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The Great Muppet Caper View Master Slides

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When I was a kid, and this came in the mail every three months or so...man, that was always a good day.

The Muppets, Muppet Magazine

The Great Muppet Caper View Master Slides

TV Guide December 1970 Article on The Great Santa Claus Switch with Ed Sullivan

The Great Santa Claus Switch was a Muppet television special that first aired on CBS on December 20, 1970.

The show, narrated by Ed Sullivan, begins at the North Pole with Santa Claus and his elves getting ready for another Christmas. However, Cosmo Scam has hatched a plan to kidnap Santa and take his place. As part of the plan, Cosmo plans to abduct Santa’s elves (one at a time) and replace them with his evil henchmen.

DEVELOPMENT

The idea for this Christmas special had been developed by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl for several years, and had a long evolution. Notes and sketches date as far back as 1963, when the project was originally titled The Witch Who Stole Santa Claus, and later The Sinister Santa Claus Switch. The story revolved around a failed plot to kidnap and impersonate Santa Claus in order to rob every home in the world. Taminella Grinderfall, the witch from the unsold Tales of the Tinkerdee pilot was to play a starring role. Henson and Juhl reworked the script numerous times, and the title changed as well. To help sell the project to television executives, Henson created watercolor illustrations to accompany a written proposal. The concept circulated for several years before Ed Sullivan, based on the response to the Muppets’ frequent appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, agreed to produce the special and air it in his regular Sunday evening time slot.

By 1970, Henson’s Muppets had made nearly two dozen successful guest appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. The Great Santa Claus Switch was a full Henson production – written by Juhl, with music by Joe Raposo and puppets by Don Sahlin. The production marks the first time Henson worked with Richard Hunt and Fran Brill.

The special was taped in late August 1970 at CFTO Toronto.

NOTES

This special includes the very first appearance of the puppet that would later become Gonzo. He was then known as Snarl (or the Cigar Box Frackle) and would be remodeled and reused for The Muppet Show.

The Great Santa Claus Switch is currently available for viewing at The Paley Center for Media.

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CAST

Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Danny Seagren, John Lovelady, Richard Hunt, Marilyn Sokol, Fran Brill, Byron Whiting, Greg Antonacchi, Cary Antebi, John Byrum

Characters

Fred, Lothar, Gloat, Thig, Hoppity, Boppity, Thog, Zippity, Snivelly, Snarl, Snerf, Bong, Snake Frackle, Scoff, Alarm Frackle, Bing, Frackle with a match, Guard Frackle

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CREDITS

Produced by Bob Precht

Directed by John Moffitt

Book and lyrics written by Jerry Juhl

Music composed and conducted by Joe Raposo

Settings designed by Bill Bohnert

Puppet construction supervised by Donald Sahlin with Kermit Love and Caroly Wilcox

Associate producer for the Muppets: Diana Birkenfield

Conceived and executed for the Muppets by Jim Henson

Produced in Association with Henson Associates, Inc.

A Presentation of Sullivan Productions Inc.

Have a great day

Kermit The Frog

The Muppet Show

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