Dinosaurs by Jim Henson was one of my favorite 90s TV shows. I recently watched a few episodes as an adult and felt that the show was almost even better as an adult than when I was child. It’s filled with tons of inside humor and historical references that the younger me wouldn’t have picked up on. While I loved the show and it’s characters, I don’t know if I ever watched it from start to finish. I defiantly have never seen the series finale which ended it’s four season run.

Episode 407 Changing Nature unfortunately is no where to be found on YouTube. But there are a lot of articles and talk about it’s depressing and shocking ending…keep in mind it was a family friendly program. The episode was so different that it came with a viewer advisory stating that “it might not be appropriate for younger viewers.”

“In the show’s final episode, Earl causes the extinction of the Dinosaur species, when at the prodding of Richfield and the WESAYSO Corporation, he poisons all plant life. In an effort to bring the plants back, he blocks the sun from the planet, sending global temperatures below freezing. Earl realizes that his mistake was to put too much faith in progress and not have enough respect for nature. ”

The episode concludes with the Sinclair family huddled together as snow falls down, signalling the beginning of the ice age. It’s a deep and moving image as Earl, knowing that Baby will never grow up, tries to make sure that his last moments are filled with love and family. Earl stresses the importance of family before the end credits roll.

 

It’s a powerful message that the show is giving to us about respecting nature. We too take advantage of what we have. The symbolism of the actions by the characters and the results is defiantly a message worth taking home. Heavy stuff for a kids show.