The Today Show
From Muppet Wiki
The Today Show is a daily morning news and talk program on NBC.
The Muppets were frequent guests on The Today Show in the early 1960s, doing local cut-ins for the show from Washington, D.C. Muppets making appearances included Sam from Sam and Friends and an early Kermit the Frog. Jim Henson and Jane Henson (who performed the numbers) were also interviewed occasionally.
Current co-host Matt Lauer and weatherman Al Roker have both appeared on Sesame Street. Former Today co-host Bryant Gumbel contributed a recipe for Miss Piggy's 1996 cookbook, In the Kitchen with Miss Piggy.
In episode 103 of The Jim Henson Hour, Fozzie Bear visited The Today Show and met Willard Scott and Jane Pauley.
List of appearances
Elmo says goodbye to Couric on May 25, 2006.
- June 5, 1961 with host Dave Garroway, performing "Yes, We Have No Bananas" and "Old Black Magic."
- Weekly appearances in 1962 and 1963 with host Hugh Downs.
- July 1984 -- Willard Scott introduces Gene Shalit's interview with Jim Henson, which starts with Henson throwing out a nod to Scott about having begun his career working with him at WRC-TV. Henson is promoting the company's new film, The Muppets Take Manhattan, which Shalit says is a refreshing break from the summer's crop of terrible movies. This launches into a discussion about violence on the screen in contemporary cinema. Later, Kermit stops in for an interview (he's even miked on his collar), and receives the usual volley of questions about the rumors concerning a marriage and on-again/off-again relationship with Miss Piggy.
- November 14, 1988 -- Big Bird assists Willard Scott with the weather; Meryl Sheep and Count von Count take over for regular anchors Jane Pauley and Bryant Gumbel.
- January 1, 1998 -- The morning after New Year's Eve, Miss Piggy breaks up with her New Year's date, Matt Lauer.
- 1999 -- Roscoe Orman and Elmo appear to promote "Art From the Fuzzy and Famous".
- January 14, 2002 -- Kermit and Miss Piggy appear for the show's 50th anniversary celebration. This is the last known appearance of Frank Oz as Piggy.
- September 21, 2005 -- Cheryl Henson and Kevin Clash talk with Matt Lauer to promote the new book It's Not Easy Being Green.
- December 28, 2005 -- Big Bird (Matt Vogel) appears with Rosemarie Truglio to promote Episode 4107 and Episode 4108, the "Adventures of Little Big Bird" two-parter.
- May 2006 -- With the announced departure of Katie Couric, assorted celebrities tape segments offering their farewells. Miss Piggy and Kermit appear on May 16, and Piggy takes offense at Kermit's sign: "Hey Matt, want a pig?" On May 25, Elmo shows up to offer his own goodbyes, following General Norman Schwarzkopf.
- August 14, 2006 -- Leslie Carrara performs Abby Caddaby in an introduction of the character to the general populus. Note: This appearance was originally scheduled for Friday, August 11th.
- September 6, 2006 -- Kevin Clash and Elmo appear together to promote Kevin's book My Life as a Furry Red Monster.
- September 14, 2006 -- Miss Piggy thinks that she's the new co-host, and not Meredith Vieira. And if that wasn't enough, the poor pig also has to deal with bacon breath.
- January 5, 2007 -- Miss Piggy pops out of the roughly four-foot-tall cake and sings "Happy Anchorversary" to Matt Lauer, in celebration of Lauer's 10th anniversary on the program.
- February 7, 2007 -- The cast of Sesame Street LIVE: Elmo's Coloring Book performs on the plaza to promote their run at Madison Square Garden.
- May 10, 2007 -- After a retrospective video looking at Ann Curry's 10 years on The Today Show, Elmo appears in a live segment from Italy wishing Ann well. The cast escort Curry to a short wall, from which Cookie Monster pops out from in behind. Cookie pulls out a plate of cookies, presents Ann with a bouquet of flowers, then calls in "Lou" to bring a case with an engraved necklace. As Ann hugs her co-hosts, Cookie starts to chow down on his cookies, before being hugged mid-eat by Ann.
- August 7, 2007 -- Miss Piggy appears behind the set's couch to talk to Al, Meredith, and Matt about The Muppet Show: Season Two DVD.
- August 10, 2007 -- Elmo promotes season 38 of Sesame Street.
- December 25, 2007 -- "Abby and the Sesame Street gang" scheduled to appear on the show, according to an email by Leslie Carrara.
References
- In Muppets Tonight episode 103, Bobo the Bear greets Sal Manilla by saying "Hold it up there, J. Fred Muggs." Muggs was a trained chimpanzee who appeared on The Today Show from 1953 until 1957.
