Johnny Carson and the Muppet Machine

Johnny Carson and the Muppet Machine was a television special conceived of by Jerry Juhl and Jim Henson in 1969. The special would star Johnny Carson, trapped inside a machine filled with Muppets. The 2001 book Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles reproduced illustrations from Henson and Juhl's proposal, with a synopsis of the script:
According to Designs and Doodles, "Reflecting on this program recently, Jerry Juhl laughed and commented, 'What were we thinking? Johnny Carson would never have considered playing a straight man!'"Inches, Alison. Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles: A Muppet Sketchbook, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2001.
With Carson out of the picture, Henson and Juhl tried to re-tool the idea in the early 1970s. Their second proposal, titled The Muppet Machine, was aimed toward a younger audience. The story was changed to feature an old man Farley, his teenage niece Lisa and their dog, Rufus. The group would go on an adventure to find some "quepper oil" for the machine, aided by the large instruction manual and Rowlf the Dog, who would reside in the machine.Jim Henson's Red Book 7/25/2012 entry.
A separate cover sheet for The Muppet Machine was on display with artwork and other material for Johnny Carson and the Muppet Machine at the Jim Henson's Fantastic World exhibit.
==Merchandise==
The Jim Henson Company licensed a set of "City Critters" PVC figures in 2007, featuring characters based on Henson's original sketches. A Fearzog from Johnny Carson and the Muppet Machine is one of the characters in the set.
In 2024, Henson's concept art for the special was patterned for a shirt by RSVLTS (named "By Henson's Hand").
==Sources==
__NOWYSIWYG__
Category:Unfinished TV
Category:Unfinished Halloween Projects