J’s 25 Days of Christmas: A Muppet Family Christmas

Plenty of people know about who the Muppets are. They are those lovable puppets that were pioneered by Jim and Jane Henson and continue to entertain kids today. When I say “Muppets” here, I am using it to refer to the casts from the shows that Jim Henson was involved in or created:

• The Muppets Show
• Sesame Street
• Fraggle Rock

 You may or may not know this, but there was actually a special where the casts of all three of these shows met each other. As luck would have it, it aired on ABC forty-one years ago tonight, and it’s what I watched today: A Muppet Family Christmas. 

A Muppet Family Christmas

The special starts off with most of the cast of  The Muppet Show heading up to Fozzie’s mom’s farmhouse for Christmas. Bad timing, though, as Mrs. Grizzly plans to go to Malibu for Christmas and rented the house out to two characters from Fraggle Rock, Doc and his dog Sprocket. So much for a quiet Christmas.

There is no real plot to this episode. It’s more like several smaller plots as everyone tries to enjoy the Holidays. Here’s the gist of it.

Miss Piggy had to stay behind to finish some things and shopping, but she gets stuck in a snowstorm. More on that later.

Fozzie befriends a snowman that comes to life after building him. They try to start a comedy duo, but Statler and Waldorf put a stop to that.

The cast of Sesame Street show up caroling and stick around for Christmas!

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Swedish Chef invites a Turkey to have for dinner, but after seeing Big Bird, he tries to cook him instead. A kind gift from Big Bird makes him change his mind, though.

Muppets Meets Fraggles

While Doc goes out to look for Miss Piggy, Kermit and Robin find a portal to Fraggle Rock in the basement. In a historic meeting, they come across the Fraggles and join them in a song about the fun of giving gifts. 

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Soon as Kermit and Robin leave Fraggle Rock, Miss Piggy and Doc show up in costume. Miss Piggy’s wearing a new white dress, Doc’s in a soldier uniform, and they’re driving a dog sled. Muppet logic.

That’s basically the main plot of the special, as the remainder is about the cast singing Christmas carols. The Fraggles show up to listen to the music, Doc comes back in dressed in Santa, and there is even a surprise cameo by the creator of the Muppets, Jim Henson himself, god rest his soul.

In Review

That’s basically  A Muppet Family Christmas. It’s the ultimate Muppet crossover, as it includes most of the cast of three of the shows that Jim Henson worked on. It’s the kind of thing that Jim Henson fans would go get giddy over. It may not have an actual plot, but I don’t think it really needs one. This special does a good job as it is, and I enjoyed it and the nostalgia it gives me (I loved Sesame Street as a kid, but wasn’t born when the other two shows were on). 

If you’re wondering why you may not have heard about this special, that’s because it never got a release on DVD and Blu-Ray, so only those who saw it as kids or know about Muppet history will know about it. Thank goodness I found it on YouTube. You’re welcome to enjoy it through the video link. Have a nice night, and Merry Christmas!

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