DefunctTV: The History of the First Muppet Show, Sam and Friends 

Pretty heartwarming if you think about it. But he's right: Jim Henson was Kermit the Frog. Kermit the Frog was Jim Henson. And no matter which puppeteer performs him, when they give new life to Kermit the Frog, they are giving new life to Jim Henson. When we see Kermit the Frog or Ernie or Rowlf the Dog, no matter who performs them, we are not just seeing Kermit or Ernie or Rowlf. We are seeing the rebirth of Jim Henson. Thank you, Mr. Henson, for inspiring countless generations of puppeteers and artists. All of them are continuing your legacy. All of them are doing you proud. Goodbye, Jim. We'll find the rainbow connection for you. We all will.

In the above video, in one scene you can see old footage of Jim and his wife and puppeteering partner Jane taking a bow after a show. Jim has a puppet on his hand, and Jane has another. Her puppet is Kermit. So, obviously she played Kermit at least once, if not more times.

Ty Sargent this is an incredible addition to my admittedly lackluster analytical comment. Thank you for this, a genuinely emotional read

Then kermit jumped off a roof and died

Phuong Lu ok

hptothaizzo I agree

it was almost the perfect Rizo voice.

How about we get Squarespace to actually USE that for an ad? >:)

The 1k like

i just got that Cody's name doubles as Code-y

"Just a stab in the dark!"

relatable

Since wilkins is out of business (which means we cant buy it), se will all die by kermot

Goddamn Right!

"People who don't drink Wilkins coffee explode sometimes!"

@Alex Munz I know. I was making a joke.

@Alex Munz no problem.. When I worked for Henson's, they didn't appreciate my humor either.

@@Proteusbound WHAT?! You can’t just drop a bombshell like that out of nowhere! You’re gonna hurt somebody with that kind of plot twist!

@Alex Munz no, I searched and it says pale green

And Kermit used to murder people too. Wilkins coffee.

Before I heard the squarespace bit I genuinely thought it was one of those old ads

@@Feasco except he didn't straight up murder the guy for not using squarespace #soft

Yeah

@@Feasco me too!

@@kevinlucas1987 I think I know what commercial you're referring to with murdering lol (thanks to tumblr)

Oh, it goes deeper than that. That same theme, the ticking clock, the relentlessness of time itself, can be found in Jim's other works. Examples include Henson's underrated short film, Time Piece (in which Henson's character becomes disturbed by various ticking clocks while attempting to go about his life) and Labyrinth (the main character, played by Jennifer Connelly, must rescue her baby brother from the powerful Goblin King, played by David Bowie, in thirteen hours, and the clocks around the Labyrinth serve as a motivator toward that task). In 1960, Henson recorded a jazz piece entitled "Tick Tock Sick", which is about, you guessed it, a man becoming disturbed by a cacophony of clocks ticking relentlessly. All of these, I believe, play into Henson's deepest fear; that time (and death) would catch up to him if he stopped doing as much as possible.

​@@tysargent9647 weirdly reminds me of Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton

baptistgenerals I don’t see many older folks online. Glad to have your input. =)

ok boomer

Derpy Dude no u

A Normal Human this dude legit made a speech about a guy who died and what you said is ok boomer I hate my generation

Username Username go fuck yourself

Thank you so much for the ♥️

Bryce McKenzie I was going to comment the same thing. Normally I just skip past them, but that was legitimately charming.

“This machine will make you wanna use Squarespace!”

Jim would've loved it. Needs more explosions though

notsusan There are five more opportunities for explosions. And possibly cannibalism.

Just replace Wilkons with Folgers or Maxwell and it'd be perfect.

They do make me want coffee

Not just coffee, but maybe bread, or lunch meats, too?

I saw another comment somewhere saying "Its the perfect length for a RU-vid ad," which honestly I agree with. No one would ever wanna skip em. At least I wouldn't ever skip them.

Those would be the perfect RU-vid ads Short and actually funny to see

this comment should more popular!!! glad u all enjoyed it:)

Jim Henson you did a lot you made Sesame Street, The Muppet a show and fraggle rock pluse so much more.

I'm sad we lost him to do young

*After all, it was just right down the street*

The ads? Or the coffee itself?

mike walsh-thorpe well I hate Wilkins coffee _Kermit starts holding a gun to my head_ Um I mean... *bang*

You better like Wilkins

The problem with memes is that the CONCEPT of memes has, itself, become a meme. Before, it was an obscure quirk of psychology. Now it's a day-to-day thing for millions of people. And because so many people are aware, there are too many people attempting to create them on purpose. There are more but of lower quality. It's like how some organisms reproduce quickly and prodigiously but don't live long while others reproduce more slowly and live longer.

Ikr actual laugh out loud when it's a sixties joke.

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@OtakuUnitedStudio this is hilarious, because what you have said here, it’s a meme. More in particular it’s Monsoon from Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, he talks about memes in a monologue to raiden about philosophy and morals (obviously using the original meaning of a meme) well now it’s a meme because he says “memes the DNA of the soul”.

*A bomb has been planted on our ammo supply!!*

Wilkins coffee it's a explosion of flavor!

"You know, a house just isn't a home, without Wilkins."

Me too

And me

@@queenmedesa i get the reference

500k is actually alot of subs. Many channels would love to be as 'undersubbed' as this one is.

It's a quick growing one thankfully. It broke 500k barely 2 months ago and already have almost 40k more

Honestly I'd rather Defunctland be the top channel on RU-vid than the edgy quote-unquote "comedy" channels that have dominated it since the dawn of the site.

Sadly, I just unsubbed. I want theme park stuff, not TV reviews. His early work was great but this is just too samey.

@@InnawoodsAnon Season 3 of the main DefunctLand series is coming soon! www.reddit.com/r/Defunctland/comments/ctzow2/season_3_update/

lol

porque mecionate ese presidente estados unidos

This is way beyond power of a God..

After the Jimmy Dean Show ended, he and Jimmy Dean took their families on a big trip, where Jimmy taught him to waterski, ans he always remembered how much Jim reminded him of Jesus on Waterskis.

Okay, valid, but was I the only one who was shocked by how handsome he was clean shaven?

Yea every artist has felt that moment at least once. Its magical.

Frankenfrog

@@rainehappy7097 ITS ALIVEEEEEEEE

"NOW I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE JIM!"

But then, the thunderclouds part, and a rainbow appears.

As someone who also has a long face and a beard, it was funny hearing him called something I've heard a lot myself.

I laughed out loud when I heard that, and startled my wife. But it wasn't wrong?

Lincoln Christ it is then.

After the Jimmy Dean Show ended, he and Jimmy Dean took their families on a big trip, where Jimmy taught him to waterski, ans he always remembered how much Jim reminded him of Jesus on Waterskis.

I know, right? I was expecting to see Henson's work on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show.

@@dats3 It cause it's a six part series

@@muguelcydhhd1941 Thanks. I didn't know. Something to look forward too.

I think a little red monster who talks in the first person can help

@@Disneyland2015 You mean third person.

salió buena

enough said!

For Me, Its The Other Way Around.

And he was handsome!

same no cap

I also got drawn into this because of the Sesame Street video

same

Me too

Me too! I finished the whole thing then came back to watch this first one

Looks way too sharp and clean for that. Old 50s television has a certain blurriness to it.

@@Nonamearisto Yeah but tbf if it's late at night and you're looking at it on a tiny phone screen expecting a video about old puppets you don't necessarily look for or notice that kind of detail.

Was it not original footage? I assume he just overdubbed some vintage footage with a message that cleverly matched the moving mouths of the puppets? I'm not yet convinced that's not what happened... EDIT - I'm back. Having watched the next episode. Y'all were correct of course. It's new footage from Mr. Perjurer - and well-done!

@@Jesse__H yep

@@Nonamearisto yea, but it still tricked people like me!

I'm glad you brought that up because I also had a 'wait a minute' moment. Also, I wonder how she felt quitting the art form for the sake of their family. It was a big sacrifice on her part for something she truly loved and Jim gets basically all the credit.

Is it just me or is SAM and friends creepy AF?

CHEEKI BREEEEKIIIII

The ad or the creation of Kermit?

@@KidSnivy69 The creation of Kermit mixed with the "theme".

@@CWRoederer Cool!

when you think about just how wide the variety of work Henson and his company accomplished, there's no way to fit it in one episode. Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Muppet Show/movies/Muppet Babies, Bean Bunny, Labyrinth, the Dark Crystal, Dinosaurs... fuckin Frank Oz as Yoda. I know I'm missing some things even. It's amazing how much there is to cover.

notsusan You genuinely get it. I put Jim Henson and Stan Lee in the same category. Those dudes were creators of worlds and pastors of coexistence .

I didn't grow up with the muppet show, sadly...my favorite puppet show as a kid was *GREG THE BUNNY*

farmzombie I enjoyed the quaintness of Jim's pronunciation of "bacon" in that spot.

You want some _coffee_ to go with that bacon, hmm?

B O N K O N T H E H E A D ::points cannon at farmzombie::

@@visualgagging Only if it's Wilkin's coffee.

Puppet 1:You Like Wilkins coffee? Puppet 2: no *BONK* puppet 1: to bad

Well, at least his greatest work still lives on

@@marcusblackwell2372 true they are with Disney.

@@sethcarlow8363 yes but no. I meant Sesame Street but yeah. Kermit & gang

@@marcusblackwell2372 oh they are HBO and on 13 and 21 Sesame street but Disney got Kermit and the gang for the Parks.

@@sethcarlow8363 Sesame Street is also on PBS KIDS but only the 30 minute new ones. Fraggle Rock is too now that I think about it

Me too!

I thought it was modern from the first second, but the thing Codey was doing was _so_ corny, I changed my mind under the conception no one in 2019 writes a plotline like that anymore.

@@lrgogo1517 that's what the old ones were

It hands down is one of the best ads I have ever seen, RU-vid or elsewhere

YOUR NAME IS KILLING ME

Every time I’ve been to the University of Maryland, I get lunch at House of Kabob & take a picture with the statue of Jim :)

Now THAT is a statue that deserves a mob if someone proposes removing it

@@wynonasbigbrowndragon6121 i don't think it ever will be, its one of the biggest landmarks in pg country

Why don't u help Kevin in one of these vids Dan?

WE LOVE YOU DAN

RIP Disney Dan, Lost In The Comments.

Wow hi you

no sabía canal Disney Dan via parecido un comentario pena acabó ver me enteré

Yeah I wanted it to go on to Seaseme St and cover Jim's whole career.

Anon E. Mousse YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

*cue iconic kermit arm flailing and shit flipping*

[@MrDjBigZ] It's the best kind of sellout ad.

ikr

@MrDjBigZ I think you need to go to a website that teaches English. Like one that was made with Squarescape!

@MrDjBigZ I will not "end for yourself", but thank you for the suggestion.

@MrDjBigZ I have never tried out squarespace, but for what I can tell, It can help you improve your english.

why are you huggin a corpse

I love this comment.

He didn’t took Wilkins Coffee..

Nah, too rich for a simple movie! Needs a full TV series... But all done in puppetery as an hommage!

@@Undrave That's some creative thinking

I'm picturing Ryan Reynolds in the lead...

@BigAL68xyz I could see that!

@@Undrave Well, if you're gonna do a full TV series, it has to be authentic and respectful of Jim Henson's legacy, maybe split it into twelve, one-hour episodes. Here's how I'd do it. Ep. 1: Humble Beginnings: The episode opens with Betty Henson giving birth to a baby boy. Thinking about what they should name the boy, Paul Henson decides to name him "James Maury Henson", and predicts a bright future ahead for their newborn child. Basically, the episode covers Jim's early years, up until his years in high school and learning of a casting call for a show featuring puppets, which leads to Jim finding a book about puppetry and studying the art form. Ep. 2: Jim and Friends: Becoming acquainted with a woman named Jane Nebel, Jim begins work on his own TV show for WRC-TV in Washington, "Sam and Friends", and creates, from his mom's green coat, a lizard-esque creature named Kermit, the first incarnation of what would become his most famous character. The episode also covers the Wilkins Coffee commercials and Jim and Jane's appearances on the national talk shows of the day (i.e., Steve Allen and Jack Paar). Ep. 3: Muppets, Inc.: This episode focuses on Henson's growth in popularity during the 1960s', from the hiring of Don Sahlin, agent Bernie Brillstein, and performers Jerry Juhl, Frank Oz and Jerry Nelson; to the growth of Henson's family, to the creation of Rowlf the Dog and Jim's exposure to a national audience via "The Jimmy Dean Show"; to the various Muppet commercials from the time period; to "Time Piece" and "The Cube", to Henson's spots on "The Ed Sullivan Show". Special attention goes to two puppets named "Gleep" and "The Wheel-Stealer", who would evolve into Grover and Cookie Monster on "Sesame Street". Ep. 4: Hitting It Big (Bird): Joan Ganz Cooney, a woman looking to revolutionize the use of television, forms the Children's Television Workshop, and brainstorms the ideas that would become "Sesame Street". In this re-imagining of events, Cooney and associate Jon Stone watch a recording of "Sam and Friends" skits and Wilkins Coffee commercials and becomes convinced she's found who she needs to make her new show a hit. The episode also features "Hey Cinderella" (and Kermit's transformation into a frog), the first weeks of taping for "Sesame Street", in which Jim develops Bert and Ernie, Big Bird, and Oscar the Grouch, the show's almost immediate popularity, the hiring of Caroll Spinney, Kermit Love and Caroly Wilcox, and a new performance of "It's Not Easy Being Green". Ep. 5: The Struggling '70s: This episode centers around Henson's struggle to get a potential new variety show off the ground, and being rejected by executive after executive telling him that puppets are for kids (not at all helped by the growing success of "Sesame Street"). The episode also covers "The Great Santa Claus Switch", "Tales from Muppetland"; the hiring of Fran Brill, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, John Lovelady, Faz Fazakas and David Lazer to Henson's team, and the two "Muppet Show" pilots. Ep. 6: Putting on a Show: In this episode, Henson and co. move to the U.K. to film the greenlighted "Muppet Show", introducing Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and other assorted Muppet characters, and bringing in an audience of a couple hundred million people from over 100 countries. The episode also highlights the addition of Eren Ozker, Louise Gold, Steve Whitmire and Kathryn Mullen to the Muppet performing team, and the filming of "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas", complete with a new performance of "When the River Meets the Sea". Ep. 7: Making a Movie: With the success of "The Muppet Show" stronger than ever, Jim conceives and starts filming two Muppet movies ("The Muppet Movie" and "The Great Muppet Caper"). This episode also features the death of head builder Don Sahlin, the final weeks of taping for "The Muppet Show", the hiring of new puppeteers for "Sesame Street" and the Muppet troupe, a new performance of "Rainbow Connection", and the opening of Sesame Place in Bucks County. Ep. 8: A Whole New World: Wanting to branch out from the Muppet brand (growing mildly annoyed at being called "the Muppet guy"), Jim establishes an elaborate effects company and begins work on his latest passion project, "The Dark Crystal", set in an entirely fabricated landscape populated by intricate animatronic characters and sophisticated puppets. The episode also covers Henson's goal to buy back his projects from ITC after a change in leadership rubs him the wrong way. Ep. 9: Down at Fraggle Rock: Discovering the new success of "Sesame Street"' across the world, Jim travels to Canada to devise a new series specifically for the international market, and thus plants the seeds of what will eventually become "Fraggle Rock". The episode also highlights the filming of "The Muppets Take Manhattan" and "Follow That Bird", and the creation of "Muppet Babies" and "Little Muppet Monsters". Ep. 10: The Labyrinth of Life: This episode highlights Jim's beginning descent, particularly the filming of "Labyrinth", which stars David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly, played by different actors (Connelly herself appears as a moviegoer watching "Labyrinth"). The episode also highlights "The Storyteller" and the Play-Along Videos. Ep. 11: The Jim Henson Hour: This episode explores Henson's growing fascination with computer animation, the flop of "The Jim Henson Hour", and the beginning of talks between Henson and the Walt Disney Company to purchase the Muppets (so Henson can pursue other projects), as well as the filming of "Muppet-Vision 3D" and "The Muppets at Walt Disney World". Ep. 12: Death of a Dream: In the finale episode, Jim and fellow performer Kevin Clash appear on the Arsenio Hall Show, and Jim's health begins to deteriorate, leading to his too-little-too-late journey to the hospital (aided by his agent Bernie Brillstein and manager Arthur Novell) and his death at age 53. The episode also features a recreation of Henson's memorial service and a new performance of "Just One Person". The episode ends with Steve Whitmire coming home to find a birthday present with a tag labeled "From: Jim; To: Steve". Steve opens the box...and it's Kermit! A nervous Steve picks up Kermit and puts him on his hand, trying to encourage him to say something. Kermit replies, "Hi-ho!" Steve smiles, then turns himself (and the frog) toward his bedroom mirror. The final shot is Steve practicing Kermit's voice and puppet movement in front of his mirror...and instead of Steve's reflection, Jim Henson appears in the mirror. Cut to black, cue credits.

I hope there's a part 2

Yes, please continue to do the muppet time line!!!

so many Sesame Street episodes they could easily do an episode on that

I miss joy and hope.

hehe, hyperbole and a half reference?

Jim's work has always done that for me. It must be the continuing effects of his rampant optimism.

Jayson Klein it tends to disappear around whatever time it dawns on you that you have to be an adult now

@@Lumibear. hey... guess what? So does depression and suicide. Your POINT?

Yeah that was a bit rude. They didn't need to say that.

five kids

Lisa G Saying it wasnt a marriage of romantic passion doesn’t mean that they didn’t love and respect each other.

Thats kinda just what you did then lol, they were married, so its 'welp, baby time'. Thats not a weird amount for the unprotected

Yeah, they were clearly having A LOT of sex.

Or the modern art of puppetry, tbh.

Thanks for helping me skip the ad

weird fact - years later Kevin Clash (future Elmo/Baby Dinosaur/etc) made HIS first puppet by swiping one of his mom's old coats, too.

One of my favorite stories is from Henson's funeral. They propped Kermit up against the casket with a sign that said, "I have lost my voice".

He never really got "old" since he was only 53 when he died. If he were still alive today (May 2019), he'd be 82. That's old, but there are people in the business who are older. Hard to believe that, of the original Muppet Show performers, only Frank Oz and Dave Goelz are still alive, and Oz has completely retired from puppeteering (except for that Yoda cameo in Star Wars VIII).

*Henson

You gotta wonder what it would've looked like if Jim Henson shaved at 50.

Diddlers really be like

@@unofficialmajima617 WTF dude

Maybe we should ask Troy McClure

Why is that Muppet made of leather?

Are we just going to ignore the fact that kermit was originally blue ?

warlock 118 Oscar was originally orange and homeless

warlock 118 ...and not specifically a frog

...CODEY... WHAT SHOULD YOU HAVE DONE?

In the entertainment industry WE RESPECT PUPPETEERS!

Why exactly? Have you not heard any of HIS versions of "Halfway Down The Stairs"? You REALLY gonna need some tissues for that It's so beautiful

Marcus Blackwell oh I have. Cottleston Pie was just mentioned first, so I was already there by the time it got mentioned.

@@tessawidenhofer do u know any vids that show him preforming Cottleston Pie because I'm somewhat fascinated by certain music from before the 50s. U got a link?

@@marcusblackwell2372 Rowlf sang it on the muppet show, in the first season.

@@jubbine i saw part of that clip

That was both appropriate and very clever.

Stereo Monovici I get the feeling we’re gonna see more of those puppets

Terrible Writing Advice has an entire plotline dedicated to his advertisements

Disney screwed the Muppets!

I was a kid, too, and I remember that both Jim and Sammy Davis Junior (whom my mom loved) died on the same day. It was a gloomy time in the house that evening.

Mine too , I love that book