“Dinosaurs” was a popular puppet TV show that aired from 1991 to 1994 and featured 65 episodes. Jim Henson Productions created it, and it involved puppets with the use of animatronics. The puppets were lifelike and large, and puppeteers controlled them from inside. The show was presented in sitcom format about a family of dinosaurs living everyday life similar to human life. The plot represented blue-collar families, and the show featured similar elements to the Flintstones. The characters were Earl, the father; Fran, the mother; and three children: Robbie, the teenager; Charlene, the pre-teen; and Baby, the youngest child. Earl was hot-tempered, and Fran was calmer. Robbie was rebellious, Charlene was sassy, and Baby was a sarcastic tyrant. The show also featured the grandmother, Ethyl, who constantly fought with Earl. The show portrayed a variety of social situations similar to situations kids faced in their lives such as peer pressure.
“Eureeka’s Castle” was featured on Nickelodeon from 1989 to 1995. The setting of the show was in a music box shaped like a castle that a friendly giant would wind up. The star character, Eureeka, was a young wizard who often made mistakes with her wand. The shows other characters included a dragon named Magellan, a bat named Batly, Batly’s pet spider named Webster and Magellan’s pet named Cooey. There were also Bog and Quagmire, who were the Moat Twins. Magellan’s tail was mischievous and performed a variety of antics. Batly constantly ran into things due to his poor eyesight, and his spider annoyed all the characters. The Moat Twins lived in the castle’s basement, and they enjoyed eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and collecting a variety of objects.
“Muppets Tonight!”, a modernized version of “The Muppet Show”, aired for only two years, from 1996 to 1998. It featured some of the same aspects as the classic show with some modern aspects to appeal to a new generation of kids. Every episode was based around a celebrity visitor, and there were a variety of new Muppet acts during the show. The series introduced new Muppets, including the host, Clifford.