Muppet Babies (2018 TV series)
Muppet Babies is an American computer-animated television series featuring toddler versions of the Muppets characters that began airing on Disney Junior and Disney Channel on March 23, 2018[1] and is aimed at a target audience of children from ages 3 to 8.[2] It is a reboot of the original 1984–1991 animated series of the same name.
| Muppet Babies | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Based on |
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| Developed by | Mr. Warburton Chris Hamilton |
| Written by | Eric Shaw (Story Editor)
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| Directed by |
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| Voices of |
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| Opening theme | "Muppet Babies" Main Title Theme by Renée Elise Goldsberry |
| Ending theme | "Muppet Babies" Main Title Theme (instrumental) |
| Composer(s) | Andy Bean Keith Horn |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 41 (82 segments) + (24 shorts) + special (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Mr. Warburton Chris Hamilton |
| Producer(s) | Chris Hamilton (Supervising Producer) Sunisa Petchpoo (Line Producer) Kurt Weldon (Line Producer) Eric Shaw (Co-Producer) Matt Danner (Co-Producer) Chris Moreno (Co-Producer) |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production company(s) | The Muppets Studio Odd Bot Animation Snowball Studios |
| Distributor | Disney–ABC Domestic Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | Disney Junior |
| Original release | March 23, 2018 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Muppet Babies (original series) |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The show retains several of the younger incarnations of the classic Muppet characters seen in the previous series, including Baby Kermit, Baby Piggy, Baby Fozzie, Baby Gonzo, and Baby Animal. The series also sees the second appearance of Nanny (now known as "Miss Nanny", short for "Nancette"), and the first appearance of a new Muppet Babies member named Summer Penguin.[1]
On September 7, 2018, it was renewed for a second season which premiered 11 months later on August 9, 2019.[3]
On July 25, 2019, it was renewed for a third season.[4]
Plot
The show details Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Animal, and Summer Penguin and a cast of characters using their imaginations.
Episodes
| Season | Segments | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||||
| 1 | 40 | 20 | March 23, 2018 | May 3, 2019 | ||
| 2 | TBA | August 9, 2019 | TBA | |||
| Special | August 3, 2018 | |||||
Characters
Main
- Kermit (voiced by Matt Danner) – A frog who enjoys acting out adventure. He also plays the banjo.
- Piggy (voiced by Melanie Harrison[5]) – A pig who considers herself a star and has a crush on Kermit. She mostly speaks in a high-pitched voice but would at times greatly deepen when she gets passionate or angry.
- Fozzie (voiced by Eric Bauza[5]) – A bear who loves to tell jokes. He is also best friends with Kermit.
- Gonzo (voiced by Benjamin Diskin[5]) – A "whatever" who has eccentric ideas and loves to do stunts. He also makes a lot of friends in different episodes. He is often seen holding a potato.
- Animal (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker[5]) – A frenzied monster who likes playing the drums.
- Summer (voiced by Jessica DiCicco) – A purple penguin from the South Pole who loves to make art. She also has a kind heart.[1]
- Miss Nanny (voiced by Jenny Slate[5][6]) – The caretaker of the Muppet Babies who is only seen from the shoulders down. The pattern on her stockings changes to reflect relevant elements in the episode plot. Miss Nanny won a gold medal in a gymnastics discipline at the Sport-A-Thon.
- Camilla (voiced by Melanie Harrison) – A white chick and Gonzo's best friend who is involved with the Muppet Babies' activities.
- Priscilla – One of Camilla's fellow chicks who is yellow.
- Beep – One of Camilla's fellow chicks who is brown and makes the sound of a car horn instead of clucking.
- Ronny – A car that Miss Nanny drives to take the Muppet Babies anywhere introduced.
Other Muppets
- Mr. Statler and Mr. Waldorf (voiced by Eric Bauza and Matt Danner respectively) – The neighbors of Miss Nanny who often comment about the Muppet Babies' activities from the balcony of their home.
- Rizzo (voiced by Benjamin Diskin) – A rat who lives in the mouse hole in the Muppet Babies' playroom.
- Bunsen (voiced by Eric Bauza) – A young aspiring scientist.
- Beaker (voiced by Matt Danner) – Bunsen’s assistant.
- Dr. Teeth (performed by Bill Barretta) – The band leader of the Electric Mayhem. He appeared in a live-action transmission in "Muppet Rock" where he saw Animal perform backstage and is interested in having him join the Electric Mayhem. Animal turns him down for now as he needs to continue practicing.
- Rowlf (voiced by Matt Danner) – A dog who plays the piano.
- Sweetums (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) – An ogre who lives next door to the babies' daycare.
- Chef (voiced by Matt Danner) – A mock Swedish-speaking cooking prodigy.
- Robin (voiced by Eric Bauza) – A small polliwog who is Kermit's nephew. He has a tail due to being in his tadpole state.
- Scooter (voiced by Ogie Banks) – A kid who wears a green and yellow track jacket.
- Skeeter (voiced by Cree Summer) – Scooter's athletic twin sister who wears a sports-inspired purple jacket, a baseball-shaped watch, and pig tails.
Production
Unlike the previous series, the update is produced using computer-generated animation and features two 11-minute stories per episode. The series is aimed at children between the ages of four and seven.[7]
Tom Warburton, best known for creating Cartoon Network's Codename: Kids Next Door, is the executive producer and Eric Shaw, former writer on Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants, is the story editor and co-producer.[8] The show is a co-production between Disney Junior, Odd Bot Animation, Snowball Studios and The Muppets Studio.
Release
The series premiered on Disney Junior on March 23, 2018 in the United States, the following day in Canada, and in Mexico on June 10.[2]
Ratings
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | Avg. viewers (millions) | 18–49 rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Viewers (millions) |
Date | Viewers (millions) | ||||
| 1 | 19 | March 23, 2018 | 0.89[9] | May 3, 2019 | 0.45 | 0.74 | TBD |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | TCA Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming | Muppet Babies | Nominated | |
| 2019 | TCA Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming | Muppet Babies | Nominated | |
| Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Preschool Animated Children's Series | Tom Warburton Eric Shaw Joe Sichta Chris Hamilton Sarah Finn Kurt Weldon | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Casting for an Animated Series or Special | Jennifer Trujillo | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Performer in a Preschool Animated Program | Eric Bauza | Nominated | |||
| Ben Diskin | Won | ||||
| 2020 | |||||
| Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Short Format Children’s Program: Muppet Babies: Play Date | Tom Warburton Matt Danner Andy Bean | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Performer in a Preschool Animated Program | Eric Bauza | Nominated | |||
| Matt Danner | Won | ||||
| Outstanding Directing for a Preschool Animated Program | Matt Danner Guy Moore Collette Sunderman | Nominated |
References
- Schwartz, Dana (January 25, 2018). "Meet the new Muppet Baby! A first look at Summer the penguin". Entertainment Weekly.
- Flaherty, Keely (January 25, 2018). "The Muppet Babies Are Returning To TV With A Brand New Muppet". Buzzfeed.
- "'Muppet Babies,' 'Vampirina,' 'Puppy Dog Pals' Renewed at Disney Junior (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved Jan 10, 2020.
- "Disney Junior Orders Third Season of Hit Emmy Award-Nominated Series "Muppet Babies"". The Futon Critic. July 25, 2019.
- "Jenny Slate To Voice Iconic Role Of Miss Nanny In Disney's 'Muppet Babies' Revival". Deadline.com. February 6, 2018.
- Swift, Andy (6 February 2018). "Muppet Babies Reboot: Jenny Slate to Voice the Iconic, Faceless 'Miss Nanny'".
- "A Brand New Muppet Babies is On the Way". OhMyDisney.com. October 26, 2016.
- Holloway, Daniel (October 26, 2016). "'Muppet Babies' Reboot Begins Production at Disney Junior". Variety. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- "Top 150 Friday Cable Originals and Network Finals: 3.23.2018". Showbuzz Daily. March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.