Sam and Friends

Did You Know?

• The show's plot centers on Sam, a bald-headed man who escapes everyday life with abstract friends based on parts of his life.
• Due to network budget issues, most original episodes were never preserved to film or kinescope and are considered lost.

Characters

Sam, performed by Jim Henson, is a bald-headed man who serves as the main character; only footage of him lip-syncing to a song survives, and his head was made from papier-mâché. Kermit, also performed by Henson, is a lizard-like creature who became popular through many sketches, though he would not be called a frog until a decade later. Harry the Hipster, a black sock puppet performed by Henson, was one of the first Muppets designed and built by Jim Henson. Yorick, performed by Henson, is a voracious puppet resembling a rock head, known for attempting to eat supporting Muppets; his puppet was made of papier-mâché with a tube in his mouth that allowed him to swallow things. Professor Madcliffe, performed by Henson, is a tall-headed professor with big eyes and a mustache who had a loud, energetic personality and appeared mostly in commercials. Chicken Liver, performed by Henson, is a humanoid with a tall head and big nose, described as a dramatic storyteller who believed the show lacked culture. Hank and Frank are two bald humanoids who served as bit players, including a spoof interview with Kermit as Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. Mushmellon is a small yellow monster with a permanent grimace, a favorite among younger audiences. Icky Gunk is a green snake with arms. Henrietta, performed by Jerry Juhl, is a pink female creature of indeterminable species. Moldy Hay is a humanoid with orange-red skin, a big nose, and hair over his eyes. Omar, performed by Henson, is a beaked humanoid with a papier-mâché face described as the nomadic type. Pierre the French Rat, performed by Henson, was one of Henson's first puppets, made from plastic wood. Bernice, performed by Bob Payne, is a female humanoid.

Episodes

Powder-Burn (August 20, 1959) is a pun-filled Gunsmoke parody with Marshall Dilly (Chicken Liver) preparing for a showdown with Black Bart (Yorick) that results in a game of chess. Poison to Poison (October 29, 1959) features lip-syncing to the Spike Jones track, with Harry the Hipster as Ed Burrow interviewing Chicken Liver as Alfred Hitchcock. The Westerners (circa November 1960) has Kermit and Chicken Liver lip-syncing to Bob and Ray's act, playing two cowboys having trouble getting off their horses. Huntley and Brinkley (January 6, 1961) parodies The Huntley-Brinkley Report, with Kermit hosting an interview with Chet Huntley and David Brinkley (Hank and Frank). Visual Thinking (circa April 1961) mixes puppetry and animation as Harry demonstrates the Art of Visual Thinking to Kermit, with chaotic results. Weather Warehouse (September 29, 1961) features Harry demonstrating his weather-selling business to a skeptical Kermit. Chef Omar (November 13, 1961) shows Omar preparing a chef salad that explodes when served flaming. Last Sam Show (December 15, 1961) includes Kermit and Harry singing about sponsor Esskay Meats, then Kermit lip-syncs to Bob Gibson's recording; after the songs, Kermit discusses the end of the series with Harry, who blows up all the scenery and equipment. Additional episodes include Tweedle Dee (March 7, 1955, lost with image and audio existing), First Sam Show (May 9, 1955, lost), and several others from early 1955 that are lost with only audio surviving.

Unknown Episodes

That Old Black Magic (January 26, 1959) features Kermit and Sam lip-syncing to the Louis Prima and Keely Smith recording; it is the only surviving episode to feature Sam himself. I've Got You Under My Skin (October 7, 1959) has Icky Gunk in a blonde curly wig with Hank and Frank as chorus singers in a lip-synced rendition of Stan Freberg's song, while Kermit messes up the lyrics. C'est Si Bon (October 12, 1959) shows Moldy Hay lip-syncing to Stan Freberg's rendition in a French village setting, with Hank and Frank repeating his dialogue too literally. Singin' in the Rain (November 19, 1959) features a little girl Muppet lip-syncing to a sped-up version of Edie Adams's rendition as water pours, eventually submerging her. Hunger Is From (February 12, 1960) has Yorick lip-syncing to Ken Nordine and the Fred Katz Group's song while eating a plate full of food. A Horse Named Bill (March 15, 1960) shows Kermit lip-syncing and playing the banjo to Bob Gibson's rendition. Miss Cone (December 9, 1960) is an animated episode made with cutouts synced to the titular song. Glow Worm (circa April 1961) features Kermit humming to The Glow-Worm while bugged by inchworm-like fingers and later met with a human hand.

In popular culture

Kermit the Frog's autobiography, Before You Leap, mentions Sam and Friends in its second chapter under the section titled "My First Big Splash." In a Season 1 sketch on Sesame Street, Yorick briefly appeared and consumed the letter R. Henrietta showed up during Rowlf the Dog's mixed-up fairy tale segment on The Muppets on Puppets, playing the fairy godmother and performed by Jerry Juhl. Sam, Harry the Hipster, and Yorick were featured in The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years; Sam and Harry sit together while Harry challenges Kermit's updated look, with Yorick concealed nearby, and later the trio appears at a table with Jim Henson as Grover hands him a bill. During spring 2010, these early puppets were brought back together for two musical numbers in Henson Alternative's Stuffed and Unstrung. Jane Henson donated ten puppets from the show—including the original Kermit—to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in August 2010; the Omar puppet, not among those ten, eventually became part of the Jim Henson Collection at the Center for Puppetry Arts. A memorial to Jim Henson was installed in Hyattsville, Maryland's Magruder Park in July 2016, featuring a large planter decorated with Sam and Friends characters and benches engraved with Henson quotes. Yorick made a visual cameo in the 2021 Muppet Babies episode "Summer's Disaster-Piece," where he replaces the head on Thomas Gainsborough's painting The Blue Boy.