The Magic Of The 1987-1990 Era

As per our annual tradition, my family and I watched a lot of late 80's Muppet specials and episodes for Christmas eve/day.

And I was wondering if anyone else feels there's a certain special magic about the gang in the 1987-1990 period, right before JH's passing?

As I know this may be total heresy to most fans who place the majority of emphasis on the 1970's era...*but* when looking at:

Muppet Family Christmas(1987)
Muppets At Walt Disney World(early 1990)
Muppet Television(Jim Henson Hour)(1989)
Two Muppet Television pilots(1987)
Muppet Vision 3d(early 1990)
Muppet Episode of Cosby Show(late 1989)
and other assorted specials, appearances, clips, etc...
I just find something wholly unique and striking.

I absolutely love the look of the creature Shoppish Jim Henson Hour era Muppets, like Digit, Lindhburg, Leon, etc. I love seeing
then newer characters like Clifford and Bean seamlessly blending in with the classic gang. I love how Rowlf and Scooter are still prominent characters.

Anyone else a huge fan of this period of the late 80's?
(I consider 1990 as part of the late 80's)

I consider Muppets At Walt Disney World(probably a tie for my favorite Muppet thing ever) and Muppet Family Christmas some of the top greatest moments in Muppet history.

I always watch A Muppet Family Christmas at Christmas time! It's my favorite for obvious reasons. The 1980s was the Muppets and Henson at their prime in my opinion. I love everything they did during that time and it's sad knowing that since Disney buying the Muppets didn't include Emmett Otter, Fraggle Rock and other projects, they are now all kinda messed with when they shouldn't. Not saying I dislike the post Henson death and post Disney things The Muppets have done, but the stuff they did in the 1980s were among my favorite and hold the most fond memories for me.

I'm also very much a fan of the late 80's era. The Muppets took a backseat to the Babies and other Henson projects like FR and DC and MTM just didn't have as much a spark that TMM & GMC had. But then once they did Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (1986), every time they did break out the classic Muppets, they were just made of win and seemed like all the work from 86 up til Jim's passing was outstanding and left you just hungering for more...there was this feeling like this was Bigger and Bolder Muppets but they still were not losing touch with the older classic stuff - you still saw all these great obscure fan favorites among the group and the Muppet Humor was also in full force. Again going back to 1986, i actually liked what little we saw of Little Muppet Monsters and was really sad when they quickly dropped it. The Better World promos were simply outstanding mini pieces of pure art. One can't say enough about Muppet Family Christmas of course!

And then the Jim Henson Hour! Oh - freaking - wow! This was one my favorite things to ever come out of Henson - i was a senior in high school and my friends all knew i was a Muppet fan though a lot of my teens was spent with a bit of chagrined that once TMS and GMC were done with, the Muppets were moving more into stuff aimed primarily at kids and as i was growing older and the Muppets were skewing younger, i felt a little left behind. But then JHH hits the air and that was Jim Henson and his company at their creative peak - both with the Muppet and non-Muppet projects. Once that hit the air i was just in awe and what i was seeing and i must have spend the rest of each evening and a large part of the next day just rewatching the new episode over and over. Simply incredible! At that moment i firmly and boldly declared myself a Muppet Fan in a manner that i hadn't since i was a kid. The Muppets at Walt Disney World and even the Arsenio Hall appearances just left me with such an immense joy when i saw them! (Back then i was a little sad when Jim was going to be selling the Muppets to Disney because my friends and i mainly tended to use the word Disney as a synonym for overly sweet saccharine family entertainment and i was so nervous that Henson/Muppets would lose all that edge that they were displaying with JHH and that they would become personality distilled corporate icons. But Muppets @ WDW really won me over as it was so great and felt just as Muppety as i was used to. Jim Henson really did depart at a time when he was at such a creative peak. I was so devastated that i had rediscovered my lifetime hero and idol and lost him forever. The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson was a much needed reassurance that the Muppets wasn't just Jim but his whole team and that the group he had formed were determined to keep the Muppets going. That special was just as fabulous as 30 Years, MFC, JHH, M@WDW and that was such a healing experience to see such a strong sign that they would not only live on but still carry forward that spark.

Oh yea did I enjoy The Jim Henson Hour even as a little baby. I was endorsed to watch that show because of Kermit and Gonzo. Then there were characters like Digit who kinda spooked me, but not in a way to make me cry and run away like 3-4 year olds do sometimes. Jim Henson knew how to create characters to grab attention, but still show some signs of "no harm."

dwmckim said:

I'm also very much a fan of the late 80's era. The Muppets took a backseat to the Babies and other Henson projects like FR and DC and MTM just didn't have as much a spark that TMM & GMC had. But then once they did Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (1986), every time they did break out the classic Muppets, they were just made of win and seemed like all the work from 86 up til Jim's passing was outstanding and left you just hungering for more...there was this feeling like this was Bigger and Bolder Muppets but they still were not losing touch with the older classic stuff - you still saw all these great obscure fan favorites among the group and the Muppet Humor was also in full force. Again going back to 1986, i actually liked what little we saw of Little Muppet Monsters and was really sad when they quickly dropped it. The Better World promos were simply outstanding mini pieces of pure art. One can't say enough about Muppet Family Christmas of course!

And then the Jim Henson Hour! Oh - freaking - wow! This was one my favorite things to ever come out of Henson - i was a senior in high school and my friends all knew i was a Muppet fan though a lot of my teens was spent with a bit of chagrined that once TMS and GMC were done with, the Muppets were moving more into stuff aimed primarily at kids and as i was growing older and the Muppets were skewing younger, i felt a little left behind. But then JHH hits the air and that was Jim Henson and his company at their creative peak - both with the Muppet and non-Muppet projects. Once that hit the air i was just in awe and what i was seeing and i must have spend the rest of each evening and a large part of the next day just rewatching the new episode over and over. Simply incredible! At that moment i firmly and boldly declared myself a Muppet Fan in a manner that i hadn't since i was a kid. The Muppets at Walt Disney World and even the Arsenio Hall appearances just left me with such an immense joy when i saw them! (Back then i was a little sad when Jim was going to be selling the Muppets to Disney because my friends and i mainly tended to use the word Disney as a synonym for overly sweet saccharine family entertainment and i was so nervous that Henson/Muppets would lose all that edge that they were displaying with JHH and that they would become personality distilled corporate icons. But Muppets @ WDW really won me over as it was so great and felt just as Muppety as i was used to. Jim Henson really did depart at a time when he was at such a creative peak. I was so devastated that i had rediscovered my lifetime hero and idol and lost him forever. The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson was a much needed reassurance that the Muppets wasn't just Jim but his whole team and that the group he had formed were determined to keep the Muppets going. That special was just as fabulous as 30 Years, MFC, JHH, M@WDW and that was such a healing experience to see such a strong sign that they would not only live on but still carry forward that spark.

Click to expand...

Heh, I should have made this post "1986-1990", because
looking at 1986(the amazing final episode of fraggle rock that still brings tears to my eyes for instance) that did seem to be a turning point. As well with Muppets Celebrate 30 years.
This is why I consider 2010 such a turning point; as its essentially 20 years after Jim's passing and 55 years of Kermit and the Muppets. The fact Muppets will have essentially existed within 7 decades is amazing.

In fact, this is a funny memory...I recall going to see The Transformers Movie in 1986 with friends from school, but right before I walked to the Waldenbooks...and was so taken by reading the Muppet and Fraggle books they had on display
( http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Waldenbooks ) in their "MuppetMart" section that I completely missed out on seeing Transformers.

I remember loving Muppet Babies(though always feeling it was not part of the Muppet continuity) for what it was, having watched every episode from it's 1984 premiere through 1987(when I pretty much lost interest in the newer episodes)
And I remember loving the TMS syndication reruns at the time, as well as seeing TMTM in theaters when it came out.
But it really begins to be about late 1987/early 1988 when I realize just how big of a Muppet fan I've always been and always will be...I believe it was after bringing the beautifully illustrated Muppet Show 1978 book home from the library. Seeing the December 1988 airing of Muppet Family Christmas for the first time, then seeing the Jim Henson Hour every week in 1989; followed by the early 1990 Muppets at Walt Disney World was truly such a magical time period in my mind. Going to the grocery store and bringing home the Muppet Magazine and Croonchy Stars cereal, along with finding all sorts of Applause Muppet and Fraggle pvcs. At the time, in 1988 Fraggle Rock was having another spotlight with the animated show and all the merchandise around it.

See now I was 11, but I too loved the edgy more adult humor of
the Muppet Television portion of the Jim Henson Hour. Just the whole concept...I imagined this floating futuristic satellite station
with Kermit and the gang. It really piqued my imagination, and I absolutely loved all the characters made specifically for the show.

I really dig how you said "At that moment i firmly and boldly declared myself a Muppet Fan in a manner that i hadn't since i was a kid." Yeah pretty much same here. I had been consciously collecting and seeking out anything Muppet/Sesame/Henson related since I was about 3, but it wasn't until I was about 10
that I realized just how much a fan I had been.

Now, I'm almost 32...but watching old vhs fandubs of MFC uncut,
M@WDW, JHH...it still leaves me in awe. M@WDW is just simply amazing and makes me so glad Disney is going to be expanding the Muppets at their parks. (and makes me think they need a Muppet fan celebration weekend)
Watching these, I realize the sheer genius of Whitmire's Rizzo and the chemistry he has with the others.
I also realize how scary accurate Eric Jaccobson's Piggy, Fozzie and Animal are to Oz, and how I can no longer tell the difference.

I remember being in a doctor's office and crying, upon hearing the radio news that Jim Henson had died. I went home and saw on PBS a somber musical tribute on Sesame Street, but realized they were honoring Joe Raposo who had passed on the year prior. So alas, for the next day or two I saw all the newsclips honoring JH, and tuned in for the Muppets Remember JH.

Now there's two Henson productions that always make me cry. As I mentioned, the final episode of Fraggle Rock, and when Fozzie opens that letter toward the end of Muppets Remember JHH. The quote "My hope is to leave the world a little better for having been there." is one of the most beautiful quotes I've ever read.

Anyways, this is a bit of a long review but it's very cool seeing someone else who has fond memories of that time. And it's a pleasure to see ya back on here regularly, and hopefully there shall be another Muppety gathering before too long!