Cheery Emmet and his kindly Ma are two otters who live in poverty in the quaint rural swampland community of Frogtown Hollow. Both want to buy the other a gift for Christmas, but neither has the money. So they both enter a local talent show contest in order to win the $50 dollar cash prize. This endearingly pleasant and tenderhearted show offers a marvelously delightful wealth of entertainment: the engaging and colorful characters, the brisk pace, the folksy, flavorsome down-home score, the polished photography, the hilarious talent contest show set piece (the split dancing horse is gut-bustingly bad!), the gentle, good-natured humor, the meticulous set and costume design, the catchy and charming songs ("Our World" is an especially lovely tune), the amazingly lifelike and personable puppets (Emmet in particular is adorable), and the sweet, upbeat tone all click just right. The positively astonishing mean'n'growly hard rock harshness of the Riverbottom Nightmare Band rates as a definite highlight. Moreover, the cast voice their parts with infectious aplomb: Jerry Nelson as Emmet, Marilyn Sokol as Ma Otter (her singing voice is truly heavenly!), Dave Goelz as Emmet's amiable porcupine best friend Wendel, Eren Ozker as the snippy Gretchen Fox, and Frank Oz as hostile Riverbottom Nightmare Band ringleader Chuck. But what really makes this program so special and touching is the irresistible glowing warmth that's prominent throughout which in turn makes it a complete joy to watch.

Muppeteers: Jerry Nelson, Marylin Sokol, Jim Henson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Frank Oz and Eren Ozker.This is a great TV Christmas Special! It's about poor Emmett and his mother who are poor and whose husband/father just died. Emmett and his mother decide to do a talent show to get money for Christmas presents, but they need to sell/ruin each other's most prized possessions. Excellent music by Paul Williams including Ain't No Hole in the Washboard and Bar-b-que. Based on a book but made personal by Jim, considering he directs it and all the Muppet show stars are in it. Has a short opening with Kermit the frog also. I highly recommend it! Not rated. 52 mins.

It's hard for me to imagine that I was four years old when Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas debuted. I can vividly remember watching it for the first time, as I was hooked from the moment Emmet and Ma sing "Aint' no hole in the washtub". So, to my pleasant surprise, I was at Target the other day, and saw that Emmet Otter was on DVD. For $12.99, it was well worth the price. So, I popped into my DVD player, and my wife and I sat back and enjoyed it. Heck, I felt like that little boy who watched it for the first time so many years ago.To be honest here, I think Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas doesn't get the respect and appreciation it deserves. It should be one of those shows that is played during the Christmas holidays (Like A Charlie Brown Christmas, or How the Grinch stole Christmas, etc.). EOJBC is in every way a classic like those shows. Sad reality is that most folks I know have never heard of Emmet Otter. HBO used to play this at every Christmas, but they stopped doing it year's ago. Why they did, I have no clue, but I know that it was played on other TV channels for a few years, and then it was gone. Thank goodness it found life on DVD.I think what impresses me the most about this show is that, for its' time (1977), EOJBC was a stroke of creative genius. Yeah, sometimes you see the strings that are controlling the movements of the muppets, but for the most part, you marvel at the vision Jim Henson had in creating the towns of Watervlle and Frog Hollow. And the songs are a real treat. You'll find yourself humming "Bar-B-Q". It is a catchy song.

I very fondly remember watching this movie when I was little. It never really mattered to me that Emmet and his mother didn't win the contest for the money because I got the brilliant message that it didn't matter that neither of them won the contest - what mattered was they love each other and were always going to be there for each other. The characters in this movie are truly memorable and the music is still some that I sing today. And really who could forget the part when the Jug band finally gets to perform with Ma as their lead singer? I am an avid fan of anything Jim Hensen and I love the fact that he created such a sweet movie that teaches a very important lesson to young children: material possessions are just that; what really matters is you as a person.