On this day, May 9th, 1955 — a whopping 53 years ago — the Muppets made their first appearance ever. It was on a local Washington D.C. show called SAM AND FRIENDS, created by a very young fellow named Jim Henson, who was not yet out of his teens.
Sam himself was a bald human guy who looked a bit like Wallace, of “and Gromit” fame.
The show ran until 1961, and the only character who went on to bigger things was the little lizard-frog-like thing called Kermit.
Here’s a few early clips. First Kermit and “Harry the Hipster,” doing his signature Visual Thinking bit. It’s funny, weird, and — with apologies to Poochie — “edgy” for its time:
Another strange-and-hillarious skit samples the sign-off lines of the big news anchor duo of the time, Huntley and Brinkley. Alas, no embedding available, but if you’re interested it’s a click away, HERE.
And though some may consider the Muppets a bit goopey and Disneyfied after all these years, they started as stone cold Killaz. Here’s an early commercial series they did:
So happy 53rd to the Muppets, the cutest sociopathic puppets ever not marooned in space. And R.I.P, Jim Henson.
(Lots more info here if you’re interested.)
25 responses so far ↓
1 SarahCanuck on May 9, 2008 at 4:13 pm
“So happy 53rd to the Muppets, the cutest sociopathic puppets ever not marooned in space. ”
Well THAT made me laugh out loud.
The muppet show creeps me out, but I do love the muppets – I still think that the Muppet Christmas Carol is the best version of the Christmas Carol on film.
But Kermit is a wimp. And Miss Piggy is just plain evil. Go The Great Gonzo and Rizzo the plague-free Rat.
2 ShutterBun on May 9, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Ironically, I first got into the music of Louis Prima after seeing a short clip from “Sam & Friends” where they are lip-synching (hand-synching?) “Old Black Magic” and I was immediately hooked.
3 RemmieBarrow on May 9, 2008 at 4:47 pm
I always felt they were creepy, and a tad bit dangerous, especially if you do not accept their brand of coffee.
4 JoshWay on May 9, 2008 at 4:49 pm
They were so great in their heyday. And the early stuff is genius. I found a bargain bin DVD of pre-Muppet Show Henson stuff from commercials and Ed Sullivan. So much great material.
Revisiting the Muppet Show on DVD, it’s not nearly as funny as I remember from childhood, but there’s a thread of subversiveness that went over my head back then. I love how the guest stars are not only pop stars and actors, but ballet dancers, opera singers, and other kinds of artists.
Yay for Muppets!
5 Barry on May 9, 2008 at 4:56 pm
I remember a long time ago when the Muppets celebrated their 30th anniversary with a TV special:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0323321/
It ended in what is now a very poignant scene: after the entire show – a spectacular gala celebrating (and attended wholly by) the Muppets – Jim Henson, who was sitting on a balcony finishing his meal, is brought the (extremely long) check for the entire affair by his waiter, Grover.
Also, next Friday will be the 18th anniversary of when we all lost Jim Henson. I think the Muppets’ legacy has held up pretty well, but it certainly hasn’t been the same without him.
6 Barry on May 9, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Oh, also:
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Muppets:_A_Celebration_of_30_Years
7 The Schnorr on May 9, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Wow, I now realize that all my life’s tragedies have been caused by not drinking Wilkins Coffee.
Time to fix *that*!
8 mathey on May 9, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Jim Henson and the Muppets were huge influences on me growing up, and while I never got into puppetry, I always admired their artistry and sense of humor. Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, the movies…all very much cultural touchstones for me and a whole generation of arrested adolescents. If you sing “mahna mahna” around people of a certain age, they’ll probably reply “doo doo doo doo” in kind.
Are you guys familiar with the puppet improv that Brian Henson and a bunch of other comedians/puppeteers perform? Its called Puppet Up!, and they have a bit of it on TBS.com and You Tube. Pretty adult and crazy stuff.
As you well know, Mike, Bill, and Kevin, puppets can get away with saying and doing things that humans might not!
9 Tom on May 9, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Out of idle curiosity, since we are on the subject of all things Hensonian.
How many of you have seen Jim Henson’s Time Piece?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrAVgYTTMbQ
Very VERY good stuff.
10 Ninjew on May 9, 2008 at 7:20 pm
The two most influential people in my life were Mel Blanc, and Jim Henson. These two people helped me hone my craft of acting, and also taught me how to make people laugh by just using your voice.
Mel showed me how to do different voices and give them distinct personalities, and Jim taught me humour, and how to tell a joke.
I learned how to do the voices of just about every Muppet that Jim (and Frank Oz) could do (and I can still do a better Kermit and Ernie than that new guy does), and this actually made it possible to get through high school unscathed (and consequentially, unkissed).
I remember where I was when the news hit about his death. I was online with CompuServe (yeah, remember THOSE guys?) chatting away, and I heard it on the news. I was devastated. I sat stunned for what seemed like an eternity. The Walt Disney of the modern age – gone – right when he and The Muppets were making a big comeback. The future had seemed bright, and suddenly all went dark.
I had the privilege of auditioning for Henson Associates in their NYC offices fresh out of high school (where I had learned some puppeteering skills ironically), and while I didn’t meet Jim I did audition for his wife, Jane. A very pleasant woman, who when I displayed my rather feeble “high school learned” skills, didn’t do the standard “Thanks for coming in, we’ll let you know” speech, but instead took the time to advise me to really learn more about the craft, suggested local puppeteering troupes where I could get education and training to improve my weak areas. I wasn’t told how bad I was, but how I could make myself better.
And that was how Jim ran things. He never raised his voice to anyone, never said a bad thing about anyone. He always tried to find the good in people – and made it his job to surround himself with people that believed in that dream.
Jim, we need you now more than ever my friend.
And you are still missed…
11 Tork_110 on May 9, 2008 at 7:25 pm
“The question is ‘What is a Mahna Mahna?’”
The question is ‘Who cares?!’”
Waldorf and Statler were an inspiration for MST3k, I bet.
The University of Maryland has a statue of Jim Henson sitting on a bench talking to Kermit in front of the student center. I was able to attend the unveiling.
http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/culture/release.cfm?ArticleID=773
12 Amy Z on May 9, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Anyone else in the mood for 18 gallons of wilkins coffee?
13 Slade Rockfist on May 9, 2008 at 7:55 pm
That’s so cool hearing & seeing such early versions of Rolf the Dog (that’s definitely an early version of him in the scat jazz guy…) and Kermit….
And just about died laughing when I saw:
“Want some Wilkins coffee?” “Nope, I don’t like coffee” (insert pistol) *BANG* ahahahaha…..
14 Bill Corbett on May 9, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Thanks for the link — I’d never seen that before. Interesting side of Jim Henson.
15 Rob T Firefly on May 10, 2008 at 2:43 am
Here’s another one.. Jim Henon’s “The Cube.” http://www.flaniganswake.com/TheCube/
16 Yanni on May 10, 2008 at 6:13 am
Man, that Wilkins coffee must be pretty bad if they have to kill people to get them to drink it.
17 Casey on May 10, 2008 at 9:21 am
Great stuff! May the Muppets never die!
…and there is no eternal salvation for those who don’t drink Wilkin’s Coffee!
18 R.A. Roth on May 10, 2008 at 10:44 am
Oh, my God! I am not presently drinking Wilkins Coffee! My life is in peril! For the love of God, somebody get me a cup of Wilkins Coffee, before it’s too la
19 Take5 on May 10, 2008 at 11:42 am
Don’t like WIlkins, eh? Well, the boss sure ain’t gonna like that… it’d sure be a SHAME for anything to happen to ya, see? Things just seem to HAPPEN to the cats that ain’t drinkin’ their WIlkins…
20 mrbasehart on May 10, 2008 at 1:46 pm
My favourite Muppets are Rowlf and Fozzie. Fozzie was the funniest and Rowlf had the heart of a poet.
21 Chris D. on May 10, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Wow, what perfect timing since I just finished re-watching “The Great Muppet Caper” (which I consider to be the “Citizen Kane” of Muppet films).
22 ms chii on May 10, 2008 at 3:59 pm
i loooooooove the muppets! kermits totally rocks!
23 Amy Z on May 10, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Did anyone ever see “Jim Hensons: Neat Stuff”??? I watched that when i was little. It taught me that snakes dont have ears, and how to balance a spoon on my nose. Muppets are so informative.
24 Au$10 on May 11, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Sad Kermit is something I only recently came across:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sad+kermit&search_type=
Apparently, these videos were very popular a while back. Maybe a year or so ago? Somehow this particular bit of the interwebby world passed me over until now. Sad, funny, weird, etc. Enjoy…
25 Libby on May 13, 2008 at 1:24 am
I think I’m the most terrified by the nonchalant manner in which the one muppet kills or allows the other muppet to be killed. And his complete and utter denial of culpability – these things just happen if you don’t drink Wilkin’s coffee.
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