidnap and impersonate Santa Claus in order to rob every home in the world. Taminella Grinderfall, the witch from the unsold Tales of the Tinkerdee pilot was to play a starring role.[1][2] Henson and Juhl reworked the script numerous times, and the title changed as well. To help sell the project to television executives, Henson created watercolor illustrations to accompany a written proposal. The concept circulated for several years before Ed Sullivan, based on the response to the Muppets' frequent appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, agreed to produce the special and air it in his regular Sunday evening time slot.
By 1970, Henson's Muppets had made nearly two dozen successful guest appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. The Great Santa Claus Switch was a full Henson production – written by Juhl, with music by Joe Raposo and puppets by Don Sahlin. The production marks the first time Henson worked with Richard Hunt and Fran Brill.
The special was taped in late August 1970 at CFTO Toronto.[3]
Notes[]
- This special includes the very first appearance of the puppet that would later become Gonzo. He was then known as Snarl (or the Cigar Box Frackle) and would be remodeled and reused for The Muppet Show.
- The Great Santa Claus Switch is currently available for viewing at The Paley Center for Media.
Cast[]
- Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Danny Seagren, John Lovelady, Richard Hunt, Marilyn Sokol, Fran Brill, Byron Whiting, Greg Antonacchi, Cary Antebi, John Byrum
- Characters
- Fred, Lothar, Gloat, Thig, Hoppity, Boppity, Thog, Zippity, Snivelly, Snarl, Snerf, Bong, Snake Frackle, Scoff, Alarm Frackle, Bing, Frackle with a match, Guard Frackle, Dragon Frackle
Credits[]
- Produced by Bob Precht
- Directed by John Moffitt
- Book and lyrics written by Jerry Juhl
- Music composed and conducted by Joe Raposo
- Settings designed by Bill Bohnert
- Puppet construction supervised by Donald Sahlin with Kermit Love and Caroly Wilcox
- Associate producer for the Muppets: Diana Birkenfield
- Conceived and executed for the Muppets by Jim Henson
- Produced in Association with Henson Associates, Inc.
- A Presentation of Sullivan Productions Inc.
Gallery[]
Script pages for the original script treatment from 1963:
Photos, publicity, and stills from the special:
Sources[]
- ↑ Jim Henson's Red Book entry - December 1969
- ↑ Inches, Alison Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles, pp. 70-74
- ↑ Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal, page 73