Eras in Muppet History: The Post-Henson Era (1990-2000)

Eras in Muppet History: The Post-Henson Era (1990-2000)

Steve Whitmire with Kermit

The 1990s brought a significant shift in the Muppets due to the tragic loss of not only Jim Henson, but also Richard Hunt, who died of AIDS on January 7, 1992. This left major casting and creative holes to be filled. In addition to being the mastermind behind the Muppets, Jim Henson performed many characters, such as Kermit the Frog, Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, Swedish Chef, Waldorf, and Link Hogthrob. Richard Hunt was the man behind Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Statler, Sweetums, among many others. This is a big chunk of characters that were suddenly missing their performers. Kermit was the first to be recast with muppeteer Steve Whitmire taking on the role, however other characters would have to wait a long time before they joined Kermit back in the spotlight. Some of these characters, including Rowlf, Dr. Teeth, Janice, and Link Hogthrob would spend this era primarily in the background with silent cameos, while Scooter went completely MIA for close to a decade until he resurfaced in the background of Muppets From Space (1999). While these characters took a back seat, there were a few of Henson and Hunt’s characters that were quickly recast. Dave Goelz took on the role of Waldorf, performing with Jerry Nelson who took on the role of Statler. Beaker was another character taken on by Whitmire, while the Swedish Chef was ultimately passed on to Muppet performer Bill Baretta.

Michael Caine in The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

The first major Muppet production created without Henson and Hunt was The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), which was dedicated to the late performers. The film was directed by Brian Henson, son of Jim, and tells the classic Charles Dickens’ story, A Christmas Carol, starring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge with the Muppets filling in the supporting roles. It has since become one of the most beloved Muppet productions in history. Even people who aren’t big Muppet fans tend to list this as a favorite classic Christmas movie from their childhood. A large part of the film’s success is due to the amazing soundtrack with original songs written by Paul Williams, who previously wrote songs for The Muppet Movie (1979). In my opinion, any time Williams and the Muppets get paired up, it’s going to be great, because Williams knows how to bring out the heartfelt moments. The film also establishes one of the great Muppet duos in Gonzo and Rizzo as they narrate the story. These characters play off each other so brilliantly and add the perfect amount of subtle humor to the story, which otherwise had a more serious tone. The Muppet Christmas Carol isn’t the Muppets at their silliest, but it does show their ability to be genuine. As mentioned earlier, the best character to bring out to really drive home the emotional moments is Robin, and of course Robin plays a very important role as Tiny Tim. His hopefulness and optimism throughout the story bring the audience into the moment, making it an instant classic that stands the test of time.

Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

Continuing from the storybook style success of The Muppet Christmas Carol, the next Muppet film took ok the story of Treasure Island with Muppet Treasure Island (1996), a tale of the search for treasure. I see this as the perfect follow up from the previous film. The Muppet Christmas Carol had a more serious tone, while Muppet Treasure Island recaptures the zany humor of the old days with the help of the amazingly hilarious Tim Curry, who does the impossible and even upstages the Muppets. This is a perfect example of Muppet humor, we have the most ridiculous and somewhat incompetent pirate crew along with great moments like Gonzo getting is limbs extended and the Swedish Chef blending in with a tribe of pigs by wearing a toy snout. Both of these films, The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island are a terrific pairing and show the full range of what the Muppets have to offer.

Kermit and Clifford in Muppets Tonight (1996)

At this point, the Muppets returned to television with Muppets Tonight, which ran from 1996-1998. It was a show with a similar format to The Muppet Show, the Muppets are putting on a show and we get to see behind the scenes craziness. The difference is that the Muppets are putting on a late night television show instead of performing in a vaudeville theater. Another key difference is that Clifford from The Jim Henson Hour (1989) was made the host, instead of Kermit. While many people thought Kermit should have remained the host, I enjoyed watching Clifford. His presence made a noticeable difference from the original and I found him to be fun to watch.  Muppets Tonight was a very clear turning point for the Muppets. Formerly major characters, like Rowlf, Scooter, and the Electric Mayhem were still either in the background or not present at all. In addition, Frank Oz was beginning to take a step back from the Muppets and it was starting to become very noticeable with staple characters such as Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear appearing sparingly. This left only a handful of classic characters, such as Kermit, Gonzo, and Rizzo in major roles. To fill the gaps, a fresh batch of new Muppets were introduced, some of which have gone on to be major contributions to later Muppet productions.

Rick Moranis with Pepe and Seymour in Muppets Tonight

Among the many new characters joining the Muppet family, we have Johnny Fiama, a Frank Sinatra wanna-be and  his monkey sidekick Sal; Andy and Randy Pig, the dimwitted nephews of Miss Piggy; Bobo the Bear, the well-meaning yet slow minded security guard; and Pepe the King Prawn, the smooth talking ladies-man who would soon be skyrocketed to super-star status. Muppets Tonight is not without its flaws and has moments and sketches that miss the mark in my opinion, but overall I think the show is terrific. I think it was necessary to have these weekly episodes to ease the audience into the new era of Muppets. The character deck was completely reshuffled as we explored these new dynamics, showcasing new characters while still maintaining the personalities of our beloved classics. We didn’t have Scooter introducing the guest stars, but we had things like Bobo refusing to let Larry King in the building because his name wasn’t on the list. Instead of the Electric Mayhem rocking the stage with chaos, we had Johnny Fiama getting stage fright trying to sing with Tony Bennett. Muppets Tonight is a very fun, underrated show to watch, and the fact that it was pulled off in the midst of major casting changes is very impressive.

Gonzo in Muppets From Space (1999)

The final installment of the era is the weakest in my opinion. Muppets From Space (1999), while not without its merits, misses the mark as a whole in my opinion.  Ironically my least favorite Muppet movie is the one centered around my favorite character, Gonzo the Great. Throughout the film, Gonzo is bummed out about being alone and not knowing what he is or where he came from. Right from the start, I’m not a fan of this concept. Gonzo’s origins have always been a mystery, but that was the fun of it, and has even been a running gag. In The Muppet Movie, Kermit refers to Gonzo as “a little like a turkey, but not much.” In The Great Muppet Caper (1981), Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo are in the cargo hold of a plane in boxes labeled “Frog”, “Bear”, and “Whatever” respectively. We’ve never needed to know where Gonzo came from, so it seems odd that he suddenly has to know. This brings me to the biggest fault that I see in Muppets From Space, too much “Serious Gonzo”. This is not the first time that Gonzo has had moments being less zany and more somber and reflective, but those moments are best in small doses. The best example of this is in episode 411 of The Muppet Show. In this episode, Gonzo is planning on leaving the Muppets to do a solo act. He goes on stage and sings Sinatra’s “My Way” in a very emotional scene where he shares a tearful goodbye with Kermit. This was the perfect amount of “Serious Gonzo”, it showed where his emotions were without overdoing it, and a few minutes later, Gonzo was back to tap dancing in a tub of oatmeal. In contrast, Muppets From Space does the opposite. It has a gloomy, depressed Gonzo throughout the movie with a few zany moments along the way, which in my opinion is not the best use of the character.

Bobo and Jeffrey Tambor in Muppets From Space

Despite the overuse of Gonzo’s emotions, there are characters who are used perfectly and make the film watchable in my opinion with Rizzo, Pepe, and Bobo. This film is one of the last times we get a true pairing of Gonzo and Rizzo together, which is unfortunate because they are such a great pair. On the bright side, we get the first glimpse of Rizzo’s friendship with Pepe. These two have an amazing comedic chemistry, which will continue on in The Muppets (2015). Rizzo and Pepe are great, but I’ve saved the best for last. If you watch this film for one reason, watch for Bobo playing the part of Rentro, the dimwitted assistant to the villain of the story, K. Edgar Singer, played by Jeffrey Tambor. Singer is obsessed with using Gonzo as proof of aliens and Bobo is the perfect foil for him. I would definitely watch a movie that solely focused on these two. Bobo constantly misunderstands him and makes mistakes while keeping his calm, easy going demeanor. One of the most subtle, memorable moments is when Singer asks Rentro to hand him the remote. Rentro misunderstands and asks “the goat?” Bobo/Rentro’s delivery on that line is amazing, which is a credit to his performer, Bill Baretta. After watching Bobo in this film, it’s no surprise that he’s one of the few original characters from Muppets Tonight that have lasted and he is still being used to this day.

Rizzo and Pepe

I’ve used the term “transitional” a few times in this chapter, because that is the best term I can think of for this era of the Muppets. If you look at the Muppets as a whole, there is a big difference in the Muppets before and after the death of Jim Henson, and that transition can be seen here. Through the 90s, we see characters being taken on by new performers, the debut of long-running characters, as well as the restructuring of who the major Muppets are. There are some casual fans who say that the Muppets haven’t been good since Jim Henson died. I hate when people say that, because they obviously haven’t bothered to give this era a chance. Of course, the Muppets will never be the same without Henson, and his death was tragic, but out of this Post-Henson Era, we get so many great things. The emotional journey of Ebenezer Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol, the zany pirate crew in Muppet Treasure Island, and the triumphant return of the Muppets to television all came during this period in history. This is a huge credit to Brian Henson, Jerry Juhl, Frank Oz, Steve Whitmire, Bill Baretta, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, and everyone else who took part in keeping the Muppets alive.

Continue on to The Recasting Era (2000-2008)