…Probably looks alot like Miss Piggy’s fantasy in The Muppets Take Manhattan.
My Salute to National Reading Month continues on this Friday, with books featuring characters who, when their world looks kind of weird, they can just close their eyes and make believe!
Previously, on Throwback Thursday…
Chris LOOOOVED(!) Fraggle Rock, books flew out of his television, and he learned to balance the love of reading with the awesomeness of Fraggle Rock.
We stick around with the year 1988, though I’m suspecting this commercial is from the same year as yesterday’s commercial (I assume they’re both from 1987), and listen to a group of “experts” who love another book series for different reasons!
In this McLaughlin Group-esque panel, the experts are extolling their love for books featuring their favorite characters.
They love The Muppet Babies!
Find out why, and stick around for the offering of a FREE GIFT!
A Tote bag, stickers, and the free book A Love Note For Baby Piggy? Why aren’t you calling?!
Proving that the Fraggles aren’t the only species of Muppet to be part of a book series, Weekly Reader created a book series based on Muppet Babies, which was enjoying its television run on Saturday mornings, channeling the power of imagination and re-enacting some pretty legendary movies. The books are an extension of those episodes, creating new stories featuring the Babies.
Like the Fraggle Rock series, two new books are deliered every six weeks for $3.99 each, with that “you can cancel at anytime” disclaimer.
Calling and ordering the series meant a FREE GIFT – the aforementioned tote bag, stickers, and a free book!
Published between 1986 and 1988, there were twenty books in the series (Related: Goodreads List of Muppet Babies Weekly Reader books). The first book kids get is Meet the Muppet Babies.
It is agreed – Muppet Babies books are fun for everyone, and good for the imagination.
Just ask Annie!
Like the Fraggle Rock books, I never owned any of the Weekly Reader Muppet Babies books. I did, however, love the Babies and owned a few of their merchandise tie-ins. Ok, I had two things – a metal lunchbox that had a Kermit thermos…
And two of the Christmas Muppet Babies plushies – I had Baby Piggy and my brother had Baby Fozzie. When my brother didn’t keep plushies anymore, I inherited his.
Yes, that is a leotard and pink tights, not electric blue underpants worn on the outside of regular pants.
I remember having a Muppets-themed book based on Goldilocks and the Three Bears that I bought at the book fair in (I think) Kindergarten, but part of a Random House series of books (I checked). Other than that, I’m not really sure if I had anything else Muppet Babies-themed.
My niece (who is almost five) watches the new Muppet Babies cartoon, which is just as cute and not annoying as the original. Seriously, I’ve watched it a few times – it isn’t the worst thing she could be watching. There are books for that series, but nothing – and I mean nothing – rivals the nostalgia factor oozing from the Weekly Reader series, if only for the FREE GIFT!
The six-year-old in the electric blue Not Underwear would have went nuts for that bag!
We’re continuing the celebration of National Reading Month in a few more articles over the course of this month.
Until next time, have a fantastic Flashback Friday, and a great weekend!
Or…go BYE BYE!