Jim Henson's Muppets (Johnsonverse)

Jim Henson's Muppets (also known as simply The Muppets) are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise owned by Jim Henson Productions, that encompasses television, film, music, and other media associated with the characters.
The Muppets originated in the short-form television series Sam and Friends, which aired 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), and attained celebrity status and international recognition through The Muppet Show (1976–1981), which received four Primetime Emmy Award wins and twenty-one nominations during its five-year run.
During the 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). Johnson began involvement with them in the late 1980s, during which Henson entered negotiations to sell his company that were finalized in 1990. The Muppets continued their media presence on television with Muppet Babies (1984–91) and Muppet High (1991-94), as well as The Jim Henson Hour (1989-94) and Muppets Tonight (1996–2001), both of which were similar in format to The Muppet Show; and six theatrical films: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), Muppets in Space (2000), The Muppets (2011), Muppets Most Wanted (2014), and The Good, the Bad and the Muppets (2019). Additional projects have included a primetime television series (2015–2022); a reboot of Muppet Babies (2018–2022); the streaming television series Muppets Live Another Day, Muppets Now (2020), and The Muppets Mayhem (2023); and the Halloween special Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021).
In their six-decade career, the Muppets have been regarded as a staple of the entertainment industry and popular culture in the United States and English-speaking area generally, being recognized by various cultural institutions and organizations, including the American Film Institute, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Library of Congress, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
==History==
===1950s–1960s: Beginnings===
The Muppets were created by puppeteer Jim Henson in the 1950s; among his earliest creations was Kermit the Frog, who became Henson's most recognizable character. Originally conceived for an adult audience, Henson claimed, and later recanted, that he coined the term Muppet as a blend of the words marionette and puppet. In 1955, the Muppets were introduced in Sam and Friends, a short-form television series produced for WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. 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.
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.
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.
===1970s: The Muppet Show and foray into film===
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; 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. 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.
===1980s–1990s: Subsequent projects and Johnson acquisition===
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.
In 1989, Henson entered negotiations with Phil Stacker and Johnson Industries, in which the latter would acquire Jim Henson Productions and, in turn, the Muppets. Johnson expressed interest in purchasing the company for $150M. Stacker was also interested in acquiring the Sesame Street Muppet characters, but Henson declined that proposal, however, considering it a "non-starter" for the deal. An "agreement in principle" for the acquisition was publicly announced by Johnson and Henson at the Johnson World theme park on August 28, 1989, along with plans for Muppets-themed attractions to debut at that park the following year. The merger was finalized in 1990. The following year, Muppet*Vision 3D debuted at Johnson World as the first Muppets-themed attraction. Johnson also co-produced the fourth and fifth Muppets films, The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and Muppet Treasure Island (1996), with Henson. The characters subsequently starred in Muppets High, a television series focusing on the Muppets in a 1950s high school that aired on WBC from 1991 to 1994 and Muppets Tonight, which aired on WBC from 1996 to 2001; a sixth film, Muppets in Space, released in 2000.
===2000s–present: Current projects===
==Characters==
Main article: List of Muppets (Johnsonverse)
The principal characters of The Muppet Show and subsequent media include Kermit the Frog; Miss Piggy; Fozzie Bear; Gonzo; Rowlf the Dog; Scooter; Skeeter; Rizzo the Rat; Pepe the King Prawn; Dr. Bunsen Honeydew; Beaker; Statler and Waldorf; the Swedish Chef; Sam Eagle; Camilla the Chicken; Walter; Clifford; and the Electric Mayhem, fronted by Dr. Teeth (lead vocals, keyboards) and consisting of Animal (drums), Floyd Pepper (bass, background vocals), Janice (guitar, background vocals), Zoot (saxophone), and Lips (trumpet).
As well as The Muppet Show, the characters are popular for their appearances on Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock; and also feature in The Jimmy Dean Show, The Jim Henson Hour, Muppets Tonight, Bear in the Big Blue House, Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony, and The Muppets. An adult-oriented segment, The Land of Gorch, was a regular feature in the first season of Saturday Night Live. Guest stars on Saturday Night Live occasionally include both the Muppets and Sesame Street characters, as well as Muppet likenesses of real people; these likenesses appear recurrently in early episodes of The Muppet Show and on Sesame Street, and appear occasionally on other series such as 30 Rock.
Puppets created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, including those in Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, have never been considered Muppets, as they are generally more complex in design and performance than regular Muppets. At Henson's suggestion, the Star Wars character Yoda was originally performed by Frank Oz, and the Star Pirates character Molc was originally performed by Richard Hunt; both have been loosely described as Muppets in media and reference works; they are not, however, and Henson otherwise had no involvement in the characters' conception. 
===Performers===
Performer 	Principal characters
Steve Whitmire	Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat, Lips, 
The Newsman, Link Hogthrob
Eric Jacobson 	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle
Dave Goelz 	Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Beauregard, Chip
Bill Barretta 	Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, Waldorf, Pepe the King Prawn, 
The Swedish Chef, Bobo the Bear, Big Mean Carl, Mahna Mahna, 
Johnny Fiama
Matt Vogel 	Floyd Pepper, Uncle Deadly, Lew Zealand, Camilla the Chicken, 
Crazy Harry, Robin the Frog
Richard Hunt 	Scooter, Janice, Statler, Beaker, Sweetums
Kevin Clash 	Clifford
Brian Henson 	Sal Minella, Dr. Phil Van Neuter
Peter Linz 	Walter, Nigel
Donna Kimball 	Skeeter
At the start of the Muppets' formation, Jim and Jane Henson were the group's only performers. In 1961, Jane retired to focus on raising their children. Seeking additional performers, Jim came into contact with Frank Oz that year. Although interested, Oz initially declined due to his youth and commitment to high school, and instead suggested Jerry Juhl, who worked with Oz at the Vagabond Puppet Theater in Oakland, California. Upon graduating, Oz subsequently joined in August 1963. By the time The Muppet Show began, the primary cast of performers grew to consist of Henson; Oz; Dave Goelz; Jerry Nelson; Richard Hunt; and later, Steve Whitmire, while Juhl became head writer for the series. From The Muppet Show onward, Kevin Clash; Kathryn Mullen; Louise Gold; Karen Prell; Fran Brill, Caroll Spinney; and Brian Henson performed several minor characters and assisted the main performers with puppeteering. Many of these puppeteers performed characters across The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and other Henson-related projects. Donna Kimball joined in 1993, performing Skeeter, Scooter's athletic twin sister.
Henson and Nelson continued performing until Henson's retirement in 2004 and Nelson's death in 2019, respectively. Whitmire and Bill Barretta, who joined the main cast of performers in 1978 and 1992, assumed Henson's characters. At Nelson's behest, Matt Vogel began performing his characters as an understudy beginning in 2008, and full-time after Nelson's 2019 death. Peter Linz joined the main cast in 2011, debuting the role of Walter in The Muppets.
The Muppets are currently performed by a core cast of eleven principal puppeteers: Whitmire, Jacobson, Goelz, Barretta, Vogel, Hunt, Kimball, Linz, Clash, and Brian Henson, with the occasional ensemble of "additional" Muppet performers that includes David Rudman, Julianne Buescher, Tyler Bunch, Alice Dinnean, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Karen Prell, Bruce Lanoil, Mike Quinn and others.
==Design and performance==
The majority of the Muppets are designed as hand puppets, with several characters utilizing rods. Common design elements of the Muppets include wide mouths and large protruding eyes. Most of the Muppets are molded or carved out of various types of foam and covered with any felt-like material. The characters may represent humans; anthropomorphic characters; realistic animals; robots; extraterrestrial or mythical creatures; or other forms of abstract characters.
The Muppets are distinguished from ventriloquist dummies, which are usually animated only in the head and face, in that their arms or other features are also animated. They are also generally made of softer material. They are presented as being independent of the puppeteer, officially known as a "Muppet performer", who is usually hidden behind a set or outside of the camera frame. Using the camera frame to this advantage was an innovation of the Muppets. Prior to this, a stage was used to mask the performers, as would be the case in a live performance. Sometimes, they are seen full-bodied; in most cases, invisible strings are used to manipulate these puppets, with vocals added at a later point. Performers often use dollies to mimic walking.
During most performances, the performer holds the character above their head or in front of their body, with one hand operating the head and mouth and the other manipulating the hands and arms, either with two separate control rods or – in the case of "live-hand" Muppets – wearing the hands similarly to gloves. One consequence of this design is that most of the Muppets are left-handed, with the performer using their right hand to operate the head while operating the arm with their left hand.
For more complex Muppets, several performers may operate a single character, with the performer controlling the mouth usually voicing the character. As technology has advanced, the Jim Henson team and other performers have developed several means to operate the Muppets for film and television; these include the use of suspended rigs, internal motors, remote manipulators, and computer enhanced and superimposed images. Creative use of different technologies has allowed for scenes in which the Muppets appear to exhibit complex movements wholly independently of the performer.
In his book, Street Gang, author Michael Davis wrote that the characters tend to develop "organically", alluding to the performers taking up to a year to develop their characters and voices. They are also "test-driven, passed around from one Henson troupe member to another in the hope of finding the perfect human-Muppet match". When interacting with them, children believed that Muppets were living beings, even when the performers were present.
==Media==
===Filmography and television===
Main article: List of The Muppets productions (Johnsonverse)
===Discography===
Main article: The Muppets discography (Johnsonverse)
On September 17, 2002, Rhino Records released The Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem, and More, a compilation album of music from The Muppet Show and subsequent film releases. With John Denver, John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together was produced and released in 1979.
Under Johnson ownership, The Muppets album releases have been issued by Johnson Records; as well as new album releases, some albums have been re-released, including The Muppet Christmas Carol in 2005 and The Muppet Movie in 2013. Legal music publishing rights to The Muppets songs are controlled by Fuzzy Muppet Songs and Mad Muppet Melodies, imprints of Johnson Music Publishing.
===Theme parks===
The Muppets appear at the Johnson parks, having first appeared at Johnson World in 1990. Their first featured attraction, Here Come the Muppets, was a live stage show that opened in 1990 and ran at Johnson World for a year. Muppet*Vision 3D, a 4D film attraction that also uses audio-animatronic characters, opened at Johnson World on May 16, 1991 at a newly-created section of the park, Muppet Studios.
The Muppets also were featured in The Muppets Present...Great Moments in American History since 2016; and the Muppet Mobile Lab since 2007. The latter attraction is a free-roving vehicle with audio-animatronics of Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker.
Johnson has released numerous collector pins featuring the Muppets since 1991. These include Limited Edition pins, mystery pin sets, 2008 pin sets promoting The Muppets, cast lanyard pins, and assorted individual rack pins. Over 100 pins displaying the characters have been released overall.
===Publishing===
Among other print media, the Muppets have featured in comics since the 1970s. An eponymous comic strip by Guy and Brad Gilchrist first ran on September 21, 1981 in over 500 daily newspapers, six months after The Muppet Show ended its five-year run. By the end of its run in 1986, the comic strip was seen in over 660 newspapers worldwide. Many of the strips were compiled in various book collections. Special strips were also created in color, exclusively for issues of Muppet Magazine.
Muppet Magazine was published from 1983 to 1989. The magazine was presented as being run by the Muppets themselves and included such features as celebrity interviews and comic stories.
The only Muppets film adapted as a comic book was The Muppets Take Manhattan. The comic book series was adapted by Marvel Comics in 1984, as the 68-page story in Marvel Super Special issue #32. The adaptation was later re-printed into three limited series issues, released under Marvel's Star Comics imprint (November 1984 – January 1985).
In the wake of Muppet Babies' success, Star Comics adapted the series into a bi-monthly title, of which 26 issues were produced.
In 2009, Boom! Studios began publishing a series of comic books based on The Muppet Show, written and illustrated by Langridge. Following two mini-series, an ongoing series, The Muppet Show Comic Book, was published for eleven issues. Additionally, Boom! Studios published fairy tale adaptations centered on the Muppets. In 2012, the Langridge series was transferred to Marvel Comics, which released an omnibus edition in 2013.
==In popular culture==
The Muppets' prevalence in popular culture is such that the characters have become regarded as celebrities in their own right. The Muppets have a collective star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with Kermit having been previously individually inducted in 2002. The characters have appeared at the Academy Awards and Emmy Awards; made cameo appearances in films including Rocky III, An American Werewolf in London, and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium; and have been interviewed on the news magazine 60 Minutes.
Kermit was interviewed by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show; guest hosted The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, America's Funniest Home Videos, and an April Fools' Day edition of Larry King Live; and has served as Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade. The characters also appeared on The Cosby Show and The Torkelsons, among other sitcoms. The music video for Weezer's "Keep Fishin'" is aesthetically based on The Muppet Show and consists of the band interacting with the characters.
On September 28, 2005, the United States Postal Service released a Jim Henson and the Muppets postage stamp series. The Muppets also appeared on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on December 31, 2007, in which Kermit and other characters presented segments following advertising breaks. After one such segment, with Kermit in Times Square, co-host Ryan Seacrest thanked "Kerms" for his assistance. Miss Piggy has appeared as a guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Kermit appeared on Hollywood Squares and as one of the celebrity commentators on VH1's I Love documentary series. The Muppets, as well as the title character of Bear in the Big Blue House, have made frequent appearances on The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.
On July 25, 2007, the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta announced the opening of the Jim Henson Wing, which would house up to 700 retired Muppet characters. The wing, first set to open in 2012 with films, sketches, and other materials from the Jim Henson Company archives, eventually opened as a gallery within the Worlds of Puppetry exhibition at the Center in November 2015.
Muppet-like characters star in the Broadway musical Avenue Q, the concept of which is a parody of Sesame Street. The Peter Jackson film Meet the Feebles, a satire on the television industry, is largely reminiscent of The Muppet Show. A Kermit the Frog stuffed toy rigged to spray fake vomit recurred on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and the Muppets were frequently preempted at the beginning of episodes of You Can't Do That on Television. The sitcom series Greg the Bunny centered on sentient hand puppets working on a Muppet-like children's show. Among other examples, series such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, The West Wing, and Robot Chicken have referenced the Muppets.
The term "muppet" is commonly used in the British Isles and Australasia to refer to a stupid or ineffectual person.
Category:Johnsonverse