The Muppets: A TVCU Chronology

This blog post is updated to incorporate information from the Horror Crossover Encyclopedia, published by 18thWall Productions.  For the purposes of this post, Horror Universe and Television Crossover Universe are synonymous.



So for this blog we're going to talk about the muppets.  But, wait, you say.  Didn't I already do that?  No, I did not.  I did a blog on Sesame Street.  This is a blog on the Muppet Show.  Two shows with muppets that have crossovers, sure.  But still two separate series.  After all, I did separate blogs for Dracula and Frankenstein, and for Batman and Superman. 

So...

It's the Muppet Show with our Very Special Guest Star, ... Robert E. Wronski, Jr.  YAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!

It's time to play the music 
It's time to light the lights 
t's time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight.

It's time to put on makeup 
It's time to dress up right 
It's time to raise the curtain on the Muppet Show tonight. 

Why do we always come here 
I guess we'll never know 
It's like a kind of torture 
To have to watch the show 

And now let's get things started 
Why don't you get things started 
It's time to get things started 
On the most sensational inspirational celebrational Muppetational 
This is what we call the Muppet Show! (HOOOOONK!!!!!)







From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Muppets are a group of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque and self-referential style of variety-sketch comedy. Created in 1955 by Jim Henson, they are since 2004 the namesake for the Disney media franchise that encompasses films, television series, music recordings, print publications, and other media associated with The Muppet Show characters.

Henson once stated that the term "Muppet" had been created as a portmanteau of the words "marionette" and "puppet", but also claimed that it was actually a word he had coined.^[1] The Muppets debuted on the television program Sam and Friends, which aired locally on WRC-TV inWashington, D.C. from 1955 to 1961. After appearing on skits in several late night talk shows and advertising commercials during the 1960s, Henson's Muppets began appearing on Sesame Street when that show debuted in 1969. The Muppets then became the stars of multiple television series and films, including; The Muppet Show (1976–1981), The Muppet Movie (1979), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), and The Jim Henson Hour (1989). After Henson's death in 1990, The Muppets continued their presence in television and cinema with Muppets Tonight (1996–1998), a series continuation of The Muppet Show, and three films, The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), Muppets from Space (1999); the former two were co-produced with Disney, who sought to acquire the characters since the late 1980s. In 2004, The Walt Disney Company purchased the rights to The Muppets (except for the Sesame Street characters, which were sold separately to Sesame Workshop),^[2][3][4] and later formed The Muppets Studio; a division created specifically for managing The Muppets franchise.

Disney underwent an extensive re-branding of the franchise beginning in 2008, in anticipation of the seventh film; The Muppets.^[5][6] The film, written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller and directed by James Bobin, was released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 23, 2011, and met with critical acclaim and commercial success.^[7] An eighth film, Muppets Most Wanted, will be released on March 21, 2014.^[8]

Sesame Street is a long-running American children's television series created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett. The program is known for its educational content, and images communicated through the use of Jim Henson's Muppets, animation, short films, humor, and cultural references. The series premiered on November 10, 1969 to positive reviews, some controversy, and high ratings.

The show has undergone significant changes throughout its history. The format of Sesame Street consists of a combination of commercial televisionproduction elements and techniques which have evolved to reflect the changes in American culture and the audience's viewing habits. With the creation of Sesame Street, producers and writers of a children's television show used, for the first time, educational goals and a curriculum to shape its content. It was also the first time a show's educational effects on young children were studied.

Shortly after creating Sesame Street, its producers developed what came to be called "the CTW model" (named for the show's production company,The Children's Television Workshop), a system of television show planning, production, and evaluation based on collaborations between producers, writers, educators, and researchers. The show was initially funded by government and private foundations but has become somewhat self-supporting due to revenues from licensing arrangements, international sales, and other media. By 2006, there were independently produced versions, or "co-productions", of Sesame Street broadcast in twenty countries. In 2001 there were over 120 million viewers of various international versions of Sesame Street, and by the show's 40th anniversary in 2009, it was broadcast in more than 140 countries.

By its 40th anniversary in 2009, Sesame Street was the fifteenth-highest rated children's television show in the United States. A 1996 survey found that 95% of all American preschoolers had watched the show by the time they were three years old. In 2008, it was estimated that 77 million Americans had watched the series as children. As of 2009, Sesame Street has won 8 Grammy Awards and 153 Emmy Awards—more than any other children's show.

OK, so this will be my position on muppets.  

For now, I'll say that if you don't like muppets in your shared crossover reality, just skip this and the Muppet Show blog.  Simple as that.  You can certainly (I hope) enjoy the bulk of the work that I and my colleagues have done while skipping over these two blogs.  But whether you like it or not, in the Television Crossover Universe, MY reality, they are here to stay.

On Muppet Monsters, Crazy Ivan had this to say a while back, which I have come to agree with:  While I respect the work you did on this, I have to question the decision to ignore the existence of Muppets as a seperate species / race / kingdom / etc. My own research into this fringe element of the Crossover Universe was made more palatable by conflating the Muppets of Sesame Street with the Monsters of (Pixar's) Monsters, Inc. If an enclave of monsters had learned early on that making children laugh would garner more energy for Monstropolis than making them scream, they might not have been well-regarded in the screamcentric society the lived in, and could have been summarily banished to Earth. I believe ELMO'S ADVENTURES IN GROUCHLAND supports such a theory, as does the large number of monsters populating Sesame Street. It also allows the origin of the Smile Time puppet demons to be the same as the muppets, though they obviously did not come to Earth to make children laugh.

Kermit the Frog worked as a reporter for Sesame Street News before making it big as the host of the Muppet Show.  Muppets are the anthropomorphic talking animals, monsters, and immortal (though slightly insane) humans that make up the large part of Sesame Street.  However, the Muppets of the Muppet Show came from all across America, found each other, and chose to go into show business.

But how can we accept that there are famous Muppets?  Most people who watch the show think it's all special effects.  Those who actually encounter the Muppets in person tend to be in denial or shock, and block out the memories afterwards. 

So this blog is not about the Muppets.  I will cover the Muppet Show in another blog.  Today's blog is about Sesame Street, and is brought to you today by the letter S and the number 8.

So that's about it. In each book post, I tend to explain anything out of the ordinary. So in the Scooby book I'll explain how the TVCU can have a long lived taking dog and in the Muppet book I'll explain how a talking frog hosts his own show in the TVCU. I welcome you to the world of TV and my mind. 

On to the Ruth Buzzi free blog...

1337--HEY CINDERELLA!--An ancestor of Kermit the Frog in involved in the events of CINDERELLA.  Dennis E. Power tells us that Ollu and Buzsla were also involved.

1929 to 1985--MUPPET VIDEO:  THE KERMIT AND PIGGY STORY--This story tells the stories of Kermit and Piggy from childhood, up to how they met and became stars, all the way up to the present (of 1985, the time the video was produced.)

1941--KERMIT'S SWAMP YEARS--This flashback tale tells the story of Kermit at age 12 living in the swamps with his friends, and his first time since pre-school leaving the swamp.

WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? (ANIMATED/LIVE ACTION FILM)

Release Date: June 22, 1988 (Setting is 1947)

Series: Roger Rabbit

Animated Series Crosses: Mickey Mouse; Donald Duck; Alice Comedies; Pluto; Bucky Bug (Silly Symphonies); Goofy; The Merry Dwarfs (Silly Symphonies); Flowers and Trees (Silly Symphonies); Babes in the Woods (Silly Symphonies); Father Noah’s Ark (Silly Symphonies); The Three Little Pigs (Silly Symphonies); Toby Tortoise (Silly Symphonies); Water Babies (Silly Symphonies); Who Killed Cock Robin?; Elmer Elephant (Silly Symphonies); Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; Ferdinand the Bull (Silly Symphonies); Pinocchio; Dance of the Hours (Fantasia); The Pastoral Symphony (Fantasia); The Nutcracker Suite (Fantasia); The Reluctant Dragon; Dumbo; Bambi; Pedro (Saludos Amigos); Reason and Emotion; Chicken Little (1943 Disney short); The Pelican and the Snipe; Peter and the Wolf (Make Mine Music); Song of the South; Johnny Appleseed (Melody Time); So Dear to My Heart; The Wind in the Willows (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad); Alice in Wonderland; The Little House; Peter Pan; Paul Bunyan (1958 Disney short); Sleeping Beauty; Mary Poppins; The Jungle Book; Winnie the Pooh; Looney Tunes; Bugs Bunny; Daffy Duck; Porky Pig; Tweety and Sylvester; Foghorn Leghorn; Goofy Gophers; Road Runner; Speedy Gonzales; Marc Anthony and Pussyfoot; Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog; Of Fox and Hounds; One Froggy Evening; Dodo and the Frog; Droopy; George and Junior; Screwy Squirrel; Tom and Jerry; Betty Boop; Koko the Clown; Noveltoons; Popeye; Casper; Superman (Fleischer/Famous Studios); The Fox and the Crow; Woody Woodpecker; Andy Panda; Chilly Willy; Dinky Doodle; Mother Goose on the Loose; Mighty Mouse; Heckle and Jeckle; The Temperamental Lion; Garfield; Gandy Goose; Felix the Cat; Li’l Abner; Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy; Scooby-Doo!

The Story: When Marvin Acme, the owner of Toontown and the Acme Corporation is murdered, animation short star Roger Rabbit becomes the prime suspect, and detective Eddie Valiant must get over his prejudice towards toons to help clear Rabbit’s name and find the real killer.

Notes: In my previous book, the Horror Crossover Encyclopedia, I used Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein as my start point in connecting the dots of the Horror Universe. With this book, it was instantly clear to me that Who Framed Roger Rabbit? must my beginning. This film is a major crossover. Though the first cartoons considered canon for the Cartoon Universe date back decades before this, and there had been many cartoon crossovers before this, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was the first to be able to so successfully (and legally) combine major characters from so many different classic animation studios. In this section, I will break down the crossovers by the studios they originate. This film also is significant in Cartoon Universe canon. This film explains that Toontown is a town that connects to Hollywood of the Live Action Universe. Clearly, though connected, the two towns are of different realities, as the laws of physics are applied differently in each location. And indeed, those from one reality seem to partially carry the laws of their world over with them to the other. For instance, a person from the Live Action Universe could be killed in the Cartoon Universe by something that a toon would survive from. Likewise, a toon maintains its characteristics in the Live Action Universe. This film also presents a notion seen occasionally in previous animation, in that, though toons are created by artists of the Live Action Universe, they actually live and work in the Live Action Universe. Thus, people in the Live Action Universe seem to know of and accept the existence of the Cartoon Universe, even if they seldom speak of it. This means that the Live Action Universe may seem to be a depiction of the Real Universe, but it is not in actuality. This film is based on a book, but the book lacks the crossovers and is not part of the Cartoon Universe canon. As for the crosses, let’s start with Disney. Disney characters can be broken down into four major categories for our purposes. That would be “the Mickey Mouse Universe”, the Disney Princesses, other animated works, and live action properties. I’m excluding from this the Muppets, Star Wars, and Marvel Comics, which were well known long before being acquired by Disney. ABC properties (also owned by Disney now) should also be considered separate, including Once Upon a Time. To discuss Disney, especially in relation to Roger Rabbit and the Cartoon Universe, I have to briefly discuss Kingdom Hearts. See the entry for that video game series for a deeper analysis. But for now, Kingdom Hearts presents a multiverse in which all the various Disney films seem to exist in alternate realities, separated and difficult to travel between. In the series, there are also four different versions of Mickey and friends, in different realities. Kingdom Hearts seems to contradict the Toontown concept introduced in Roger Rabbit and later seen in House of Mouse, Drawn Together, and others. Throughout this book, there are other examples to demonstrate that the Cartoon Universe is part of a larger Cartoon Multiverse. It is my belief, creating a theory relying on in-story information, that the Cartoon Universe is the Central Timeline as part of a multiverse which resembles the Hypertime formerly used by DC Comics, and that the Central Timeline is to the Multiverse as the post-Crisis DC Universe was to the pre-Crisis DC Multiverse. The Central Timeline, aka the Cartoon Universe, combines elements of other realities of the Cartoon Multiverse. Later, Batman: The Brave and the Bold will demonstrate that perhaps my analogy between the DC Multiverse/Hypertime and the Cartoon Multiverse is extremely appropriate. So for now, we will put Kingdom Hearts aside, as existing among other realities of the Cartoon Multiverse, and focus for the remainder of this entry on the proper Cartoon Universe, established by this film and the Toontown concept. So getting back to Disney, and it’s first category of Mickey Mouse, let’s discuss the “Mickey Mouse Universe”. This is not meant to imply a separate reality for Mickey, but meaning the group of characters that often are associated with Mickey Mouse. When it comes to the characters from the “Mickey Mouse Universe”, shorts from the early years had less crossovers, and it makes sense to list crossovers between the stars of the various shorts during those early decades. However, in the more modern era, seeing Mickey, Donald, Goofy and others is so common, that listing crossovers between them would be silly. Thus, for the characters of “the Mickey Mouse Universe”, crossovers between them will be listed only up to the debut of television’s Wonderful World of Disney in 1954. After that, appearances of characters from the Mickey Mouse Universe will not be listed as crossovers, but if, for example, a character from the Mickey Mouse Universe crosses with another series, that cross will be listed as a cross for that short character rather than a cross with the entire Mickey Mouse Universe. Of course, the first of the Mickey Mouse Universe to discuss would be Mickey Mouse. Mickey appears along other major animation icon Bugs Bunny in a scene involving Eddie falling out of a building. (Note that along with using the official styles of each characters, particularly in their 1947 versions, the characters were also mostly voiced by the voice actors who in 1988 were most known for providing that character’s voice.) Mickey first appeared in the animated short Steamboat Willie in 1928. He has since become the most iconic figure and mascot for Disney. He also shares my birthday. Based on the history of Mickey, there seems to be no indication that Mickey has ever lived outside of Toontown, which seems to have portals connecting it to Hollywood and most Disney theme parks of the Live Action Universe. In fact, you can visit Mickey’s Toontown as most Disney parks. As with the other characters I mention as crosses here, Mickey’s further history and connection to the Cartoon Universe is laid out throughout this book. In his life, he seems to have worked many jobs, including a time working for Interpol, but now seems to run Disney. Mickey’s girlfriend Minnie also appears, in a small cameo. She first appeared in Steamboat Willie as well. Goofy is a character that first appeared in the Mickey Mouse short Mickey’s Revue, originally called Dippy Dawg. (Perhaps his full name is Goofy Dippy Dawg.) Goofy was popular enough to get his own spin-off series. He would later work with Mickey for Interpol and become the super-heroic Super Goof, before finally settling down and becomeing a parent in Goof Troop. Pluto is Mickey’s dog. In the Cartoon Universe, there are anthropomorphic animals, and then there are also animals more like those in the Real Universe, though with relative higher degrees of intelligence. Pluto first appeared in the Chain Gang, but would later get his own spin off series of shorts. Horace Horsecollar also appears, who first appeared in the Mickey short The Plow Boy. Another of the Mickey Universe to appear is Clarabelle Cow. Clarabelle first appeared in Plane Crazy. Plane Crazy was actually the first Mickey Mouse cartoon created, but it tested poorly in test screenings. It eventually debuted publicly as the fourth official Mickey Mouse short in 1929. Clara Cluck, who also appears, first debuted in the Mickey short Orphan’s Benefit. The orphans from Orphan’s Benefit also appear. Note that Orphan’s Benefit has its own entry, as it’s the first time Mickey and Donald are seen together. Willie the Giant and the Golden Harp appear, who both originate from Mickey and the Beanstalk, an adaption of the classic Jack and the Beanstalk. This must be one of the numerous divergent timelines as demonstrated from Kingdom Hearts in which Mickey and friends existed in different forms in different time periods. But, they shouldn’t be the same divergent timelines from Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts demonstrates travel between worlds to be extremely difficult, while Roger Rabbit shows us the exact opposite. Donald Duck appears as a musical act partnered with Daffy Duck. Donald first appeared in 1934’s The Wise Little Hen. Though commonly associated as part of the “Mickey Mouse Universe”, he originated in this Silly Symphonies short, as a separate series star, and those Mickey and Donald are considered two separate series. Donald has lived a large part of his life in Toontown, but seems to have been born in nearby Duckberg (where life is like a hurricane). He also spent some time (off and on) in the Navy. Daisy Duck is Donald’s longtime girlfriend. She first appeared in 1940’s Mr. Duck Steps Out. Huey, Dewey and Louie also appear in a picture in a newspaper. They are Donald’s triplet nephews, the sons of Donald’s sister Della. They first appeared in the Donald Duck newspaper strip before coming to animation a few months later. They often visited Donald in the shorts, usually driving him crazy. Sometimes a fourth nephew, Phooey, appears. He was drawn by accident. He shouldn’t be canon. Later, it was explained that he was a freak incident of nature. A fourth nephew. Nothing more has been said of him, and it seems the Duck/McDuck family do not like to speak of him. The nephews would later live with Donald, until he left again for the navy in Duck Tales, after which they went to live with Uncle Scrooge McDuck. More recently, they have formed a boy band as seen in House of Mouse. This followed their finally aging to teenhood in the 1990s series Quack Pack. Jose Carioca makes a cameo. He was a friend of Donald’s first debuting in Saludos Amigos. Peter Pig first appeared in The Wise Little Hen with Donald Duck. He makes a cameo in the closing song from Roger Rabbit. Gus Goose is Donald’s cousin, who first appeared in the 1939 short Donald’s Cousin Gus. Donald’s flying jalopy from The Flying Jalopy also appears. Pete also appears. Pete first appears as a villain in Alice Solves the Puzzle. The Alice Comedies were about Alice, a girl from the Live Action Universe who found her way into the Cartoon Universe. Pete would later go on to be a villainous figure, often a nemesis to Mickey, Donald and Goofy, and later a neighbor of Goofy in Goof Troop. Chip ‘n’ Dale also appear in the film. Chip ‘n’ Dale started off as antagonists in Pluto cartoons, before moving on to pester Donald Duck. Eventually, they became the stars of their own shorts. Much later, you younger readers may be more familiar with them when they took on the role of Rescue Rangers. And they should not be confused with Chippendales, the adult entertainment club. Bucky Bug was a continuing character from Silly Symphonies whose “adventures” continued in the comic book Walt Disney's Comics and Stories. Humphrey the Bear was a character who first appeared in a Goofy short, but then became a regular character in a few Donald shorts before getting his own starring spin-off. Though four Humphrey shorts were created, only two were released as Disney discontinued their short animated theatrical films before the remainder made it out. Mr. Walker appears in Roger Rabbit. Mr. Walker is actually Goofy, from his “everyman films”, particularly in this case Motor Mania, where Goofy is a Jekyll and Hyde sort, transformed when he gets behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. Roger Rabbit seems to demonstrate Mr. Walker to be a separate character than Goofy, even if they are appear to be the same. The Merry Dwarfs also appear, who come from a Silly Symphony. The Flowers and Trees of the Silly Symphony of the same name also appear. The gnomes from Babes in the Woods, a Silly Symphony version of Hansel and Gretel, appear. There are numerous versions of Hansel and Gretel that make their way into the canon of the Cartoon Universe. So the question is, are they the same pair just portrayed in different interpretations, or are they different sets of siblings. At first, I wanted to cop out for simplicity and say that every interpretations should be the same pair, a theory I could then apply to all fairy tale characters, and by extension, all characters in animation that are based on characters that did not originate in animation. But, as we will soon get to, this very film demonstrates I have to consider them as separate as this film has both Bugs Bunny and the prototype version of Bugs Bunny as two separate characters. If they are different, then we have to consider that the Daffy Duck Robin Hood and the Disney fox Robin Hood are separate, that the Simpsons James Woods is not the James Woods from Family Guy, and that Mighty Mouse and Super Mouse are separate characters. And there is enough evidence to prove that out based on in-story examples. The sun seen in Toontown, thus the sun of the Cartoon Universe at least during that period, was the same sun from the Silly Symphony Father Noah’s Ark. Father Noah’s Ark is a retelling of the biblical tale of Noah and the Great Flood, which happened at some point in the past (and I’m not going to debate it on a religious scale). It would seem that this telling would be the official version of the Cartoon Universe. Oddly, though, later another version appears in Fantasia 2000, featuring what should be ancestors of Donald and Daisy. Thanks to Kingdom Hearts, though, we know that Donald exists in multiple realities, some of which place him in other time periods. So his Fantasia version likely exists in the established Fantasia alternate reality seen in Kingdom Hearts. So the Silly Symphony must be the main Cartoon Universe version. The Disney Silly Symphony versions of the Three Little PIgs, Zeke “Big Bad” Wolf, and Little Red Riding Hood also appear. Toby Tortoise appears, who was a recurring Silly Symphony character. The Water Babies also appear, who originate from a 1935 Silly Symphony short about water sprites. Jenny Wren (who resembles a bird version of Mae West) appears, who originated from the Silly Symphony Who Killed Cock Robin, based on the nursery rhyme of the same name. Elmer Elephant and Joe Giraffe from the Silly Symphony Elmer Elephant also appear. Ferdinand the Bull, also from a Silly Symphony, also appears, based on the Story of Ferdinand. Many characters from Fantasia also appear, including the broomsticks from the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Fantasia exists in an alternate reality based on Kingdom Hearts. Thus, that Mickey is a divergent version. It should be noted though that the main Cartoon Universe Mickey is often seen with the famous hat and using its power, specifically in promotions for the Wonderful World of Disney and Disney theme parks. I will argue that perhaps the main Cartoon Universe Mickey may have had a similar experience as his Fantasia counterpart, but they are still different versions from different realities. One of the Fantasia bits that crosses over here is the Nutcracker Suite. This would be the version from the Fantasia reality, which apparently can connect to the main Cartoon Universe as easily as other realities. Other version of the Nutcracker will also be crossed into this guide, and as we come across each, I will address how they all can coexist. Pedro (the Plane) also appears, who originated as a short segment in Saludos Amigos, later rereleased as an independent short. Emotion appears. Emotion resembles a caveman, but is in fact part of the human psyche, as seen in the World War II era short Reason and Emotion. Chicken Little appears, from the World War II era short of the same name, based on “The Sky is Falling” fable. The 2005 animated film will also get included via a valid cross with Kingdom Hearts. At that point, I’ll discuss further how both can be in, but I’m sure the two stories are different enough to not cause contradiction. Monte the Pelican also appears, who originated from the Pelican and the Snipe, a World War II era Silly Symphony. Peter from Peter and the Wolf appears. This short is based on the musical composition and fairy tale, and likely takes place in the “Enchanted Forest”. There are other versions that will make it in that likely take place in alternate dimensions. The animals from Johnny Appleseed appear, but not Johnny himself. Johnny Appleseed was a short included as a segment in Melody Time. Though the film came out in 1948, the animals could still have existed in 1947, when Roger Rabbit takes place. And in fact, Johnny Appleseed takes place in the 18th Century, so their appearance is not at all anachronistic. If anything, those animals are just very long lived. The apartments and skyscrapers from Little House appear. Little House is a short that came out in 1952, but based on a story from 1942. Babe the Blue Ox from Disney’s 1958 Paul Bunyan short appears. Since the story of Paul Bunyan comes from folklore that existed prior to his first print appearance in 1916, the appearance is not an anachronism. The second Disney category is Disney Princess. According to Kingdom Hearts, all of the princesses exist in alternate realities which do not interact. However, Toontown based shows (following the Roger Rabbit tradition) such as House of Mouse and Drawn Together, portray the princesses not only living on the same world, but also living contemporary to each other in our present day. We must assume as with Mickey and company that the Kingdom Hearts worlds are divergent realities, while the Cartoon Universe is the main reality. According to Drawn Together, the “Magic Kingdoms” are accessible via portals accesssible at Disney parks, much as Toontown is. Applying what we know from Roger Rabbit, House of Mouse, and Drawn Together, and applying some other Disney based information from similarly themed Kingdom Hearts and Once Upon a Time, we might be able to come to a workable theory, and thus I shall try. Note, this is only a theory, based on what in-story information we have to go on. We already know that the Cartoon Universe itself seems to be made up of several overlapping realities. It could be that the realities of these Disney Princesses indeed exist in separate realities, very much as depicted in Kingdom Hearts, but unlike Kingdom Hearts, they are accessible to each other through a magical “Enchanted Forest” that lies between them all, in a manner that may make them all contemporary with each other as like on Once Upon a Time. This would mean this Fairy Tale Land exists in a seperate reality outside the Cartoon Universe, but that connects to the Cartoon Universe in a manner similar to the Live Action Universe. Because time operates differently there in Fairy Tale Land, as it operates differently in the Cartoon Universe, the stories can happen “once upon a time” and in contemporary times. Placing fairy tales in a separate but connecting reality can then also help explain the Hansel and Gretel dilemma above. Perhaps there is more than one version of Fairy Tale Land out there. Surely, if Mickey can exist in mutliple realities, so can Snow and Cinderella. Thus, not all versions of fairy tales seen are the same. They are likely all alternate versions from different pocket realities that connect to the Cartoon Universe. Snow White, the Evil Queen, the Seven Dwarfs, and the forest animals from Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs appear. In the real world, Snow White was published in 1812, but likely came from earlier folklore. In the world of Disney, it seems as though the story takes place in some ambiguous “once upon a time”, and yet at the same time contemporary with other stories and characters from Disney of the same time as the Disney film release in 1937. (I’m not even going to go into the Once Upon a Time version’s timeline...for now. Shrek is another similar situation that will later be discussed.) Pinnochio also appears. Pinnochio, Jiminy Cricket and Lampwick also come from one of the “Magic Kingdoms” of the “Enchanted Forest”. Several characters from Wonderland appear. Disney’s Alice likely comes from the main Cartoon Universe, while Wonderland is a pocket reality attached to the Cartoon Universe similar to Fairy Tale Land, but those two realities are clearly different realms. Tinkerbell appears at the end, doing her classic Disney film ending, along with John Darling and a rhino from Peter Pan. Peter Pan came out in 1953. But it takes place in 1900. Neverland is another real like Fairy Tale Land and Wonderland. The Darlings, like Alice, must come from the main Cartoon Universe. Some goons and birds from Sleeping Beauty appear. Aurora (who is the Sleeping Beauty) comes from another of the Magic Kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest. Next we move to Disney’s third category, for other animated projects. The first of which is the Reluctant Dragon. Both the Dragon and Giles appear. The Reluctant Dragon was actually a short animated film that was part of a larger film of the same name that consisted of a live action tour of Disneyland, The Reluctant Dragon film, and three other animated shorts that are all not at all connected. Several characters from Dumbo appear in Roger Rabbit, including the flying elephant himself, who in this film is on loan from Disney to Maroon Studios and only works for peanuts. Of course, in this sense, one might wonder if the cartoons these toons were in were considered fictional within the Roger Rabbit film, especially since Roger’s shorts certainly seemed to be. But for the most part, every toon maintains the same characteristics behind the scenes (except for Baby Herman.) Based on later appearances of Toontown, we have to consider that appearances of toons here bring in their main canon, and that they must have made films based upon their real exploits and all starred as themselves in these films. Several Bambi characters also appear, including the title character. Bambi appears in his more youthful state, as seen in the bulk of his first animated film. In fact, almost every crossover appearance of Bambi shows him at that age, even in the modern era. We know that toons age differently than we of the real world, or even our fictional counterparts of the Live Action Universe. So it seems as though the ending of Bambi, where he is grown takes place in a future that hasn’t come to pass (and at least in one divergent timeline, doesn’t, thanks to Godzilla!) Many of the animated characters from Song of the South appear. Those animated characters for most of Song of the South appear to be fictional stories told by Uncle Remus of the Live Action main portion of the film. But by end, it’s clear they really exist, thus they must be from the Cartoon Universe while Uncle Remus and the live action portions are in the Live Action Universe. So Dear to My Heart, though not a sequel, was a follow up to Song of the South in theme. It featured a live action story with animation used in story telling. The animated characters appear in Roger Rabbit, but using Song of the South, we can assume the same relationship between the Cartoon and Live Action Universes apply. Though the film was released in 1949, the story took place in 1903, thus no anachronisms are present in this instance. Mr. Toad and Proudbottom appear from Ichabod and Mr. Toad, a film that featured two separate stories that were unrelated. Only the Mr. Toad portion is included here. The film is based on Wind in the Willows and takes place in 1906, even though it came out in 1949. A silouhite of Mary Poppins and penguin waiters from the same film appear in Roger Rabbit. Mary Poppins did not come out until 1964, but the story took place in 1910, thus there is no anachronism here. This crossover appearance implies that the animated characters from that film come from the Cartoon Universe while the main story takes place in the Live Action Universe. Characters from the Jungle Book also appear. The Jungle Book came out in 1967 but is set in the 19th century, so there are no anachronisms here. Piglet appears, from 1966’s Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. However, since the original story by A.A. Milne takes place in 1926, there isn’t an anachronism. So now that we’ve covered Disney, it’s time to move onto their biggest competitor, Warner Brothers and their Looney Tunes characters. As with the Mickey Mouse Universe, there is a cut off when I will stop listing crossovers between individual stars of Looney Tunes shorts. I’m choosing 1960’s television debut of the Bugs Bunny Show. Any crossovers of Looney Tunes stars with other Looney Tunes stars will be listed if they were before that date, but not after. Before getting into Looney Tunes series, first there’s a sort of crossover with Looney Tunes as a whole. Sort of. The song “The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down” is sung twice, with different words, in Roger Rabbit. The first time it is sung by Roger as he entertains in a bar, and the second by Eddie to make the weasels die laughing. You may think you don’t know the song, but it’s the famed theme song for Looney Tunes. It was written in 1937 and became the Looney Tunes theme the same year, and has been associated with the Looney Tunes ever since. OK, so now onto the characters, and we start with the number one star of Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny. Bugs Bunny, as stated earlier, appears with Mickey in one scene. They also appear with a group of toons at the close of the film. Bugs first appeared in the 1940 short A Wild Hare. However, in 1938, a prototype of Bugs appeared in a Porky short called Porky’s Hare Hunt. In Roger Rabbit, the Bugs Bunny prototype also appears, as a separate character, and so we must assume them to be two different individuals with similar appearance and characteristics. So Bugs is not a spin-off character of Porky Pig. But he is. The prototype is named Happy Rabbit, and later got his own shorts where he faced a hunter who was a prototype for Elmer Fudd named Egghead. Egghead first appeared in Egghead rides again. Since Happy and Bugs are considered separate, Egghead is not Elmer, though some shorts with Happy and Egghead have been considered to be Bugs and Elmer. Elmer officially appeared in 1940’s Elmer’s Candid Camera. In that film short, Elmer clashed with Bug’s prototype Happy. This would seem to make Elmer a spin-off of Happy who is a spin-off of Porky, but I think it’s clear that history sees Elmer as a member of the Bugs Bunny Rogues Gallery, and thus any appearances of Elmer is a reference to the Bugs Bunny series. Another of Bugs’ rogues to appear is Yosemite Sam, who leaps over the wall dividing Toon Toon from Hollywood after his rear end catches fire. Sam first appeared in Super-Rabbit. Mama Bear appears. This is the Looney Tunes Mama Bear from the short Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears. In this short, the three bears are almost identical to the Goldilocks fairy tale, but they are not the same. They are, however, aware of the fairy tale, and though cartoon logic, assume that if they attempt to reenact the classic tale, a little girl will come along for them to eat. But Mama Bear is out of porridge and makes carrot soup instead, which instead lures Bugs. Another of Bugs’ rogues to appear is Marvin the Martian. It’s interesting that Marvin would be in Toontown in 1947 when Bugs wouldn’t meet Marvin until 1948 in Haredevil Hare. Though Marvin is most well known for matching wits with Bugs, he would also feature in Daffy’s fictional accounts of Duck Dodgers, and ironically, would later be a foe of Daffy when he actually takes on the role of Duck Dodgers. Another rogue to appears is Toro the Bull, from Bully for Bugs, a short from 1953, so at this point in Roger Rabbit, Bugs and Toro have not officially met yet. During Roger Rabbit, at one point, Eddie uses Bugs’ famous catchphrase, “What’s up, Doc?” Daffy Duck appears with Donald in a dueling pianists scene. Daffy is a spin-off character who comes from Porky’s series, debuting in 1937’s Porky’s Duck Hunt. However, Daffy is such a grandiose character that I feel it would be unbefitting him to not give him his own recognition as a series star in his own right, and so I am not considering his appearance here as a cross with Porky Pig, but with Daffy Duck. Only Daffy could make me break my own rules. Speaking of Porky Pig, Porky is one of the older of the famed Looney Tunes. He first debuted in 1935’s I Haven’t Got a Hat. He appears in Roger Rabbit, working in Toontown as a cop, and for seemingly the first time, ends a show with his famous stuttering “That’s all, folks!” This phrase seems to have evolved. Originally, Jerry the Troublesome Tyke’s cartoon’s ended with “And That’s All!” In 1929, Warner Brothers started ending their Bosko with “So long, Folks!” and in 1930, “That’s all, Folks!” was said by Bosko at the end of the short. Other characters used one of the two variations up until the late 1930s at the ends of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts, but Bugs would usually end with “And dat’s de end!” in his Brooklyn accent. It’s interesting to note Porky has a stutter because his original voice actor, Joe Dougherty, had a stutter, and it was easier to just go with it rather than edit it. Porky’s stutter so defined him that Mel Blanc continued it when he took over as Porky’s voice. Yoyo Dodo also appears, who originated from Porky in Wackyland. Wackyland may actually be the same 5th dimensional world that Mr. Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite come from. Tweety and Sylvester both appear. Though I consider Tweety & Sylvester as a single series, the two originally started as separate series. Tweety first appeared in 1942’s a Tale of Two Kitties while Sylvester debuted in 1945’s Life with Feathers. The two first appeared together in 1947’s Tweetie Pie. Another Looney Tunes character to appear is Gracie the Fighting Kangaroo. Gracie is the mother of Hippety Hopper, and first appeared in Pop ‘Im Pop. This was also the appearance of Sylvester’s son, Sylvester Junior, and was part of a series of shorts to team up Sylvester and Hippety Hopper as adversaries, Sylvester mistaking the baby kangaroo for a giant mouse. Hippety first appeared in Hop, Look and Listen. Pop ‘Im Pop debuted in 1950 and Hop, Look and Listen in 1948. Roger Rabbit must take place before Hippety was born. Foghorn Leghorn also appears, who first appeared in 1946’s Walky Talky Hawky. Also appearing are the Goofy Gophers who first appeared in the short of the same name from 1947. The Road Runner appears, along with his nemesis, Wile E. Coyote. Both first appeared in 1949’s Fast and Furry-ous. Though they first appeared two years after Roger Rabbit is set, that doesn’t necessarily make any continuity conflicts. Their first short did not seem to be the first time the two have matched wits, so they may have lived out in the desert near Toontown for some time prior to their first short. One of the main characters of Who Framed Roger Rabbit is Marvin Acme. He is an original character from the film, but his character was the founder of the Acme Corporation, most famously known as the supplier of Wile E. Coyote’s various gadgets. In the real world, Acme first became a popular name for various businesses once the phone book was invented, in order to have their business listed first. Usually, this led to people ordering items, such as anvils, from catalogues that would bear the Acme logo. The first known appearance of Acme in fiction was in the 1920 silent film, Neighbors, with Buster Keaton. It has appeared numerous times in fiction. Since Acme is real, I don’t consider them all to be crossovers, unless it’s a clear crossover reference, such as in the case of Marvin Acme. Acme products have been used by Wile E. Coyote since his first appearance and at that point the name of Acme became most identified with Road Runner cartoons. Another connection between Roger Rabbit and the Road Runner happens at a scene at an Acme warehouse. One of the items is an animated black hole, that when place on a surface, actually becomes a real hole in that surface. This comes from the common animation gag of drawing a tunnel on a rock and making it a real tunnel, popularized in the Road Runner cartoons. Another Looney Tunes toon to appear who has super-speed abilities like the Road Runner is Speedy Gonzalez. Speedy first debuted in 1953’s Cat-Tails for Two, a parody of Of Mice and Men, with cat versions of Lennie and George. Speedy typically lives in Mexico, but apparently lived for a time in Toontown prior to his official debut. Speedy would later become a regular foe/partner in shorts with Daffy Duck and Sylvester. Marc Antony also appears. Marc Antony is a big bulldog, who is extremely protective of the cute little kitten Pussyfoot (sometimes also called Kitty or Cleo). The pair first appeared in 1952’s Feed the Kitty. This is when they first met, so it makes sense that Marc Antony is appearing in Roger Rabbit without his cute partner. Sam Sheepdog also appears, who was usually partnered up with Ralph Wolf in shorts. Ralph Wolf looks nearly identical to Wile E. Coyote, but they are not the same. They have different accents and speech patterns, and different colored eyes. They also have slightly different personalities. A Looney Tunes comic book from DC Comics revealed that Wile and Ralph are in fact cousins. Also appearing in Roger Rabbit is George the Fox, from Of Fox and Hounds. Of Fox and Hounds was also the debut of Willoughby the Dog. Michigan J. Frog also appears, who debuted in One Froggy Evening from 1955, thus this is his earliest chronological appearance. However, there is a continuity hiccup. In G.L. Gick’s story “The Werewolf of Rutherford Grange”, it’s revealed that Michigan was placed in that box and trapped in the building when it was build in the 1800s, and then discovered when the building was demolished in 1955. So this can’t be Michigan. One popular fan theory is that the frog seen, though intended to be Michigan, may actually be Fennimore Frog, from DC Comics’ Dodo and the Frog. Fennimore looks nearly identical to Michigan and it would explain away the continuity problem. Fennimore in fact first appeared in DC Comics in 1947, and was one of the more popular “funny stuff” characters at DC. In the 1980s, it was established that Fennimore existed on Earth-C, as part of the DC Multiverse. More recently, Earth-C has been renamed Earth-26, and is shown to still exist as part of DC’s New 52 multiverse. For the purposes of this book, we might assume that the Cartoon Universe and Earth-C/26 are not the same, but the pre-Captain Carrot Dodo and the Frog may have existed in both realities. Next we move into the characters who originated from MGM, though I believe they are now owned by Warner Bros. The first to discuss is Droopy. Droopy appears in Toontown operating an elevator. Droopy debuted in 1943’s Dumb-Hounded. The wolf from Dumb Hounded was meant to appear during the scene where Jessica Rabbit is performing, but it was cut. In Red Hot Riding Hood, it was revealed the wolf who was an adversary of Droopy was also the wolf from one variant version of Little Red Riding Hood that began in the traditional manner but then diverged into an alternate modernized retelling of the story. George, one half of the George and Junior team, appears. George and Junior were bears based on George and Lennie from Of Mice and Men. They debuted in 1946’s Henpecked Hoboes. The octopus from the George and Junior short Half-Pint Pygmy also appears in Roger Rabbit, working as a bartender. Since Half-Pint Pygmy was released in 1948, George and Junior have not yet encountered the octopus at this point. Screwy Squirrel appears in a framed picture on Lena Hyena’s wall and is also mentioned by a bar patron in Roger Rabbit. Screwy debuted in 1944’s Screwball Squirrel. Screwy’s adversary, Meathead Dog, also appears, sniffing around the Maroon Studios lot. Tom and Jerry were originally meant to appear, seen comforting each other at Marvin Acme’s funeral, but that scene was cut. However, since it was the writer’s and director’s intention to include them originally, I’m still counting appearance that were put in then cut as crossovers. Tom and Jerry debuted in 1940’s Puss Gets the Boot (where Tom was named Jasper and Jerry was named Jinx!) Another stronger connection between Tom and Jerry and Roger Rabbit occurs through the appearance of the witch from The Flying Sorceress, a Tom and Jerry short which was released in 1956, meaning the famous cat and mouse have not yet encountered her at this point. Spike also appears in Roger Rabbit. Spike is a supporting character in Tom and Jerry. He is a dog owned by the same family that owns Tom. Sometimes he is called Butch or just Bulldog. He has a son named Tyke. He first appeared in 1942’s Dog Trouble. Interestingly, his temporary name change to Butch occurred when Droopy gained a nemesis in 1949 named Spike who was nearly identical to Tom and Jerry’s Spike. Since that second Spike debuted in 1949, we can be assured that the Spike in Roger Rabbit is the one who debuted in 1942. The second Spike confusingly also was sometimes renamed Butch, and for a time spun off into his own series of shorts. Despite the shared name and appearance, they were separate characters. However, likely due to confusion from the next generation of animators, in the short lived 1980s Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, the two were conflated. Based on that, we could assume that both versions of Spike/Butch were always the same character, if not for Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring and later Tom and Jerry movies in which the two dogs were again shown to be separate characters. So how then to explain that brief period of two years (1980 - 1982) when they were conflated? Since they were identical in almost every way, perhaps they were indeed identical brothers, one living a domesticated life with Tom and Jerry, while the other a more sinister path as Droopy’s constant adversary. In the Tom and Jerry Show, though seemingly the same character, he appeared in separate Tom and Jerry segments and Droopy segments, so it’s easy to presume the Tom and Jerry segments featured one brother and the Droopy segments featured the other. So which is Spike and which is Butch. It seems they both shared both names, but in the more recent canon, Tom’s pesky nemesis is named Butch and Droopy’s foe is named Spike. However, it’s safe to assume that whatever they were called, the characters they interacted with (Tom and Jerry or Droopy) determines which of the brothers we see. But in the Tom and Jerry films, they make clear that it’s Tom and Jerry’s friend and not Droopy’s foe, despite the bulldog’s interactions with Droopy. So that wraps up MGM. Let’s now discuss characters that originated from Paramount Pictures/Fleischer/Famous Studios. The company started off as Fleischer Studios, but when Paramount bought out the company in 1942, it was renamed Famous Studios. In 1956, it became Paramount Cartoon Studios. The first to discuss is Betty Boop. Boop oop a doop. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) Betty Boop first appeared in 1930’s Dizzy Dishes. In Roger Rabbit, she is now working as a cigarette girl because she didn’t make the transition to color like other toons and so she has a hard time finding work in cartoons. In Roger Rabbit, she is still in black and white. Eddie Valiant, who prior to 1942, worked regularly in Toontown, seemed to be old friends with Betty, and though he hated most toons (due to one killing his brother), he was still extremely friendly to Betty. Wiffle Piffle also appears, who was one of the recurring antagonists in Betty Boop cartoons. Koko the Clown also appears, a character who debuted in 1919! His debut was in Out of the Inkwell, where the character would interact with his creator, Max Fleischer, another demonstration that toons were once aware of their fictionality, and that indeed the Cartoon Universe is a tulpa type reality brought to life based on the imaginations of people from the Live Action Universe. In the modern era, it seems that toons have lost their awareness of their relationship to the Live Action Universe, or at least they don’t talk about it as much. One very interesting cameo is that of the Noveltoons Joker, a jack-in-the-box that became the mascot of Noveltoons, and later Harvey Comics, starting in 1943. What’s interesting is the mascot only appeared as the opening logo for the cartoons, and on Harvey covers and in ads. Roger Rabbit is its only actual story appearance that I have found. Technically, though, and later entries will prove this point, even television commercials and print advertising has a place in the Cartoon Universe canon. Popeye also appears in the deleted scene at the funeral, along with Olive and Bluto. Popeye originated from the comic strip called Thimble Theatre. Thimble Theatre was a comic strip created in 1919, in which Popeye was first introduced in 1929. He soon became the star due to his popularity, and the strip was renamed after him. His first appearance in a cartoon was actually in the Betty Boop short Popeye the Sailor, in which Popeye literally came out to the comics and into the cartoon world. This would make the animated Popeye both an adaption of the comic strip, and a spin-off of Betty Boop, but due to his popularity and being the longest lived of the Fleischer Studios series, he does not get treated as a spin-off in this reference guide. The strip and cartoon, though similar, had enough differences to maintain that while the animated Popeye may exists in the Cartoon Universe, his comic version likely takes place in some alternate reality. In fact, his first animated appearance may have been that of his comic counterpart, considering the circumstances, with all his other animated appearances being that of the Cartoon Universe counterpart. Casper was also cut from his appearance at the funeral. The animated Casper is based on a children’s book from 1939. His first animated debut was in 1945. The cartoons made some changes from the book, so that we must consider the book to exist in some alternate reality. The Casper of the Cartoon Universe lives with other ghosts in a haunted house in the woods outside a community which is probably Toontown. He is actually not a dead human. In this case, ghosts are a separate supernatural species. Casper’s parents were also ghosts. The later Harvey Comics version is also a different reality. There, Casper lives in an Enchanted Forest, where fairytale characters exist. Likewise, the later live action films portray Casper as a dead boy named Casper McFadden, so these also take place in an alternate universe. (Note in the latter’s case, the live action films are referenced in my last book, the Horror Crossover Encyclopedia, as existing in the Horror Universe due to a crossover in the first of those films with Ghostbusters.) Superman also appears at the deleted funeral scene, comforting Mighty Mouse. This is the Fleischer Studios version of Superman. For the purposes of this reference guide, every different variation of Superman will be considered as a separate series, whether in animation or other mediums. Roger Rabbit only brings in at this time the version from the 1940s Fleischer/Famous shorts. This version of Superman originally could not fly, but by the end of the series could. He operated out of Manhattan rather than Metropolis. Other later entries (meaning post 1940s era, so you may have already read them if you are reading this in release date order) will reveal other versions of Superman existing in the same Cartoon Universe, while others seem to exist in alternate realities. The Superman of the various series tied to the main Cartoon Universe, whether it be from the Fleischer shorts, the New Adventures of Superman, the Super Friends, the 1988 Superman, or various cameos and guest appearances in other cartoons, are all the same Superman. While in my previous work with the Horror Universe (and before that the Television Crossover Universe), continuity was very important. In the Cartoon Universe, it’s been demonstrated that this is a reality with very flexible rules. Thus, it’s very possible that the characteristics of Superman could change over time, and seem different when viewed from the perspectives of different characters and communities of the Cartoon Universe. So the Superman appearing (almost) in Roger Rabbit could indeed be the same Superman who pops up from time to time in Family Guy! As we get to more Superman cartoon appearances, I will explore this issue some more. The Fox and the Crow are the only crossover from Columbia Pictures...and their scene was cut. They were to appear in Toontown when Eddie is looking for Jessica. But the crossover is still valid, so we can discuss them. They first appeared in 1941 in a modernized adaptation of the Aesop fairy tale. The duo continued to appear into shorts until 1950, but their legacy lasted even longer in comics. DC Comics gained the license for the characters and started the Fox and Crow as a comic series starting in 1945, when the golden age of super-heroes was dying down and being replaced by funny animals and westerns. The characters continued to be published by DC well into the 1960s. They would still continue to be referenced (as fictional) within the main DC Universe for decades after. Unlike with Popeye and Casper, the Fox and the Crow comic does seem to be the same version as the cartoons and so fits nicely in the Cartoon Universe. It should be noted that while DC Comics has established Earth-C (later Earth-26) as the home of their funny animal characters, the Fox and the Crow were never actually demonstrated to exist on Earth-C (26) until the Captain Carrot mini-series The Final Arc, a tie in to their Final Crisis series. There, they were shown to be part of Earth-26, the New 52 version of Earth-C. Earth-26 still exists as demonstrated by the recent Multiversity mini-series. Since the New 52 is a self-contained multiverse with a specific group of 52 alternate realities, it does not necessarily work with the Cartoon Multiverse. Which is good, because Earth-C/26 is a demonstratively different reality than the Cartoon Universe. Likely, the Cartoon Multiverse and DC’s New 52 are both multiverses within a larger Omniverse. Moving on to Universal Studios/Walter Lantz, we have an appearance by Woody Woodpecker, who first debuted in 1940’s Knock Knock. Buzz Buzzard is also seen. Though a recurring foe of Woody, at the time in which Roger Rabbit is set, Woody and Buzz (hey, Woody and Buzz, get it? Toy Story) have not yet crossed paths. Buzz first appeared in the 1948 Woody short Wet Blanket Policy. Papa Panda also appears, the father of Andy Panda. Both Andy and Papa debuted in Life Begins for Andy Panda in 1939. Chilly Willy is also mentioned by a man in the bar who is mocking Eddie’s clientele. Chilly Willy didn’t debut until 1953, but apparently he was still well known in Hollywood in 1947 to get referenced by the man in the bar. The bar patron also mentions Dinky Doodle, who first appeared in 1924. He also refers to Bo Peep. Bo Peep is of course a nursery rhyme, but since he’s referring to toons, it’s likely he means the Bo Peep from 1942’s Mother Goose on the Loose. Next we move on to Terrytoons, starting with Mighty Mouse, who was part of the cut funeral scene, where he was comforting Superman. Technically, Mighty Mouse first appeared, as Super Mouse, in 1942’s Mouse of Tomorrow. He was renamed Mighty Mouse in 1944’s The Wreck of the Hesperus. The Mighty Mouse comic book from Marvel Comics in the 1990s however made canon that Super Mouse was actually an alternate Earth doppelganger of Mighty Mouse. They were two distinct characters, much like the difference between the golden age/Earth-2 Superman and his later silver age/Earth-1 counterpart. Super Mouse is nicknamed Terry the First, and he doesn’t talk, while on the other hand, Mighty Mouse tends to sing...a lot. Both characters have had numerous varied origin stories, any of which could be correct given the nature of how the Cartoon Universe works. Heckle and Jeckle also appear, for debuted in 1946’s The Talking Magpies. The Temperamental Lion, from the 1939 short of the same name, appears in the final scene of Roger Rabbit. Thus far, all the crosses we’ve discussed make sense for an animated crossover story set in 1947. The next crossover to discuss seems more forced than logical. It’s like they said, “Hey, they gave us permission, so let’s do it. Who cares if it makes sense.” I’m talking about Garfield, who makes a “blink and you’ll miss him” cameo. Garfield. Yes, Garfield. He hates Mondays and historical continuity. He loves lasagna and illogical cameos. Garfield first appeared in a comic strip by Jim Davis in 1978. His leap to animation was 1982’s Here Comes Garfield. His animated appearances mostly fit perfectly in the same continuity as the comic strip, so both are considered part of the same canon. So why is Garfield in 1947 Toontown? How is Garfield in 1947 Toontown? Toons do age much slower than people in the real world, or even the Live Action Universe, so it could be Garfield is that old, and this is his earliest chronological appearance. But time travel seems to at times be relatively easy in the Cartoon Universe as well. And it doesn’t even have to make sense. So this may be 1988 Garfield popping back to 1947 for the sole purpose of making a cameo? So which is it? Doesn’t matter. All that matters is that Garfield is there, and thus Garfield is brought into the Cartoon Universe. Finally from Terry Toons is Gandy Goose. Gandy first appeared in 1938’s The Owl and the Pussycat and was often teamed with Sourpuss. From King Features Syndicate, only Felix the Cat is representing. Felix first appeared in 1919’s Feline Follies. United Features Syndicate also only has one representative, and that is Li’l Abner. Li’l Abner started as a comic strip, created by Al Capp, that began in 1934. In 1944, he transitioned to animated shorts that didn’t contradict the comic strip, thus we can conclude his appearance brings in both the strip and shorts as part of the same canon. The final group to discuss are the characters from Hanna-Barbera. Only two make it into Roger Rabbit, and both anachronistic. The first is Yakky Doodle. Yakky did have his own series, but he was a spin-off character, first appearing in an Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy segment of the Quick Draw McGraw Show in 1959. The other is Scooby-Doo! (Exclamation point apparently required.) Scooby first appeared in 1969 in television’s Scooby-Doo, Where are You! The same explanations apply as for Garfield. I do understand that Hanna-Barbera did not take off as a studio in its own right until 1957, but is one of the major classic animation studios, and so they felt it needed some representation.

February 1954--BEWITCHED--"George Washington Zapped Here"--Esmerelda pulls George Washington from the past.  President Washington also appears in THE MUNSTERS, THE MUPPET SHOW:  SEX AND VIOLENCE, VOYAGERS, WILD WILD WEST, FUTURAMA, TIME SQUAD, and AN AMERICAN CAROL.

THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN (LIVE ACTION MUPPET FILM)

Release Date: July 13, 1984 (See notes for setting)

Series: Muppet Show

Animated Series Crosses: Muppet Babies

Other Crosses: Sesame Street; Fraggle Rock

The Story: The muppets have a very successful play in college. Upon graduation, they move to New York to try to get the play on Broadway.

Notes: This film presents a different origin for the muppets than what was presented in the Muppet Movie. Kermit has said in one interview that the circumstances of how he met Miss Piggy changes depending on what movie you watch, implying that any of them could be the true origin, as if the timeline keeps shifting. That would imply that this film may take place in the Live Action Universe, in the past, prior to the start of the Muppet Show, and probably even before the start of the first appearances of Kermit and Rowlf on various talk and variety shows. In the closing, characters from Sesame Street appear. Kermit himself was a regular on Sesame Street. Also appearing is Uncle Travelling Matt, from Fraggle Rock, which makes sense. On Fraggle Rock, Uncle Matt is older than the other Fraggles and the only Fraggle who has ever left Fraggle Rock to explore the world of humans. One complication here is that this film also introduces the Muppet Babies, in a live action flashback. This little cameo would spin-off into an animated series. This is complicated because the Muppets are clearly in the Live Action Universe while the Muppet Babies have been established in the Cartoon Universe. Also, the animated Muppet Babies takes place in the 1980s, but if this film takes place circa the early 1970s or so, then the Muppet Babies should have been in the 1950s or earlier. I can only conclude that the Muppet Babies here are from one of the divergent timelines of the Live Action Universe of which Kermit referred to in that interview, while the animated series exists separate from this film within the Cartoon Universe.

1954--THE MUPPET MOVIE--Though it came out in 1979, it takes place before Kermit got famous.  Kermit first started appearing on talk shows in 1955.  This movie shows how he got from the swamps to Hollywood, thus it should be placed here.  During their trip to Hollywood, Kermit and Fozzie stop to offer Big Bird a ride.  He declines, saying he's on his way to New York, to break into public broadcasting.  This shows us that Big Bird was not originally from Sesame Street.  This explains why Little Bird is the only similar type of his species to live there (and Little bird didn't arrive until the 1970s.)  Big Bird, arriving in New York, must have found he wasn't accepted by New Yorkers, until he found Sesame Street.  Once Big Bird found his home, he made it his mission to tell others how to get to Sesame Street.  Clearly, it was Big Bird who continued to advocate for the next 15 years until finally PBS agreed to do a live daily educational reality program on Sesame Street. The Sesame Street gang made co-star cameos in the first three Muppet films. (The Muppet Movie featured Big Bird and some of the whole gang, The Great Muppet Caper featured Oscar the Grouch and The Muppets Take Manhattan featured nearly and entirely the whole gang, including Bert and Ernie and the Cookie Monster!)

1957 to 1966--THE JIMMY DEAN SHOW--Rolf frequently appeared on this show as part of his rich and famous contract.


1962--TALES OF THE TINKERDEE--Kermit hosts this fairy tale.


November 27, 1966--THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW--Kermit appears.


January 15, 1967--THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW--Kermit appears.

1967--OUR PLACE--Rolf is a regular on this show.


December 1968--THAT'S LIFE--"Bringing Baby Home"--Kermit appears on this show.  I don't know much about it, but it had fictional characters.  I think it might have been a sitcom.




1969--SESAME STREET PITCH REEL--This is kind of the pilot for that reality show called Sesame Street.  Kermit hosted the Sesame Street News.  I suppose he was to Sesame Street what Chevy Chase was to SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.  Well, except that Kermit was  serious news man.

SESAME STREET (LIVE ACTION TELEVISION SERIES)

Release Date: July 1969 - Ongoing at time of writing

Series: Sesame Street

The Story: Sesame Street is a neighborhood in New York City where humans interact with muppets, monsters, and talking animals. Usually, topics of conversation are letters, numbers, and concepts like cooperation.

Notes: This series takes place for the most part in the Live Action Universe. I had put a lot of thought into whether to include puppetry series as animated series that counted as crossover connections, but the consensus of my consulting think tank was that puppets shouldn’t count. (This from the same group that convinced me video games should count.) On Sesame Street, there have been numerous guest animated shorts, that are not technically part of the Sesame Street canon, but rather were self-contained. Many of these in fact were continuations of other series canon, but since they are stand-alone, they were not crossovers and thus don’t get write-ups. Some of these cartoons included the New Adventures of Batman, The New Adventures of Superman, The Archie Show, and Beetle Bailey. There have been numerous others as well.

1971--PURE GOLDIE--Goldie Hawn is the star of this special that also features an appearance by Kermit the Frog.


1971--EVENING AT THE POPS--Kermit and the cast of Sesame Street appear here.


1972--TALES FROM MUPPETLAND:  THE MUPPET MUSICIANS OF BREMEN--Kermit hosts this story of four animals trying to better their situation.


1973 to Present--SASAMSTRABE--German version of Sesame Street that Kermit occasionally guests on.


1974--JULIE ON SESAME STREET--Julie Andrews visits Sesame Street.  Kermit is a regular on Sesame Street.


1974--THE MUPPETS VALENTINE SHOW--Includes an appearance from Ernie.


1975--MUPPET PICKER UPPER--Three skits performed by the Muppets.


1975--JULIE ANDREWS:  ONE TO ONE--A Julie Andrews special in which Kermit appears.



1975 to 1976--SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE--Little known fact.  The first season of Saturday Night Live featured the Muppets as regulars, thus SNL Season 1 could be considered Muppet Show season 0.


1976--THE KENNY EVERETT SHOW--As a sort of way to launch the upcoming variety show, the muppets do their thing on daytime talk radio.


1976--THE MUPPET SHOW--"Sex and Violence"--The pilot for the Muppet Show features a guest appearance from Bert.  Bert makes another appearance on the show this year.  George Washington appears, but his appearance is an actor playing him, thus his actual appearance here would be in the MUPPET UNIVERSE, which is the fictional world of stories in which the Muppets appear.



1976 to 1981--MUPPET SHOW--The muppets put on a variety show.  As I've stated in my SESAME STREET blog, these aren't puppets in the TVCU.  They are real mutant anthropomorphic animals, monsters, and weirdos.  The name Muppet is like calling the original SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE cast members Not Ready for Prime-Time Players.  Every week featured a celebrity guest host, and I'm not going to list them all.  It should be noted each of those guest stars are the TVCU counterparts of celebrities from our real universe.

DRAWN TOGETHER (ANIMATED SERIES)

SEASON 3 EPISODE 11 “DRAWN TOGETHER BABIES”

Release Date:  October 25, 2007 (Setting is about 30 years prior, circa 1977, but still contemporary…  The Drawn Together cast as babies)

Other Crosses:  Flipper

The Story:  The Drawn Together cast all lived together, being raised by the same parents, as babies.  The origins behind their personalities are revealed.

Notes:  This is a parody of Muppet Babies, and the overall trend that followed of younger versions of cartoon characters.  This episode contradicts the rest of the series and has never been referenced in any other episode, so may not be canon.  But considering the plot of the Drawn Together Movie, these may have been animated clones.  This episode should take place when the cast members are children, but there is no indication that it doesn’t still take place in a contemporary setting, except perhaps that Flipper appears.  Flipper was the dolphin star of a television series of the same name that ran in the 1960s, and a version of that series must have also existed in the Cartoon Universe, or whatever reality this episode take place in.  

1977--THE BOB HOPE ALL-STAR CHRISTMAS COMEDY SPECIAL--With guest appearance from the Muppets.

December 1977--EMMET OTTER'S JUG-BAND CHRISTMAS--Kermit hosts and narrates this story about a poor family trying to raise money for Christmas.

Spring 1978--JULIE ANDREWS:  ONE STEP INTO SPRING--What is up with that damn Julie Andrews?  She used to think she was so special that she actually had to keep having specials.  Well, the Muppets kept showing up on them.

1978--A TRIBUTE TO MR. TELEVISION MILTON BERLE--Kermit joins in on the celebration.

May 29, 1978--HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOB--Hope, that is.  Kermit joins in on the celebration.

December 24, 1978--CHRISTMAS EVE ON SESAME STREET--In this special, it's...yeah, you know.  Kermit appears because he's on both shows.

1979--THE ORSON WELLS SHOW--With guest appearances from the muppets.

April 2, 1979--THE TONIGHT SHOW--With guest appearance from Fozzie Bear.



1979--THE MUPPETS GO HOLLYWOOD--The Muppets throw a huge Hollywood celebrity disco party to celebrate their first film.

1979--THE 31ST ANNUAL EMMY AWARDS--Kermit appears.

December 1979--JOHN DENVER AND THE MUPPETS:  A CHRISTMAS TOGETHER--The first of many occasions in which the muppets would hang with John Denver.

January 1980--MUPPET SHOW--I just had to include the Muppet Show, didn't I?  I stayed up all night trying to work this out.  OK, we all know that in the TVCU, identical cousins is a regular occurrence.  But this one I still had to stretch.  In early 1980, Mark Hamill hosts THE MUPPET SHOW to promote his new STAR WARS MOVIES.  Yes, so he is the actor playing Mark Hamill.  But then by the end of the show, we also get to see the real Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO.  We learn that Skywalker and Hamill are identical cousins.  Even though Hamill plays the fictional Skywalker and Skywalker is from a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. But I figured it out.  Ready?  Here goes. Padme had a sister, who as a child got sent to a wormhole and ended up on Earth. Stranded, she took the Earth name Virgiania Suzanne Johnson.  As an adult, she met and fell in love with William Hammill, and their son would be Mark Hammill.  Hey, that makes sense.  Except that the cousins know of each others' existence.  Hmmm....  So perhaps Virginia's disappearance happened while Padme was pregnant.  Yes, during Episode III.  Which means Virginia should and probably was present during the entire prequel trilogy yet we never noticed her.  No wonder she took off.  So Virginia told her son that he had a cousin far off in space.  When Hammill got the role of Skywalker something must have clicked in his mind.  Though the force wasn't strong in his side of the family, the strange connection was enough for the two cousins to psychically link and communicate.  Especially since Hammill was already in close contact with George Lucas, who had his own strong connection to the events of that other place.  So when Skywalker arrived on Earth, they already knew each other.  Whew!!!  All this from a stupid cameo on a muppet show.

February 16, 1980--THE MUPPET SHOW--"Lynda Carter"--This show implies that Lynda Carter may actually be Wonder Woman. She demonstrates it several times. 

April 1980--THE MUPPET SHOW--"Roger Moore"--Roger Moore hosts the show, and keeps getting attacked by enemy spies because Roger Moore strongly resembles real life secret agent James Bond.


1981--THE MUPPETS GO TO THE MOVIES--This variety special is a promotion of their film THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTEN, which is based on the true story of how they got their act going.


1981--OF MUPPETS AND MEN:  THE MAKING OF "THE MUPPET SHOW"--A behind the scenes look of the variety show.


July 1982--I LOVE LIBERTY--The Muppets appear on this salute to America.


1982--IFTAH YA SIMSIM--This is a Lebanese show, but that doesn't mean "Death to America."  This is a Lebanese version of Sesame Street, and Kermit, being a huge star, shows up to help boost the ratings.


1982--THE FANTASTIC MISS PIGGY SHOW--This special was meant to be a pilot for a spin-off of the Muppet Show.




December 1983--ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOLIDAY WITH JOHN DENVER AND THE MUPPETS--John Denver takes the muppets camping.

MUPPET BABIES (ANIMATED SERIES)

Release Date: September 15, 1984 - November 2, 1991

Series: Muppet Babies

The Story: Before they were big time celebrities, the muppets were once all babies living together under the watchful eye of a nanny, and having great fun with their wild imaginations.

Notes: Muppet Babies exists in the Cartoon Universe and has a contemporary setting. The Cartoon Universe also has adult versions of the muppets for inexplicable reasons. Alternatively, the Live Action Universe is the setting of the live action Muppets, who have many divergent timeline origins, one of which shows the muppets all living together as muppet babies.

1985--FOZZIE'S SCRAPBOOK MEMORIES--This is a direct to video clip show.  Fozzie recollects as he goes through his scrapbook.


1985--MUPPET VIDEOS:  ROLF'S RHAPSODIES WITH THE MUPPETS--Another direct to video, Rolf is taking his music to the next generation by doing that new popular MTV music video thing.


1985--NIGHT OF 100 STARS II--Apparently, Kermit is one of those 100.


July 1985--READING RAINBOW--"Perfect the Pig"--Kermit guest stars.




1985--SESAME STREET PRESENTS FOLLOW THAT BIRD--Social workers take Big Bird and place him in adoption.  He runs away from this new parents, and is abducted by criminals who want to make him a carnival act.  The Sesame Street residents including Kermit scour the country to find their friend.


1986--THE MUPPETS:  A CELEBRATION OF 30 YEARS--The Muppets reunite for this anniversary special.


1986--THE 58TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS--Statler appears.


1986--LEARNING ABOUT NUMBERS--featuring Kermit and the Sesame Street gang.




December 1986--THE CHRISTMAS TOY--Kermit narrates this tale that is strangely familiar.  Toys come to life, but if a human sees them, they will be permanently frozen.  A new toy comes but thinks they are a space explorer on an alien planet and not a toy.  So the child's favorite toy must try to convince the new toy that he is a toy, even though he's jealous and afraid of being replaced.  Really.  So this could potentally bring that CARTOON ALL-STARS TO THE RESCUE into the TVCU, except that there is no crossover in that special to really pull it in.  However, TOY STORY (yes, with the same story years later) does fit into the TVCU due to it's crossover connection with HOME IMPROVEMENT.  So in the TVCU, toys come to life...except even I can't swallow that.  I do believe that in one town, there might be a magical spell that brings toys to life.  And likely THE CHRISTMAS TOY and TOY STORY take place in the same town, years apart.


1987--INNER TUBE--Not to be confused with Toby O'Brien's blog about TOOB WORLD, this was a segment that was meant to get onto THE JIM HENSON HOUR but never did.


October 1987--DOLLY--Kermit shows up on this short-lived variety show.

MUPPET BABIES (ANIMATED SERIES)

SEASON 4 EPISODE 6 “THIS LITTLE PIGGY WENT TO HOLLYWOOD”

Release Date: October 24, 1987

Other Crosses: Sesame Street

The Story: Piggy imagines being a Hollywood star.

Notes: Among celebrities seen on TV are Bert and Ernie.

A MUPPET FAMILY CHRISTMAS (LIVE ACTION MUPPET SPECIAL)

Release Date: December 16, 1987

Series: Muppet Show

Animated Series Crosses: Muppet Babies

Other Crosses: Sesame Street; Fraggle Rock

The Story: Christmas with Fozzie’s mom.

Notes: Characters from Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock appear. This special also confirms Muppet Babies as being canon for the muppets, despite previous contradictory stories. However, as I’ve mentioned earlier, I believe that the animated and live action Muppet Babies exist in separate realities in different time periods.

1988--WOW, YOU'RE A CARTOONIST!--Instructional video for children who want to learn to draw cartoons, with appearances by the muppets.


1988--SESAME STREET SPECIAL--featuring many guest-stars including Kermit.


April to July 1989--THE JIM HENSON HOUR--A reprisal of the Muppet Show.




January 1990--COSBY SHOW--"Cliff's Nightmare"--Cliff Huxtable has a nightmare that features the muppets.  Obviously, he is familiar with their show.  But was it really a dream?  Because after he wakes up and goes to the fridge, he fridge is full of muppet food.  (Thanks, Toby, for pointing that out.)

DISNEYLAND’S 35TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION (ANIMATED/LIVE ACTION SPECIAL)

Release Date: February 4, 1990

Animated Series Crosses: Cinderella

Other Crosses: Star Wars; Muppet Show; Cheers; Ernest; Star Wars

The Story: Miss Piggy tries to replace Cinderella. Other celebrities appear to share their memories of Disneyland.

Notes: This special takes place at Disneyland, a theme park that is a portal between realities. Cinderella here appears live action, but is the same Cinderella from the animated film, who originally comes from the fairy tale realm. C3PO appears. This is the Live Action version from another fairy tale realm. Miss Piggy, the cast of Cheers, Ernest P. Worrell and Will Smith also appear from the Live Action Universe. Though Will Smith at the time also played a fictional version of himself at this time on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire, this appears to be actor/rapper Will Smith appearing as his celebrity self. This special aired on The Magical World of Disney.

THE EARTH DAY SPECIAL (LIVE ACTION TELEVISION SPECIAL)

Release Date: April 22, 1990

Animated Series Crosses: Bugs Bunny; Porky Pig; Tweety and Sylvester

Other Crosses: Ghostbusters; Muppet Show; Murphy Brown; Doogie Howser M.D.; Back to the Future; Nathan Thurm; Cheers; Cosby Show; Golden Girls; E.T. the Extraterrestrial; Married with Children; Marcus Welby M.D.; China Beach; Mother Nature; SNL Weekend Update

The Story: The pollution caused by humans is literally killing Mother Nature.

Notes: This is a mega television crossover event. And despite the silly premise, all the crossed series remain true to the shows and films they come from. This special takes place in the Live Action Universe, so all of the above mentioned live action series are part of the Live Action Universe. There is an appearance of Elong Spengler, president of Waste Busters. He is said to be the brother of Egon Spengler of Ghostbusters and is played by the same actor. And yes, the Muppets are in this. I had considered including the Muppet Show (and other series that have the muppets like Sesame Street) as animated crosses, as puppetry is a form of animation. But then that crosses a line that would then have me including Star Wars as animated because of Yoda, or any live action film with CGI. So I’ve chosen to not include them as connectors, but Muppets still rightfully have a presence in this guide. The muppets do exist in the Live Action Universe, which as I’ve explained before, may resemble our real world, but is very different. Muppets of the Live Action Universe are not puppets. As Kermit once explained to Seth Meyers on SNL, he is a real talking frog. Murphy Brown, Doogie Howser, Cheers, the Cosby Show, the Golden Girls, and Married with Children are all standard sitcoms and are brought into the Live Action Universe by this cross. Looney Tunes characters are animated drawings brought to life in the tulpa-like reality of the Cartoon Universe, who come to the Live Action Universe quite often through portals. They even live and work in the Live Action Universe, and people from the Live Action Universe find this perfectly acceptable. Back to the Future is also part of the Live Action Universe, and this appearance of Doc Brown and his Delorean is a confirmation. Nathan Thurm is a character from Saturday Night Live, but this cross does not bring in the entire cast of characters from SNL. This cross also brings in the loveable alien E.T. This special also has appearances from many real life celebrities appearing as themselves. They do not count as crossovers. It’s presumed that every person who exists in the real world has a counterpart in the Live Action Universe. However, some of the celebrities are worth noting. Dennis Miller appears as the anchor for Weekend Update, a segment on SNL that includes many fictional elements and characters, thus we can say that SNL Weekend Update, but not all of SNL, is in the Live Action Universe. On the other hand, Will Smith and Kid’n’ Play also appear, but they are appearing as real life famous rappers, and not their fictional counterparts of themselves from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire and House Party. Finally, in my previous book, the Horror Crossover Encyclopedia, I did not include characters from folklore and mythology as crossovers, since so many different series had their own contradictory versions. However, for this guide, those contradictions don’t matter so much, and it’s more relevant to include fairy tale characters in a book about cartoons. So I have included Mother Nature as a crossover, though not as an animated cross, thus not able to be used as a connector. However, this is a cross with the character from folklore, and we should consider that this is indeed the Live Action Universe form of Mother Nature, and any other versions of her from the Live Action Universe are probably the same character just appearing in a different form. Each reality’s Earth probably has its own version of Mother Nature, who likewise can appear in different forms.

May 6, 1990--THE MUPPETS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD--The Muppets meet Mickey Mouse at Walt Disney World, after Disney signs over management rights of the Muppets from Jim Henson.  Mickey is from the Looniverse, but he too has a contract with Disney in the TVCU.




May 16, 1990--Jim Henson passes away.  Jim Henson was the manager for the muppets and the folks on Sesame Street.


1990--THE MUPPETS CELEBRATE JIM HENSON--The Muppets celebrate the life of the man who made them stars.

BIG BIRD’S BIRTHDAY OR LET ME EAT CAKE (LIVE ACTION SPECIAL)

Release Date:  March 9, 1991

Series:  Sesame Street

Animated Series Crosses:  Simpsons

The Story:  This is a celebration of Big Bird’s sixth birthday, despite his first appearance in 1969.  This is the Live Action Universe, where aging is normal for humans, but perhaps not so much for Muppets.  

Notes:  This aired initially as a half hour special in prime time, as part of a PBS pledge drive.  On March 15, 1991, it re-aired as a regular episode of Sesame Street in its normal timeslot, with extra material to make it an hour show.  The Simpsons once more appear as part of Grover’s Monster in the Mirror bit.  

1991--MUPPET*VISIONS 3-D--A 3-D show featuring the Muppets that can only be seen at Disney theme parks.


December 1992--HOLIDAY GREETINGS FROM "THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW"--Kermit is part of a tribute to Mr. Sullivan.


1993--MUPPET BREAKOUT--Three muppet sketches, direct to video.


1994--IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN--The Muppets put together a bunch of music videos for karaoke.


April 1, 1994--LARRY KING LIVE--The muppets appear.


September 24, 1994--LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN--Kermit is a guest.


May 29, 1995--SHOWBIZ TODAY--The muppets appear.


December 1995--MR. WILLOWBY'S CHRISTMAS TREE--Kermit is part of the events revolving around the story of some homeless mice.




March 1996 to February 1998--MUPPETS TONIGHT--Kermit takes over as executive producer for a new generation of Muppets.  One episode has an appearance by Ed Grimley, a fictional character played by Martin Short on Saturday Night Live, SCTV, The Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley, Martin Short Concert of the of the North Americas, Comic Relief, I Martin Short Goes Hollywood, and The Show Formerly Known as the Martin Short Show.


March 11, 1996--SHOWBIZ TODAY--The muppets appear again.


November 12, 1996--THE TONIGHT SHOW--Kermit is guest host in Jay's absence.


December 25, 1996--ELMO SAVES CHRISTMAS--Elmo uses a magic snow globe to wish that every day were Christmas, and then has to travel back in time to undo the wish when he finds there are negative consequences to his wish.  Kermit appears alongside the rest of the Sesame Street crew.


1998--THE BEST OF KERMIT ON SESAME STREET--Sesame Street honors arguably it's greatest break out star, Kermit the Frog, in an awards ceremony hosted by Grover.


1998--ELMOPALOOZA!--John Stewart of the DAILY SHOW is to host a retrospective on SESAME STREET but gets locked in his dressing room with the tapes.  Elmo attempts to salvage the show the best he can.  Kermit also appears.


April 30, 1998--GOOD MORNING, AMERICA--Kermit is a guest.




1999--MUPPETS FROM SPACE--From Wikipedia:  Gonzo has always been classified as a "whatever," but after he begins to have disturbing dreams of abandonment, he begins to realize just how alone he is in the world. One of his dreams involved him being denied entry onto Noah's Ark by Noah (F. Murray Abraham). The next morning, Gonzo tells Kermit the Frog that he is getting tired of being called a "whatever." After an alien race appears to be trying to send him a message through bowls of cereal, Gonzo realizes that he may not be so alone after all and climbs to the rooftop to start watching the sky. His dreams are realized when he's hit by a bolt oflightning that serves as a conduit that allows him to communicate with a pair of cosmic fish, revealing to him that he is, in fact, an alien from outer space.

When Kermit and his friends refuse to believe his wild raving however, Gonzo is lured into the clutches of K. Edgar Singer (Jeffrey Tambor) of C.O.V.N.E.T. (a government organization disguised as a cement factory) who has also taken note of the aliens' attempts at communication and believes that Gonzo is his key to convincing his superiors that aliens do in fact exist. Gonzo, along with Rizzo, are arrested by the army. Rizzo annoys Singer causing him to be flushed down a tube by Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Kermit and the gang spring into action to rescue Gonzo, with the help of some handy inventions (door in ajar, a rubber duck that sprays gas that makes you invisible when you squeeze it, and mind control spray) courtesy of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker.

A talking sandwich asks Gonzo where the alien ship can land, and Gonzo suggests Cape Doom. At the military base, the gang arrive to rescue Gonzo and Rizzo. While on their rescue, every one uses invisible spray, but Fozzie Bear uses the restroom and washes his hands, making them visible. However, a security guard sees Fozzie Bear's hands and points a gun at him, threatening to shoot him dead unless he cooperates. She then tells him to put his hands up and prepares to handcuff him and take him to jail. The guard, who does not know that the hands belong to Fozzie Bear, tries to handcuff him, but he refuses to comply. She fights to get the handcuffs on him in order to take him into custody, but one of The Muppets grabs the security guard and lets him escape. When K. Edgar Singer hears of this, he has Agent Rentro (portrayed by Bobo the Bear) prep the Subatomic Neutro-Destabilizer to use on the aliens and heads to his car. When Agent Rentro tells him that the car is impounded due to the parking tickets, K. Edgar Singer and Agent Rentro end up taking the company car (a cement truck).

The Muppets go to Cape Doom after rescuing Gonzo and, along with a crowd of alien-happy spectators, await their arrival. The ship comes to Earth and the aliens, who all resemble Gonzo, explain that many years ago they lost him but welcome him back into the fold. K. Edgar Singer turns up and tries to kill the Aliens, but thanks to Agent Rentro, who has disabled his Subatomic Neutro-Destabilizer by taking the part that fires the weapon, he cannot and is laughed at. Gonzo considers going into space with the Gonzo-like aliens, but he realizes his true home is on Earth with his surrogate family and friends, and K. Edgar Singer goes with the aliens as Earth's ambassador due to being so amusing.

The film ends with the Muppets watching the stars on the roof. Gonzo tells Kermit he wonders why his family asked him to build a jacuzzi. Pepe chuckles because he and Rizzo had pretended to be them and asked him to do it.

2000--I LOVE THE 70S--"1976"--Kermit is one of the celebrities to comment on the pop culture events of 1976.


2000--TO TELL THE TRUTH--Kermit is one of the celebrity guests.


September 2000--TO TELL THE TRUTH--Kermit is a celebrity guest.


November 12, 2000--WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE--Kermit is guest host.


February 13, 2001--DAILY SHOW--Kermit makes an appearance.


February 2001 to November 2003--HOLLYWOOD SQUARES--Kermit is a frequent square on this game show.


2001--AN AUDIENCE WITH KYLIE MINOGUE--Kermit appears.


2002--THERE'S ONLY ONE PAUL MCCARTNEY--And only one Kermit, and I didn't realize there was any question about either.


2002--PARTY AT THE PALACE:  THE QUEEN'S CONCERTS, BUCKINGHAM PALACE--Only the most elite celebrities would be invited to the Queen's party, so naturally Kermit is there.


2002--I LOVE MUPPETS--Kind of like I LOVE THE 80S, 90S, 70S, NEW MILLENIUM, THE HOLIDAYS, TOYS, ECT.

December 2002--IT'S A VERY MERRY MUPPET CHRISTMAS MOVIE--Kermit loses the theater, and his friends rally to help.  Kermit is having an "IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE" moment where he travels to that alternate universe where he didn't create the Muppet Show.  On his way to the Mirror Universe, he briefly is pulled to the Dagoba system, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, where he meets Yoda, before reaching the intended destination.  (Thanks to Crazy Ivan for clarifying this for me...and then reclarifying it for me.)

2003--I LOVE THE 70S--This is the second edition, with more pop culture events discussed.  Kermit was popular enough to be invited back for this one.

December 2003 – February 2005—From John D. Lindsey, Jr.: Not in the TVCU, but Mark Millar's WANTED claims West really WAS Batman, at least until the villains took over, mind-wiped him, and made him think his adventures were just a hokey TV show. Oh, and Christopher Reeves was really Superman. (From me: Matt Hickman keeps trying to convince me that Wanted is in the TVCU, but not if West and Reeves were Batman and Superman. Although, on Family Guy, West sometimes makes comments that imply that he might think he really was Batman. And Reeves has Superman's powers on both an SNL sketch and on the Muppet Show. Perhaps Reeves was one of the Kandorians from the Superman Lookalike Squad. Obviously later affected by gold kryptonite.)

2004--THE NICK & JESSICA VARIETY HOUR--The couple that was doomed once their ratings dropped go old school with a classic style variety show, with celebrity guests like Kermit.


April 2004--ANT & DEC'S SATURDAY NIGHT TAKEAWAY--This is some kind of sketch, prank, and standup show.  Kermit makes a guest appearance.


2004--AFI'S 100 YEARS...100 SONGS:  AMERICA'S GREATEST MUSIC IN THE MOVIES--Kermit is amongst the celebrities discussing movie music.

December 18, 2004--SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE--The muppets make a cameo appearance.


May 2005--AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS--Kermit makes a guest appearance.


May 11, 2005--THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON--Kermit is a guest.


2005--THE TONY DANZA SHOW--Kermit makes three appearances in one year on this short lived show.


2005--THE 100 GREATEST FAMILY FILMS--Kermit is amongst the celebrities chosen to discuss.

May 13, 2005--JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE--Fozzie Bear appears.

June 2005 to September 2006--STATLER AND WALDORF:  FROM THE BALCONY--The duo that constantly heckled Fozzie Bear during the entire run of the Muppet Show are given their own web series where they review movies.

2005--AMERICA'S NEXT MUPPET--Disney had planned this reality competition show where people, animals, and things would compete to join the ensemble Muppet cast.  It never reached the air.

2005--EXTREME MAKEOVER:  HOME EDITION--"The Harper Family"--The Muppets guest star.


2005--EXTREME MAKEOVER:  HOME EDITION--"The Harris Family"--Kermit appears.

2005--KERMIT:  A FROG'S LIFE--All I know is it is a direct to video featuring the Muppets.

2005--AN AUDIENCE WITH JOE PASQUALE--Another concert, with Gonzo making a guest appearance.

DRAWN TOGETHER (ANIMATED SERIES)

SEASON 2 EPISODE 3 “LITTLE ORPHAN HERO”

Release Date: November 2, 2005

Animated Series Crosses: Muppet Babies

Other Crosses: Batman

The Story: Captain Hero finds out that his planet wasn’t really destroyed, but that his parents sent him to Earth because they didn’t want him. Meanwhile, the other housemates run a suicide hotline.

Notes: The Muppet Babies appear, confirming that although the Muppets exist in the Live Action Universe, the Muppet Babies exist in the Cartoon Universe. The Muppet Babies have been shown to be babies in the 1980s, so this makes sense that they are not the same as the full-grown muppets whose origins trace back to a decade or so earlier. Of course, there is still the complication that on shows like Family Guy, Cartoon Universe versions of the adult muppets have also appeared. It’s my belief based on the evidence presented that perhaps the Cartoon Universe adult muppets and Muppet Babies are indeed separate characters, with amazingly coincidental similarities. In a flashback, Captain Hero is shown making fun of the death of Batman’s parents in front of Batman and Robin.

December 2005--BEST EVER CHRISTMAS FILMS--Retrospective special with celebrity guest commentators, including Gonzo.

2006--THE FRENCH MUPPET SHOW--Over in France, French men, monsters, animals, and things impersonate the original cast of the Muppet Show.

FAMILY GUY (ANIMATED SERIES)

SEASON 4 EPISODE 23 “DEEP THROATS”

Release Date:  April 9, 2006

Animated Series Crosses:  Burger King Christmas Carol; The Noid; Futurama; Scooby-Doo!

Other Crosses:  Muppet Show

The Story:  Brian and Stewie find that Mayor West is having an affair with Meg.  Meanwhile, Peter and Lois find inspiration in marijuana.  

Notes:  In a cutaway, Peter worked for Burger King, replacing the character from the famous YouTube flash animation video called “Burger King Christmas Carol”.  I don’t count cutaways from Peter’s and Stewie’s points of view because those two tend to make up most of their flashbacks, but Lois is a more reliable source.  Note this brings in a YouTube internet meme, something I am trying to avoid including.  However, this is a case where the inclusion is definitely warranted.  See South Park for another instance where I bring in famed YouTube videos into the Cartoon Universe.  Since the scene with Peter at BK and the YouTube video share exact same background, I think it’s valid.  The Noid is a character from Domino's Pizza commercials who tries to ruin your pizza delivery experience.  He appears in this episode to get the mayor’s pizza, but Mayor West beats the Noid in battle.  This brings the animated advertisement mascot into the Cartoon Universe. Peter is singing a song that describes the tube transport system used in Futurama. Scooby and Mystery, Inc. are seen lurking in the shadows much like the opening to Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!  The secret source that reveals the dirt on Mayor West is Kermit the Frog.  This would be the Cartoon Universe counterpart of the muppet, who is a true anthropomorphic talking frog.  

April 21, 2006--THIS MORNIING--Kermit is a guest.


2006--EXTREME MAKEOVER:  HOME EDITION--"The Craft Family"--Kermit appears.


December 8, 2006--LIVE WITH REGIS AND...ONE OF THOSE GIRLS--Kermit is a guest.

2007--THE MUPPETS ON "THE MUPPETS"--Direct to video documentary where the Muppets are all interviewed about their careers, in a "BEHIND THE MUSIC"/"TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY" style.




2007--MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM--Kermit is a customer at a magical toy shop.

AMERICAN DAD! (ANIMATED SERIES)

SEASON 3 EPISODE 8 “THE MOST ADEQUATE CHRISTMAS EVER”

Release Date: December 16, 2007

Other Crosses: Defending Your Life; It’s a Wonderful Life; Muppet Show; Superman (Christopher Reeve film series); A Christmas Carol

The Story: Stan dies while trying to get the perfect Christmas tree, and must petition in the afterlife for a second chance at living.

Notes: The trial Stan must endure is like that seen in the film Defending Your Life. If the angel is able to help Stan, she will earn her wings, a tradition established in It’s a Wonderful Life. Kermit the Frog and Jim Henson are shown to be trapped in the Phantom Zone. The angel that aids Stan is Michelle, who previously appeared in “The Best Christmas Story Never” serving in the role of the Ghost of Christmas Past.

December 31, 2007 to January 1, 2008--NEW YEARS ROCKIN' EVE 2008--Kermit is a celebrity guest.

May 21, 2008--THE VIEW--The muppets appear.

August 3 to October 5, 2008--STUDIO DC:  ALMOST LIVE--Two Disney specials reviving the Muppet Show format and cast and loaded with Disney stars such as Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Jake T. Austin, Jason Earles, Jason Dolley, Moises Arias, David Henrie and The Cheetah Girls.  This show features famous Disney stars, but also some fictional characters as well.  Crossovers include THE CHEETAH GIRLS, WENDY WU:  HOMECOMING WARRIOR, THE JONAS BROTHERS, THE SUITE LIFE OF ZACH AND CODY, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, and HANNAH MONTANA.  (Sorry, guys, I know this is even more painful than muppets.)

November 13, 2008--THE TODAY SHOW--The Muppets take over the Today Show for one morning.


Late November 2008--MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE--Kermit is part of the parade.

December 2008--A MUPPETS CHRISTMAS:  LETTERS TO SANTA--Three letters to Santa accidentally end up in Gonzo's hands, so he gets his friends to help him get them to the North Pole.  Of course they meet Santa.  Santa Claus has many appearances in the TVCU, that will eventually be covered in it's own blog.  Then I will reconcile all the different versions that are out there.

January 2009--DISNEY XTREME DIGITAL--"muppets.com"--Several videos of the Muppets have been uploaded here.

January 2009--SCRUBS--"My ABC's"--Muppets have appeared on this show I once thought to be a self-contained crossover free show until Ivan set me straight about Apollo Bars and Cougars, but only within Doctor John Dorian's imagination.

March 2009 to Present--THE MUPPET SHOW COMIC BOOK--Though this is in print, it is about the revival of the Muppet Show in the TVCU.

March 20, 2009--LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON--The Muppets appear.


September 2009--AMERICA'S GOT TALENT--Kermit appears.


2009--MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS 2009--Kermit appears.


2009--FAMILY GUY PRESENTS:  SETH & ALEX'S ALMOST LIVE COMEDY SHOW--This actually isn't Family Guy, thus it's not in the Bongo Universe.  It's a musical variety show with Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein.  Kermit is a celebrity guest.

December 23, 2009--LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON--Fozzie Bear appears.

2010--EXTREME MAKEOVER:  HOME EDITION--"Morris Family"--The Muppets appear.

2011--OCCASIONAL COMICS DISORDER--"Muppets Thor"--Thor meets the Muppets.

2011--THE MUPPETS--When their old theater is to be demolished, the Muppets try to put on one more show to raise the money to save it.

October 2011--SO RANDOM!--"Miss Piggy"--Miss Piggy is the guest host on the fictional sketch comedy show called So Random!, which is part of the actual show also called So Random!

November 19, 2011--SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE--Jason Segel hosts and brings his Muppet friends on as well, where they point out to him that they were regular cast seasons during the show's first season.  Also, on Weekend Update, Kermit explains to Seth Meyer that he is a Muppet, not a puppet. When asked what the difference was, Kermit explained "Puppets are controlled with strings by a person, whereas I am a real talking frog." TVCU theory now confirmed as fact.  And note that even though this is the case, Seth, like the majority of the world, assumed they were puppets, which helps maintain the "normalcy" of the world outside our window view of the TVCU.  Weekend Update, incidentally, has been established as being part of the TVCU, rather than Skitlandia, especially with many TVCU characters appearing on the segment over the years in character.  Telerrific!!!




February 2012--TAKE TWO WITH PHINEAS AND FERB--Miss Piggy comes on the show to plug the new MUPPETS film, which is based on their recent comeback.

SO YOU CREATED A WORMHOLE (NOVEL BY PHIL HORNSHAW & NICK HURWITCH)

Release Date: April 3, 2012 (See notes for setting)

Series: The Time Travel Guide

Animated Series Crosses: Futurama; Gundam; Voltron; Call of Duty

Other Crosses: Evil Dead; Alien; Terminator; Doctor Who; Back to the Future; Forbidden Planet; The Time Machine; Time Cop; A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court; Star Trek; Timeline; Stargate; Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure; Hot Tub Time Machine; Star Wars; Donnie Darko; Time After Time; Lost; Philadelphia Experiment; 12 Monkeys; Quantum Leap; X-Files; Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers; iRobot; Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (films); Superman (Christopher Reeve films); Land of the Lost; Battlestar Galactica; Star Trek (reboot); Planet of the Apes; Muppet Show

The Story: Not so much a story, this is an actual guide for new time travellers written by some guys who live at some point in the future, but who came back in time to publish the book (presumedly to avoid an amateur time traveller from screwing up their timeline).

Notes: This story implies that all of the above crosses exist. However, because of the nature of time travel, it’s possible that some of the above may be in divergent timelines while others are part of the main Cartoon Universe timeline.

May 2012--THE BACHELORETTE--I'm not sue exactly what happened, but I think Kermit was competing with other guys to marry the Bachelorette, which is messed up because he is a married man after all.

April 2013--GOOD LUCK CHARLIE--Hi-ho! The Muppets perform an original song when they appear on Good Luck Charlie! on Disney Channel.  They also appeared on So Random.

TVCU CREW REVIEW (BECAUSE SOMETIMES MY UPDATES ARE LAZY):

Pete Fischer watching A Muppet Family Christmas

December 13, 2014

A real Crossover. ... The Muppets, The Sesame Street Gang, The Fraggles...with Doc and Sprocket. .. and Jim Henson all spend Christmas Eve at Fozzie Bear's Mom's house.

A Muppet Family Christmas

A Muppet Family Christmas is a Christmas television special starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Shot in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the special was first broadcast on December 16, 1987 on...

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Matt Hickman

December 17, 2014

The muppets and steven Colbert are among the celbrites who apper in the opening to wwe tribbute to the troops

Matt Hickman

January 24

Main/Muppet Cameo - Television Tropes & Idioms

The Muppet Cameo trope as used in popular culture, with a list of examples from all media.

TVTROPES.ORG

Matt Hickman

February 2

When Kermit met Yoda: The Muppets on set of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ | Flashbak

August 1979: Irvin Kershner is directing The Empire Strikes Back, aka Star Wars Episode V, on Stage 9 of Elstree Studios, England. Today's scenes involve Luke...

FLASHBAK.COM

Matt Hickman

February 23

I forgot Rocky was on the Muppet Show

ROCKY III ENTIRE INTRO

The transition from the stately theme to "Eye of the Tiger" will get you going this morning. This film is the property of United Artists. Netflix it, it's gr...

YOUTUBE.COM

Matt Hickman

March 25

The Line it is Drawn #231 - MuppetMash-Up Week! - Comics Should Be Good! @ Comic Book Resources

Welcome to our weekly gallery of amazing art by our great collection of artistic talent, all working from YOUR suggestions! Go follow Comics Should Be Good on Twitter (if you have Twitter, that is – if you don’t, you can go sign up). Here is our Twitter page…http://twitter.com/csbg. And here are th…

GOODCOMICS.COMICBOOKRESOURCES.COM

Robert Wronski shared ThinkGeek's photo.

April 17

ThinkGeek

Come to the Dark Side... they have Muppets! ‪#‎SWCA‬ ‪#‎StarWars‬‪#‎StarWarsCelebration‬

Matt Hickman

May 12

The Muppets (ABC) Official Trailer [HD]

The Muppets return to prime time with a contemporary, documentary-style show that, for the first time ever, will explore the Muppets’ personal...

YOUTUBE.COM

Matt Hickman

May 21

The Orson Welles Show with Jim Henson and the Muppets, 1979

Unaired pilot from 1979. Legendary film director and actor Orson Welles hosts with guests Jim Henson, Frank Oz and the Muppets, as well as Burt...

YOUTUBE.COM

Matt Hickman via The Onion

July 29

Local Muppet Held For Questioning In Chicken Sex Ring

SHELBY, OH—An area muppet is being held for questioning regarding its role in an illegal underground chicken sex ring. The unnamed muppet, described as a...

THEONION.COM

Robert Wronski

July 30

The shows that will be on this fall that are relevant to the TVCU (as far as I currently know) are: Once Upon a Time, CSI: Cyber, Bob's Burgers, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Castle, The Big Bang Theory, NCIS: Los Angeles, Gotham, The Muppets, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans, The Flash, iZombie, The Middle, The Goldbergs, Modern Family, Arrow, Supernatural, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Chicago P.D., Grey's Anatomy, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Bones, Sleepy Hollow, Heroes Reborn, The Blacklist, Last Man Standing, Hawaii Five-0, Grimm, and Saturday Night Live.

Robert Wronski

July 30

We've already established the Daily Show with Jon Stewart as part of the TVCU. As a fake news show, it borders between fiction and reality. It off course spun off the Colbert Report and the Nightly Show. It has had fictional characters from other series appear on the show, treated as being real. Additionally, Jon Stewart has appeared as himself in Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Mr. Show, the Larry Sanders Show, Dr. Katz, American Dad, Evan Almighty, The Simpsons, The Great Buck Howard, The Adjustment Bureau, The Beaver, and Big Time Rush. The Daily Show and the Colbert Report also did a crossover event with Conan. Stewart has also appeared as himself on various Muppet related projects, Saturday Night Live, WWE Wrestling, and numerous talk shows, award shows, news programs, and other specials.

Robert Wronski shared The Muppets's photo.

July 30

The Muppets

‪#‎TBT‬ - Sherlock Rowlf and the Hound of the Baskervilles! (The other dog's name is Baskerville the Hound.)

Matt Hickman

August 4

Kermit and Miss Piggy Have Broken Up

The pair announced the news just a month before 'The Muppets' premieres on ABC

TI.ME

Robert E Wronski Jr.

August 19 at 12:49am

The Television Crossover Universe: The Star Wars Blog

In that Muppet Christmas Special, an Angel is attempting to take Kermit to an alternate timeline to show him what life would be like if he'd never...

TELEVISIONCROSSOVERUNIVERSE.COM|BY ROBERT WRONSKI

Robert Wronski shared The Muppets ABC's video.

August 30 at 9:24pm

363,855 Views

The Muppets ABC

Tuesdays this fall get a little weird. ‪#‎TheMuppets‬

Matt Hickman

September 8 at 3:31am · North Houston, TX

The Muppets on Raw

The Muppets' appearance on the WWE Raw Super Show, October 31, 2011. Thanks to WWEKingHD4 for the video. I do not own any of this, will take down if asked. F...

YOUTUBE.COM

ALTERNATE REALITIES:

TVCU-1-Cartoon Universe (also has its own inner multiverse, as seen in various cartons. These are mostly one time seen worlds).--

• 1984 to 1991--MUPPET BABIES--This series is full of 80s pop culture references, and includes appearances by Stan Lee and Yoda, making it difficult to place in the TVCU.  Fortunately, Drawn Together gave me another solution.
• November 2005--DRAWN TOGETHER--"Little Orphan Hero"--Captain Hero learns that his planet wasn't destroyed, but that his parents aborted him.  He ends up destroying the planet except for his parents who are on Earth at the time.  Batman and Robin appear in a flashback.  This is the essences of the deceased TVCU Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson.  Baby Kermit, Fonzie, Gonzo, and Scooter appear from MUPPET BABIES giving me an excuse to place the cartoon here and making my Muppet continuity a little cleaner now.

TVCU2--I had previously linked the Great Muppet Caper to the Muppet Universe, but then Toby found a link to the TVCU.  However, it just doesn't fit in the TVCU, thus, it gets into this divergent timeline that was created when Lou Dorchen traveled back in time from 2008 to 1986 in a HOT TUB TIME MACHINE and then stayed behind to make some changes.  The Daily Chronicle could be the same as the New York Chronicle, but not the World Chronicle.....



TVCU-27-MAD--In Mad episode "Ribbitless", a different explanation is offered for the muppets. They were all ordinary animals who ate butterflies that somehow mutated them into intelligent beings.

TVCU-28-ROBOT CHICKEN UNIVERSE--As we know fully well, everything fictional and real has a counterpart...a sick and twisted counterpart...in this reality.

TVCU-33-Earth-Prime/real universe/reality tv--CARTOON ALL-STARS TO THE RESCUE is a story of a girl who is worried about her brother using drugs.  Her toys come to life, including her Slimer Ghostbusters action figure.  When they come to life, they are they take on the form and persona of the characters from the animated shows, like REAL GHOSTBUSTERS, they are based off of.  For the record, the other toys that come to life are characters from DUCKTALES, WINNIE THE POOH, THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, LOONEY TUNES, ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS, THE SMURFS, ALF, GARFIELD, and THE MUPPET BABIES.  Note that this does not connect these characters in their home realities.  These are merely toys adopting the characteristics of the characters they portray.

TVCU-34-MHU (Miskatonic Horror Universe, aka Monster / Hunter Universe)--This reality is very similar to the TVCU with a few major distinctions. In this world, the Doctor from DOCTOR WHO is native, while the characters and events of the STAR TREK franchise are set in a parallel reality. The 1898 Martian Invasion (WAR OF THE WORLDS) did not occur on this Earth, as it was forestalled by H. G. Wells, Dr. Moreau, the Invisible Man, and others in space, as depicted in K. J. Anderson’s The Martian War: A Thrilling Eyewitness Account of the Recent Invasion As Reported by Mr. H.G. Wells (2006), negating Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen franchise and several other follow-up stories. The MHU also has no living Muppets, and several fictional cities (not based on horror franchises) found in the TVCU (such as Riverdale) are merged with real cities (such as Haverhill, MA). Ivan's timeline in this reality is virtually identical to the timeline for the TVCU albeit with additional horror and non-horror franchises not recognized as connected to the TVCU (UNDERWORLD, BATMAN FOREVER, etc.), and minus the Muppets.

TVCU-42-Muppet Babies and other "baby" versions of cartoons--DRAWN TOGETHER BABIES--One episode parodies shows like MUPPET BABIES, but the show contradicts the canon of the remainder of the series.  This reality has a version of FLIPPER.

TVCU-47-Mr. Sweet's Broadway musical universe--AVENUE Q---This is a broadway musical created by some of the original writers from Sesame Street.  It's an adult parody of both Sesame Street and the Muppet Show.

TVCU-80--Not Another Spoof Movie Universe-Feebles--MEET THE FEEBLES is a sick twisted parody of the Muppet Show that might exist alongside the Seseme Street parody "Wonder Showzen". This world is notable for making the Robot Chicken Universe appear to be upbeat in comparison. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097858/ 

TVCU-89--BONGO UNIVERSE--The muppets have appeared on Family Guy.  These are not the TVCU characters but their Bongo counterpart.  Likewise for Kermit's appearance on the Simpsons.

The void-The space between worlds

Dream and Nightmare-Sandman, House of Mystery, Dreamlands, Freddy, Imaginationland, Land of Fiction, Shadows Fall, Santa's Village, Halloweentown, MUPPET UNIVERSE--As I've said before, everything is real somewhere.  Even fiction within fiction.  The Muppets exist in the TVCU.   But many of them are actors, and they make movies.  In the TVCU, they are just fictional movies, but in the MUPPET UNIVERSE, they are real.  This includes, (but is not limited to) CinderElmo,  the Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, the Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Muppet Classic Theater,  Tales from Muppetland:  The Frog Prince, and Elmos' Musical Adventure:  Peter and the Wolf.

OK, to wrap up, I know there are some of my readers who don't care for my inclusions of muppets, cartoons, super-heroes, or conflation of characters.  And that's ok.  But I hope that you can read a particular blog and take what you like out of it and leave behind what you don't.  Of course, it's my world and my rules.  Sometimes my rules change.  For instance when I wrote the Superman blog, I had no intention of bringing in the Super Friends, but by the time I got to my Batman blog, I changed my mind.  But even though the TVCU is my domain, I create it by picking and choosing things I pull from research, including sources contained within others' shared realities (such as Toob World, for example.)  I take what I like and leave behind what I don't.  That's what I hope my readers will do, if they have their own shared world and their own rules.  Take the bits of my work you like and incorporate it into yours, and ignore the rest.

Come join the discussion about Muppets or other TVCU related topics here.

For a different take on Muppets, here is Toby O'Brien's Inner Toob.