Did You Know?

The show featured Zero Mostel's last television appearance. His episode was aired just three months before his death.

The episode with Deborah Harry was originally supposed to feature Cher as the guest star.

Ruth Buzzi recently revealed that she was originally supposed to be the first guest on the show, but scheduling conflicts pushed her back to episode #4. The guest star on the first episode was Juliet Prowse.

One of the most persistent stories over the years is about Spike Milligan's T-shirt with Arabic lettering. Supposedly it was discovered that the Arabic lettering translated to "hashish" only after the show was aired. This was untrue. Milligan's T-shirt actually says "Kuwait", a reference to his own television series Q5, which had been renamed in various versions over the years to "Q8" in one of its incarnations. Kuwait = Q8.

The Swedish Chef has been said to be inspired by the first and only television appearance of Lars Baeckmann. His appearance was a total failure, as he mumbled a strange mixture of English and Swedish while hectically preparing some sort of food. It was thought that the show's producers found it very funny and created the Swedish Chef in Baeckmann's likeness (including the thick mustache). However, show writer Jerry Juhl has refuted this statement and believes Baeckmann invented the rumor himself. Baeckmann, who presently earns his money with a traveling cooking show in Sweden, was paid $80 for the rights to the character. He is considered to be a good cook with a great sense of humor.

Many guest stars would be asked about their favorite Muppet and be given scenes with them. Miss Piggy was reportedly the most requested. Animal was a close second.

Many of the characters were redesigned early in the show's run. Miss Piggy's long hair and nose were replaced with shorter, curly hair and a shorter nose. Gonzo's nose was resized, and Fozzie had his wagging ears and drooping mouth removed because Frank Oz felt they were unnecessary to bring the character to life.

Although the episode with Rita Moreno was the fifth episode produced, it was the first to air in most markets.

Guest stars were allowed to appear on the show only once and never appeared a second time.

The episodes were taped in London.

The one-eyed cat who hangs out backstage is named "Gaffer, the backstage cat."

The "Mahna-Mahna" number was originally performed on _"Toast of the Town" (1948) (aka "The Ed Sullivan Show").

As of February 2003, Disney purchased The Jim Henson Workshop. The deal includes characters such as Fozzie Bear and The Great Gonzo, as well as the Bear in the Big Blue House franchise. Sesame Street characters such as Big Bird and Elmo are not included in the acquisition, as they are owned separately by the Sesame Workshop

When Peter Sellers was chosen to guest star on an episode, he requested that a skit known as "The Wall" not be done with him. In this skit, Kermit interviews the guest for a short period just as themselves, and Sellers' stated that he couldn't be himself. "I can be Queen Victoria, but I cannot be myself," he said. The writers replaced "The Wall" with a skit where Sellers played Queen Victoria.

Jim Henson modeled the Muppet Dr. Bunsen Honeydew after Lew Grade as a show of gratitude for financing the show. Lord Grade was delighted.

The flamboyant costumes and mannerisms of Dr. Teeth were modeled after New Orleans jazz musician, Dr. John.

The Swedish Chef was a favorite of Jim Henson and Frank Oz, as they both got to perform him. Henson was the head and voice, while Oz provided the hands. Frequently, one of the two would ad lib a line or bit of business, forcing the other one to keep up.

Because they found the character so funny, extraneous members of the crew would often crowd into the studio to watch filming of skits with the Swedish Chef. Often, the laughter heard in the final sketch is not from a laugh track, but from members of the crew who couldn't contain themselves.

Animal, the Muppet drummer, was inspired by Keith Moon of The Who.

An episode was usually filmed in three days.