MovieChat Forums > The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) Discussion > Muppet Babies

Muppet Babies

posted 18 years ago by wermuth601
11 replies | jump to latest

I have seen things that have said that Muppet Babies was made becasue of the popularity of the Muppet Babies scene in this movie. I don't think that's true.

The Muppets Take Manhattan was released in July 1984, and Muppet Babies was first broadcast in September of the same year. That's only four months for a movie to be released, a scene to be popular, and for a series to be made based on the popularity of one scene. I don't think the series could have been made that fast, especially not an animated one. The Jim Henson Company would have had to make a deal with a network, made a deal with an aniamtion company, and hire a lot of people to make the show. That sounds like a lot of work for four months. Muppet Babies didn't look like it was quickly produced to me, especially the first season. And Jim Henson didn't approve of Muppet merchandise that didn't have high standards (though the show wasn't a product). One year later, the popularity of Muppet Babies led to CBS ordering a secodn series, Little Muppet Monsters, which Jim Henson chose to have taken off the air after two episodes had been broadcast because it was put together without much development time.

I don't know if there was a test screening, or how many months in advance the screening was. But maybe the scene was popular with test audiences and a series was approved. Or maybe the scene was just popular with the crew and Jim Henson chose to allow for a series.

Either that, or the idea for Muppet Babies as a series was planned first and the sequence was made to sneakily promote an upcomming series.

[–] dear-dot-darling 17 years ago

"Either that, or the idea for Muppet Babies as a series was planned first and the sequence was made to sneakily promote an upcomming series."

Yeah, that's what I think.

[–] sociopedro 17 years ago

I guess... How can go wrong? muppets babies? that´s the cutest idea ever. a sure shot. they could have seen the scene and it´s posibilities

sorry my english, im from chile

[–] Stacehoney72 17 years ago

I always wandered why Animal wasn't in the muppet babies scene in the movie but he is in the cartoon?

[–] shiftylee 16 years ago

Your assumption is that the baby sequence wasn't well known until the movie was released and it was "proved to be so popular" by the movie-going audience. The truth is, by the time the movie was in the theaters everybody knew about the Muppet baby sequence and that a cartoon was about to be released.

I think it "proved to be so popular" right after it was shot but long before the movie was released. They knew what they were on to so they got to work on the cartoon well before the movie was finished.

None of the band appeared as babies, only the core group. They should have had Janice instead of creating Skeeter, she was not necessary.

[–] cainjs 13 years ago

I never cared for the Muppet Babies cartoon

Rose, please say you didn't! Please say you didn't!!

[–] Prismark10 12 years ago

I never cared for the Muppet Babies as well and I think they were sneaked on the film.

Its that man again!!

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] crazydude1989 10 years ago

OP, exactly what I was thinking. The movie was shot in the summer of 1983, and released the following year. They had to have been planning the show and animating the first season at least during the shooting or around the end of 1983. I wasn't alive yet so I wouldn't know if everybody knew there was going to be a Muppet Babies "preview," but I highly doubt it took 3-4 months to make a seasons worth of episodes, like most people assume. It takes at least 6-9 months to make one episode, and since this was 1983-1984, it may have took a little longer because most cartoons today aren't even hand drawn anymore which is really sad.

And wow, Mr. Henson sure had a lot of work to do at that time. Working on Fraggle Rock, Sesame Street, shooting a Muppet movie and working on the first season of Muppet Babies. When did he ever have vacation? Sesame Street usually started taping around August and that lasted through October. They did all those episodes within 2 months. Muppet Babies was animated so that was a lot of work but he probably didn't really attend table readings or animator meetings and whatnot until the movie was finished since it was in California. Fraggle Rock I think also was shot during the summer months, in Toronto so he probably just was on the phone alot discussing episodes with the writers. Or the eps were taped in spring. I found a website that lists all the taping dates so I'll look at that. At least SS was also taped in NYC so that was probably the easiest. He and Frank and Jerry and Richard would probably go to the studio in Queens for a couple hours to tape a few of their character's segments, then drive back to Manhattan to work on more movie scenes. wow sounds tiring. But Mr. Henson loved it. During the first movie and during the Muppet show they probably got a late start on Sesame Street. They taped The Muppet Show in the UK during the summer.

Like the proverbial cheese, I stand alone. Even while seated.

[–] ShadowsouL 9 years ago

Even the Muppet Babies cartoon show theme song was 1950s-style, like the live-action Muppet Babies musical number in The Muppets Take Manhattan.

ShadowsouL, Serpent of the Lord

LET'S BE IN YOGA!

[–] gcarras (2772) 7 years ago

Sumptin' tells me I'[d rather watch Muppet live aciton movies than MB. yeah,1950s is right, exhibit A:They ripped off Grease's finale, "We Belong Together'.

[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7735) 3 years ago

It's a shame Disney won't pay for all the rights for all the different movies they used in that show. I wish I could legally watch it in good format.