‘Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas’
Years before The Muppet Movie became a box office sensation and catapulted the Muppet phenomenon to new heights, certified genius Jim Henson expanded the palate he had used on television shows like Sesame Street and The Muppet Show with Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, a 1977 special that originally aired on the CBC (but is streaming on Prime Video this holiday season). As the title suggests, the story follows a young otter named Emmet, a decidedly lower class lutrinae who lives alongside a river in a ramshackle abode with his widowed mother, Alice. The two are clearly struggling to make ends meet, so they separately decide to enter a talent contest sporting a $50 first prize, money each of them plans to use on a Christmas present for the other. This hour-long special features a number of catch ditties from ’70s maestro Paul Williams, and is guaranteed to warm the hearts of even the most miserly Scrooges this holiday season.