15 Reasons Why 'Dinosaurs' is a Must-Watch Classic

In 1991, ABC's primetime schedule was dominated by family sitcoms. Shows like Roseanne, Family Matters, Full House, Step by Step, and a fresh addition from the creator of The Muppets and the enigmatic Ludo from Labyrinth (1986) captivated audiences who gathered around their TVs with meals in hand.

Jim Henson envisioned a sitcom that adhered to the classic formula but with a unique twist: a dinosaur family living an unsustainable life, brought to life through puppets and animatronics. Here are 15 fascinating aspects of Dinosaurs that make it unforgettable.

1. THE SHOW'S CONCEPT WAS PARTLY BORN FROM A CHOW MEIN ADVERTISEMENT.

In a DVD bonus feature called Pre-Hysterical Times: The Making of Dinosaurs, Brian Henson, Jim Henson’s son, reveals that his father’s early commercials for La Choy Chinese food inspired the concept of a show featuring animated, talking dinosaurs. “The La Choy dragon caused chaos in the ads, and my dad found the character incredibly funny. I believe that’s where the idea for Dinosaurs began,” he shared.

2. DINOSAURS WAS A GROUNDBREAKING CONCEPT IN TELEVISION.

Drawing from classic dysfunctional family sitcoms of the '50s, '60s, and '70s (The Honeymooners, All in the Family), Henson aimed to create something entirely unprecedented. “The show revolves around a family and a society destined for collapse,” explained producer Pete Coogan in the book No Strings Attached: The Inside Story of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. “No one had ever tried to produce a primetime network sitcom entirely using animatronics.”

3. MANY SESAME STREET TEAM MEMBERS JOINED THE DINOSAURS PROJECT.

Brian Henson recruited top-tier puppeteers to bring Dinosaurs to life using the innovative Performance Control System. The team included Steve Whitmire, known for Kermit the Frog and Ernie, Dave Goelz, who performed Gonzo, and Kevin Clash, the voice and performer behind Elmo, Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), and Baby Sinclair.

4. JIM HENSON NEVER WITNESSED A COMPLETED EPISODE.

Tragically, Henson passed away in 1990, a year before the sitcom entered production and debuted on ABC. Prior to his death, he collaborated with designer Kirk Thatcher to conceptualize the characters and overarching themes of the show. The political undertones and refined sitcom elements were later developed by co-creators Bob Young and Michael Jacobs, with Brian Henson ensuring the final product honored his father’s vision.

5. BABY SINCLAIR'S ICONIC LINES WERE INSPIRED BY A REAL-LIFE BABY.

During the character development phase, co-creator and writer Bob Young drew inspiration from his third son. Phrases like “Not the mama” and “I’m the baby, gotta love me” became iconic, appearing on T-shirts, buttons, and various merchandise.

6. A MUSIC VIDEO WAS CREATED FOR "I'M THE BABY (GOTTA LOVE ME)."

The catchphrase’s popularity led to a song being featured on the Big Songs (1992) soundtrack, accompanied by an MTV-style video included in the season three finale. The song was penned by Stuart Pankin, the voice of Earl Sinclair, with music composed by Ray Colcord, a renowned film and television composer.

7. EVERY FAMILY IN THE SHOW BEARS THE NAME OF AN OIL COMPANY.

As a nod to the (false) notion that oil originates from dinosaur remains, the show’s prehistoric surnames were derived from oil corporations. The Sinclairs reference Sinclair Oil Corporation, Earl’s boss B.P. Richfield combines British Petroleum and Richfield Oil Corporation, Roy Hess alludes to Hess Corporation, and grandma Ethyl is named after a fuel additive company.

8. THE SINCLAIR FAMILY DEFIED BIOLOGICAL REALITY.

Earl Sinclair is a megalosaurus, Fran, his wife, is an allosaurus, and their children are entirely fictional species created for the show. Initially, Ethyl, the grandmother, was conceived as a pterodactyl meant to hang in a closet, as designer Kirk Thatcher explained. However, as her role expanded, she transformed into the beloved seated matriarch we recognize today.

9. PRODUCING A 23-MINUTE EPISODE REQUIRED 170 TIMES ITS RUNTIME.

In 1994, David Barrington Holt, the creative supervisor at Creature Shop, revealed to the Chicago Tribune that each episode of Dinosaurs took about 65 hours to complete. At its peak, 90 crew members worked tirelessly to meet deadlines. “We worked extremely long hours, starting at 5 a.m. and often finishing at 2 or 3 a.m. The process was non-stop, with nighttime dedicated to repairs and preparations for the next day’s shoot,” he shared.

10. THE FIRST SEASON'S PRODUCTION WAS OFF-LIMITS TO THE PRESS.

During the production of the first season, access to Jim Henson's Creature Shop was strictly off-limits to the press. Co-creator Michael Jacobs and the team aimed to preserve the show’s magic. “We decided early on that the first season would be free from press interference to protect the show’s integrity for children,” he explained. “I didn’t want images of the creatures with their heads removed circulating. It’s akin to revealing ALF as just a hand puppet. The fantasy had to remain intact for the kids.”

11. VHS RELEASES HELPED FUND THE SHOW’S PRODUCTION.

As one of television’s most ambitious projects, Dinosaurs came with a hefty price tag. To offset costs, the first six episodes were released on VHS ahead of schedule in December 1991. “We never anticipated the show would be this costly,” Jacobs admitted. “The early VHS release was a strategy to recoup some expenses.” The characters also became promotional tools at Walt Disney World in Orlando and Disney-MGM Studios.

12. THE CREATURE SHOP TEAM CREATED THE CHARACTERS IN JUST 10 WEEKS.

John Stephenson, the Creature Shop supervisor, faced an incredibly tight deadline to create the first 10 characters for the show. “It seemed impossible, but we gave it our all,” Stephenson recalled in No Strings Attached. “We transported them to Los Angeles, accompanied by a large service crew led by David Barrington-Holt. We began filming while continuously refining and perfecting the characters.”

13. EARL SINCLAIR'S FREQUENT SIGHING HAD A PRACTICAL PURPOSE.

Earl Sinclair, the perpetually stressed character, is often seen sighing deeply. While this reflects his personality, Bill Barretta, the performer inside the suit, explained in a behind-the-scenes feature that he used the sighs to navigate. The costume’s head sat above Barretta’s own, lacking eye holes, so he relied on the open mouth to see. He sighed when moving around the set to avoid obstacles.

14. DINOSAURS LED TO THE CREATION OF THE L.A. CREATURE SHOP.

As Brian Henson shared in No Strings Attached, when the show concluded after its fourth season, the 35 crew members preferred to stay in L.A. rather than return to the Creature Shop’s London headquarters. “The team didn’t want to leave, so we established a permanent core group of six to eight people in L.A., with additional crew hired per project,” he explained. Initially, the L.A. shop focused on TV commercials, while the London team handled larger productions. Later, Steven Spielberg enlisted their expertise for a certain dinosaur film titled Jurassic Park (1993).

15. GEORGE MILLER WAS INSPIRED TO PRODUCE BABE AFTER VISITING THE DINOSAURS SET.

The creator of the Mad Max series collaborated with the Creature Shop to bring a talking pig to life on screen, a project that might not have happened without Dinosaurs. Miller had acquired the rights to The Sheep-Pig in the mid-1980s, envisioning a live-action adaptation using cutting-edge computer graphics and animatronics. After his co-producer Bill Miller and director Chris Noonan witnessed the advancements on the Dinosaurs set, Miller decided the time was right to move forward with Babe.