20 Things Only '90s Muppet Fans Will Remember

Hey, remember the '90s? The decade has come and gone, but many still think this decade is "da bomb"— here are 20 things that only real '90s Muppet fans will remember.

1. Saying goodbye

Time Magazine

Saying goodbye, going away, seems like goodbye's such a hard thing to say. For Muppet fans, the '90s started off with a real punch to the gut... Jim Henson died on May 16, 1990. Fans all remember where they were when they heard the news. There were memorials and tributes and celebrations of Jim's life and legacy. The decade had a rocky start as the company adjusted to the loss and as fans adjusted to a "new" sounding Kermit. Additionally, in 1992, the Muppets lost Richard Hunt (Scooter, Beaker, Janice, Statler, Sweetums, et al.). But luckily the Muppets lived on the decade gave us some great memories!

2. Seeing this on the big screen

Jim Henson Productions

The Muppets reenacted classic literature on the big screen in the '90s with the release of "The Muppet Christmas Carol" and "Muppet Treasure Island"... and you were there with your jumbo sized popcorn to enjoy both.

3. Reading (and re-reading) "Jim Henson: The Works"

The Jim Henson Company

Released in 1993, this book was an absolute must-have resource for Muppet fans. You'd read it and re-read it and memorize it. If (for some reason) you didn't own it, you had it on permanent reserve at your local library.

4. Telling people they're "not the mama"

Walt Disney Company

"Dinosaurs" was broadcast on ABC from 1991 to 1994. The show was, as the title suggests, about dinosaurs. It was produced by Michael Jacobs Productions and Jim Henson Productions in association with Walt Disney Television and gave us classic Baby Sinclair-isms like "not the mama" and "I'm the baby, gotta love me."

5. Telling people you have a man living in your finger and he's been to the moon... twice

Walt Disney Company

You don't have to be a rich half-wit son to have a man living in your finger.

6. Seeing Kermit's "Got Milk?" ad in like every magazine

California Milk Processor Board

Kermit with a dairy mustache was everywhere.

7. Watching Muppet Babies on Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon

When your room looks kind of weird and you wish that you weren't there, just turn on Nickelodeon. The Muppet Babies dominated Nick in the 90s.

8. Singing along to your "Muppet Beach Party" audio cassette

Walt Disney Company

Key Largo, Montego, baby, why don't we go? It's a valid question. Why don't we go?

9. ...or rocking out to "Kermit Unpigged"

Walt Disney Company

It had the Muppets and all your favorite stars — Vince Gill, George Benson, Linda Ronstadt, Ozzy Osbourne, Jimmy Buffett, Don Henley and Lily Tomlin!

10. Watching TGIF just to see Muppets

ABC Television

You'd sit through an episode of Urkel just to not miss a minute of "Muppets Tonight" (with very special guest star Cindy Crawford!)

11. ...or watching "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" just to see Muppets

Warner Bros. Television

You'd set your VCR. Rosie really loved the Muppets... and so you really loved Rosie.

12. Racing to you local Blockbuster Video to rent this classic

Walt Disney Company

You gotta get that name... and you also gotta remember to rewind before returning.

13. Not knowing how you felt after seeing what was around the corner

Sesame Workshop

In 1993 we finally saw what was around the corner on Sesame Street! Remember the Furry Arms Hotel? And Birdland Jazz Club? What about Finder's Keepers and Celina's Dance Studio? Well eventually research showed that it confused kids, so they dropped the whole area. But for a brief period in the '90s the street was longer than ever.

14. ... but knowing exactly how you felt about Gina

Sesame Worksop

Let's face it, every one had a crush on Gina... even Elmo.

15. Going to McDonald's just to collect your favorite Muppets as bath toys

McDonald's

You'd order a Happy Meal to get a piece of plastic that somewhat resembled Miss Piggy or Fozzie.

16. ...seriously, you'd eat those fast-food burgers even if you didn't know the characters

McDonald's

They made Muppet toys based on Muppets that didn't even exist... and you collected them all!

17. Waiting by the mailbox for the next issue of MuppetZine

MuppetZine

By fans, for fans! Before the Internet took over our lives this was how you got your Muppet news.

18. ...or waiting for your dial-up connection to load a fansite

Bill Sherman's Muppets Home Page

You'd surf the information super-highway at 56Kbps for all sorts of Muppety goodness... well, until someone had to use the phone. But man, that MIDI file of The Muppet Show Theme rocked!

19. Seeing Elmo everywhere

Tyco Toys

It was Elmo-mania! Tickle Me Elmo, Elmopalooza, Elmo's World, Elmo in Grouchland, Elmo, Elmo, Elmo!

20. Correcting people who thought Disney owned the Muppets

Walt Disney Company

It's well known that Jim Henson planned to sell the Muppets to Disney in 1990. But the plans fell through after Henson's death. Disney didn't own the Muppets, and Henson remained an independent company. But in the 90s a lot of people thought Kermit and the gang had joined Mickey's family. Yeah, Disney did distribute "The Muppet Christmas Carol" and "Muppet Treasure Island"... and Disney World had "MuppetVision 3D"... and ABC produced "Dinosaurs" and "Muppets Tonight"... and there was Muppet content on Disney Channel and home videos distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment... but Disney did NOT own the Muppets! Then in 2004 Disney bought the Muppets... and fans were able to stop fighting the massive misconception (but no, Disney doesn't own Fraggle Rock!!!)

More '90s Muppets...

Muppet Wiki / Via muppet.wikia.com

Explore the whole decade in depth on the Muppet Wiki at www.muppet.wikia.com.