The evolution of Sam the Eagle.
Image | As seen in / Year | Notes |
---|---|---|
The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975) |
Sam makes his debut in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence. Around the same time, Sam appears in two Muppet Meeting Films. | |
The Muppet Show Season 1 (1976) |
Although similar to the first puppet, Sam's hues are such that the foam material's natural coloring and texture is more evident. His jaw tends to modulate from side to side, and his beak in general is at its longest. | |
The Muppet Show Season 1 (late 1976-1977) |
A new Sam puppet premiered in episode 117, and another in episode 119. Sam's eyebrows have been trimmed and the fringe of hair/feathers combed down somewhat. The beak has been reshaped slightly, and wing feather coloration made brighter, though the face and body hues still clash. | |
The Muppet Show Season 2 (1977-1978) |
Sam enters his more familiar form by the second season. He dons even thinner eyebrows, adjusted pupils, and a less fuzzier body. He also has noticeably lighter-blue hues. Like the original puppet, the foam texture of his head is apparent, and likewise the color fades within a year, ultimately turning into a more bluish-green shade. | |
The Great Muppet Caper (1978-1992) |
As seen in The Muppet Movie, later seasons of The Muppet Show, and The Great Muppet Caper, Sam's head has finally become a deeper blue, and the curve of the beak emphasized. The body feathers have also been re-dyed, and more feathers have been added to his collar. A slightly refeathered version of this design can be seen in Muppet*Vision 3D. | |
Muppets from Space (1992-2009) |
Sam gets resculpted, with the top of Sam's beak and skull being rounded and his eyebrows further trimmed, almost forming a Bert-like unibrow. His foam is being covered with a different material, with the bags under his eyes in a slightly different, more pale hue. This new puppet design begins with The Muppet Christmas Carol in a richly saturated blue. By the time of Muppet Treasure Island, some noticeable size adjustments are made; his beak becoming longer, while his hair is shorter. | |
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) |
Sam undergoes a plot-oriented change, with a fuller head of hair, or feathers, the result of his use of Propecia. | |
D23 Expo 2009 (2009-present) |
Sam is completely redesigned to look more like the 1975 puppet. This puppet was introduced to the public at the D23 Expo, though filming for the Give a Day. Get a Disney Day. commercials, on which this version can also be spotted, took place earlier. | |
Planning | ||
Design sketch (1975) |
Original sketch by Jim Henson, suggesting a jowlier, George C. Scott-esque Sam. |