The Muppets

The Muppets are a group of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque and self-referential style of variety-sketch comedy. Created in 1955 by Jim Henson, they are the namesake for the Disney media franchise that encompasses films, television series, music recordings, print publications, and other media associated with The Muppet Show characters.
The Muppets were the stars of multiple television series and films, including; The Muppet Show (1976–1981), The Muppet Movie (1979), The Great Muppet Caper (1981) and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). After Henson's death in 1990, The Muppets continued their presence in television and cinema with Muppets Tonight (1996–1998), a series continuation of The Muppet Show, and three films, The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), Muppets from Space (1999), the former two were co-produced with Disney, who sought to acquire the characters since the late 1980s. In 2004, The Walt Disney Company purchased the rights to The Muppets, and later formed The Muppets Studio, a division created specifically for managing The Muppets franchise.
Disney underwent an extensive re-branding of the franchise beginning in 2008, in anticipation of the seventh film; The Muppets. The film, written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller and directed by James Bobin, was released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 23, 2011, and met with critical acclaim and commercial success. A sequel, Muppets Most Wanted, is scheduled to be released on March 21, 2014.
==Filmography==
* The Muppet Movie (1979)
* The Great Muppet Caper (1981)
* The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
* The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
* Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
* Muppets from Space (1999)
* The Muppets (2011)
* Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
The Muppet Movie Poster.jpg|The Muppet Movie (1979)
The Great Muppet Caper Poster.jpg|The Great Muppet Caper (1981)
220px-Muppets take manhattan.jpg|The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
Moviepedia The Muppet Christmas Carol.jpg|The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
1996-muppet-treasure-island-poster1.jpg|Muppets Treasure Island (1996)
Muppets from space Poster.jpg|Muppets from Space (1999)
MV5BMjE0MTM4NTc3NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjYzOTIxNg@@. V1. SY317 .jpg|The Muppets (2011)
Muppets-Most-Wanted-Poster.jpg|Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
==Characters==
===One-shot characters===
Characters 	Films 	Films 	Films 	Films 	Films 	Films 	Films 	Films
Characters 	The Muppet Movie(1979)	The Great Muppet Caper(1981)	The Muppets Take Manhattan(1984)	The Muppet Christmas Carol(1992) 	Muppet Treasure Island(1996)	Muppets from Space(1999)	The Muppets(2011)	Muppets Most Wanted(2014)
====Main characters (appear in all films)====	
====Main characters (appear in all films)====	
====Main characters (appear in all films)====	
====Main characters (appear in all films)====	
====Main characters (appear in all films)==== 	
====Main characters (appear in all films)====	
====Main characters (appear in all films)====	
====Main characters (appear in all films)====	
====Main characters (appear in all films)====
Kermit the Frog 	Jim Henson 	Jim Henson 	Jim Henson 	Jim Henson 	Steve Whitmire 	Steve Whitmire 	Steve Whitmire 	Steve Whitmire
Miss Piggy 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz (voice)
Kevin Clash (puppetry)	Eric Jacobson 	Eric Jacobson
Fozzie Bear 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz (voice)
Kevin Clash (puppetry)	Eric Jacobson 	Eric Jacobson
Gonzo 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz
Statler 	Richard Hunt 	Richard Hunt 	Richard Hunt 	Richard Hunt 	Jerry Nelson 	Jerry Nelson 	Steve Whitmire 	Steve Whitmire
Waldorf 	Jim Henson 	Jim Henson 	Jim Henson 	Jim Henson 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz 	Dave Goelz
Beaker 	Richard Hunt 	Richard Hunt 	Richard Hunt 	Richard Hunt 	Steve Whitmire 	Steve Whitmire 	Steve Whitmire 	Steve Whitmire
The Swedish Chef 	Jim Henson 	Jim Henson 	Jim Henson 	Jim Henson 	David Rudman 	Bill Barretta 	Bill Barretta 	Bill Barretta
Sam the Eagle 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz (voice)
Kevin Clash (puppetry)	Eric Jacobson 	Eric Jacobson
 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz 	Frank Oz (voice)
Kevin Clash (puppetry)	Eric Jacobson 	Eric Jacobson
====Supporting characters (appear in more than one film)====	
====Supporting characters (appear in more than one film)====	
====Supporting characters (appear in more than one film)====	
====Supporting characters (appear in more than one film)====	
====Supporting characters (appear in more than one film)==== 	
====Supporting characters (appear in more than one film)====	
====Supporting characters (appear in more than one film)====	
====Supporting characters (appear in more than one film)====	
====Supporting characters (appear in more than one film)====
Rowlf the Dog 	Jim Henson 	Jim Henson 	Jim Henson 	Jim Henson 	Jim Henson 	Bill Barretta 	Bill Barretta 	Bill Barretta
Scooter 	Richard Hunt 	Richard Hunt 	Richard Hunt 	Richard Hunt 	 	Adam Hunt 	David Rudman 	David Rudman
Rizzo the Rat 	 	Steve Whitmire 	Steve Whitmire 	Steve Whitmire 	Steve Whitmire 	Steve Whitmire 	Steve Whitmire 	Steve Whitmire
Pepe the King Prawn 	  	  	  	  	  	Bill Barretta 	Bill Barretta 	Bill Barretta
Walter 	  	  	  	  	  	  	Peter Linz 	Peter Linz
====One-shot characters====	
====One-shot characters====	
====One-shot characters====	
====One-shot characters==== 	
====One-shot characters==== 	
====One-shot characters====	
====One-shot characters====	
====One-shot characters====	
====One-shot characters====
Bert 	  	  	Frank Oz 	  	  	  	  	 
Ernie 	  	  	Jim Henson 	  	  	  	  	 
Cookie Monster 	  	  	Frank Oz 	  	  	  	  	 
Oscar the Grouch 	  	Caroll Spinney 	Caroll Spinney 	  	  	  	  	 
Big Bird 	  	  	Caroll Spinney 	  	  	  	  	 
====Humans in The Muppets====	
====Humans in The Muppets====	
====Humans in The Muppets====	
====Humans in The Muppets==== 	
====Humans in The Muppets==== 	
====Humans in The Muppets====	
====Humans in The Muppets====	
====Humans in The Muppets====	
====Humans in The Muppets====
Doc Hopper 	Charles Durning 	  	  	  	  	  	  	 
Max 	Austin Pendleton 	  	  	  	  	  	  	 
Snake Walker 	Scott Walker 	  	  	  	  	  	  	 
Lady Holiday 	  	Diana Rigg 	  	  	  	  	  	 
Nicky Holiday 	  	Charles Grodin 	  	  	  	  	  	 
Henderson 	  	Michael Robbins 	  	  	  	  	  	 
Dorcas 	  	Joan Sanderson 	  	  	  	  	  	 
Stanley 	  	Peter Hughes 	  	  	  	  	  	 
Pete 	  	  	Louis Zorich 	  	  	  	  	 
Jenny 	  	  	Juliana Donald 	  	  	  	  	 
Ronnie Crawford 	  	  	Lonny Price 	  	  	  	  	 
Nancy 	  	  	Cheryl McFadden 	  	  	  	  	 
Mr. Wrightson 	  	  	Graham Brown 	  	  	  	  	 
Ebenezer Scrooge 	  	  	  	Michael Caine 	  	  	  	 
Ebenezer Scrooge 	  	  	  	Edward Sanders, Theo Sanders, Kristopher Milnes, Russell Martin, and Ray Coulthard (young)	  	  	  	 
Fred 	  	  	  	Steven Mackintosh 	  	  	  	 
Belle 	  	  	  	Meredith Braun 	  	  	  	 
Clara 	  	  	  	Robin Weaver 	  	  	  	 
Jim Hawkins 	  	  	  	  	Kevin Bishop 	  	  	 
Long John Silver 	  	  	  	  	Tim Curry 	  	  	 
Billy Bones 	  	  	  	  	Billy Connolly 	  	  	 
Mrs. Sarah Bluveridge	  	  	  	  	Jennifer Saunders 	  	  	 
K. Edgar Singer 	  	  	  	  	  	Jeffrey Tambor 	  	 
General Luft 	  	  	  	  	  	Pat Hingle 	  	 
Shelley Snipes 	  	  	  	  	  	Andie MacDowell 	  	 
Gary 	  	  	  	  	  	  	Jason Segel
----Gunnar Smith (6-year-old)Connor Gallagher (9-year-old)Justin Marco (13-year-old)	 
Mary 	  	  	  	  	  	  	Amy Adams 	 
Tex Richman 	  	  	  	  	  	  	Chris Cooper 	 
Veronica Martin 	  	  	  	  	  	  	Rashida Jones 	 
Dominic Badguy 	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	Ricky Gervais
Nadya 	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	Tina Fey
*Note: A red cell indicates the character didn't appear in that medium.
==Crew==
Role 	The Muppet Movie(1979) 	The Great Muppet Caper(1981) 	The Muppets Take Manhattan(1984) 	The Muppet Christmas Carol(1992) 	Muppet Treasure Island(1996) 	Muppets from Space(1999) 	The Muppets(2011) 	Muppets Most Wanted(2014)
Director 	James Frawley 	Jim Henson 	Frank Oz 	Brian Henson 	Brian Henson 	Tim Hill 	James Bobin 	James Bobin
Producer(s) 	Jim Henson 	David Lazer and Frank Oz 	David Lazer 	Brian Henson and Martin G. Baker 	Brian Henson and Martin G. Baker 	Brian Henson and Martin G. Baker 	David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman 	David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman
Writer(s) 	Jerry Juhl & Jack Burns 	Tom Patchett & Jay Tarses and Jerry Juhl & Jack Rose	Frank Oz and Tom Patchett & Jay Tarses	Jerry Juhl 	Jerry Juhl & Kirk R. Thatcher and James V. Hart	Jerry Juhl and Joseph Mazzarino and Ken Kaufman	Jason Segel & Nicholas Stoller 	James Bobin & Nicholas Stoller
Composer(s) 	Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher	Joe Raposo 	Ralph Burns 	Miles Goodman 	Hans Zimmer 	Jamshied Sharifi 	Christophe Beck 	Christophe Beck
Production companies	ITC FilmsHenson Associates 	ITC FilmsHenson Associates 	Henson Associates 	Walt Disney PicturesJim Henson Productions	Walt Disney PicturesJim Henson Productions 	Columbia PicturesJim Henson Pictures 	Walt Disney PicturesMandeville Films	Walt Disney PicturesMandeville Films
Distribution 	Associated Film Distribution 	Universal PicturesAssociated Film Distribution 	TriStar Pictures 	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution 	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution 	Sony Pictures Releasing 	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Running time 	95 minutes 	97 minutes 	94 minutes 	86 minutes 	99 minutes 	87 minutes 	103 minutes 	107 minutes
Release date 	June 22, 1979 	June 26, 1981 	July 13, 1984 	December 11, 1992 	February 16, 1996 	July 14, 1999 	November 23, 2011 	March 21, 2014
Category:Disney franchises
Category:The Muppets
Category:Franchises
Category:Film series