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| Premiere | December 3, 1977 |
| Finale | June 5, 1982 |
| Network | ZDF |
| Seasons | 5 |
| Episodes | 120 |
Mary Roos singing "Lean On Me."
Die Muppet Show is the German dub of The Muppet Show. The series aired on German network ZDF from 1977 until 1982.
Localization
As part of the partnership between ZDF and Henson/ATV, the original syndication package was not only dubbed but also contained a few specific alterations tailored to the German market, in some ways foreshadowing the international versions of Fraggle Rock. A new opening sequence was prepared, identical to the English language version but with a Die Muppet Show sign, and occasional new footage of Kermit was filmed to better match the German dialog. The show also used the full version of the first season closing (from the Juliet Prowse and Connie Stevens episodes) at the end of every episode, instead of being replaced with the next two.
The series also included one new guest star, singer Mary Roos, who performed a German version of "Lean on Me" with Rowlf the Dog, Animal, and others, in place of the "In My Life" number in episode 121. This was also one of the few episodes to feature a guest star's singing dubbed completely in German, with Twiggy's "Ain't Nobody's Business But My Own" translated. Another guest star's number that was dubbed is Zero Mostel's "What Do the Simple Folk Do?" The Muppets' solo numbers were mostly dubbed (often with different singing voices rather than the usual speaking voices), but as is common with Muppet Show translations, the guest star's musical sequences were mostly in English, as were many additional spoken dialog contributions within the song from the Muppets.
All new footage for Die Muppet Show was taped in London and later redubbed. Eberhard Storeck, who also supplied character voices, was the dialog director and translator. His contributions included changing the nationality of The Swedish Chef, becoming "The Danish Cook," and replacing his sing-song opening with a chant of "Smørrebrød, Smørrebrød røm, pøm, pøm, pøm," in reference to Danish butter bread.
The variety show Peter Alexander präsentiert Spezialitäten promoted the show two days prior to its premiere in 1977 by stopping by the original UK-set, and taping special footage.
Title inconsistency
"Die Muppets Show"... a typo that has made the rounds for decades.
Despite the custom German logo clearly reading "Die Muppet Show," the show's title has regularly been misquoted in articles, in most TV guide listings, and even on tie-in merchandise as either "Die Muppet-Show" (hyphenated) or "Die Muppets Show" (with a plural "s") from the beginning.
Beside obvious neglect on the part of the press to assure the correct citation of a title, the hyphenation is explained by the fact that, while German words can be joined without any kind of punctuation mark, foreign words would indeed need a hyphen.
The most likely source for the latter misquotation, as can be seen used here, is most likely the show's own custom German end credits roll, which was inexplicably never corrected throughout the show's entire five season run.
Video releases
- For a complete list of video releases, see Die Muppet Show Videography.
The first official home video release of Die Muppet Show was announced in 2005. After a five year waiting period during which the "unusually complex legal situation"[1] concerning the German dub was decided, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Germany finally released Die Muppet Show: Season One on DVD on December 2, 2010. The second season box set was released on March 24, 2011. The third season box set was released on May 19, 2011.
Voices
| English Name | German Name | German Voice Actor |
|---|---|---|
| Kermit the Frog | Kermit der Frosch | Horst Gentzen |
| Miss Piggy | Marianne Wischmann | |
| Fozzie Bear | Fozzie Bär | Bruno W. Pantel |
| Gonzo | Der große Gonzo/Gonzo der Große | Werner Abrolat |
| The Swedish Chef | Der dänische Koch | Eberhard Storeck |
| Beaker | ||
| Robin | ||
| Crazy Harry | Crazy Donald (first two seasons) Crazy Harry (thereafter) | |
| Scooter | Christina Hoeltel (speaking) Eberhard Storeck (singing) | |
| Rowlf | Michael Rüth | |
| Statler and Waldorf | Manfred Lichtenfeld (Statler) Walter Reichelt (Waldorf) | |
| Dr. Bunsen Honeydew | Dr. Honigtau Bunsenbrenner | Kurt Zips |
| Sam the Eagle | Sam der amerikanische Adler | Wolf Ackva |
| Dr. Teeth | Dr. Goldzahn | Paul Friedrichs, Heini Göbel (speaking) Manfred Lichtenfeld (singing) |
| Animal | Das Tier | Harald Baerow (early episodes) Eberhard Storeck (later episodes) |
| Floyd Pepper | Paul Lasner | |
| Janice | Helen von Münchhofen | |
| Zoot | Harald Baerow | |
| Beauregard | Donald Arthur | |
| Link Hogthrob | Kapitän Link Ringelschwanz | Harald Baerow (early episodes) Eberhard Storeck (later episodes) |
| Dr. Julius Strangepork | Dr. Julius Speckschwarte | Mogens von Gadow (first episodes) Paul Bürks (later episodes) |
| The Newsman | Der Nachrichtensprecher | Franz Rudnick |
| The Announcer | Der Ansager | |
| Annie Sue | Uschi Wolf | |
| Lew Zealand | Michael Habeck | |
| Pops | Peter Capell | |
| Sweetums | Herbert Weicker | |
| J. P. Grosse | ||
| Wayne and Wanda | Harald Baerow (Wayne) Monika Grewing (Wanda) | |
| Louis Kazagger | Reinhard Glemnitz | |
| George the Janitor | George der Hausmeister | Walter Ofiera |
| Uncle Deadly | Der tödliche Onkel/Onkel Tödlich | Eberhard Storeck (first season) Donald Arthur (from third season on) |
| Gladys | Mady Rahl | |
| Hilda | Tilli Breidenbach | |
| Talking Houses | Margit Weinert (House #2) |
Broadcast Order
Season 1
| German Episode Number | Guest Star(s) | Additional Voices | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folge 101 | Rita Moreno | ||
| Folge 102 | Ruth Buzzi | ||
| Folge 103 | Joel Grey | As with existing The Muppet Show edits of this episode, two Muppet News Flash segments and the balcony segment after "Razzle Dazzle" never made it into the German version of this episode. | |
| Folge 104 | Bruce Forsyth | ||
| Folge 105 | Paul Williams | The complete backstage scene before Paul Williams' first number is cut, and the following "telephone pole joke" backstage scene appears in a later spot. During the talk spot, citing famous short people, Kermit mentions Mickey Mouse. In the English version, it was Mickey Rooney. | |
| Folge 106 | Jim Nabors | ||
| Folge 107 | Charles Aznavour | Erich Ebert (Charles Aznavour) | |
| Folge 108 | Florence Henderson | ||
| Folge 109 | Harvey Korman | Christina Hoeltel (Whatnot Panelist) | |
| Folge 110 | Candice Bergen | Kerstin de Ahna (Candice Bergen) | |
| Folge 111 | Sandy Duncan | ||
| Folge 112 | Avery Schreiber | Donald Arthur (Gorgon Heap) | |
| Folge 113 | Ben Vereen | ||
| Folge 114 | Phyllis Diller | ||
| Folge 115 | Vincent Price | Christian Marschall (Vincent Price) | |
| Folge 116 | Valerie Harper | ||
| Folge 117 | Ethel Merman | ||
| Folge 118 | Twiggy & Mary Roos | Gonzo introduces Mary Roos, who joins Rowlf for "Lean on Me." As with the German Kermit intros, this footage was taped at ITV studios with Roos. It was performed by the usual puppeteers with mouths approximating the German dialog, and then dubbed. | |
| Folge 119 | Kaye Ballard | ||
| Folge 120 | Juliet Prowse | ||
| Folge 121 | Connie Stevens | Eberhard Storeck (Bert) Leon Rainer (Ernie) |
In his introduction, Kermit mentions Ernie and Bert as coming from Sesamstrasse. |
| Folge 122 | Mummenschanz | ||
| Folge 123 | Lena Horne | ||
| Folge 124 | Peter Ustinov | Günter Sauer (Peter Ustinov) | Oddly, Miss Piggy and Fozzie are dubbed by different voice artists during "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song." |
Season 2
Season 3
| German Episode Number | Guest Star(s) | Additional Voices | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folge 301 | Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge | ||
| Folge 302 | Leo Sayer | ||
| Folge 303 | Roy Clark | ||
| Folge 304 | Gilda Radner | ||
| Folge 305 | Pearl Bailey | ||
| Folge 306 | Jean Stapleton | ||
| Folge 307 | Alice Cooper | ||
| Folge 308 | Loretta Lynn | ||
| Folge 309 | Liberace | ||
| Folge 310 | Marisa Berenson | ||
| Folge 311 | Raquel Welch | ||
| Folge 312 | James Coco | Günter Sauer (James Coco) |
|
| Folge 313 | Helen Reddy | ||
| Folge 314 | Harry Belafonte | ||
| Folge 315 | Lesley Ann Warren | ||
| Folge 316 | Danny Kaye | ||
| Folge 317 | Spike Milligan | ||
| Folge 318 | Leslie Uggams | Unknown female voice artist (Big Bird) |
In his introduction, Kermit mentions "Big Bird" (not "Bibo") as coming from Sesamstrasse. |
| Folge 319 | Elke Sommer | Elke Sommer as herself | |
| Folge 320 | Sylvester Stallone | ||
| Folge 321 | Roger Miller | ||
| Folge 322 | Roy Rogers & Dale Evans | ||
| Folge 323 | Lynn Redgrave | ||
| Folge 324 | Cheryl Ladd |