This is a list of minor Muppet projects that have not made it past the development stage, for which not enough information exists to constitute its own page.

The Island of Lost MuppetsEdit

Proposed miniseries in the late 1980s that would have introduced new characters called the Orangs.^[1]

Kermit's Christmas CapersEdit

Kermit's Christmas Capers was announced as a proposed television special for the 2005 holiday season however the project was cancelled before filming due to changes in management with the Muppets Holding Company.^[2]

Miss Piggy mystery booksEdit

A July, 1990 article in Publisher's Weekly described a merger between Muppet Press with Disney Press in "the impending acquisition of Henson Associates". The article mentioned that "plans are in the works for a line of Muppet Babies toddler books, a Miss Piggy mystery series and a biography of Henson by Louise Gikow."^[3]

The Muppet Institute of TechnologyEdit

In 1986, writer Douglas Adams was involved as a consultant on a proposed one-hour Muppet TV special about computer literacy, The Muppet Institute of Technology. Adams flew out to New York City to meet with Jim Henson and twenty other consultants for discussions. The project was never completed.^[4] Adams' friend Christopher Cerf was also involved in the production.^[5] The name had been used the year before for the book and computer game sets The Great Gonzo in WordRider and Kermit's Electronic StoryMaker.

The Muppet Love Song AlbumEdit

According to the Winter 1983 issue of Muppet Magazine, The Muppet Love Song Album was to be released by Warner Bros. Records shortly after Miss Piggy's Aerobique Exercise Workout Album.

Muppet RoastEdit

A celebrity roast was pitched as an idea and sold to Disney in 2007 by Hugh Fink, Scott Ganz and Andrew Samson.^[6]

Muppet VoyagerEdit

The 1988 article in Channels also mentioned an international Muppet project: "There are children in the world who have never heard of the Muppets, in China, Africa, India and the Soviet Union, and Henson is excited about reaching audiences in those countries. One project in development, Muppet Voyager, could serve as a vehicle for reaching some of them. It would shoot in a different country every week."^[7] Character designs for Muppet Voyager were completed by Kirk Thatcher in 1987.

According to the Henson Company archivist:

  Jim [Henson] felt it would be possible to create a series underlining the one-world concept. By taking the perspective of creatures looking at earth from the outside, viewers around the globe would be instilled with the idea that there are more similarities than differences among the inhabitants of the varied places of our world. To achieve this, Jim and his team proposed a series where each episode would feature the Muppet Voyagers visiting a different country and reporting back the customs and cultures to their home planet. Having last visited in the age of the dinosaurs, the Voyagers found much to share. Each episode was to be created as a co-production with a local production company and broadcaster, much like the international versions of Sesame Street. Muppet Voyager would require, as the proposal noted, “...a world-wide network of co-producers.” The Henson coordination and interior scenes shoots would be London-based, while the location sections would be shot in each participating country.

Jim and his team saw the Muppet Voyagers, led by Commander Horseflash, as an intergalactic documentary film crew, transmitting their findings back home at the end of each show. While they could see a difference between a human and a car, for example, they could not distinguish between different nationalities or races. Their experience and point of view would show that our planet is small and that, “We’re all in this together.” And as noted by the creative team in their pitch to IBM, even the production process would have demonstrated that we “..can work together to create positive international programming.^[8]  

MuppetManiaEdit

Proposed in the late 1980s for television.^[1]

Muppets in CamelotEdit

Muppets in Camelot had been mentioned by the Jim Henson Company many times in the late 1990s, and was "kicked around" for several years for a potential feature film. A script outline was produced, but the film didn't move forward into production.^[9]

The Muppets Leave HollywoodEdit

The Muppets Leave Hollywood was an outside script bought by the Henson Company in February 1998. In the script, the Muppets (playing themselves) are living the high life in Hollywood until Kermit decides they've lost their purpose in this greedy world and takes them all back to the swamp.^[9]

The Muppets on the Orient ExpressEdit

Project from the 1980s, for which John E. Barrett created concept photography featuring The Muppet Show cast in period costume as shifty, potential suspects at a train station. Concept photography went on display at The Muppets Say Cheese exhibit.

The Muppets' Run for PresidentEdit

An election special, intended to coincide with the 2008 Presidental election was written by Andrew Samson, Scott Ganz, and Hugh Fink for The Muppets Studio. The writing trio revealed the title and discussed the project, the inital pitch and its unfortunate fate in the 89th episode of The MuppetCast.^[10] The special followed Miss Piggy's run for the White House (previously the home of President Animal).

Noah's Ark MusicalEdit

Following the London musical Doctor Dolittle, the Jim Henson's Creature Shop was approached by the creator of Dolittle, Leslie Bricusse, on a musical based on the story of Noah's Ark. Preliminary work on the creatures was started, but the show was never produced.^[11]

Picture-book specialsEdit

Following the 1986 airings of The Tale of the Bunny Picnic on ABC and The Christmas Toy on HBO, the cable channel considered producing more in the series of "picture-book specials". A 1988 article in Channels, a magazine for the television industry, revealed that "Henson has ten specials in development that he would like to place, including a Valentine's Day program called Puppy Love starring Muppet dogs, and a special called The Lizards for the summer. These will eventually be turned into a series of videocassettes distributed by HA. And the books, published by Henson's publishing division with Scholastic, will further the publishing aspirations of the company."^[12]

Pipe DreamEdit

Pipe Dream is a lesser known Rodgers and Hammerstein musical which ran for 246 performances on Broadway in 1955, based on the novel Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck. A film version of the musical was proposed starring the Muppets.^[13] Humans would play Doc and Suzy; Muppets would play the other roles—with Miss Piggy as Fauna, Kermit as Mac and Fozzie as Hazel.^[14]

Screaming EdithEdit

A 1993 Wall Street Journal article mentioned plans for a new Muppet project:

  [Brian] Henson's record label will soon introduce "Screaming Edith", a new Muppets hard-rock band whose videos Henson wants shown on MTV.^[15]  

Untitled superhero projectEdit

In the early 2000s, around the time when superhero movies were making a comeback, Craig Shemin proposed a film involving the Muppets getting superpowers.^[16]

SourcesEdit

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} MuppetZine #13, Summer 1995
2. ↑ Muppet Central news September 17, 2005
3. ↑ Schnol, Janet. "Disney to Launch Book Division with Startups and an Acquisition", Publisher's Weekly. July 27, 1990.
4. ↑ Gaiman, Neil. Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion, Titan Books. 2003. p. 133.
5. ↑ Simpson, M.J. Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams, Justin, Charles & Co. 2005. p. 210.
6. ↑ ToughPigs.com - My Day On a Muppet Movie Set
7. ↑ Loevy, Diana. "Inside the House That Henson Built", Channels. March, 1988.
8. ↑ Jim Henson's Red Book. 3/1-2/1986
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Muppet Central news June 5, 1998
10. ↑ The MuppetCast episode #89 - December 21, 2008
11. ↑ Live Design Online
12. ↑ Loevy, Diana. "Inside the House That Henson Built", Channels. March, 1988.
13. ↑ Mandelbaum, Ken. Not Since Carrie: 40 years of Broadway Musical Flops. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 1992. p. 99.
14. ↑ Mordden, Ethan. Rodgers & Hammerstein. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1992. [1]
15. ↑ Cox, Meg. "Kermit's Keepers: Jim Henson Is Gone, But Muppets Thrive Under His Children", The Wall Street Journal. August 9, 1993.
16. ↑ Personal communication, Scott Hanson and Craig Shemin

See alsoEdit

• Unfinished Movies
• Unfinished TV Shows