The Muppets
TRUE or FALSE: Legendary Muppet, Kermit the Frog, made his debut in "Sam and Friends".
TRUE. Kermit the Frog did indeed make his debut in Jim Henson's first television series "Sam and Friends". It premiered on May 9, 1955 on WRC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Washington, D.C.
What color was Oscar the Grouch originally in Season 1?
Orange. After the first season, Oscar's color was changed to the green we all know and love (much to Oscar's dismay).
What year did Bear in the Big Blue House premiere?
1997 on October 20th. (FUN FACT: It was also Disney Channel's first original series aimed at preschoolers, before it got the name, Playhouse Disney!)
What is the name of the computer mouse in Between the Lions?
Click the Mouse.
What is the name of the Canadian co-production of Sesame Street?
Sesame Park, which aired under that name from 1996 to 2002. Its original versions, Sesame Street Canada and Canadian Sesame Street, aired throughout the '70s and '80s.
After Jim Henson died in 1990, what was Steve Whitmire's first performance as Kermit the Frog?
The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson, a special that aired on CBS on November 21, 1990, paying tribute to and celebrating the life and career of Jim Henson.
Who were the Muppet performers who performed the role of Elmo before Kevin Clash (and later Ryan Dillon) eventually assumed the role?
Brian Muehl (1980-1984)
Richard Hunt (1984-1985)
Jerry Nelson and Kathryn Mullen have also performed the puppet that eventually became Elmo, but this was before the character was established.
TRUE or FALSE: Mitchell Kriegman, the show's creator, also directed, wrote and composed material for the show.
TRUE. Mitchell Kriegman directed and wrote episodes such as Lost Thing, And to All a Good Night and A Berry Bear Christmas and composed songs such as Next Stop Dreamland, Go to Bed Sleepy Head (with Peter Lurye) and No Harm (with A. Wyatt Blakemore).
Which fellow Muppet performer assumed the role of Lionel Lion in the series' final two seasons?
Noel MacNeal. Anthony Asbury originated the role and performed Lionel in the first eight seasons in the show.
TRUE or FALSE: Frank Oz enjoyed performing full-body characters.
Absolutely FALSE. For a time, from 1965 to 1967, Frank Oz performed the puppetry for Delbert the La Choy Dragon (while Jim Henson did the voice) in the commercials for La Choy chow mein. And he, to quote, "hated it. I hated doing it totally. Jim knew I hated it. I think he relished it."
On the subject of Steve Whitmire, which of the core Muppets did Steve almost double for in Muppets from Space?
Miss Piggy. As her primary performer, Frank Oz, was unavailable during a majority of the filming for Muppets from Space, Steve Whitmire was originally going to double for Miss Piggy, but he did not want to do it (presumably because he was already performing Kermit, Rizzo and Beaker), so the role ended up going to fellow Muppet performer, Peter Linz (with Frank looping in his lines later on in post).
Name two performers who have doubled for Oscar the Grouch in scenes where Oscar and Big Bird are seen together.
Similarly, name two performers who have doubled for Big Bird in the same scenario.
Accepted for Oscar: Tyler Bunch, Richard Hunt, John Kennedy, Jim Martin, Paul McGinnis, Jerry Nelson
Accepted for Big Bird: Peter Linz, Rick Lyon, Noel MacNeal, Matt Vogel (who has also taken over the role of Big Bird since his original performer Caroll Spinney's retirement/death)
What was the name of Ojo's rabbit friend in Bear in the Big Blue House?
Christine. She can be seen in the episodes "Friends for Life", "And to All a Good Night" and "Friends at Play".
Name two people who created Between the Lions.
Accepted answers: Lou Berger, Christopher Cerf, Michael K. Frith, Kathryn Mullen, Linda Rath, Norman Stiles
Which series featured puppets of these four "animals"?
A dinosaur, a teddy bear, a cat and a squirrel?
Caillou. The characters' names were Rexy, Teddy, Gilbert and Dee-Dee. Rexy, Teddy and Gilbert appear in their puppet forms during the first and second seasons of the PBS iteration of Caillou, whilst Dee-Dee only appears in the first PBS season.
What was the reason for the Thog puppet being rebuilt so huge in The Muppets (2011)?
Muppet performer Tyler Bunch, who performed Thog in The Muppets (2011), mentioned the reason why the rebuilt Thog puppet's size was increased was due to Jim Kroupa (who rebuilt Thog) not having enough material to go off of to determine the puppet's original size.
TRUE or FALSE: Matt Vogel started performing Count von Count in 2012 when Jerry Nelson died.
FALSE. Muppet performer Matt Vogel started doing the puppetry for The Count and numerous of Jerry's other characters in the mid '2000s, due to Jerry's ongoing health issues, but he would either say his lines live or loop them in later on in post. It was when Jerry died in 2012 that Matt took over both the puppetry and the voice.
Which Muppet performer originated the role of Jack the Dog before being assumed by Peter Linz?
Dave Goelz. Dave performed Jack in A Berry Bear Christmas and Peter took over the role in Season 4.
TRUE or FALSE: Characters such as Barnaby B. Busterfield III, Walter and Clay Pigeon and Martha Reader and The Vowelles disappeared from the show after Season 4.
TRUE. Click the Mouse also disappeared for a while after Season 4, but returned in Season 9.
Name two characters Muppet performers Peter Linz and Alice Dinnean performed together.
Accepted answers:
Tutter and Grandma Flutter (Bear in the Big Blue House)
Julie Woo and Skye Nakaiye (The Puzzle Place)
Sizzle and Nuzzle (The Puzzle Place)
The big crowd sequence at the end of The Muppet Movie featured nearly every Muppet created up to that point. Which of the Sesame Street characters were not featured in this scene?
Mr. Snuffleupagus, also known as Snuffy. Also absent from the final scene were Sweetums, Sam the Robot and most of the Muppets created for Jim Henson's earliest productions.
Name 4 retired Sesame Street Muppets who briefly returned in Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration.
Accepted answers: Betty Lou, Captain Vegetable, The Countess, Don Music, Forgetful Jones, Harvey Kneeslapper, Lefty the Salesman, Sherlock Hemlock, Sherry Netherland
What was Bear's very final appearance after the show ended?
The 2007 Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon. Bear sang three songs in this appearance and interacted with fans as well.
Which Muppet performer performed the puppetry for Theo Lion in the series' third and fourth seasons?
Tim Lagasse. Tim did the puppetry while Theo's primary performer, Peter Linz, did the voice.
Name 3 things Sesame Street and Bear in the Big Blue House have in common.
Accepted answers:
They were both filmed at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York.
Noel MacNeal, Peter Linz and Tyler Bunch have performed characters in both series.
Both series have animal characters.
Both series feature a full-bodied core/lead character.
Joey Mazzarino has written for both series.
A character from each show has "visited" each other's set.
They were both involved with The Jim Henson Company in some way.
Both shows have twin characters.