Muppets Christmas, A: Letters to Santa (DVD)

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It was an idea that defied logic. After all, what puppets had made it on prime time other than ventriloquists and their knee-jerk reactionaries? And yet Jim Henson thought that his Muppets could make the transition for a 1-2-3 counting show for tots to the big time. I may be alone here, but I think that the Muppets variety show filled a silly comedy void that was left when the public finally tired of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" in 1973. Instead of Judy Carne's "sock it to me" girl, we got a feisty Miss Piggy who would sock it to anyone who insulted her or tried to make time with the frog of her dreams, a fragile and enthusiastic little emcee who kept the show moving. Like "Laugh-In," "The Muppet Show" lasted five years. But then years after Henson's surprising early death the Muppeteers tried for a comeback. "Muppets Tonight" was supposed to be sitcom about a variety show, but the public never took to it. Audiences can be fickle.

Since then, The Muppets have fared better on TV specials and movies: "Cinderelmo" (1999), "Muppets from Space" (1999), "The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland" (1999), "Kermit's Swamp Years" (2002), "It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie" (2002), "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" (2005), "Elmo's Christmas Countdown" (2007), and most recently "A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa." If there's a pattern or a lesson to be learned, it's that the Muppet folks decided their main audience is still children, not adults . . . which was the goal of Henson's original "Muppet Show." These are all films and TV specials aimed at little ones but with enough winks at the parents who'll watch with them to keep adults from rolling their eyes in excruciating boredom. At least that seemed to be the plan. Often, though, the energy and wild "Laugh-In" style imaginative skits that made the Muppets popular in the first place turn up missing.

The good news is that for the most part we get a return to Muppet normalcy with "A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa." Once you get past the illogical premise of needing to hand-deliver letters to Santa that Gonzo forgot to mail, and once you've stopped shaking your head over a big production number at the U.S. Postal Service, the Muppets and their special guests make for a pleasant, 56-minute holiday diversion. Only the bit with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg falls a little flat, as if the mayor had his own writers craft the scene. But Whoopi Goldberg is a delight as a taxi cab driver, Madison Pettis is appropriately darling as Claire (a neighbor girl whose letter Gonzo forgot to mail), Jane Krakowski seems underused as Claire's mom, Tony Sirico and "Sopranos" co-star Steve Schirippa play mobsters (as always), Nathan Lane hams it up (as always) as airport security guard Officer Meany, Uma Thurman adds a little "Joy" to the airline counter proceedings, Richard Griffiths plays Santa Clause, and long-time Muppet composer Paul Williams plays one of Santa's helpers. "Law & Order" fans will recognize Jesse L. Martin in the post office scene, and model Petra Nemcova turns up as the love object of Beaker.