'Crank Yankers'

They're rude, they're crude, and they still haven't run out of attitude. After more than five dozen episodes on Comedy Central, the prurient, piggish and possibly pornographic puppet show is moving to a new network, MTV2, bringing along with it some of comedy's top names. If you've ever dreamed of being prank-called by Dane Cook, Sarah Silverman or Dave Chappelle -- and then watching yourself portrayed as a googly-eyed hand-puppet -- you'll want to answer that phone. Being to puppet shows what "South Park" is to animation, "Crank Yankers" is enough to make Edgar Bergen's right hand spin in its grave.

'Howdy Doody'

He was a freckle-faced boy who would turn out to be the
great-granddaddy of all TV puppets. From 1947 to 1960,
"Howdy Doody" basked in a spotlight of popularity that, by today's standards, makes Elmo look like O.J. Simpson. Playing second fiddle to "Buffalo Bob" Smith, Howdy brought along such puppet buddies as Flub-a-Dub, Princess Summerfall Winterspring, Dilly Dally, Phineas T. Bluster and sister Heidi Doody (A Canadian spin-off would give early work to future "Star Trek" legends William Shatner and James Doohan). For years, kids would scream "It's Howdy Doody Time!" at their TV sets, knowing their favorite marionette was about to make some magic. But before you get too lost in nostalgia, don't forget that Howdy's last name was a none-too-subtle child's euphemism for defecation -- making him a closer relative to the Crank Yankers than some might think.

'Sesame Street'

Forget about your favorite movie star, your most respected politician or your greatest sports hero. Has anyone in contemporary culture impacted as many lives as the brightly-colored residents of Sesame Street? For more than 5,000 episodes, Jim Henson's magical creations have taught multiple generations to read, write, treat each other with respect and, quite simply, laugh. For parents and kids (and their kids), just the thought of Big Bird, Oscar, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie and Grover curls up the edges of the mouth into an irresistible smile. It's one of the longest-running shows in TV history and the most highly-regarded children's show of all time. Younger characters like Elmo and Zoe have kept the show going strong as it nears its 40th anniversary. In the hearts of millions, "Sesame Street" will always be brought to us by the "Number One."

'Pee-Wee's Playhouse'

An entire generation grew up with the "Sesame Street" and "Mr. Rogers" puppets, then discovered the magical allure of tongue-in-cheek kitsch, with help from Dirty Dog, Cool Cat, Chicky Baby, Randy and Billy Baloney, as well as other quasi-puppet characters like Chairy, Floory and the singing Flowers. Designed to spoof the very children's shows that Paul Reubens had grown up watching, "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" just had to have puppets, so the dazzling dwelling was filled with foul-mouthed, felt creations eager to scream out whenever they heard the secret word. Although Pee-Wee himself might have fallen from grace, memories of his puppets will always be magical.