I have this memory about The Muppet Show, that I’m not certain is accurate, but it is how I remember it. I think The Muppet Show came on Sundays in the evening, maybe at 8 o’clock or so. It had to be in syndication, since the original show only ran from ‘76 to ‘81. I remember looking forward to it each week. And then one evening we sat down to watch it, and Divorce Court came on. Not exactly the family friendly show we were hoping for! And of course there was no streaming in the 80s, or internet for that matter, so if it wasn’t on, it just wasn’t on. 

I grew up with The Muppets, between The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and various Muppet movies, like Great Muppet Caper, Muppets’ Family Christmas, and The Muppets Take Manhattan. All favorites in my household (then and now). It’s hard not to tear up a little bit when Kermit sings Rainbow Connection (I’m pretty sure my elementary school chorus group The Free Spirits sang it at one time, too.) And how can you not laugh at Gonzo, Grover, Ernie and Bert, or the antics of Miss Piggy?

Recently a documentary on Jim Henson was released, directed by Ron Howard, titled Jim Henson Idea Man. It chronicles Henson’s life (and reminds me of cult classic movies like The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth). But when I originally watched Henson’s productions, I was a kid. I knew his name and that he was the voice of Kermit, Ernie, Grover, and Rowlf. I knew he was the architect of the Muppets, but I had no idea how wildly creative he was and how close The Muppet Show was to not ever being a show at all. No one wanted to produce it. Every studio in America turned down the idea. If it hadn’t been for one man and some empty studio space in England, we would never have had The Muppets in the same form as we do today. It is an interesting documentary that shows how revolutionary Jim Henson was for his time, how he pushed puppetry forward (even experimenting with rudimentary CGI!). And I truly had no idea that he died so young. He was just in his early 50s. I’m grateful for his contributions, and watching a story of his life reminded me of lots of my great childhood memories shared with his Muppets. How about you? Any favorite Muppet memories?