Muppet Babies: A Great Cartoon Starring Jim Henson's Muppets

When The Muppets Take Manhattan hit theaters in 1984, people were introduced to the infant versions of Jim Henson's lovable Muppet characters during a dream sequence. Later that same year, these characters would become the stars of a long-running Saturday morning animated series entitled Muppet Babies, which aired on CBS. The series would place the Muppets in what may or may not have been their actual younger days, and they would experience many remarkable adventures, all without ever leaving their nursery. The show would become a huge hit and is still fondly remembered by fans today. Let us take a look back at this superb cartoon.

The main setting was a nursery, where the younger versions of the Muppets would spend time with each other. There were eight main Muppet Baby characters, each of whom shared the same traits as their older selves. Kermit the frog was like a leader and sometimes worried a lot. Miss Piggy thought of herself as beautiful. Fozzie bear was the joker of the bunch. Gonzo loved chickens and was viewed upon as a weird creature. Rowlf the dog loved to play the piano. Animal would often make messes and cause trouble. Scooter was skilled with the computer. In this series, he was given a sister, Skeeter, not seen anywhere else. Occasionally, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker would show up to test their latest inventions, and in later seasons, other characters such as Bean Bunny would also appear. They were all under the care of their nanny, whose face was never shown.

The babies would go on many adventures using the power of imagination. In the blink of an eye, they would find themselves in medieval times, outer space, video games, and even parodies of popular movies and television shows. This allowed them to meet new characters, learn important lessons, and even sing about their adventures. During these sequences, a large amount of live action stock footage taken from movies and shows would be used, adding to the enjoyment. A lot of exciting experiences were to be had in the show's 107 episodes, and each of them were nothing short of adorable and wonderful.

Another nice addition was the wonderful voice acting provided by a number of talented actors. Barbara Billingsley, of Leave it to Beaver fame, was a loving and caring nurse whose words of wisdom would resonate with the viewers as well as the babies. Comedian and Deal or no Deal host Howie Mandel was a cast member for a brief time, voicing Animal, Bunsen, and Skeeter, before comedian Dave Coulier took over the voicing chores for the former two characters. Voice actor veteran Frank Welker added to his impressive resume with his spot-on impression of Kermit, and later, Skeeter. Russi Taylor (Minnie Mouse) was cute as Gonzo, and Laurie O'Brien made Miss Piggy a femme fatale at such a young age. Every character sounded as great as the Muppet versions were, proving that it is possible to have someone other than the normal Muppet performers voice the characters as well as they can.

In its eight seasons, the series initially lasted half an hour, but proved to be so popular that it spent much of the rest of its run as an hour-long show, and at one point, it ran for ninety minutes. Each sixty-minute show would be two cartoons shown back-to-back, while every ninety-minute show would feature three consecutive episodes. At one point, the second half of the series was devoted to a live action/animated segment called Little Muppet Monsters, featuring the adventures of a trio of young Muppet monsters and guest appearances by the familiar Muppet crew. However, this feature was quickly removed, and only Muppet Babies cartoons would be shown until the series was canceled in 1992. It would be seen in repeats, mainly on Nickelodeon, and released sporadically on home video through the end of the decade.

Muppet Babies was one of the earliest Saturday morning shows that I was exposed to, and I must say that it was a truly remarkable show that lived up to the Jim Henson legacy. The characters were lovable, the songs were cute, the imaginative settings were amazing, and the overall feel gave it a personality that adults and children alike could enjoy. Indeed, the cartoon aired during what I consider to be the heyday of the Muppets, which was mostly during Henson's lifetime, when anything related to the Muppets was designed to be heartfelt and not rely too heavily on guest stars or being too hip. After Henson's death, the long downhill fall began, reaching its nadir in recent years thanks to unimaginative television movies and specials that lacked the familiar Muppet charm. Thus, Muppet Babies is an example of how to do the Muppets justice. It is a shame that the series is largely unavailable on DVD, perhaps due to the stock footage taken from many sources, as it is something that all Muppet fans young and old would enjoy.

As far as Saturday morning shows of the 1980s and 1990s go, Muppet Babies was a truly superb series, and one that was lucky enough to receive such a long run. Eight years and 107 episodes is a remarkable feat for a Saturday morning cartoon, particularly given the fact that there have been shows that have been aired on Saturday morning television for years, but which mainly show reruns and have not have nearly as many episodes as Muppet Babies. Indeed, Saturday morning television these days are filled mainly with educational shows that seem to pander more to the younger set, Japanese imports, or cable reruns...a sad fate for a once glorious weekly ritual. As such, Muppet Babies is a show from a bygone era, but one that people still remember well to this day. I hope that there will someday be a proper DVD release of the series, as people should be reminded of how a great Saturday morning series, and a great Muppet show, should be made.