The Muppet Show The Muppet Show was a TV series which aired in syndication from 1976 to 1981 . With a cast of puppets , called Muppets , each show featured a special guest star . The Muppets were designed by , and have been owned by The Walt Disney Company since 2004 . Mark Hamill , Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew guest starred as their respective characters on the show ' s January 16 , 1980 episode , which was four months before the original theatrical release of " " . Although the other two men play only their respective " Star Wars " roles , Hamill plays Luke Skywalker , as well as himself — known as " Luke ' s cousin " . Star Wars episode . Luke Skywalker ( Mark Hamill ) , C - 3PO ( Anthony Daniels ) and R2 - D2 ( remote controlled ) have crash - landed on and into the " Muppet Show " sets . After meeting Luke ' s " cousin " Mark Hamill ( playing himself ) , they reveal that they are searching for Chewbacca ( Peter Mayhew ) , who has been " captured by a bunch of weird turkeys " according to a hyperspace telegram he had sent to the two droids . They hijack the cast of the skit " Pigs in Space " to " borrow " the ship ( the " Swine Trek " ) for the search . Suddenly infatuated with Luke , Miss Piggy costumes herself as Princess Leia . After accidentally crashing onto the planet Koozebane , the team confronts " Dearth Nadir " , who is the Muppet Gonzo dressed in a Darth Vader costume . ( A previous episode had " Nadir " invade the " Swine Trek " with a team of chickens as his " stormtroopers " ) . He had a device , called the Krypto - Anagon Transmitter , that neutralized any blaster , rendering Luke ' s useless along with Artoo , who grows very weak from the device ' s power and temporarily shuts down . Chewbacca was being held hostage on the planet , and managed to escape and attack Nadir , but the villain was able to call upon Angus McGonagle the Argyle Gargoyle who sends Chewbacca reeling with his Gershwin gargling . Luke and his " cousin " again meet . Right before major action is about to begin , Kermit the Frog gives the cue for a musical number . The " Star Wars " characters happily join in , with C - 3PO displaying his dancing skills with a soft - shoe ( he had watched a few Fred Astaire films beforehand ) . Mark Hamill , who is shown as a completely different person than Luke in the show , dances along , while Luke becomes frustrated and walks away . Behind the scenes . In addition to Hamill , Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew reprised their roles ( though they were credited as their characters ) . Daniels also guest starred as C - 3PO in an episode of " Sesame Street " , another Muppet production , in which he and R2 - D2 befriended Big Bird and R2 fell in love with a fire hydrant . Although R2 - D2 appeared in " The Muppet Show " episode , it was the " three - legged " R2 , operated by a radio control and not by Kenny Baker . However , Baker did later work with Jim Henson , playing a goblin in the film " Labyrinth " ( with George Lucas as executive producer ) . From 1985 until 1989 , Marvel Comics produced a monthly comic book of the Muppet Babies with their Star Comics imprint . The series lasted for 26 issues . One such issue contained a " Star Wars " - related fantasy , with baby Piggy once more as Leia , and baby Gonzo once more as Darth Vader . The " Muppet Babies " cartoon also included numerous episodes spoofing Star Wars , most notably " Gonzo ' s Video Show " . Frank Oz , the puppeteer of Yoda , was a lead puppeteer and creative consultant on " The Muppet Show " , performing Miss Piggy , Fozzie Bear , Animal , Sam the Eagle , and several others . Another " Muppet Show " regular , Kathryn Mullen , served as Yoda ' s right hand in " The Empire Strikes Back " . Mark Hamill discussed this episode of " The Muppet Show " in a celebrity chat . A clip from the " Star Wars " episode of " The Muppet Show " was included as part of the 2004 documentary " When Star Wars Ruled the World " . During Anthony Daniels ' event at Celebration IV , he showed some clips of his career as C - 3PO — ranging from his " The Muppet Show " episode and " Sesame Street " episodes , to a C - 3POs cereal commercial and " The Star Wars Holiday Special " . Daniels gave insight into these appearances , and told some stories of his experiences working on them . The episode is officially available on DVD as part of " The Best of " The Muppet Show " - Mark Hamill / Paul Simon / Raquel Welch " DVD . However , it has been widely bootlegged by fans , and is often included with bootlegs of " The Star Wars Holiday Special " . Koozebane was later included in the Appendix of " The Essential Atlas " .