# Muppet Babies (2018 TV series)
**Muppet Babies** is an American CG-animated preschool television series that reimagines the toddler versions of the Muppets, debuting on March 23, 2018, on [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) as part of the Disney Junior block.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/muppet-babies-television/) Produced almost 30 years after the original *[Muppet Babies](https://www.edgepedia.org/muppet-babies-1984-tv-series)* animated series, the show follows young [Kermit the Frog](https://www.edgepedia.org/kermit-the-frog), Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, and Animal, plus a brand-new Muppet Baby, Summer Penguin, under the watchful eye of their caretaker Miss Nanny.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/muppet-babies-television/) It ran for three seasons, from 2018 to 2021.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/muppet_babies_2018)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | March 23, 2018, on Disney Channel (Disney Junior)[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/muppet-babies-television/) |
| Run | Three seasons, 2018–2021[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/muppet_babies_2018) |
| Main characters | Kermit the Frog, Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal, and new character Summer Penguin[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/muppet-babies-television/) |
| Voice cast | Jenny Slate (Miss Nanny), Matt Danner (Kermit), Melanie Harrison (Piggy), Dee Bradley Baker (Animal), Ben Diskin (Gonzo), Eric Bauza (Fozzie), Jessica DiCicco (Summer)[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/muppet-babies-television/) |
| Executive producer | Tom Warburton, known for *Codename: Kids Next Door*[3](https://www.animationscoop.com/interview-tom-warburton-on-rebooting-muppet-babies/) |
| Production | Co-production of Disney Junior, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media, and The Muppets Studio[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/muppet-babies-television/) |
| Target audience | Children ages 4 to 7; rated TV-Y by Disney[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/muppet_babies_2018) • [4](https://shows.disney.com/muppet-babies) |
## Premise and format
The series is set in a metropolitan daycare, where the Muppet Babies use imaginative play to transport themselves from their playroom to the farthest corners of the universe, fantastical worlds, and ambitious adventures.[4](https://shows.disney.com/muppet-babies) Miss Nanny encourages the babies to explore their creativity and use creative thinking to solve problems.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/muppet_babies_2018)
Each episode consists of two 11-minute stories, a structure announced when production began in October 2016.[5](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/muppet-babies-reboot-production/story?id=43070465) Executive producer Tom Warburton described the storytelling approach as kid-centered with a moral core but without heavy-handed lessons: one episode has [Gonzo](https://www.edgepedia.org/gonzo-muppet) befriending a potato and teaches inclusion, while another, in which Piggy builds a time machine to reach her birthday sooner, teaches patience.[6](https://worldscreen.com/tvkids/muppet-babies-tom-warburton/) Warburton also stated that the show has no villains, only silly problems the characters solve imaginatively.[6](https://worldscreen.com/tvkids/muppet-babies-tom-warburton/)
## Design and animation
The reboot replaced the original series' two-dimensional animation with computer-generated imagery. Art director Chris Moreno said the team wanted the characters to feel soft and huggable and closer to their adult puppet counterparts, something 2D animation could not achieve.[7](https://screencrush.com/muppet-babies-2018-designing-the-muppets/) To get the textures right, the production photographed the real Muppet puppets, capturing details such as Kermit's fur and tennis-ball texture.[6](https://worldscreen.com/tvkids/muppet-babies-tom-warburton/) Reviewers noted that the CG style makes the babies look like miniature versions of the actual puppets.[7](https://screencrush.com/muppet-babies-2018-designing-the-muppets/)
## Music
[Renée Elise Goldsberry](https://www.edgepedia.org/renee-elise-goldsberry), a Tony Award winner, sings the theme song, which [Kay Hanley](https://www.edgepedia.org/kay-hanley), Michelle Lewis, and Dan Petty wrote.[1](https://d23.com/a-to-z/muppet-babies-television/) Warburton described it as a close homage to the original theme, with lyrics updated for the new characters.[3](https://www.animationscoop.com/interview-tom-warburton-on-rebooting-muppet-babies/) Songwriter Andy Bean and score composer Keith Horn wrote almost every episode's original songs, drawing stylistic cues from the original animated series, the Muppet movies, and *The Muppet Show*.[8](https://animatedviews.com/2018/muppet-babies-composers-andy-bean-keith-horn-make-your-dreams-come-true/)
## Relationship to the original series
The original *Jim Henson's Muppet Babies* premiered on CBS on September 15, 1984, ran for eight seasons through 1991, and won five Emmy awards.[9](https://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2012/04/4131984/) The baby Muppets originated in the Henson art department and appeared in a musical fantasy sequence in *The Muppets Take Manhattan* before becoming an animated series.[9](https://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2012/04/4131984/)
Disney announced the reboot's production in October 2016, with Nancy Kanter, executive vice president and general manager of Disney Junior Worldwide, framing it as a way to reach a new generation of viewers.[5](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/muppet-babies-reboot-production/story?id=43070465) The new series uses entirely new voices rather than the original cast, and its fantasy sequences are brief rather than extended, since the preschool audience would not recognize the pop-culture parodies that filled the 1980s show.[7](https://screencrush.com/muppet-babies-2018-designing-the-muppets/) • [10](https://twinimages.blog/2018/05/14/unpopular-opinions-muppet-babies-2018/)
## Reception and availability
Common Sense Media reviewed the show for ages 4 and up, calling it a darling reboot that shows children the delights of imaginative play, with no violence, language, or romance concerns.[11](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/muppet-babies) On IMDb, the series holds a weighted rating of 6.5/10 from 959 users.[12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6337766/ratings/) All three seasons became available on Disney+, with purchase options on Prime Video and Apple TV.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/muppet_babies_2018) The first season was released on Disney DVD on August 14, 2018, supported by books from Disney Publishing Worldwide and a toy line from Just Play.[6](https://worldscreen.com/tvkids/muppet-babies-tom-warburton/)
## References
1. [Muppet Babies (television), D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/muppet-babies-television/)
2. [Muppet Babies (2018), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/muppet_babies_2018)
3. [Interview: Tom Warburton on Rebooting "Muppet Babies", Animation Scoop](https://www.animationscoop.com/interview-tom-warburton-on-rebooting-muppet-babies/)
4. [Muppet Babies, Disney Shows](https://shows.disney.com/muppet-babies)
5. ['Muppet Babies' Reboot Is in Production, ABC News](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/muppet-babies-reboot-production/story?id=43070465)
6. [Muppet Babies' Tom Warburton, TVKids (World Screen)](https://worldscreen.com/tvkids/muppet-babies-tom-warburton/)
7. [How Are Muppets Created? 'Muppet Babies' Art Director Reveals All, ScreenCrush](https://screencrush.com/muppet-babies-2018-designing-the-muppets/)
8. [Muppet Babies Composers Andy Bean & Keith Horn Make Your Dreams Come True, Animated Views](https://animatedviews.com/2018/muppet-babies-composers-andy-bean-keith-horn-make-your-dreams-come-true/)
9. [4/13/1984 – 'CBS – Commits to M.B.', Jim Henson's Red Book](https://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2012/04/4131984/)
10. [Unpopular Opinions: Muppet Babies 2018, Twin Images](https://twinimages.blog/2018/05/14/unpopular-opinions-muppet-babies-2018/)
11. [Muppet Babies Parents' Guide & TV Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/muppet-babies)
12. [Muppet Babies (TV Series 2018–2022) Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6337766/ratings/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Adapted and franchise screen series › Television series based on films › Animated series based on films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license