New Year's Eve occurs every December 31, and is considered the final day of the year, followed by New Year's Day on January 1. However, in America, New Year's Eve is generally deemed more important, a night of revelry, consumption, noise-making, singing "Auld Lang Syne," and watching Dick Clark (or later, Carson Daly).
Generally a lesser holiday in the Muppet pantheon, it did receive its due in 1993, with the special Sesame Street Stays Up Late and its tie-in book. (The special was released on home video as Sesame Street Celebrates Around the World.)
In 1996, Miss Piggy served as a special New Year's Eve correspondent on Jay Leno's Tonight Show. Piggy stood on the roof of the Mariott Marquis Hotel at Times Square, New York City, freezing her bazongas off while wearing a low-cut sequined gown. ("With the wind-chill factor, it's sixty-eight degrees below zero!" she complained.) She blamed Bernie for the situation, since instead of spending a romantic candlelight dinner with Kermit, she's stuck on top of a building with three teamsters named Vinnie. She grew more satisfied as the evening wore on, however, excitedly watching as the ball prepares to drop, and dancing on the rooftop to ring in the New Year.
A year later, Miss Piggy appeared on The Today Show on New Year's Day, 1998, following a New Year's date with Matt Lauer. Piggy complained about being up so early, and said that she only agreed to appear on the show so she could break things off with him. As an explanation, Piggy said, "Can we just say that when a person picks up a pig for a date, that the New Year's kiss does not begin at 6:30pm?" Lauer accepted the breakup somewhat gracefully, although he asked her to keep an open mind about a date for next New Year's. He ended the segment by kissing her on the nose and hugging her.
Grover (and Super Grover) appear on The Sunny Side Up Show to help Kelly and Chica celebrate the coming of 2009 on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The trio sing a song about their New Year's resolutions to the tune of "Turkey in the Straw." Super Grover's include learning to take pictures, tieing his shoes, discovering a new breed of blue apple, hugging a penguin, and drinking hot chocolate with a dove.
Sesame Street once again celebrated New Year's Eve in 2018 in Episode 4907.
Additional references[]
- The "House of Horrors" sketch in episode 119 of The Muppet Show takes place on New Year's Eve. This particular date causes an eerie visitor to Gonzo and Fozzie's summer cottage to turn into a party bandleader (Guy Lombardo as originally recorded, later dubbed with Jack Parnell) conducting "Auld Lang Syne."
- In Search and Learn Adventures, the Furry Arms Hotel elevator is able to visit assorted strange and foreign environments outside the hotel. One of said locations is Time Square in the midst of its New Year's Eve celebration.
See also[]
- Jetzt geht die Party richtig los (German New Year's special featuring the Muppets in 1978/1979)
External Links[]
- Tough Pigs: Unhappy New Year -- Tonight Show transcript
- Tough Pigs: The Morning After -- Today Show transcript