Kermit the Frog will return in Avengers: Doomsday

Nothing about “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year” makes sense, but that’s not a bug. It’s a feature. Here’s an old podcast with @imgonnadj24.bsky.social & @brandonmedley.bsky.social.

🎉 Not only did we celebrate 20 years of Muppet Wiki in 2025, we also created thousands of new articles! All day today, we'll be posting highlights from this year's new additions to our encyclopedia of Jim Henson knowledge. Follow along in this thread, won't you? #MuppetWiki2025

Here we go! Part One of the @ynotradio.net Top 225 of 2025 Countdown starts at 10am ET (with replays at 5pm & midnight).

And Tiny Tim, who did knot dye

I look forward to this every year. A great, biting little exclamation point on Christmas after the pixie dust or whatever has settled.

While they’re fresh in your head, I’ll take requests for next July and December.

We have reached the end of our Christmas Special countdown this year. Most of what is left comes as no surprise, but there may be a couple in there. These are my personal favorites and what I objectively think are among the best. I hope you enjoy them and I hope you have a merry Christmas too!

🎄 Warn the people, tell the paper, It’s our 200th podcast caper! It’s a Christmas Eve fever dream with “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” our final Rankin/Bass Christmas special. With @imgonnadj24.bsky.social, @christmaspod.bsky.social, @theycallmedigio.bsky.social, & @theaceofknaves.bsky.social!

1979’s “Jack Frost” has an evil king with abandonment issues, a groundhog dressed like a pro wrestling manager, and the neighbors of those angels your grandma told you were bowling during a thunderstorm. With @lostchristmaspod.bsky.social, @theaceofknaves.bsky.social, & @radchristmas.bsky.social.

The very last special Rankin/Bass produced was in 2001. Eartha Kitt’s the voice of the cat. This is an old podcast with @andrebennettgo.bsky.social & @christmaspod.bsky.social.

Rogue One: A Nativity Story. With @brandonmedley.bsky.social.

“The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow” is about neither of those things.

And now, the Rankin/Bass Christmas classic that dares to answer children’s questions about Santa Claus while illegally opening his mail. With @mserinmevans.bsky.social, @imgonnadj24.bsky.social, @brandonmedley.bsky.social, @michaelmay.bsky.social, & @theycallmedigio.bsky.social.

Young Conan the Barbarian meets baby Jesus. With @brandonmedley.bsky.social & @michaelmay.bsky.social.

“The Stingiest Man in Town” features my favorite spooky Marley head in the door knocker, Tom Bosley as an insect named H.H. Humbug, and a song about Santa Claus for no reason. Here’s a podcast about it with @theycallmedigio.bsky.social & @michaelmay.bsky.social.

Y’all want to hear me find out what a Waitrose is? (Publix. It’s Publix.)

I’m convinced “The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold” only exists because Rankin/Bass had the rights to use the song “Christmas in Killarney” and wrote around that. Here’s a podcast with @theycallmedigio.bsky.social & @michaelmay.bsky.social.

Rankin/Bass’s Avengers assembled in theaters in 1979. This movie opens with Rudolph’s shine blipping out of existence, and what happens to Frosty and his whole family is even worse. Here’s an old podcast with @brandonmedley.bsky.social.

“Frosty’s Winter Wonderland” is the “Weird Science” of Christmas specials. with @brandonmedley.bsky.social.

Nothing about “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year” makes sense, but that’s not a bug. It’s a feature. Here’s an old podcast with @imgonnadj24.bsky.social & @brandonmedley.bsky.social.

i had to drop what i was doing to make this

Was Santa just hangry? Why was the doll on the Island of Misfit Toys? Why weren’t you at elf practice? These questions and more answered in this old podcast with @brandonmedley.bsky.social & @imgonnadj24.bsky.social.

Rankin/Bass’s first Christmas special after Rudolph was the traditionally animated “Cricket on the Hearth.” This version takes a hard left turn into a song about fish ’n’ chips performed by a burlesque cat, and it only gets weirder. So here’s an old podcast about it with @christmaspast.bsky.social.

In 1980, Rankin/Bass unleashed “Pinocchio’s Christmas” from its wood-burrowing earworm factory. I’ve had “Knock on Wood” stuck in my head for over 40 years. Send help. Anyway here’s an old podcast with @theycallmedigio.bsky.social & @michaelmay.bsky.social.

This podcast is about a Christmas special narrated by Roger Miller so of course I had to go off about “hey remember the hampster dance” And @ieatvideogames.bsky.social was there, and @brandonmedley.bsky.social was there…

Rankin/Bass went delightfully nuts with its last-ever stop-motion Christmas special in 1985, based on L. Frank Baum’s “The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.” Here’s an old podcast with @paxholley.com & @brandonmedley.bsky.social.

With Christmas fast approaching, let's put the spotlight on some of the voice actors and actresses from your favorite holiday specials such as Rudolph, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, and more! #Christmas #Christmas2025 #voiceacting

The best example of search engine optimization I’ve ever seen was a copy of Rankin/Bass’s “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo or wherever that was just titled “mouse christmas cartoon.” Aw heck, here’s our podcast from 2018 with @imgonnadj24.bsky.social.

Today I’m sharing all our Rankin/Bass podcast episodes, starting with Episode 1, from 2017, with @brandonmedley.bsky.social. I can hear my own nerves.

The first appearance of early Disney Channel imports The Raccoons was an anti-deforestation-themed Christmas special from 1980, narrated by Rich Little in his boring, resting Rich voice. Here’s an old podcast with @hunkburger.bsky.social & @theycallmedigio.bsky.social.

There’s a lot going on in this Walt Disney World Christmas special from 1978: Mimes pretending to be robots! Off-model Geppetto! Phyllis Diller as a fairy godmother! A band completely ignoring a woman’s screams for help while being chased by pirates! Jerry Lawler’s entrance theme for some reason!

Simply Having A wonderful

In this special, Yogi Bear fails upward to essentially become President of Christmas, a holiday he’s never experienced before, and also Cindy Bear has the cartoon for children equivalent of a sexual awakening. Here’s an old podcast with @sundownmotel.bsky.social.

In 1987, the California Raisins missed their bus, then made a sleigh out of garbage and flew it into space in the greatest holiday special out of all holiday specials hosted by clay dinosaurs. Here’s an old podcast with @mlerowley.bsky.social, @mserinmevans.bsky.social, & @imgonnadj24.bsky.social.

years ago, i met the mayor of temecula to talk about “meet me in temecula”: sundownmotel.ghost.io/meet-me-in-t...

Muppet for scale conundrum. I always thought the Gorgs and Sweetums were the same size. But based on the Muppet Family Christmas, Kermit is the same size as the Fraggles. And the Kermit to Sweetums ratio ≠ the Junior Gorg to Gobo ratio. So therefor the Gorgs are larger than Sweetums. Muppet Math!

Before she was Ursula, Pat Carroll won my heart as Jon Arbuckle’s grandma. Here’s an old podcast about Garfield’s Christmas on the farm, with @sommerjamfilm.bsky.social.

One time @stormspeed.bsky.social helped me count everyone who showed up at Fozzie’s mom’s farmhouse in “A Muppet Family Christmas.” It’s a lot.

THE ISLAND OF MISFIT CHRISTMAS SPECIALS presents...Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree! For real this time; correct title and everything! Also, the #StrangerThings comic NATALYA DIRE continues with its third chapter! #webcomics www.platypuscomix.com/darkvault/mi... www.platypuscomix.com/st/index.php...

There’s no place like being stuck in a snow bank with an eighth of a tank of gas for the holidays. Happy 8th night of Hanukkah.

Today’s podcast celebrates the Solstice on a Scrooge Sunday with an unexpectedly merry episode of “Xena: Warrior Princess.” It smashes together A Christmas Carol, Santa Claus, the Greek Fates, the Nativity, and even Home Alone. With @where2nextapril.bsky.social & @sammyhain.bsky.social!

🎄 Today’s podcast is about the first VeggieTales Christmas special, “The Toy That Saved Christmas,” from 1996, featuring the only kids’ toy that comes with a working buzzsaw. Plus, Larry stops his house from being robbed and pillaged on Christmas Eve with cookies! With @durwoodclapper.bsky.social!

In 1988, David Silverman designed puppets for “Chanuka at Bubbe’s,” a charming little pocket universe of a special. One puppet had a uniquely shaped yellow head and a surfer dude accent. The next year, Silverman would direct the first of many episodes of some new cartoon called “The Simpsons.”

I know what we’re going to talk about today!

In 1980, Filmation gave us a Christmas special starting Snow White’s daughter, also named Snow White, and Seven Friendly Giants, each with their own, unique involuntary reflexes. Here’s a podcast about it with @badprincessmovies.bsky.social.

Y’all want to hear about the time the kids from West Beverly High were saved by an angel from a head-on bus crash?

In 1973, Chuck Jones wrote and directed an animated adaptation of “The Cricket in Times Square.” That same year, he invented a Christmas special sequel. Here’s a podcast about it with @theycallmedigio.bsky.social.

The neighbors are having a Christmas party.