Mystery Science Theater 3000
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A typical episode of MST3K.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 (often abbreviated as MST3K) is a television show which ran from 1988 until 1999, airing on the Comedy Channel (succeeded by Comedy Central in 1991), and later on Sci Fi.
Hosted by creator Joel Hodgson (and later by Mike Nelson), the science-fiction flavored series featured the sarcastic host and his two robot sidekicks, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, making fun of "cheesy movies" -- mainly B-movie science fiction and horror films, with the occasional barbarian epic, cop drama, or biker flick.
The show is known for its diverse pop-culture references, riffing on everything from philosophers and politicians to cartoons and old commercials. The rapid-fire quips included frequent references to the Muppets and Sesame Street.
Contents |
Muppet Mentions
| Picture | Title | Episode number | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Women of the Prehistoric Planet | #104 (1990) | Over a shot of the Cosmos III spaceship, Tom says, "Pigs -- in -- Spaaaace!" |
 | Moon Zero Two | #111 (1990) | One of the satellite smugglers wears a green spacesuit as he travels over the surface of the moon. Joel puts on a Kermit the Frog voice: "It's not easy being green". As he reaches a white-spacesuited companion, Tom imitates Fozzie Bear from The Muppet Movie: "Ahhh! Frog and a bear, together again! Wocka wocka wocka!" |
 | Moon Zero Two | #111 (1990) | A fight breaks out at the bar. One of the brawlers is thrown onto the stage, where a group of women are dancing, dressed in yellow jumpsuits with red peacock tails. "Look out, Big Bird!" Crow yells. |
 | Jungle Goddess | #203 (1990) | "White devil" Bob fools the native girl Wanama, telling her that "dumb" is a synonym for "smart". Later, Montegreta asks Wanama if Bob knows that she's on to his betrayal. Wanama proudly says no: "Wanama dumb!" At this, the three quippers break out into a version of "Mahna Mahna": "Wanama dumb, doo doo de doo doo! Wanama dumb, doo doo de doo!" |
 | Wild Rebels | #207 (1991) | During the movie, Rod plays Linda a love song on his guitar. Joel imitates Rod during a host segment, singing to the female robot, Gypsy. "I know what I like, and I like what I know... cause I know what I like about you... You know, I feel kinda like Mac Davis on The Muppet Show." |
 | Godzilla vs the Sea Monster | #213 (1991) | In the song "Godzilla Genealogy Bop", Joel, Tom and Crow discuss Godzilla's descendants. According to them, Godzilla's son Godzooky had an affair with Lorna Luft, producing a son, Ron Perlman. Perlman and Yoko Ono then had a bunch of green children, including Kermit the Frog, Swamp Thing, the Hulk and Ernest Borgnine. |
 | Pod People | #303 (1991) | A long-nosed alien approaches the poachers' campfire. Joel says, "Hey, it's Mr. Snuffleupagus!" |
 | Time of the Apes | #306 (1991) | The movie's opening titles appear over still photos of monkeys in a zoo. Joel says, "It looks like a Sesame Street segment." Tom chuckles, and agrees. |
 | Gamera vs. Zigra | #316 (1991) | Kenny and Helen struggle to put up the sail on their sailboat. Joel says, "Iwo Jima Babies! From Jim Henson." A moment later, Crow chimes in with "African Queen Babies." |
 | Star Force: Fugitive Alien II | #318 (1991) | The episode begins with Crow and Servo in a philosophical discussion over the nature of puppets. The first line of the episode is Crow conferring with Tom: "...your point is that Big Bird cannot be considered a puppet because of his... or her... its size?" Tom says yes, and furthers his argument by saying that once a puppet has feet, it becomes a costume rather than a puppet. This "puppet vs. costume" conversation extends to Topo Gigio, Lamb Chop, H.R. Pufnstuf, and Yoda, and Senor Wences.
After the commercial break, Joel plays a game in which the bots identify famous characters as puppet or costume; this set, accompanied by cue-card drawings of each, includes Rowlf the Dog (specifically labeled by Servo as a Muppet rather than a mere puppet), Meow Meow Kitty, Kukla (or Ollie, Joel would've accepted either), Spitting Image, and D.C. Follies. |
 | War of the Colossal Beast | #319 (1991) | The Colossal Man's case is referred to the U.S. Department of Medical Research. Seeing a bald man sitting at the Medical Research desk, Crow says "Fred Mertz?" Joel replies, "More like Bunsen Honeydew." |
 | Santa Claus Conquers the Martians | #321 (1991) | Billy and Betty are lost at the North Pole. Spotting a light in the distance, Betty cries, "I see it! I see it! Santa's workshop!" "No, that's the Children's Television Workshop," Joel says. |
 | Master Ninja I | #322 (1992) | When McAllister is introduced, Joel says, "He looks like a Henson rat!" |
 | Master Ninja II | #324 (1992) | McAllister tells Max, "When you need to run the four-minute mile, you'll do it!" Tom adds, "You'll be a Henson rat, like me!" |
 | City Limits | #403 (1992) | Lee is surrounded by a group of Clippers, and a young man stands in front of him, holding a bat. "Hey, Ernie!" another calls, and Joel replies in Ernie's voice, "Yeah, Bert?" Then Ernie turns and says, "Fish it, Bert!" Joel says, "It is Bert and Ernie!" as Tom chuckles. They repeat the joke again later in the movie, when another character says "Hey, Ernie." |
 | City Limits | #403 (1992) | Rae Dawn Chong's character has a flashback to her childhood. Seeing the young girl, Joel says, "Jim Henson's Rae Dawn Chong Babies." |
 | City Limits | #403 (1992) | One of the Clippers uses scale-model airplanes to bomb the factory. Crow quips, "Jim Henson's Flying Leatherneck Babies". |
 | Teenagers From Outer Space | #404 (1992) | A group of boys stare at the oddly-dressed alien, Derek. Tom Servo calls them "Jim Henson's Baretta Babies". |
 | Teenagers From Outer Space | #404 (1992) | Mac and Joe are investigating the cave where the huge lobster-like gargons are growing. Mac calls to Joe to bring flashbulbs, then enters the cave. As Joe rushes to the cave, he hears Mac's screams, and the high-pitched growl of the gargons. "Grover's in there," Tom says. |
 | Being From Another Planet | #405 (1992) | A baby plays with the mummy's amulet. Crow says, "Jim Henson's Baby Babies." |
 | Being From Another Planet | #405 (1992) | The mummy's point of view is shown through a green filter, often moving around in a boiler room. The robots think that this is the most terrifying thing they've ever seen. Panicked, Crow cries out, "It's not easy seeing green!" |
 | Attack of the Giant Leeches | #406 (1992) | Steve and Liz paddle through the swamp, looking for clues to what's behind the mysterious attacks. There's a sinister splash, and Joel cries, "Kermit, no!" |
 | Attack of the Giant Leeches | #406 (1992) | Three hayseed characters are unconscious in the leeches' cave. Servo says, "Oh, look -- Jim Henson's Cracker Babies!" |
 | The Killer Shrews | #407 (1992) | Joel's invention is "Jim Henson's Edgar Winter Babies". |
 | The Killer Shrews | #407 (1992) | In the "Junior Rodeo Daredevils" short, Crow calls the main kids "Jim Henson's Misfits Babies". |
 | The Killer Shrews | #407 (1992) | The "Junior Rodeo Daredevils" kids hang up posters for the rodeo, prompting Joel to call them "Jim Henson's Last Picture Show Babies". |
 | The Killer Shrews | #407 (1992) | Thorne and Mario go into the basement, looking for shrews. Mario's flashlight plays over the stairs, where a shrew shrinks back from the light. "Ahh!" Joel cries, "There's a Muppet behind the stairs!" Crow and Tom imitate Señor Wences: "S'all right under the stairs. S'all right." Joel calls, "Honey... I think we've got puppets down here!" "Hand puppets?" Crow responds. "Yeah," Joel says. "They're under the stairs, so I don't think they're marionettes." When the shrew attacks, Tom scolds, "Bad puppet! Bad puppet!" |
 | Hercules Unchained | #408 (1992) | The Waters of Forgetfulness pour from a carved stone that looks like an angry face. Crow mutters, "The Mighty Pavog!" (sic) |
 | The Indestructible Man | #409 (1992) | In the "Undersea Kingdom" short, Unga Khan's soldiers chase Crash Corrigan and his friends on horseback. Joel says, "Oh, it's Jim Henson's Birth of a Nation Babies!" |
 | Hercules Against the Moon Men | #410 (1992) | The people of Samar are forced to sacrifice their children to "the mountain of death". Joel calls the line of marching children "Jim Henson's Exodus Babies". |
 | Hercules Against the Moon Men | #410 (1992) | The entrance to the sacrificial cave looks like a wizened face. Crow says, "I am the Mighty Pavog!" (sic) |
 | Hercules and the Captive Women | #412 (1992) | During the Festival of Uranus, a group of robed children are led to the Mountain of the Dead to be sacrificed. "Hey!" Tom says. "It's Jim Henson's Ghandi Babies!" |
 | Manhunt in Space | #413 (1992) | Rocky lands the oddly-shaped Orbit Jet. Joel shouts, "Sturgeon... in... Space!" |
 | Crash of the Moons | #417 (1992) | Rocky Jones and Winky are flying in the Orbit Jet. Joel and the bots shout, "Pigs in Space!" |
 | Crash of the Moons | #417 (1992) | Empress Cleolanta, clad in a high-collared cape, gives the order to fire on the moon Posita. She cries, "Count two... count one! Fire!" Tom says, "Oh, the Count from Sesame Street." |
 | The Human Duplicators | #420 (1992) | Glenn says, "Looks like this Dr. Munson was the strong man type." Joel cries, "Dr. Munson Honeydew!" |
 | The Human Duplicators | #420 (1992) | A stern-faced young man watches Glenn and Gale dance. Joel says, "Jim Henson's Jack Palance Babies." |
 | Monster A Go Go | #421 (1993) | Over a tight, dark shot of the "monster" fumbling about, Joel imitates Cookie Monster's trademark "Coookieee" and munching sounds. |
 | Secret Agent Super Dragon | #504 (1993) | The opening credits run over a shot of a telephone, a cigarette burning in an ashtray, and a gun. Joel points, and says, "One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just..." |
 | Operation Double 007 | #508 (1993) | Every time Neil meets a mysterious girl, she's wearing a new outlandish outfit. This time, she's got a fuzzy, hot pink wig. Tom notes: "Hair by Jim Henson." |
 | Operation Double 007 | #508 (1993) | Maya leads a troop of showgirls to distract a troop of soldiers, and steal their equipment. Looking at her feathery outfit, Tom says, "Now, she could be a candidate for Big Bird. Definitely." Crow agrees. |
 | The Atomic Brain | #518 (1993) | Centron's "Young America Films" logo appears at the start of the short, "What About Juvenile Delinquency?" Tom announces, "Sam the Eagle presents!" Crow agrees: "Hey, it is!" |
 | Village of the Giants | #523 (1994) | The Beau Brummels play for an enthusiastic teen audience. A shaggy-haired blonde woman dances in the crowd, throwing her hair around as she bounces up and down. "What is that, Animal from the Muppets in the front there?" Tom asks, and does an Animal impression: "WOMAN!" |
 | Bloodlust | #607 (1994) | Johnny and Betty watch as Jondor exits through a secret passage in the wall, next to an enormous stuffed bear. Tom says "Wocka wocka wocka!", and then turns to whisper to Mike: "Fozzie Bear." Mike nods and whispers, "Yes." |
 | Code Name: Diamond Head | #608 (1994) | Mike identifies a bearded member of the coast guard: "It's Jim Henson!" The sailor's Kermit-esque voice elicits a "Hi-ho" from Crow. |
 | Last of the Wild Horses | #611 (1994) | Cooper, the head of the Double C Ranch, tells Riley to inform everyone that trespassers on the ranch will be shot. Crow says, "He's the George Stephanopolous of the ranch." Servo asks, "Snuffleupagus?" Mike agrees: "Snuffleupagus." |
 | San Francisco International | #614 (1994) | Stayczek's associate waits for a crate to be unloaded from the plane. Crow says, "He's from the Land of Misfit Toys." Mike agrees: "He looks like a Henson rat!" |
 | Angels' Revenge | #622 (1995) | One of Burke's sidekicks shoots at the Angels. Tom shouts, "Jim Henson!" Crow gives a Kermit the Frog "Hi-ho!" The man is shot a moment later, and Crow adds a Kermit-esque "Oh!" |
 | Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell | #703 (1996) | Deathstalker stabs Troxartas. Mike observes, "He looks like Sam the American Eagle." Crow agrees. |
 | Escape 2000 | #705 (1996) | Junior says goodbye to Strike, who's setting off on a dangerous mission. Referring to the youngster's cap, Crow says, "Jim Henson's Chairman Mao Babies". |
 | The Mole People | #803 (1997) | Roger holds up a furry pelt. Tom gasps, "They killed Fozzie Bear!" |
 | The She-Creature | #808 (1997) | Crow shows Mike the new Tickle Me Carlo Lombardi doll that he's created, based on the movie's creepy hypnotist. Crow insists that Mike tickle the doll, which emits an eerie chuckle. Also, the doll is sticky, so Mike can't put it down. Mike is thrown to the floor, struggling with the spooky doll as Crow sings the "Tickle Me Carlo Lombardi" theme song. Tickle Me Carlo Lombardi and Tickle Me Carlo Lombardi are sold separately. |
 | The She-Creature | #808 (1997) | Carlo Lombardi makes a presentation to a group of scientists. Tom recognizes the bald man on the left: "Hey, Bunsen Honeydew!" |
 | The Giant Spider Invasion | #810 (1997) | A hairy-legged spider attacks a scantily-clad girl, and Crow cries, "Snuffleufagus [sic], no!" |
 | The Horror of Party Beach | #817 (1997) | When the googly-eyed monster attacks Tina, Mike imitates Cookie Monster: "Coo-kie!" |
 | The Pumaman | #903 (1998) | Tony jogs outside the museum in a bright yellow jogging suit. Mike shrugs, "The new Big Bird action wear." |
 | The Touch of Satan | #908 (1998) | Brain Guy is humiliated when Pearl goes away for the week, and leaves him with a stern babysitter, Steffi. When he complains about her reading of Green Eggs and Ham, she asks, "Are we a little cranky, Brian?" "No, madam," he says grandly, "I am overtired. So I shall turn in now. So, if you wouldn't mind, please -- my blankie, my nookie... and my friend." Brain Guy's "friend" is a Cookie Monster doll. |
 | The Final Sacrifice | #910 (1998) | Troy is chased on his bike by ski-mask wearing goons. As the goons' truck smashes into a couple of trash cans, Crow growls, "Oh, I love tra -- OWWWW! Oooohh..." |
 | Soultaker | #1001 (1999) | Natalie is in a hospital bed, with a breathing apparatus over her nose and mouth. Mike says, "She's Snuffleupagus!" |
 | Girl in Gold Boots | #1002 (1999) | Mike imitates the Count, as McCabe's dour henchman watches Buz, Michele and Critter walk by: "One... ha ha haaa! Two! Ha ha ha ha!" |
 | Boggy Creek II | #1006 (1999) | Deputy Williams tells the story of his encounter with the swamp creature. A shaggy, floppy beast jumps onto Williams' neck, prompting Tom to narrate, "Suddenly, I was attacked by a Muppet." |
 | Final Justice | #1008 (1999) | Deputy Geronimo visits Malta during Carnival time. He walks through a parade, which includes a float that resembles a scantily clad Miss Piggy. Mike simpers, "Oh, Kermie, take a look at my good stuff!" |
 | It Lives By Night | #1010 (1999) | Servo quips that the babbling, drunken drifter "sounds like the Swedish Chef Muppet." |
RiffTrax
In 2006, Mike Nelson revived the MST3K concept as "RiffTrax", a website which offers downloadable audio commentaries in the MST style. The user listens to the commentary track in sync with a DVD. Nelson has recorded RiffTrax with many of his MST colleagues, including Kevin Murphy (Tom Servo), Bill Corbett (Crow), Mary Jo Pehl (Pearl Forrester), and his wife Bridget Nelson (writer), as well as occasional celebrity guests such as Neil Patrick Harris and "Weird Al" Yankovic.
RiffTrax continues the MST3K tradition of Muppet references.
| Picture | Title | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Glitter | (2007) | Billie tells Dice about a recurring dream: "I'm on this huge TV show, right? And I'm singing this song that me and my mom used to sing together." "It's called 'C Is for Cookie'," Mary Jo quips. |
 | Jurassic Park | (2008) | "Mr. DNA" explains how the geneticists use the DNA of a frog to fill in the holes in the dinosaurs' genetic sequence. Mike remarks: "Kermit the Frog's Clint Howard." |
 | Jurassic Park | (2008) | Referring to Ellie Sattler, Weird Al jokes that Ian Malcolm would like to "Waldorf her Sattler." Mike corrects him by telling him the other Muppet is named Statler, but Weird Al replies, "I stand by my filthy Muppet innuendo." Mike adds, "You know, I was once in a band called Filthy Muppet Innuendo." |
 | Jurassic Park | (2008) | A line by Malcolm is interrupted: "God creates dinosaur. God kills dinosaur. God creates man. Man kills God. Man creates dinosaur. Dinosaur..." Al jumps in: "... says 'not the mama!'" |
The Film Crew
In 2007, Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett expanded the RiffTrax concept into "The Film Crew", a line of direct-to-DVD releases. In this series, Mike, Kevin and Bill work for a friendly but lunatic boss, Bob Honcho, who wants to provide a commentary track for every movie ever made. The trio work as Honcho's "film crew", quipping over the movie. The series is, essentially, a direct-to-DVD Mystery Science Theater, but without silhouettes.
| Picture | Title | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Giant of Marathon | (2007) | During a shipboard battle, a warrior climbs past a barrel tied with rope. Kevin cries, "Hey, Oscar the Grouch! Right there!" Mike chuckles. |
 | Killers From Space | (2007) | After a mysterious brush with death, Dr. Martin wakes from a nightmare to see a vision of approaching, bulging eyeballs. "Wow," Bill says. "I gotta stop eating a pot roast and watching The Muppets before bed." |
 | Killers From Space | (2007) | Dr. Martin sees the approaching eyes again as he drives through the night. Kevin says, in a Cookie Monster voice, "Let me steal your cookie!" As the eyes get closer, Mike sings, "It's time to meet your maker, on The Muppet Show tonight..." |
Connections
- After leaving MST3K, Joel Hodgson and his brother Jim worked with the Jim Henson Company to produce a show for broadcast on Noggin. The show was never produced. [1]
In addition, a few cast and crew members for films showcased on Mystery Science Theater 3000 also worked in Muppet/Henson productions.
- Werner Abrolat played Melnik in The Castle of Fu Manchu, episode #323
- Francis Ford Coppola wrote the English-language screenplay for the US dub of The Magic Voyage of Sinbad, episode #505
- Billy Crystal played David in Death Flight, episode #13 of the KTMA run
- Eddie Deezen played Froggy in Laserblast, episode #706
- Clint Eastwood played Jennings the lab tech in Revenge of the Creature, episode #801
- George Gaynes played the mission director in Space Travelers, episode #401
- Arthur Godfrey appeared as himself in Angels' Revenge, episode #622
- Joyce Gordon played a data supervisor in Overdrawn at the Memory Bank, episode 3822
- Lorne Greene narrated the short film Johnny at the Fair, episode #419
- Ron Howard played Genius in Village of the Giants, episode #523
- Kathy Ireland played Wanda Saknussemm in Alien from L.A., episode #516
- James Earl Jones played Albert in City Limits, episode #403
- Raul Julia played Aram Fingal and Rick Blaine in Overdrawn at the Memory Bank, episode 822
- Richard Kind played Wamthool in in Quest of the Delta Knights, episode #913
- Michael Landon played Tony Rivers in I Was a Teenage Werewolf, episode #809
- Christopher Lee played Fu Manchu in in The Castle of Fu Manchu, episode #323
- Hal Linden dubbed the lead actor in Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, episode #213
- Bill McCutcheon played Dropo the Martian in Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, episode # 321
- Little Richard appeared as himself in Catalina Caper, episode #204
- David Warner played Lord Vultare and Raydoor in Quest of the Delta Knights, episode #913
- John Williams composed the score for Daddy-O, episode #307
Sources
External links
