Vintage Sesame Street & the Muppets Character Watches

It's always time for character watches...Watches with Character.

Vintage Sesame Street & the Muppets Character Watches

Vintage Animal, Kermit baby, Bert & Ernie, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Count Von Count, Ernie, Fozzie Bear, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Oscar the Grouch character watches.

The Muppets are an ensemble of puppet characters started/created by Jim Henson in 1955 with television and film credits, Emmy awards etc. and who, some later appeared on Sesame Street.

Sesame Street was conceived in 1966 by producer Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett to do something good with television for children. It was the first preschool educational television program to base its contents and production values on laboratory and formative research. 

Bradley created the first Sesame Street/Muppet character watches.

Here are some of the earliest from the 1970's & 1980's in alpha order:

 

Frank Oz stated that the Muppet character Animal can be summed up in 

five words: 

                        food, drums, sleep, sex and pain. 

A talented drummer, usually monosyllabic Animal shown here created by Picco. 

Smiling Animal looks like he is going at it on the drums with his drum sticks in each hand wearing his usual orange and yellow open hippy top and brown pants held up with a rope belt, bold and barefoot on a white background with black numbers, black hands and a cream colored second hand with an arrow at the end of it to tell the time. Marked Picco 7 jewels Henson Associates Inc. 1980 8004-2710t Singapore. Animal is harder to find of the Sesame Street/Muppet character watches.

These Picco 7jewel plastic watches came in these great plastic flip top boxes.

 

Baby Kermit from "Muppet Babies" is the toddler version of Kermit and is always dressed in his sailor suit as seen here smiling on a white dial with red numbers and thin red hands to tell the time. Marked Baby Kermit Henson Ass, Inc. 1987 for this super rare beauty.

The original idea behind Bert & Ernie was to show two different people can be good friends. Here you have a 1970s Bert & Ernie by Bradley. Bert is taller with a little black hair on his head wearing his striped green and orange shirt while Bert, smaller with more black hair and rounder face wearing his red and blue sweater on a white background with black numbers and just regular hands and a thin second hand to tell the time. Marked Swiss made, Muppets Inc.

Here is Bert & Ernie from an unknown maker which has Bert and Ernie who appear to be singing together holding each other. Taller Bert with his high black hair is dressed in a green and white vertical striped outfit while Ernie is wearing a blue and white horizontal outfit, both appear without their legs as they seem to be part of some type of play piece all on a white background with a yellowish mark around the far edge, black numbers and silver hands including an orange second hand to tell the time. Marked Sesame Street at the bottom of the combined figure and Swiss Movt at the bottom for this watch made for the Japanese market.

 Here we have the highly talented, but often prone to frequent misunderstandings, 1970s Big Bird by Bradley looking like he's walking along on a white background with regular 12 numbers in black along with the minutes marked off by fives in black and with his hands to tell the time. Marked Swiss made, Muppets Inc.

These Bradley watches came in the standard Bradley "coffin" style or square plastic cases (as shown above).  

Bradley also made this rare Big Bird as a "nodder" model where his head nods back and forth to tick off the seconds. This is the same watch although a little smaller and Big Bird is facing the other direction, there are no minute mark indicators and of course his head nods. Marked Swiss made 1971, 1976, Muppets Inc. Hard to find today. This is also listed under my Bradley Time animated watch blog.

 

Bradley also produced this LEFT facing Baby Big Bird sitting in his nest. Little Big Bird's yellow plumage is looking good as he sits smiling in his nest on a blue circle background with light red numbers on a larger white background and with his wings to tell the time. Marked 1982 Muppets Inc. A rare find today. 

 Known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating phrase "Me want cookie!", here we have a 1970s beautiful blue Cookie Monster by Bradley on a white background with yellow cookies for each number  and his big blue arms to tell the time. Marked Swiss made, Muppets Inc. 

Bradley also made the Cookie Monster as an ultra-rare "nodder" where his head nods back and forth as the seconds tick. Same design as above but with nodder head.

This watch is marked 1971, 1978 Muppets Inc. Swiss made.

What a great watch! Bradley Time animated watch blog.

Count Von Count's main role is to teach counting skills to children. The Count loves counting so much that he often will count anything & everything. Here is a 1970s hard to find Count by Bradley on a white background with purple & black numbers to match him and his outfit along with bats, a spider and spider webs with his hands and a black second hand to tell the time.  Marked Swiss made, Muppets Inc. Another great watch.

 Ernie is well known for his fondness for baths with his rubber duckie and for playing the saxophone. Here we have the sometimes annoying Ernie 1970s by Bradley wearing his striped red and blue shirt and smiling on a white background with blue regular numbers along with black minute marks and black numbers marked off by fives in black and his hands to tell the time. Marked Swiss made, Muppets Inc.

 Fozzie Bear is a Muppet known for his standup comedy shown here with this rare Timex version of orange Fozzie Bear with his brown pork pie hat and polka dot necktie on a white background with black numbers and black hands including a red second hand to tell the time. Marked HAI 1976 1978.(HAI is Henson Associates, Inc.)

Fozzie Bear by Picco has Fozzie Bear dancing with his brown pork pie hat and white cane wearing his polka dot necktie on a white background with brown numbers and blue hands including a cream colored second hand with an arrow at the end to tell the time. Marked Picco 7 jewels, Henson Associates Inc. 1979 8004-2310t Singapore. 

Here is the other Fozzie Bear by Picco, this one from 1980 has Fozzie Bear holding up both his hands with his brown pork pie hat and his polka dot necktie on a white background with white numbers in either red or blue circles and blue hands including a red colored second hand with an arrow at the end to tell the time. Marked Picco 7 jewels, Henson Associates Inc. 1980 27207 movt Singapore dial Japan.  

  These came in these plastic dome containers.  

 Here is Kermit the Frog by Picco from 1979. This 7 jewel plastic watch has smiling Kermit sitting back relaxing with a hand holding up his head and one leg resting on the other with a few water reeds on a white background with light brown numbers, green hands and a silver second hand to tell the time. Marked Henson Associates, Inc. 1979 8004-2320 T Singapore.

Here we have Kermit the Frog by Picco. This nicely made 17 jewel watch has Kermit sitting and waving on a blue circle background with a larger white background for the numbers, regular white watch hands and a white second hand to tell the time. Marked Henson Associates, Inc. 1980 Japan. Picco also made a plastic 7 jewel version a year earlier to go with Animal and Fozie Bear (both shown above), Kermit and Miss Piggy.

Here is Miss Piggy by Picco from 1979. This 7 jewel plastic watch has glamours well-dressed Miss Piggy wearing a white slightly purplish silk dress, long light purple gloves, a large white flower and a pearl choker all on a white background with purple numbers, purple hands and a gold second hand to tell the time. Marked Henson Associates, Inc. 1979 8004-2300 T Singapore.

 Here is the Miss Piggy version by Picco. This nicely made 17 jewel watch has well-dressed Miss Piggy wearing a white low cut blouse with flowers on it, long light purple gloves and her heart shaped sun glasses on top of her head on a white and blue circle background with white numbers and white hands to tell the time.  Marked Henson Associates, Inc. 1980 Japan. Picco also made a plastic 7 jewel version a year earlier to go with Kermit, Animal and Fozie Bear.

 

  

 

 

These nice 17 jewel Picco watches both came in simple plastic dome cases.

 

 

 

 Here we have Kermit the Frog by Timex. A smiling ever green Kermit sits back relaxed enjoying his rainbow on a white background with black numbers, black hands, and a yellow second hand to tell the time. Marked Henson Associates Inc. 1982. These small Timex's are hard to find today especially working.

Here we have the talented Miss Piggy by Timex. A well-dressed fashion Miss Piggy sits back relaxed in her pink dress and pink high heels on a white background with bold black numbers, black hands, and a red second hand to tell the time. Marked Henson Associates Inc. 1982. Her small Timex's are more common than Kermit's. 

 

These came in these simple plastic boxes as shown here. 

His favorite thing is trash proven by his own song "I Love Trash". Here we have a1970s Oscar the Grouch by Bradley. Bright green Oscar is sitting in his white trash can on a white background with 12 red numbers along with black minute marks and the fives marked off in numbers in black and his green arms to tell the time. Marked Swiss made, Muppets, Inc. What's not to love with this hard to find watch?

 

For more Information on Watches and Cartoon Art see:

The National Watch and Clock Museum:  https://nawcc.org/index.php/museum

The West Coast Clock & watch museum is located at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum http://www.agsem.org

 

The Cartoon Art Museum https://www.cartoonart.org/
 

 

Any thoughts can be emailed to characterwatchtime@gmail.com

How much is your character watch worth???

For Legal info: https://characterwatchtime.blogspot.com/2019/03/legal-info.html
  

It's always time for character watches...Watches with Character.

Vintage Hanna-Barbera (A - L) Character Watches

It's always time for character watches...Watches with Character.

Vintage Hanna-Barbera (A - L) Character Watches

Vintage Bamm Bamm Rubble, Banana Splits Drooper, Banana Splits Fleegle, Fred Flintstones, Fred & Pebbles Flintstones, Funky Phantom, Hair Bear, Hong Kong Phooey, Huckleberry Hound, Josie & the Pussy Cats character watches.

click here for Vintage Hanna-Barbera (M - Z) Character Watches

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was founded in 1957 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. They dominated the animation industry for over 30 years creating a wide variety of popular animated characters and cartoon series. Sold to Taft Broadcasting in the mid-sixties and then to Turner Broadcasting in the nineties and eventually absorbed by Warner Brothers Animation. Many of their character watches were produced in the 1970s with large, thick MOD wrist bands and are rare finds today.

 
  The Flintstones was a cartoon set in the Stone Age and aired September 1960. It was the first animated series to hold a prime time spot.

Here is a 1972 Bamm Bamm Rubble by Bradley. Bamm Bamm is in his red tiger skin outfit with matching red hat carrying his brown club with a side ways view on a white background with black numbers, black minute marks and silver hands to tell the time. Marked Swiss made, H. B. P. 1972.

The Banana Splits Adventure Hour was an American hour-long variety program. A fictional rock band composed of four animal characters. Fleegle on guitar/vocals, Bingo on drums/vocals, Drooper on bass/vocals, Snorky on keyboard. Aired in 1968 with Sid and Marty Krofft designs, it mixed animation & live action. I believe these watches were sold at the Kings Island amusement park in Ohio in the 1970's.

Here is a super rare 1972 Banana Splits Drooper made by Nan-ric with a Swiss movement. Drooper has his red band hat and is holding his bass on a white background with yellow numbers and red hands to tell the time. Marked Hanna Barbera Production Inc. Israel 1972 Swiss made.

Here is a super rare 1972 Banana Splits Fleegle made by Nan-ric with a Swiss movement. Fleegle has on his red band hat, red checkered bow tie and is standing with his bass on a white background with blue numbers and his arms to tell the time. Marked Hanna Barbera Production Inc. Israel 1972.

NOTE: Drooper and Fleegle are the only ones I've ever seen of the four in the Banana Splits band and Fleegle will sometimes have regular hands to tell the time or his own as the example below shows.

Here is 1972 Fred Flintstones by Bradley again with their standard Swiss movement. Fred is in his usual red tiger skin with a yellow tie smiling and dancing on a white background with black numbers, black minute marks and Fred's arms to tell the time. Marked "Yabba Dabba doo" and H. B. P. 1972 Swiss made.

These came in this simple plastic covered top boxes. Hard to find today.

 In 1977, Timex produced this Fred Flintstone watch with smiling Fred wearing his orange tiger skin along with his blue tie on a blue background with black numbers for the 3,6,9, & 12, black five minute marks for the rest and black hands along with a rotating stone as the second hand. Marked 1977 Hanna Barbera Productions, Inc. 

 

 In 1978, Picco produced this plastic watch with Fred Flintstone and Dino, a 7-jewel movement with Fred dressed in his usual tiger skin laying against a tree stump looking up at a flying bee and Dino in the background all on a white background with blue numbers, blue hands and a thin silver second hand. Marked 1978 Hanna Barbera Production Inc. - Singapore

 

Here is a 1970's Fred & Pebbles Flintstones by Bradley with Smiling Fred wearing his orange tiger skin and blue tie looking at playing Pebbles with her hair up in a green bow all on a white background with blue numbers, black minute marks, black hands and a red second hand. The standard Swiss movement and original band. Marked Flintstones at the top, Swiss made at the bottom for this hard to find watch.

The Funky Phantom was a Saturday morning cartoon which aired in 1971. Three teenagers find shelter from a storm where a grandfather clock displayed the wrong time, when set to the proper time, it released the Revolutionary war era ghost, an American patriot named Jonathan Wellington "Mudsy" Muddlemore (the Funky Phantom) and his cat Boo.

Here we have a super rare 1972 Funky Phantom by Israel showing the Phantom flying out of the grandfather clock with Boo on his shoulder on a blue background, white spooky numbers and black hands to tell the time. Swiss made with original 1970s mod band. Marked Funky Phantom Hanna Barbera Productions, Inc. 1972.

Hair Bear Bunch was a cartoon that aired September 1971. Three bears comprised the Hair Bear Bunch who live in a zoo. Not a popular show so rare today.

Here we have a rare 1972 Hair Bear by Nan-ric. Ever cool Hair Bear is wearing a red and yellow jacket and belt on a white background with red numbers and his hands to tell time & original band. Swiss made. Marked 1972 Hanna Barbera Productions - 1972 Nan-ric.

 Hong Kong Phooey was a Saturday cartoon which aired September 1974. Clumsy mild mannered Penrod "Penry" Pooch worked at a police station as a janitor who would disguise himself as Hong Kong Phooey by jumping into a filing cabinet to change clothes and always ended up getting stuck in it AND then having his pet cat Spot help get him unstuck.

Here is a super rare Timex Hong Kong Phooey watch (also shown under my vintage crime fighter’s blog entry). Karate chopping Penrod "Penry" Pooch is hard to resist with his hands to tell the time dressed in a red with white trim gi, masked Penrod is on a rich blue background with black numbers and a black second hand to tell the time. One Jewel, Swiss made and marked Hanna Barbera Prod Inc. at the bottom, a rare find today.

Huckleberry "Huck" Hound was a cartoon character that spoke with a thick southern drawl, relaxed, and well-intentioned. Debuting in 1957, he would usually perform different jobs that didn’t work out well at the start, but all ended well with him coming out on top.

In the 60's, Bradley produced this Huckleberry Hound dressed as a circus showman with a whip and a hat on a white background with red numbers, black minute marks and blue hands to tell the time. Swiss made with the standard Bradley movement at the time. Marked H.B. P.

 

1971 Josie and the Pussy Cats by Bradley. Having aired on Saturday morning television a year prior, Josie and the band got their own watch showing red-headed lead singer, songwriter, guitarist and leader of the band Josie in her yellow tiger stripped pussy cat outfit (including ears) holding her pink guitar with a big smile on a white background with music notes for the 3,6,9,12 numbers, black numbers for the rest with black minute marks and the fives marked off along with black hands to tell the time. Marked Swiss made, HBP Inc. (for Hanna-Barbera Productions) and AC Inc. (for Archie Comics) 1971. A super rare find today for this amazing watch.

For more Information on Watches and Cartoon Art see:

The National Watch and Clock Museum:  https://nawcc.org/index.php/museum

The West Coast Clock & watch museum is located at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum http://www.agsem.org

 

The Cartoon Art Museum https://www.cartoonart.org/
 

Any thoughts can be emailed to characterwatchtime@gmail.com

How much is your character watch worth???

For Legal info: https://characterwatchtime.blogspot.com/2019/03/legal-info.html
  

It's always time for character watches...Watches with Character.