The VERY First Appearance Of The Muppets And The Cookie Monster - 1966

Actually Rowlf the Dog was the first Muppet to appear on TV, Rowlf appeared on the Jimmy Dean show.

Jim Henson offered Jimmy a 40 % stake in Henson's company. Jimmy refused.

"The show introduced Rowlf the Dog, his Muppet side-kick, who often performed duets with Dean. Introduced each time as Dean's "ol' buddy", Rowlf was Jim Henson's first Muppet to score a regular spot on a network television show and appeared in 85 of the 86 episodes.

While Don Sahlin maintained the puppet, Jerry Juhl assisted in writing the Rowlf sketches with the help of the show's staff writers and even assisted Jim Henson and Jimmy Dean on occasion. During production on episodes that featured Rowlf the Dog, Jim Henson would perform Rowlf with the Muppet's right arm operated by Frank Oz, and later by Jerry Nelson.

Henson was so grateful for the exposure Dean offered on his show that he in turn proposed that Dean take a 40 percent stake in Henson's company. Dean refused, however, later saying in 2005, "I didn't do anything to earn that."

That commercial probably wasn't show because it was too long.

^Commercials could run a minute or more in the old days.

BTW, that was Henson's voice.

Kermit started appearing on WRC in DC in 1955.

[quote]Kermit started appearing on WRC in DC in 1955.

Was Kermit on a local channel? Jimmy Dean's TV show was aired on two of the main networks at the time. His TV show was first on CBS during the afternoon, then when the show was aired during primetime, it was on ABC.

Rowlf the Dog certainly got more exposure on a major network rather than a Muppet would have gotten on a local TV channel. That's probably why Henson offered Jimmy 40% of his company.

For those who are not aware, this is the same Jimmy Dean of sausage fame.

Jimmy, Rowlf and Henson.

Kraml milk commercial 1962

WRC is a television channel. When Kermit and the others appeared on it, they were appearing on television.

Or, do we get to make up our definitions? If so, the Jimmy Dean was never shown in eastern bloc countries, so does it really count?