DregNog Video Advent Calendar: Day #6 - A Muppet Medley
1. The Christmas Toy
Like most vintage made-for-TV Christmas specials, 1986 Henson deep cut The Christmas Toy
walks a shaky tightrope between delightfully whimsical and just plain
creepy. The premise: A child's toys come to life and frolic about
whenever the humans aren't looking, and this year, the latest addition
to the playroom is chesty action figure Meteora, Queen of the
Asteroids. Trouble is, she refuses to believe that she's a toy.
Perchance Meteora will make a comeback next year as Buzz Lightyear's
intergalactic love interest in Toy Story 3? (If so, let's hope
the 3-D glasses double as protective goggles -- she could put your eye
out with that, um, battle gear of hers.)
2. The Muppet Christmas Carol: "Marley and Marley"
We're firm proponents of the theory that everything is better with Muppets, and Henson's take on the classic Dickens story
is no exception. Here, everyone's favorite cantankerous puppet duo,
Statler and Waldorf, take on the role of twin Marley ghosts sent to
inform Michael Caine's Scrooge that he's in for a rocky Christmas Eve
-- but not before gloating about their former earthly reign of dickery.
3. Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas Outtakes
Simultaneously absurd, terrible, and adorable, there's a reason why Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas has become enough of a cult classic to merit its own musical stage adaptation. So what could be better than wallowing in the campy glory of this "Gift of the Magi"-inspired
hillbilly puppet tale? Well, nothing -- but this blooper reel is pretty
fantastic. On-set mishaps include out-of-control props, the intrusion
of human stagehands, and Emmet's mom collapsing in need of "a bottle of
Ripple."
BONUS: "A Muppet Family Christmas"
Kermit and nephew Robin spelunk a Fraggle hole, and spread a Christmas message to the shaggy subterranean heathens within.