The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years

The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years aired on CBS on January 21, 1986.

This one-hour special celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of the Muppets, who hold a formal banquet to present a retrospective of their television and film appearances.

Hosted by Fozzie Bear and featuring guest of honor Kermit the Frog, the program provides an overview of the Muppets' history and musical highlights beginning with early appearances in the fifties. Then, Fozzie introduces a selection of clips from The Muppet Show, before Rowlf the Dog introduces clips with Miss Piggy. Kermit and Miss Piggy then introduce a montage of clips from the movies.

Dr. Teeth introduces a sequence featuring still images of various Muppet book covers, record covers, and magazine covers featuring appearances by the Muppets. Sweetums introduces clips featuring monsters, characters eating other characters, and explosions. Ernie and Bert introduce clips from Sesame Street, and then Big Bird introduces clips from other children's shows from the Muppets, including Muppet Babies, Little Muppet Monsters and Fraggle Rock.

The talking food introduces a clip of the Galley-oh-hoop-hoop, Uncle Traveling Matt introduces clips involving imagination, Floyd Pepper and Janice introduce Muppet music clips, and Scooter introduces clips with guest stars. When Robin asks Kermit what his favorite thing about the Muppets are, Kermit says that his favorite scenes are the times when the Muppets don't try to be funny, leading to some of the Muppets more serious moments. Gonzo then introduces some of the Muppets' more cultural moments, as seen in select clips of The Muppets Go to the Movies.

Afterwards, the other Muppets decide to pay tribute to Kermit, showing a clip of Linda Ronstadt singing "When I Grow Too Old to Dream," reedited to feature a number of clips with Kermit, which is so emotional that it makes all the Muppets (except Kermit) cry. At the conclusion, the entire cast sings "Rainbow Connection."

Jim Henson appears briefly at the conclusion of the program, being given a bill for the food by Grover.

In closing, Kermit congratulates everyone on a great thirty years, then adds, "We start our next thirty years tomorrow, so there will be a rehearsal at 9AM sharp. I'll see you then."

A truncated clip of "Happy Feet" plays during the end credits.

Credits[]

Produced by Andrew Solt
Directed by Peter Harris
Written by Jerry Juhl
Associate Producer: Martin G. Baker
Music Arranged and Conducted by Jon Charles and the other Ray Charles
Production Designer: Val Strazovec
Muppets by Caroly Wilcox, Faz Fazakas, Michael K. Frith, Kermit Love, and Don Sahlin, with Rollie Krewson, Joanne Green, Jody Schoffner, Stephen Rotondaro, Will Morrison, Faye Kreinberg, David Velesquez
Production Assistants: Wayne Moss and Linda Bain
Production Associates: David Gumpel, Sidney Mandell, Vicki Prudden, Michael Solomowitz
Historians: Jane Henson and Bob Payne
Executive Producer: Diana Birkenfield
Muppet Performers: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Caroll Spinney

Uncredited: Terry Angus,^[1] Pam Arciero,^[2] Kevin Clash,^[3] Michael Earl,^[4] Tim Gosley,^[5] Jane Henson, ^[6] Frank Meschkuleit,^[7] Jonathan Paine,^[8] Gord Robertson,^[9] Debra Spinney,^[10] Fred Stinson,^[11] Karen Valleau^[12]

Muppet Cast[]

The Muppet Show Characters

Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Rowlf the Dog, Scooter, Robin the Frog, Floyd Pepper, Janice, Dr. Teeth, Sweetums, Crazy Harry, Statler and Waldorf, The Swedish Chef, Camilla the Chicken, Beauregard, Lew Zealand, Singing Food, Animal, Link Hogthrob

Muppet Show Background Characters

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, Sam the Eagle, Pops, Zoot, Doglion, Mahna Mahna, Zelda Rose, Fletcher Bird, Chickens, Doris, J. P. Grosse, Hilda, Annie Sue Pig, Lips, Rizzo the Rat, George the Janitor, The Newsman, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Louis Kazagger, Foo-Foo, Bobby Benson, Afghan Hound, Wanda, Luncheon Counter Monster, Beautiful Day Monster, Flower-Eating Monster, Behemoth, Miss Kitty, Uncle Deadly, Frackles, Mulch, Chopped Liver, Butch, Sundance, Droop, Mildred Huxtetter, Shakey Sanchez, Miss Mousey, Quongo, Whatnots, Marvin Suggs, Mutt, Lothar, Lenny the Lizard, T.R., Chester Rat, Yolanda Rat, Tatooey Rat, Masterson Rat, Penguins, Slim Wilson, Gramps, Zeke, Lou, Rufus, Nigel, Geri and the Atrics, Lydia, Pigs, Baby Bear, A single Fazoob, Seals, The Bun-Bun Brothers, Frogs, Flute-Snatcher, Sheep, Skyball Paint, Goat (Muppet Show), Cows, Gil, Jill

Sesame Street Characters

Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Ernie, Bert, Count von Count, Grover, Two-Headed Monster, Cookie Monster

Sesame Street Background Characters

Herry Monster, Telly Monster, Grundgetta, Biff, Sully, Forgetful Jones, Buster the Horse, Guy Smiley, Bruno the Trashman, The Amazing Mumford, Sherlock Hemlock, Prairie Dawn, Barkley, Simon Soundman, Hoots the Owl, Honkers, Gladys the Cow, Peligro, Anything Muppets, AM Monsters, Grouches, Harry (monster), David Attenbird

Follow That Bird Characters

Madame Chairbird, Board of Birds, Miss Finch, Donnie Dodo, Marie Dodo

Fraggle Rock Characters

Uncle Traveling Matt, Sprocket

Sam and Friends Characters

Sam, Harry the Hipster, Yorick

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas Characters

Emmet Otter, Alice Otter, Harrison Fox, Gretchen Fox, Wendell Porcupine

Little Muppet Monsters Characters

Boo Monster, Tug Monster, Molly Monster

Muppet Meeting Films Characters

David Lazer Muppet, Leo, Grump

Promotion[]

An article to promote the special ran in the Jan. 18, 1986 issue of TV Guide. The two-page spread took the form of a scene in which Grover waits on Kermit and Piggy at a restaurant where they discuss how to celebrate the Muppets' birthday and argue over whether or not they're married.

Notes[]

The clip of "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" from The Ed Sullivan Show is incorrectly dated as 1958, nine years prior to the actual appearance.

While the clip of Ed Sullivan introducing "Java" is from their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1968, the clip of the routine is the version from The Muppet Show episode 122.

The Fraggle Rock montage includes two, brief snippets of an unaired demo of the series' theme song. A full clip of the demo would appear as a bonus feature on The Complete Final Season.

Like most CBS specials of the era, this special ends with a "Read More About It" segment, which talks about books recommended by the Library of Congress. In this case, Kermit the Frog recommends two such books, both on the art of puppetry: Learning With Puppets by David Currell and Puppets and Puppetry by Peter Fraser.

Edits[]

When aired on Nickelodeon, the opening title card is cut. The montage subsequently skips straight to the first scene after the initial commercial break, and the title isn't shown until 16 minutes into the special. Nickelodeon also moved the commercial intro after the "Pure Imagination" clip to after the "Galley-oh-hoop-hoop" clip.

When aired on The Odyssey Channel, the clips from Little Muppet Monsters were edited out. Big Bird's line about Muppet Babies, Little Muppet Monsters, and Fraggle Rock having come after Sesame Street was shortened accordingly. The Muppet Babies montage is also reworked to fit the show's theme song and not "I'm Gonna Always Love You".