The Great Muppet Caper View Master Slides

Muppet Workshop Photos

Behind the scenes on the filming of The Muppet Movie (1979) from Famous Monsters #159 (November, 1979)

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.

Miss Piggy trying to make Gonzo into a crossdresser 😂

The bottom one always messed with my head.

Have a great weekend everyone !

The Muppets in 1976. The Muppet Show started in 1976 and ended in 1981.

Jim Henson with his characters he performs on The Muppet Show.

This photo has been posted before as well, but this is a much better quality version with Jim Henson holding a Doozer with Fraggles at his feet and an Extra Large Junior Gorg, for this is the proper size ratio in relation to each of the different types of Fraggle Rock Characters.

VIRTUAL CLOSET CLEANER

MEMORIES OF A TEENAGE ARCADE RAT

Coleco Donkey Kong Collectable Arcade Figure

Circa 1981

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