Muppet marionettes

UK toy maker Pelham Puppets released two Muppet marionettes of Animal and Kermit the Frog. These are the only official Muppet marionettes ever produced.
The line was announced at the Birmingham Toy Fair in 1977. Bob Pelham's original puppet design for Kermit was as a hand puppet to be released later that year. The design was rejected, however, as it looked too similar to other Kermit soft toys on the market. Instead, it was decided to produce a series of marionettes with the likenesses of several Muppets. Prototypes of Rowlf the Dog and Animal were first announced for a future 1978 in an issue of Pelpup News, as well as an upcoming release of Kermit and Miss Piggy. Pelham felt that the characters did not translate well as marionettes, resulting in a limited production of Animal in 1978 and Kermit after Pelham's death in 1980.
Alongside the unreleased Rowlf and Miss Piggy marionettes, a Fozzie Bear was also announced but never released.
==Kermit==
One Kermit was released with a dark green paint and thinner pupils.
File:Pelham Kermit darkgreen 01.jpg
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Another Kermit was a brighter green with wider, more accurate pupils.
File:Pelham Kermit 01.jpg
File:Pelham Kermit 02.jpg
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==Animal==
Animal with a molded body, moving mouth, and drumsticks.
File:Pelham Animal molded 01.jpg
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Animal with a wooden body, moving mouth, and drumsticks.
File:Pelham Animal wood 01.jpg
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==Prototypes==
File:Pelham Animal.jpg|1977 Animal prototype
File:Pelham Rowlf.jpg|1977 Rowlf prototype
File:Marionette-rowlf.jpg|Rowlf the Dog|Rowlf marionette prototype
File:Marionette-piggy.jpg|Miss Piggy marionette prototype
File:BobPelhamKermitNewspaper.jpg|Marlborough Times newspaper featuring Bob Pelham with a protoype Kermit hand puppet.
File:Bob_Pelham.jpg|Bob Pelham with Kermit prototype 1977
==Sources==
__NOWYSIWYG__
Category:International Muppet Toys
Category:Puppet Toys