Thankfully (and expectedly for longtime fans), Disney's Muppet Babies reboot quickly became a ratings winner for the cable network in 2018, earning Season 2 and Season 3 renewals in quick time. Of course, having more episodes allows the series to continue introducing new-to-Disney-Junior characters from the long line of fan-friendly Muppets, such as the one seen in this exclusive clip.
Below, fans can watch as Muppet Babies introduces its pint-sized version of the beloved, hulking, hairy beast known as Sweetums. (Okay, so Sweetums is probably the size of like 50 pints.) Enjoy!
Sweetums will first appear on Muppet Babies for the episode titled "Finders Keepers / Monster Next Door," which is set to air on Disney Channel on Friday, August 23. The episode marks the character's first appearance in an animated Muppet series, though he's been around in live-action for ages. (More on that in a sec.)
While the first segment in the episode deals with Rizzo finding emeralds in the sandbox, the second part is where Lil' Sweetums comes in. Check out the episode synopsis below:
During an exciting game of hot potato with Gonzo’s best friend Potato, Animal accidentally throws potato over the fence and into the clutches of a mysterious and scary monster. Gonzo and the Muppet Babies must figure out a plan to rescue Potato from next door.
Extremely obvious spoiler! That mysterious and scary monster is actually Sweetums, who isn't so scary at all, even if he might remain a mystery even to fans. If he were truly out to cause malice, he would have brought Potato back to Gonzo in the form of tater tots. Instead, he just wants to return the toy...er, Gonzo's friend...back to the group. Judging by the clip, it looks like everyone will be accepting of Sweetums in the future. Smart move, since he probably can be very scary when he wants to.
Since Sweetums is now discovered to be a next door neighbor to Miss Nanny and the Muppet Babies, let's hope that viewers will be able to see him come over to play on a regular basis. I'm sure his imagination is that much more random and wild than other others' are.
While this will be the first time Sweetums makes it to any screens in 2019, the character was first created back in 1971 for the Tales from Muppetland segment The Frog Prince, which also featured Kermit, Sir Robin the Brave, and actress Trudy Young. He was later added to The Muppet Show's large ensemble, often used for loud one-off appearances in episodes. He went on to appear in just about every Muppet project that followed, from The Muppet Movie to ABC's short-lived sitcom The Muppets to Walt Disney World's MuppetVision 3D attraction.
Having already introduced great tertiary characters like Statler and Waldorf, Bunsen and Beaker, Dr. Teeth and Rizzo – not to mention Rowlf, who's an O.G.M.B. in my book – the pop-savvy Muppet Babies still has more surprises in store during the rest of Season 2 and beyond. Don't forget to tune into Disney Channel to watch Sweetums' debut and more when Muppet Babies airs every Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. ET, with a repeat airing on Monday, August 26, at 10:00 a.m.
