Emmet Otter ' s Jug - Band Christmas Emmet Otter ' s Jug - Band Christmas is a one - hour Christmas special which first aired on HBO in 1977 ; and later broadcast on ABC on December 15 , 1980 . Jerry Juhl wrote the script for the special , adapting the story from a book by Russell Hoban ; original songs for the special were written by Paul Williams ; Jim Henson directed . The Henson special was adapted into a live musical stage show by the Jim Henson Company , premiering at the Goodspeed Opera House in December 2008 . Story . In this one - hour musical Christmas special , Kermit the Frog narrates the story of Alice Otter and her son , Emmet , who live along the river in the village of Frogtown Hollow . Ma and Emmet struggle to make ends meet through odd jobs and projects for neighbors and villagers , but this Christmas they dream of having enough money to buy each other a special gift . Known for their musical abilities , the Otters are encouraged by their friends to enter a local talent contest . The mother and son reminisce about Pa Otter , who serves as the inspiration for them to enter the show . Without each other ' s knowledge , Ma and Emmet prepare for the contest in the hope of winning the fifty - dollar prize to buy Christmas gifts for each other . Emmet performs as a member of the Frogtown Jubilee Jug Band and Ma Otter sings a solo number , but both face tough competition from a hard rock group formed by a gang of woodland creatures who call themselves the Riverbottom Nightmare Band . Behind - the - Scenes . The special utilizes a number of different puppetry methods . The main puppets used are the usual Muppet hand puppets , but the characters are frequently represented by marionettes as well . It also utilizes the Black Theater techniques . This is also one of the first Muppet productions to use radio control puppet effects , designed by Faz Fazakas . " Emmet Otter ' s Jug - Band Christmas " also featured extensively platformed - up sets , all created with great attention to detail . Jim Henson explained : In 2011 , Dave Goelz reflected on the special ; The songs were written by Paul Williams , beginning a long series of Muppet collaborations that also included " The Muppet Movie " , " The Muppet Christmas Carol " , and " " . Reviews . John J . O ' Connor gave the special a very positive review in " " on December 15 , 1980 for its ABC airing : " Jim Henson and the Muppets are on a dazzling winning streak these days . . . Mr . Henson has produced and directed one of the most charming Christmas specials of the last several years . . . Once again , Mr . Henson ' s creations verge on the marvelous , perfectly capturing the " Wind in the Willows " aspects of Emmet Otter ' s story . . . These really are the nicest folk on the river - - and on prime - time television . " Edits . Through the years , as the special moved from network to network , changes were made to " Emmet Otter ' s Jug - Band Christmas " in order to accommodate various time constraints . Cuts were made , but in some cases , previously deleted material was added . These alternate edits were used for various television airings and subsequent home video releases . Additionally , after the sale of the Muppets to the Walt Disney Company in 2004 , all official releases and broadcasts until 2015 excluded the scenes with Kermit the Frog . Original Edit . The original 1977 edit of the special created for airing on HBO ; this is considered the " definitive " version that all subsequent alterations are being tracked against . It is available for viewing at the Paley Center . ( Run time : 54 minutes ) 1980 Edit . Slightly altered version first created for airing on ABC and commercial television ; this edit was used for the 1983 VHS release ( complete with fadeouts to commercial breaks ) as well as the Nickelodeon broadcasts in the 1990s . It is also available for viewing at the Paley Center . Alterations include : 1996 Edit . Another alteration used for the 1996 and 1998 VHS releases , 1999 airings on Odyssey Network , and the 2001 DVD release from Columbia Tri - Star . ( Run time : 49 minutes ) Alterations include : 2005 Edit . This edit first appeared on the 2005 " Collector ' s Edition " DVD released by HIT Entertainment . This version restores the original 1977 edit of the special , only all scenes / narration with Kermit the Frog have been removed ( as the Henson Company sold the rights to Kermit and the Muppets to the Walt Disney Company in 2004 ) . The alternate and extra scenes from the previous variations were included in the disc ' s " Deleted / Altered Scenes " bonus feature . This has been the version used for all subsequent Henson Company releases , both DVD and digital . ( Run time : 49 minutes ) Alterations include : 2015 Edit . When this special aired on ABC Family in 2015 , it was remastered and presented in widescreen . It also ran at a 30 - frame - rate speed , rather than the original 60 - frame - rate . It is the first official broadcast since 2004 in which Kermit ' s scenes at the beginning and end are included ( though his narration is still edited out ) . Alterations include : Releases and airings . " Emmet Otter ' s Jug - Band Christmas " first aired on HBO in 1977 . It was later broadcasted on ABC in 1980 . In 1983 , four Muppet Home Video titles were released under the heading " Tales from Muppetland " . They were " Hey Cinderella ! " , " The Frog Prince " , " The Muppet Musicians of Bremen " and " Emmet Otter ' s Jug - Band Christmas " . In addition to VHS , these titles were released on Beta , Laserdisc , and CED . 1983 also saw the release of the 4 programs in the UK by RCA / Columbia Pictures Video ( forerunner to Columbia Tristar Home Video ) again under the Muppet Home Video banner . There were 2 volumes each containing 2 programs . Volume 1 contained " Hey Cinderella " and " Emmet Otter ' s Jug - Band Christmas " ; Volume 2 contained " The Frog Prince " and " The Muppet Musicians of Bremen " . These programs are the same versions as released in the US . Disney ' s Buena Vista Home Video released " Emmet Otter ' s Jug - Band Christmas " on VHS in 1996 . The special aired on Nickelodeon in the 1990s . In 1998 , Columbia Tri - Star Home Video released " Emmet Otter ' s Jug - Band Christmas " under its new " Jim Henson Home Entertainment " line , and in 2001 released the same version on DVD . The special aired on Odyssey Network in 1999 . In 2005 , HIT Entertainment released the " Emmet Otter ' s Jug - Band Christmas : Collector ' s Edition " DVD featuring " Never - Before - Seen Footage " , an in - depth documentary and other newly created bonus features . The DVD was re - issued in 2008 by Lionsgate under the " Jim Henson ' s Christmas Classic " banner . In 2008 , the special was released on iTunes as a digital download ; and in 2011 , the special became available for a time via Netflix ' s " watch instantly " streaming service . On December 12 , 2015 , a remastered version of the 1980 edition aired on ABC Family . The special was re - released on DVD from Sony Pictures Entertainment on October 10 , 2017 as part of the special ' s 40th anniversary . It was also the first DVD release to have the Kermit scenes .