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:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
}}


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.
[[File:610px-LMM_3.jpg|thumb|300px|Another screenshot.]]


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.
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 a hour-long block, pairing it with a show called '''''Little Muppet Monsters''''' to make a full hour-long package called ''Muppets, Babies & Monsters''.


But a story from storyboard director Scott Shaw claims that it was cancelled because:
==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 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."
==Cancellation==
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 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.


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).
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.


==Unaired episode listing==
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) and there were ultimately 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>


4. "Hi, Mars"
==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, but the channel has since been terminated. Likewise, mirrors have also shown up.


5. "Monster Measles"
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
6. "Gonzo's Talent Hunt" (FOUND; puppet segments only)
! style="background-color:green" | #
 
! style="background-color:green" | Episode Title
7. "Can't Stop the Music"
! style="background-color:green" | Air Date
 
! style="background-color:green" | Status
8. "Boo Monster Ace Reporter"
|-
 
|1||In the Beginning||Sep. 14 1985||'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXB6Md3Mjq8 Found]'''
9. "Feels Like Rain"
|-
 
|2||Space Cowboys||Sep. 21 1985||'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfC-lC5LbFo Found]'''
10. "Foo-Foo Phooey" (FOUND; puppet segments only)
|-
 
|3||The Great Boodini||Sep. 28 1985||'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un9zJ1PEXBs Found]'''
11. "Penguin for a Day"
|-
 
|4||Hi, Mars||Unaired||Lost
12. "Gunko" (FOUND; puppet segments only)
|-
 
|5||Monster Measles||Unaired||Lost
13. "Mail-Order Guest"
|-
 
|6||Gonzo's Talent Hunt||Unaired||'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWFB_Oyglzs Partially Found]'''
The titles for episodes 14-18 are unknown.
|-
 
|7||Can't Stop the Music||Unaired||Lost
'''UPDATE 2/22/15:''' Albeit without cartoons, three unaired episodes and a clip from All-Star Rock 'N' Wrestling Saturday Spectacular featuring 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.
|-
 
|8||Boo Monster Ace Reporter||Unaired||Lost
==Found episodes==
|-
 
|9||Feels Like Rain||Unaired||Lost
<br/>
|-
 
|10||Foo-Foo Phooey||Unaired||'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqVdLC5K9iU Partially Found]'''
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;"
|-
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|11||Penguin for a Day||Unaired||Lost
| {{#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.}}
|12||Gunko||Unaired||'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P-wYm8Jf2g Partially Found]'''
|-
|13||Mail-Order Guest||Unaired||Lost
|-
|14||''Unknown''||Unaired||Lost
|-
|15||''Unknown''||Unaired||Lost
|-
|16||''Unknown''||Unaired||Lost
|-
|17||''Unknown''||Unaired||Lost
|-
|18||''Unknown''||Unaired||Lost
|}
|}


{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;"
==Gallery==
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGJ1y_Qsa3g|320x240|center|All-Star Rock 'N' Wrestling Saturday Spectacular clip featuring clips from the unaired episodes.|frame}}
| {{#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|All-Star Rock 'N' Wrestling Saturday Spectacular clip featuring clips from the unaired episodes.}}
|}


==References==
==References==
<references/>
<references/>


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

Revision as of 23:41, 9 December 2016

610px-LMM 4.jpg

Screenshot of one of the unaired episodes.

Status: Lost


Another screenshot.

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 a 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 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.

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) and there were ultimately only three "true" episodes made ever.[1]

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, but the channel has since been terminated. Likewise, mirrors have also shown up.

# Episode Title Air Date Status
1 In the Beginning Sep. 14 1985 Found
2 Space Cowboys Sep. 21 1985 Found
3 The Great Boodini Sep. 28 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 Lost
15 Unknown Unaired Lost
16 Unknown Unaired Lost
17 Unknown Unaired Lost
18 Unknown Unaired Lost

Gallery

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

References