The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, surrealist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they have become a media franchise encompassing children's films, television, music, and other media associated with the characters. Owned by the Jim Henson Company for nearly five decades, the characters of the Muppets franchise were acquired by the Walt Disney Company in 2004.
The Muppets originated in the short-form television series Sam and Friends, which aired on WRC-TV and in syndication from 1955 to 1961. Following appearances on late-night talk shows and in advertising during the 1960s, the Muppets began appearing on Sesame Street (1969–present) during their formative years in the early-mid 1970s and attained celebrity status and international recognition through The Muppet Show (1976–1981), their flagship sketch comedy television series that received four Primetime Emmy Award wins and 21 nominations during its five-year run.
During the late 1970s and 1980s, the Muppets diversified into theatrical films, including The Muppet Movie (1979); The Great Muppet Caper (1981); and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). Additionally, new Muppet characters were created for Fraggle Rock (1983–1987). Disney began involvement with the Muppets in the late 1980s, during which Henson entered negotiations to sell The Jim Henson Company.
The Muppets continued their media presence on television with series such as The Jim Henson Hour (1989) and Muppets Tonight (1996–98), both of which were similar in format to The Muppet Show, as well as the animated spin-off Muppet Babies (1984–91); three theatrical films: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Muppet Treasure Island (1996) and Muppets from Space (1999), and the television film It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002).
Disney acquired the Muppets from the Henson family in February 2004, though the deal excluded the Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock characters.[1][2][3] Subsequent projects have included the television film The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005), two theatrical films: The Muppets (2011) and Muppets Most Wanted (2014), a primetime series (2015–2016), the Halloween special Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021), and most recently the streaming television series The Muppets Mayhem (2023).
Throughout nearly seven decades, the Muppets have been regarded as a staple of the entertainment industry and popular culture in the United States and English-speaking areas around the world. They have been recognized by various cultural institutions and organizations, including the American Film Institute, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Library of Congress, and both Academies of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Television Arts and Sciences.
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The Muppets were created by puppeteer Jim Henson in the 1950s; Henson claimed, but later recanted, that he coined the term Muppet as a portmanteau of the words marionette and puppet.[4] Among Henson's earliest creations was Kermit the Frog, who became his most recognizable character. Originally conceived for an adult audience,[5] the Muppets were introduced in 1955 in Sam and Friends, a short-form television series produced for WRC-TV in Washington, D.C.[6] Developed by Henson and his future wife, Jane Nebel, the series was the first form of puppet media not to incorporate a physical proscenium arch typical of such works, relying instead on the natural framing of the television set through which it was viewed.[7]
During the 1960s, the characters—in particular, Kermit and Rowlf the Dog—appeared in skits on several late-night talk shows and on television commercials, including The Ed Sullivan Show. Rowlf became the first Muppet character to appear regularly on network television when he began appearing with Jimmy Dean on The Jimmy Dean Show. In 1966, Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett began developing a children's educational television program and approached Henson to design a cast of Muppet characters during this stage. Produced by the Children's Television Workshop, the program debuted as Sesame Street in 1969 on NET, and later PBS.
Henson and his creative team became closely involved with Sesame Street during the years that followed; Henson waived his performance fee in exchange for retaining ownership rights to the Muppet characters created for the program. Sesame Street garnered a positive response, and the Muppets' involvement in the series was said to be a vital component of its increasing popularity, providing an "effective and pleasurable viewing" method of presentation for its educational curriculum.[8][9]
In the early 1970s, the Muppets continued their presence in television, primarily appearing in The Land of Gorch segments during the first season of Saturday Night Live. As his involvement with Sesame Street continued, Henson began developing a network television series focusing on the Muppets;[10] as opposed to Sesame Street, however, this series would be aimed at a more adult audience and focus largely on sketch comedy. Two television pilots, The Muppets Valentine Show and The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence, aired on ABC in 1974 and 1975, respectively.
After ABC passed on the pilots and other networks in the United States expressed little interest in the project, British producer Lew Grade approached Henson and agreed to co-produce the series for Associated Television. Debuting in 1976, The Muppet Show introduced new characters such as Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Gonzo, alongside existing characters such as Kermit and Rowlf. Aired in first-run syndication in the United States, The Muppet Show became increasingly popular due to its sketch-variety format, unique form of vaudeville-style humor, and prolific roster of guest stars.[11] It was nominated for twenty-one Primetime Emmy Awards during its run, winning four, including Outstanding Variety Series in 1978. The success of The Muppet Show allowed Henson Associates to diversify into theatrical films, the first of which, The Muppet Movie, was released in 1979.[12]
Following The Muppet Movie were The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Take Manhattan, released in 1981 and 1984, respectively. Collectively, the three films received four Academy Award nominations. The Muppet Show ended its five-season run in 1981. In 1983, Henson debuted Fraggle Rock, which aired on HBO in the United States until 1987.[13]
In 1989, Henson entered negotiations with Michael Eisner and The Walt Disney Company, in which Disney would acquire Jim Henson Productions and, in turn, the Muppets. Disney expressed interest in purchasing the company for $150 million.[14] Eisner was also interested in acquiring the Sesame Street Muppet characters, but Henson declined that proposal, considering it a "non-starter" for the deal.[15] An "agreement in principle" for the acquisition was publicly announced by Disney and Henson at the Disney-MGM Studios theme park in Walt Disney World Resort on August 28, 1989, along with plans for Muppets-themed attractions to debut at that park and Disneyland the following year.[16] In anticipation of the acquisition, the television special The Muppets at Walt Disney World premiered on May 6, 1990.[17]
However, the proposed merger was cancelled after Henson's death on May 16, 1990.[18] Nevertheless, Disney initiated a licensing agreement with Jim Henson Productions to continue developing Muppets attractions and the use of the characters within the Disney theme parks.[19] The following year, Muppet*Vision 3D debuted at Disney–MGM Studios, the only attraction successfully developed from the original plans. Disney also co-produced the fourth and fifth Muppets films, The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and Muppet Treasure Island (1996), with Jim Henson Productions.[20] The characters subsequently starred in Muppets Tonight, which aired on ABC from 1996 to 1998; and a sixth film, Muppets from Space, released by Columbia Pictures in 1999.
In 2000, The Jim Henson Company was sold to EM.TV & Merchandising AG for $680 million.[21] However, EM.TV's stock collapsed and the Henson family re-acquired the company in 2003, with the exception of the Sesame Street characters, which were in the interim sold to Sesame Workshop.[20]
Fourteen years after initial negotiations began, Disney acquired the Muppets intellectual property from the Henson company for $75 million on February 17, 2004. The acquisition consisted of a majority of the Muppet film and television library, as well as the Bear in the Big Blue House television series.[1][2][3][22] Exceptions included the Sesame Street characters;[23] the Fraggle Rock characters, which were retained by Henson;[12] the distribution rights to four films: The Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppets from Space, and Kermit's Swamp Years, which were retained by Sony Pictures Entertainment; and It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, retained by NBCUniversal Television Distribution.[22] Following the acquisition, Disney formed The Muppets Studio (originally The Muppets Holding Company), a wholly owned subsidiary responsible for managing the characters and franchise. As a result, the term "Muppet" became a legal trademark of Disney; under license from Disney, Sesame Workshop continues to use the term for their characters, as well as archival footage of Kermit the Frog.
Henson retained the rights to several productions featuring the Disney-owned Muppet characters, including Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas; The Christmas Toy; Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting; Henson's Place; Billy Bunny's Animal Songs; the original Dog City special; and Donna's Day. While some of these have since been released uncut, most current releases of Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas and The Christmas Toy omit the appearances by Kermit the Frog. The 2015 ABC Family airing, the 2017 DVD and the 2018 Blu-ray releases of Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas and the Amazon Prime Video release of The Christmas Toy reinstate Kermit's scenes.
After the acquisition was complete, Disney gradually began reintroducing the franchise to the mainstream, synergistically promoting the Muppets across different parts of the company.[20][24] The Muppets made appearances on Disney Channel and starred in the ABC television film, The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005).[20] A television special, A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, premiered on NBC on December 17, 2008.[25] As a method of regaining a wider audience, Disney produced a series of vignettes for YouTube and Disney.com.[20] A cover version of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was among these projects and immediately went viral, ultimately amassing 90 million views and winning two Webby Awards.[26] In 2010, the Muppets starred in The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora, which co-starred Cat Cora and showcased cooking demonstrations.[27] That same year, Disney used the Muppets to promote their volunteerism program at the company's theme parks.[28] A Halloween special featuring the Muppets was developed during that time and expected to air on ABC that October, but was canceled.[29]
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In 2011, the Muppets were featured in an eponymous seventh film The Muppets, intended to serve as a "creative reboot" for the characters.[30] Walt Disney Pictures had been furthering development on a Muppets film since 2008, when it considered adapting an unused screenplay by Jerry Juhl. Directed by James Bobin, written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, and starring Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, and Rashida Jones, The Muppets was a critical and commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing puppet film of all time and winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song for Bret McKenzie's "Man or Muppet".[31] During the film's publicity campaign, the Muppets appeared in promotional advertisements and marketing efforts by Disney and were also featured in a promotional video for Google+.[32] In March 2012, the Muppets received a collective star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[33] That year, the Muppets hosted a Just for Laughs comedy gala in Montreal.[34]
Following the release of The Muppets, Disney announced an eighth film in 2012, with Bobin and Stoller returning to direct and write, respectively.[35] Muppets Most Wanted was released in 2014 and starred Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey, and Ty Burrell.[36][37] The film received positive reviews but was a commercial disappointment at the box office.[38]
Disney Theatrical Productions announced in 2013 that a live show based on the Muppets was in active development and that a 15-minute show had been conducted by Thomas Schumacher to see how the technical components would work.[39] Muppet Moments, an interstitial television series, premiered on Disney Junior in April 2015. The short-form series features conversations between the Muppets and young children.[40]
After the release of Muppets Most Wanted, Disney was interested in expanding the Muppets' presence across other media, particularly in television.[41] Discussions for a new primetime series began internally within The Muppets Studio.[30] By April 2015, Bill Prady was commissioned to write a script for a pilot with the working title Muppets 2015.[42] In May 2015, ABC commissioned an eponymous series, co-developed by Prady and Bob Kushell and directed by Randall Einhorn.[43][44] Developed as a parody of other mockumentary-style series such as The Office, Modern Family, and Parks and Recreation, The Muppets portrayed the everyday personal and professional lives of the Muppets in Los Angeles as they produced a late-night talk show hosted by Miss Piggy.[38] The ABC series portrayed the characters in more adult situations than previous incarnations, including depictions of alcohol consumption, sexual innuendos, and mild profanity.[45] The series premiered on September 22, 2015, in the United States,[46] and received mixed reviews, with critics praising the show's adult humor but criticizing the writing and characterization.