Animatronics, Muppets, AND obscure media? This header was inevitable for me.
The Muppet Traffic Safety Show was an exhibit sponsored by Plymouth that toured malls and auto shows in the late eighties. Kids would ride through a miniature city where they’d watch Director Gonzo make a movie about how to remain safe in and around cars. See why the chicken didn’t cross the road! Thrill as Animal narrowly avoids catastrophe! And for the big finale, the kids would be included in the movie themselves, thanks to a video camera in the final scene. The show featured Muppet characters made by Advanced Animations, creators of animatronics for everyone from FAO Schwarz to Universal Studios. Notably, this show featured the first Muppet animatronics ever, coming three years before MuppetVision 3D.
For years, the show was considered mostly lost – the only readily available documentation of it was a handful of short clips from news coverage and some still pictures. That changed a few months ago, when someone uploaded a pristine copy of the show’s audio track to YouTube. A second user used that audio to piece together a recreation of the show, embedded below.
Since then a few more clips have surfaced – a promotional reel including interviews with both Jim Henson and Kermit, footage of the penguin, Gonzo and Robin animatronics in their current states, and a hilariously badly dubbed local commercial.
It’s hard to describe the wave of joy I felt when I found this. The animatronics are more complex than you’d expect for a touring exhibit. The song features all the original Muppet performers and, like most Muppet music, is impossibly catchy. But mostly, it was the feeling of obscure Jim Henson media popping up in 2025. Henson’s work is well documented, and it’s increasingly rare to find anything “new” from him. As of this header it’s still obscure – all of these videos have only a few thousand views. It is definitely worth ten minutes of your life, though you’ll have the song bouncing around in your head for much longer.
Have fun posting!