Little things we've noticed

[YellowYahooey]

That "Bert gets locked out" sketch had Herbert Birdsfoot involved, but it was just a cameo. I do know that sketches in which Herbert provided a lecture were shown as late as Season 28. I do know there was an episode in Season 28 where Herbert did a lecture about the M sound, and I wonder if that was the show's final use of a Herbert Birdsfoot sketch as a lecturer in the series?

You are definitely right that Herbert Birdsfoot sketches were hard to come by in the 1980s and 1990s, and they were likely extremely rare in the 1990s. I do recall seeing on Muppet Wiki episode guides, two sketches he appeared on: the M and W lecture from Episode 3222, and the M sound lecture with Grover sometime in Season 28.

If the 1990s had only two Herbert Birdsfoot sketches aired, it's very interesting to know that both of them were about the letter M. In fact, I do not know of any older Muppet sketches about word blending, opposites, and words that were recycled in the 1990s, particularly during the "Around the Corner" era and a few years beyond.

I was kind of surprised to see that the show reaired "The Count's bats threaten to go on strike" later in the 1990s, but it got to the point that the segment was more about counting to seven, and for the first decade or so of that segment being shown, it was aired on episodes not necessarily featuring the number seven.

 

[YellowYahooey]

The cartoon skit featuring a boy and his pet letter Y named Yetta, the boy kind of reminds me of an overweight Dennis the Menace.

I also find that the older "Muppet and Kid Moment" segments - particularly those from the 1970s and early 1980s - were likely far less prevalent in the 1990s (particularly since Season 24 or 25), and it was likely the newer "Muppet and Kid Moment" segments that were more prevalent.

 

[minor muppetz]

Maybe they continued showing certain discontinued/“dead” Muppet characters in segments about letters and numbers, if the only Herbert Birdsfoot segments still shown were about the letter M, and if they continued to show Harvey Kneeslapper segments through season 32 (most of the ones shown were about letters or numbers). They also showed This is My J a lot in the 1990s, seems like more than any other segments with Biff and Sully, and while Biff was still actively used somewhat, they didn’t do much new material with Sully OR show many segments where Richard Hunt performed Sully past season 24. I should check and see if most of the Lefty segments shown in the 1990s were about letters or numbers (I recall seeing the gangsters alphabet segment in season 29, and the 8 segment aired in season 25, not sure about Would You Like to Buy an O? or the U/V segment).

I used to think letter and number segments would be least likely to air a lot because they’d be limited to when they sponsored, but it seems like those might have been what have aired a lot more frequently than other segments. I guess since letters and numbers sponsor episodes, there’s more of a reason to re-air certain segments, while segments that have nothing to do with any sponsors don’t have that.

In the last few years I have been trying to determine what segment has aired in the highest number of episodes (and I still have ways to go - sometimes I am really into it, sometimes there are long gaps when I don’t). But it seems like a number of alphabet segments have aired in a ton of episodes,often more likely than non-alphabet segments. I’m not looking right now, but it seems like the most-aired Monsterpiece Theater segments (at least in the 1990s) are The King and I, The Old Man and the C, and maybe One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Twelve Angry Men, segments on letters and numbers (well, Twelve Angry Men is more about feelings than numbers). Though The Sound of Music had a fairly high number of appearances as well. And many of the ‘90s Monsterpiece Theater segments only appeared in up to three episodes (with Room at the Top only airing in one episode).

 

[D'Snowth]

It's never occured to me until now that the Big Grad Wolf's voice changes in "Big Wolf Family."

 

[LittleJerry92]

Nah, I definitely noticed that as well.

 

[cjd874]

I wonder which Anything Muppets each of the original puppeteers used the most often?

Fat Blue - I think it was usually Jim and Jerry...I can't recall Richard operating the Fat Blue puppet except for "Just Around the Corner."
Green - mostly Jerry and Frank, although Jim performed the Green cowboy puppet in the Great Cookie Thief sketch.
Pumpkin - mostly Frank and Jim, although Richard did play Sully.
Orange Gold - everyone except Jerry (Jim was Guy Smiley, Richard was Don Music, and Frank was Prince Charming).
Large Lavender Live-Hand - mostly Jerry as the Count and Biff, although each performer used it a few times. Jim was Sinister Sam, Frank played Harvey Kneeslapper, and Richard played some rare Muppets in the mid-70s (Bad Barney, Headline Howie, & Mrs. Wiggins).
As for small Anything Muppets, I think they all took turns with the hot pink, magenta, & orange puppets.

 

[D'Snowth]

Fran used the mini pink AMs quite often since they served as either Prairie Dawn and/or Betty Lou.

 

[LittleJerry92]

To be honest I never really paid much attention. I’m too busy just noticing who performs who in individual skits to really catch onto it.

 

[LittleJerry92]

@cjd874 Not exactly true with the orange gold. There is at least one instance I know where Jerry performed the puppet (with live hands): The Dragnet skit with Detective Dave.

 

[cjd874]

@cjd874 Not exactly true with the orange gold. There is at least one instance I know where Jerry performed the puppet (with live hands): The Dragnet skit with Detective Dave.

I don't think I've seen that one before.