Little Muppet Monsters (partially found puppet TV series; 1985): Difference between revisions

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[[File:610px-LMM_4.jpg|thumb|300px|Screenshot from one of the unaired episodes; one of two.]]
{{InfoboxLost
[[File:610px-LMM_3.jpg|thumb|300px|Screenshot from one of the unaired episodes; two of two.]]
|title=<center>Little Muppet Monsters</center>
After the first season of Jim Henson's ''Muppet Babies'' brought in huge ratings, in 1985 CBS decided to expand the series from a half-hour to a hour-long block, pairing it with a little show called '''''Little Muppet Monsters '''''to make a full hour-long package called ''Muppets, Babies & Monsters''.
|image=610px-LMM_4.jpg
|imagecaption=Screenshot of one of the unaired episodes.
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
}}
In 1985, after the first season of Jim Henson's ''Muppet Babies'' brought in huge ratings, CBS decided to expand the series from a half-hour to an hour-long block, pairing it with a show called '''''Little Muppet Monsters''''' to make a full hour-long package called ''Muppets, Babies & Monsters''.


The show was based around three young Muppet monsters: Tug (performed by Richard Hunt), Boo (performed by David Rudman) and Molly (performed by Camille Bonora) who, after an incident where Scooter put them in the basement because Molly and Boo played water polo in the living room, host their own basement-based TV show featuring a musical act with Nicky Napoleon and his emperor penguins, a few cameos and segments (like "Fozzie's Comedy Corner" and a segment with Gonzo) from characters of ''The Muppet Show ''(including The Electric Mayhem during the opening credits, excitedly watching the show at home on their television and sofa), recurring animated segments like "Pigs in Space", "Kermit the Frog, Private Eye" and "Muppet Sports Shorts" (featuring Animal) and one original Muppet song per episode.
==Plot==
The show was based around three young Muppet monsters: Tug (performed by Richard Hunt), Boo (performed by David Rudman) and Molly (performed by Camille Bonora) who, after an incident where Scooter put them in the basement because Molly and Boo played water polo in the living room, host their own basement-based TV show featuring a musical act with Nicky Napoleon and his emperor penguins, a few cameos and segments (like "Fozzie's Comedy Corner" and a segment with Gonzo) from characters of ''The Muppet Show'' (including The Electric Mayhem during the opening credits, excitedly watching the show at home on their television and sofa), recurring animated segments like "Pigs in Space," "Kermit the Frog, Private Eye" and "Muppet Sports Shorts" (featuring Animal) and one original Muppet song per episode.


The show was cancelled after three episodes and was never rerun afterwards (although segments of "Pigs in Space" and "Kermit the Frog, Private Eye" from the second episode were used in the final episode of ''Muppet Babies''). According to Muppet performer Kathryn Mullen, this could have been because Marvel Productions were having trouble getting the animated subjects in between puppet wrap-arounds and found footage for the entire season ready for airing, leading CBS to respond by reairing ''Muppet Babies'' repeats in the show's place until Marvel Productions had finished the animated segments, but then deciding to not pick up the show's remaining episodes and cancel it anyway since those reruns did so well in the ratings.
==Cancellation==
The show was cancelled after three episodes, replaced by reruns of ''Muppet Babies'', and was never rerun afterwards (although segments of "Pigs in Space" and "Kermit the Frog, Private Eye" from the second episode were used in the final episode of ''Muppet Babies''). According to Muppet performer Kathryn Mullen, this could have been because Marvel Productions were having trouble getting the animated subjects in between puppet wrap-arounds and found footage for the entire season ready for airing, leading CBS to respond by rerunning ''Muppet Babies'' in the show's place until Marvel Productions had finished the animated segments. However, the rerun's ratings were quite high, leading CBS to cancel ''Little Muppet Monsters'' outright (making this similar to Cartoon Network airing the Teen Titans Go! marathon in 2017).


But a story from storyboard director Scott Shaw claims that it was cancelled because:
But storyboard director Scott Shaw claims that, despite 15 other episodes being made, it was cancelled simply because Jim Henson felt that the concept and show itself wasn't up to his standard of quality, leading him to request its cancellation.


"The concept of this second half-hour was neither simple nor particularly well-developed. A trio of new (live-action) Muppet Monster Kids, working from the basement of the adult Muppets' home, create their own television station which broadcasts only to the TV sets in the house upstairs... Although eighteen episodes were produced, only three of them ever aired; Henson Associates and CBS agreed that the concept had never been properly thought out and just wasn't up to Henson's high standards. To Jim's credit, it was his idea to pull the show from the Saturday morning lineup. I've always felt that the juxtapositioning of live-action and animated Muppets invited an unfavorable comparison, to which the cartoon version inevitably suffered; the puppetry was just too good. The combination of Muppet babies, adults and kid monsters was very disorienting. Also, due to a lack of development time, the concept -- and therefore, the writing and designs -- never quite jelled. The now-vacant second half-hour was filled with repeats of the first season's Muppet Babies episodes, and the ratings stayed strong."
However, according to Mullen, the remaining fifteen episodes were never finished; the puppet wrap-arounds were made, but the animation was never put in, and there were a total of thirteen puppet segments shot (though most of the money was put into the show's animation). There were ultimately only three "true" episodes made ever.<ref>[http://www.toughpigs.com/kathy-mullen-3/ The final part of a three-part 2013 interview with Kathy Mullen, courtesy of toughpigs.com.] Retrieved 28 Oct '13.</ref>


However, according to Mullen, the remaining fifteen episodes were never finished; the puppet wrap-arounds were made, but the animation was never put in, and there were a total of thirteen puppet segments shot (though most of the money was put into the show's animation) but ultimately, there were only three "true" episodes made ever.<ref>[http://www.toughpigs.com/kathy-mullen-3/ Final part of a three-part 2013 interview with Kathy Mullen, courtesy of toughpigs.com.] Retrieved 28 Oct '13.</ref> While the episodes that were broadcast have fortunately made their way online, the only other proof that can be found of the lost episodes' existence are two lone screenshots of their puppet parts, and while its no ''Muppet Babies'' for being rereleased, it's unknown if this show's unreleased footage will ever [http://www.change.org/petitions/walt-disney-home-entertainment-release-the-muppet-tv-shows-and-specials-on-dvd see] the light of day, especially since a lot of Jim Henson products of similar caliber usually don't (lost ''Sesame Street'' material -ie. 1975's [[Cracks aka 'Crack Master' (found Sesame Street short; 1975)|"Crack Master"]], the 1976 [[Sesame Street episode 847 (lost 'Wicked Witch of the West episode'; 1976)|Wicked Witch of the West episode]], and 1992's [[Sesame Street "Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce" (lost episode; 1992)|"Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce"]]-, a never aired 2001-2004 the Muppet Show remake, [[The All-New Muppet Show (Lost Early 2000's Remake of The Muppet Show)|The All-New Muppet Show]], and the unreleased 2009 stop-motion film, [[Monster Safari (lost animated film; 2009)|Monster Safari]], to name a few).
The concept of a combined puppet/animation show was more successfully revisited by Henson’s company in 1992 with the airing of ''Dog City''. Even some shows such as ''Nini's Treehouse'' had the similar concept.


==Unaired episode listing==
==Availability & Episode Listing==
Surprisingly, in addition to the three aired episodes, footage of the puppet segments of three other unaired episodes have surfaced. They were originally uploaded by the YouTube channel Henson Rarities in 2015, but the channel has since been terminated. Likewise, mirrors have also shown up.


4. "Hi, Mars"
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
5. "Monster Measles"
! style="background-color:green" | #
 
! style="background-color:green" | Episode Title
6. "Gonzo's Talent Hunt" (FOUND; puppet segments only)
! style="background-color:green" | Air Date
 
! style="background-color:green" | Status
7. "Can't Stop the Music"
|-
 
|1||In the Beginning||Sept 14th, 1985||[https://youtu.be/ZXB6Md3Mjq8<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
8. "Boo Monster Ace Reporter"
|-
 
|2||Space Cowboys||Sept 21st, 1985||[https://youtu.be/JfC-lC5LbFo<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
9. "Feels Like Rain"
|-
 
|3||The Great Boodini||Sept 28th, 1985||[https://youtu.be/un9zJ1PEXBs<span style="color:green;">'''Found''']
10. "Foo-Foo Phooey" (FOUND; puppet segments only)
|-
 
|4||Hi, Mars||Unaired||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
11. "Penguin for a Day"
|-
 
|5||Monster Measles||Unaired||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
12. "Gunko" (FOUND; puppet segments only)
|-
 
|6||Gonzo's Talent Hunt||Unaired||[https://youtu.be/EWFB_Oyglzs<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found''']
13. "Mail-Order Guest"
|-
 
|7||Can't Stop the Music||Unaired||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
The titles for episodes 14-18 are unknown.
|-
 
|8||Boo Monster Ace Reporter||Unaired||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
'''UPDATE 2/22/15:''' Albeit without cartoons, three unaired episodes and clips from the unaired episodes including Rowdy Roddy Piper and Pee-Wee Herman have surfaced, courtesy of Henson Rarities! Thanks a ton! The found segments can be seen below.
|-
 
|9||Feels Like Rain||Unaired||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
==Found episodes==
|-
 
|10||Foo-Foo Phooey||Unaired||[https://youtu.be/NqVdLC5K9iU<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found''']
<br/>
|-
 
|11||Penguin for a Day||Unaired||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;"
|-
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|12||Gunko||Unaired||[https://youtu.be/8P-wYm8Jf2g<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found''']
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpV-2LrrWrM|320x240|center|"Gunko", only in puppet segments.}}
|-
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rHaS1oT1Ro|320x240|center|"Gonzo's Talent Hunt", only in puppet segments.}}
|13||Mail-Order Guest||Unaired||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''
|}
|-
 
|14||''Unknown''||Unaired||<span style="color:gray;">'''Existence Unconfirmed'''
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;"
|-
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|15||''Unknown''||Unaired||<span style="color:gray;">'''Existence Unconfirmed'''
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXUm5dijHWU|320x240|center|"Foo-Foo Phooey", only in puppet segments.}}
|-
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYpdjIsn6zo|320x240|center|Promo featuring clips from the unaired episodes.}}
|16||''Unknown''||Unaired||<span style="color:gray;">'''Existence Unconfirmed'''
|-
|17||''Unknown''||Unaired||<span style="color:gray;">'''Existence Unconfirmed'''
|-
|18||''Unknown''||Unaired||<span style="color:gray;">'''Existence Unconfirmed'''
|}
|}
 
==Gallery==
{{Video|perrow  =2
  |service1    =youtube
  |id1          =aGJ1y_Qsa3g
  |description1 =All-Star Rock 'N' Wrestling Saturday Spectacular clip featuring clips from the unaired episodes.
  |service2    =
  |id2          =
  |description2 =[[File:610px-LMM_3.jpg|thumb|300px|center|Another screenshot.]]
}}
==References==
==References==
<references/>
{{reflist}}


[[Category:Lost puppetry]]
[[Category:Lost TV]]
[[Category:Lost TV]]
[[Category:Partially found media]]
[[Category:Partially found media]]

Latest revision as of 13:11, 6 June 2021

610px-LMM 4.jpg

Screenshot of one of the unaired episodes.

Status: Partially Found

In 1985, after the first season of Jim Henson's Muppet Babies brought in huge ratings, CBS decided to expand the series from a half-hour to an hour-long block, pairing it with a show called Little Muppet Monsters to make a full hour-long package called Muppets, Babies & Monsters.

Plot

The show was based around three young Muppet monsters: Tug (performed by Richard Hunt), Boo (performed by David Rudman) and Molly (performed by Camille Bonora) who, after an incident where Scooter put them in the basement because Molly and Boo played water polo in the living room, host their own basement-based TV show featuring a musical act with Nicky Napoleon and his emperor penguins, a few cameos and segments (like "Fozzie's Comedy Corner" and a segment with Gonzo) from characters of The Muppet Show (including The Electric Mayhem during the opening credits, excitedly watching the show at home on their television and sofa), recurring animated segments like "Pigs in Space," "Kermit the Frog, Private Eye" and "Muppet Sports Shorts" (featuring Animal) and one original Muppet song per episode.

Cancellation

The show was cancelled after three episodes, replaced by reruns of Muppet Babies, and was never rerun afterwards (although segments of "Pigs in Space" and "Kermit the Frog, Private Eye" from the second episode were used in the final episode of Muppet Babies). According to Muppet performer Kathryn Mullen, this could have been because Marvel Productions were having trouble getting the animated subjects in between puppet wrap-arounds and found footage for the entire season ready for airing, leading CBS to respond by rerunning Muppet Babies in the show's place until Marvel Productions had finished the animated segments. However, the rerun's ratings were quite high, leading CBS to cancel Little Muppet Monsters outright (making this similar to Cartoon Network airing the Teen Titans Go! marathon in 2017).

But storyboard director Scott Shaw claims that, despite 15 other episodes being made, it was cancelled simply because Jim Henson felt that the concept and show itself wasn't up to his standard of quality, leading him to request its cancellation.

However, according to Mullen, the remaining fifteen episodes were never finished; the puppet wrap-arounds were made, but the animation was never put in, and there were a total of thirteen puppet segments shot (though most of the money was put into the show's animation). There were ultimately only three "true" episodes made ever.[1]

The concept of a combined puppet/animation show was more successfully revisited by Henson’s company in 1992 with the airing of Dog City. Even some shows such as Nini's Treehouse had the similar concept.

Availability & Episode Listing

Surprisingly, in addition to the three aired episodes, footage of the puppet segments of three other unaired episodes have surfaced. They were originally uploaded by the YouTube channel Henson Rarities in 2015, but the channel has since been terminated. Likewise, mirrors have also shown up.

# Episode Title Air Date Status
1 In the Beginning Sept 14th, 1985 Found
2 Space Cowboys Sept 21st, 1985 Found
3 The Great Boodini Sept 28th, 1985 Found
4 Hi, Mars Unaired Lost
5 Monster Measles Unaired Lost
6 Gonzo's Talent Hunt Unaired Partially Found
7 Can't Stop the Music Unaired Lost
8 Boo Monster Ace Reporter Unaired Lost
9 Feels Like Rain Unaired Lost
10 Foo-Foo Phooey Unaired Partially Found
11 Penguin for a Day Unaired Lost
12 Gunko Unaired Partially Found
13 Mail-Order Guest Unaired Lost
14 Unknown Unaired Existence Unconfirmed
15 Unknown Unaired Existence Unconfirmed
16 Unknown Unaired Existence Unconfirmed
17 Unknown Unaired Existence Unconfirmed
18 Unknown Unaired Existence Unconfirmed

Gallery

All-Star Rock 'N' Wrestling Saturday Spectacular clip featuring clips from the unaired episodes.

Another screenshot.

References

  1. ↑ The final part of a three-part 2013 interview with Kathy Mullen, courtesy of toughpigs.com. Retrieved 28 Oct '13.
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