Muppet holiday specials

1970 The Great Santa Claus Switch
The Muppets made loads of appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show between 1968 and 1971 (the debut of “Mahna Mahna” among them) and eventually landed their own one-off special, hosted by Sullivan himself and written by longtime Muppet scribe Jerry Juhl. Art Carney stars as Santa and his grimy evil twin, Cosmo Scam. Some of these characters lack the panache of later incarnations (Snerf, Scoff and Gloat can’t hold a candle to Gonzo the Great), but the now-familiar Muppet hallmarks of clever problem-solving, teamwork and a cheerful attitude still guide the story. While not commercially available on DVD or even VHS, a very rough transfer of Switch can be found online, should the completist spirit move you.

1977 Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas
Kermit narrates this music-rich woodland tale, but if you’ve only seen recent DVD versions of the special, you’d never know: The famous frog’s segments are often cut to comply with the byzantine rights distribution for different Muppet entities. But don’t let the legal stuff deter you: Emmet Otter is transcendently dear. The combination of adorable critters, a villainous motorcycle gang headed by a bear in aviator sunglasses and a marvellous score from Paul Williams (including “When the River Meets the Sea”) can de-Scrooge anyone.

1979 John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together
While the soundtrack has been widely available for decades, the powers that be have never released a video edition of this special, whose songs nevertheless permeate our collective holiday subconscious: Denver & Co. singing “The Twelve Days of Christmas” may be the classic, but we prefer the oddly uncheesy duet from Denver and Rowlf on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

1984 “The Bells of Fraggle Rock”
The vaguely psychedelic cave dwellers celebrate their nontheistic holiday by donning a Chinese-dragon–style costume and ringing bells. Gobo, prone as he is to exploration, decides to debunk the holiday’s mythology, only to discover that Fraggle individuality and ingenuity are part of the celebration itself. This episode from season three of the beloved children’s series is one of the only instances of Muppet characters celebrating a winter holiday other than Christmas. Let the music play!

1986 The Christmas Toy
Like Emmet Otter, The Christmas Toy in its original form includes a framing story from Kermit, but subsequent releases cut him out. Minus Kermit, The Christmas Toy feels decidedly un-Muppety.

1987 A Muppet Family Christmas
The special that made “Watch out for the icy patch!” part of the holiday lexicon brings all the branches of the Muppet family tree together: Fozzie, Scooter and the Swedish Chef rub elbows with the residents of Sesame Street and the Fraggles, and there’s even a brief Muppet Babies segment plus a cameo from Henson himself. Family Christmas is relatively light on plot—everyone gathers at Fozzie’s mother’s house; shenanigans ensue—but totally heavy on Muppets singing carols. It’s been released in variously edited versions on both VHS and DVD, and clips abound on the Internet.

1992 The Muppet Christmas Carol
While purists might resent human protagonists (Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge) in Muppet movies, we’re thoroughly won over by this underrated theatrical release. Gonzo’s fourth-wall–breaking narration and a catchy but evocative soundtrack (“One More Sleep ’Til Christmas” being the rare Christmas Eve anthem) make this version one of our favorite retellings of the Dickens tale. And if Robin as Tiny Tim doesn’t make you cry, you are made of stone.

2002 A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
Marrying the ebullience of the Muppets to the emotional extremes of It’s a Wonderful Life could have gone a lot worse. But as it is, we kinda understand why this forgettable foray into the allusion-laden world of modern children’s entertainment may wish it had never been born. Even though The Muppet Show’s entire premise was celebrity guests, the endless cameos here—the cast of Scrubs, Molly Shannon, Kelly Ripa, Carson Daly—don’t work the same kind of magic.

2008 A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa
The latest holiday offering can't quite compare to Hensen's early Muppet flicks, but cameos by big names such as Nathan Lane, Whoopi Goldberg, Uma Thurman and New York City Mayor Bloomberg add appeal.