The Muppets








This article is about the puppet characters and related media franchise. For the 2011 film, see The Muppets (film). For the 2015 television series, see The Muppets (TV series).




















































.mw-parser-output .noitalic{font-style:normal}
The Muppets
The Muppets logo.svg
Created by Jim Henson
Original work Sam and Friends
Owner
The Muppets Studio
(The Walt Disney Company)
Print publications
Comics Comics list
Films and television
Film(s) Film list
Television series Television series list
Games
Video game(s) Video game list
Audio
Soundtrack(s) Discography
Miscellaneous
Theme park attractions
Muppet*Vision 3D
The Muppets Present...Great Moments in American History
Muppet Mobile Lab
Web series
Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony
The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora

The Muppets are an ensemble cast of puppet characters known for their absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim and Jane Henson in 1955, they are the namesake for the Disney media franchise that encompasses television, music, film, 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 in 1969. The Muppets attained celebrity status and international recognition through The Muppet Show (1976–1981), which garnered four Primetime Emmy Award wins and twenty-one nominations during its five-year run.


During the 1970s and 1980s, the Muppets diversified into theatrical feature films, including The Muppet Movie (1979); The Great Muppet Caper (1981); and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). The Walt Disney Company 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 in the 1990s with television series The Jim Henson Hour (1989) and Muppets Tonight (1996–98), both of which were similar in format to The Muppet Show, and three films: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), and Muppets from Space (1999).


Disney acquired the Muppets in February 2004, allowing the characters to gain broader public exposure than in previous years.[1][2][3] Under Disney, subsequent projects included two films: The Muppets (2011) and Muppets Most Wanted (2014); a short-lived primetime series on ABC[4][5][6][7][8]; and a reboot of the Muppet Babies animated series.


Throughout their six-decade career, the Muppets have been regarded as a staple of the entertainment industry and popular culture in the United States, receiving recognition from various cultural institutions and organizations, including the American Film Institute, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, Library of Congress, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.




Contents






  • 1 History


    • 1.1 1950s–1960s: Beginnings


    • 1.2 1970s: The Muppet Show and first film


    • 1.3 1980s–1990s: Continued success


    • 1.4 2000s: Disney acquisition


    • 1.5 2010s: Resurgence




  • 2 Characters


    • 2.1 Performers




  • 3 Design and performance


  • 4 Media


    • 4.1 Filmography and television


    • 4.2 Discography


    • 4.3 Theme parks


    • 4.4 Publishing




  • 5 In popular culture


  • 6 See also


  • 7 References


    • 7.1 Works cited




  • 8 External links





History



1950s–1960s: Beginnings




Jim Henson in 1989.


The Muppets were created by puppeteer Jim Henson in the 1950s; among his earliest creations was Kermit the Frog, who would become Henson's most recognizable character. Originally conceived for an adult audience,[9] Henson claimed, and later recanted, that he coined the term "Muppet" as a portmanteau of the words "marionette" and "puppet".[10] In 1955, the Muppets were introduced in Sam and Friends, a short-form television series produced for WRC-TV in Washington D.C.[11] 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.[12]


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 touted to be a vital component of its increasing popularity, providing an "effective and pleasurable viewing" method of presentation for its educational curriculum.[13][14]



1970s: The Muppet Show and first 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 mused about the possibility of creating a network television series featuring the Muppets;[15] as opposed to Sesame Street, however, this proposed series would be aimed at a more adult audience and focus largely on sketch comedy. Two pilot specials, 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 no other major American network expressed interest in backing 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, Gonzo, and Animal 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 humor, and prolific roster of guest stars. The series received twenty-one Primetime Emmy Award nominations during its run and won four, including Outstanding Variety Series in 1978. The success of The Muppet Show allowed Henson Associates to diversify into theatrical films centered on the Muppets, the first of which, The Muppet Movie, was released in 1979.



1980s–1990s: Continued success


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. In 1983, Henson debuted Fraggle Rock, which aired on HBO in the United States until 1987.[16]


In the late 1980s, Henson entered discussions with Michael Eisner and The Walt Disney Company, in which the latter would acquire Jim Henson Productions and, in turn, the Muppets. Disney expressed interest in purchasing the company for $150 million.[17] In addition, Eisner expressed a desire to include the Sesame Street Muppet characters as part of the acquisition. Henson declined the proposal, however, considering it a "non-starter" for the deal.[18] As discussions between the two companies continued, Henson and Walt Disney Imagineering preemptively began developing Muppet-themed attractions for the Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World.


However, the proposed merger was canceled after Henson's death in 1990. Nevertheless, Disney initiated a licensing agreement with Henson to use the characters in their theme parks.[19] The following year, Muppet*Vision 3D debuted at Disney-MGM Studios, the only attraction to be successfully developed from the original Imagineering plans. Retaining interest in the franchise, Disney co-produced the fourth and fifth Muppets films, The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island, with Henson in 1992 and 1996, respectively.[4] The characters subsequently starred in Muppets Tonight, which aired from 1996 to 1998; and a sixth film, Muppets from Space, released by Columbia Pictures in 1999.


In 2000, Henson was sold to EM.TV & Merchandising AG for $680 million.[20] However, EM.TV was plagued with financial problems 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.[4]



2000s: Disney acquisition


Fourteen years after initial negotiations began, Disney acquired the Muppets intellectual property from Henson for $75 million on February 17, 2004. The acquisition consisted of most of the Muppets film and television library, as well as the Bear in the Big Blue House television series.[1][2][3][21] Exceptions included the Sesame Street characters, which were previously sold to Sesame Workshop;[22] the Fraggle Rock characters, which were retained by Henson; and 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.[21] 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 archival footage of Kermit the Frog.


Henson retains 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.


Disney began gradually reintroducing the franchise to the mainstream in 2008.[4][5] As a method of regaining a wider audience, Disney began to produce and release a series of comedy shorts on YouTube. After the Muppets' "Bohemian Rhapsody" cover version was uploaded, it ultimately amassed 50 million views and won two Webby Awards.[23] In 2010, the Muppets starred in The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora, which co-starred Cat Cora and showcased cooking demonstrations.[24] A television special, A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, premiered on NBC on December 17, 2008; and was released on DVD on September 29, 2009.[25]


In 2010, Disney used the Muppets to promote their volunteerism program at the company's theme parks. A Halloween special featuring the Muppets was developed during that time and expected to air on ABC that October, but was canceled.[26]



2010s: Resurgence


In 2011, the Muppets were featured in an eponymous seventh film, intended to serve as a "creative reboot" for the characters.[27] Disney 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 film was a critical and commercial success, and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.[28] During the film's publicity campaign, the Muppets appeared in promotional advertisements and in effusive marketing efforts by Disney and were also featured in a promotional video for Google+.[29] In March 2012, the Muppets received a collective star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[30] That year, the Muppets hosted a Just for Laughs comedy gala in Montreal.[31]


Following the successful performance of The Muppets, Disney announced an eighth film in 2012, with Bobin and Stoller returning to direct and write, respectively.[32]Muppets Most Wanted was released in 2014, and starred Ricky Gervais; Tina Fey; and Ty Burrell.[7][33]


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.[34]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.[35]


After the release of Muppets Most Wanted, Disney was interested in expanding the Muppets' presence across various media platforms, particularly in television.[36] Discussions for a new primetime series began internally within The Muppets Studio.[27] By April 2015, Bill Prady was commissioned to write a script for a pilot with the working title Muppets 2015.[37] In May 2015, ABC announced that it had greenlit an eponymous mockumentary series, co-developed by Prady and Bob Kushell and directed by Randall Einhorn.[38][39]The Muppets premiered on September 22, 2015 in the United States, and ended on March 1, 2016.[8][40] In September 2017, the Muppets performed a series of live shows at the Hollywood Bowl, hosted by Bobby Moynihan.[41]Muppets Live Another Day, a web television series starring Josh Gad, is in active development as of February 2019, tentatively scheduled to debut on Disney+ [42][43] in 2020. In July 2018, the cast performed a series of live shows at London's O2 Arena, their first outside of the United States.[44]



Characters


See also: List of Muppets




Kermit the Frog is Henson's most famous Muppet creation.


The principal characters of The Muppet Show and subsequent media include Kermit the Frog; Miss Piggy; Fozzie Bear; Gonzo; Rowlf the Dog; Scooter; Rizzo the Rat; Pepe the King Prawn; Dr. Bunsen Honeydew; Beaker; Statler and Waldorf; the Swedish Chef; Sam Eagle; Walter; and the Electric Mayhem, consisting of Dr. Teeth on keyboard, Animal on drums, Floyd Pepper on bass, Janice on lead guitar, Zoot on saxophone, and occasionally Lips on 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 Muppet 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.


Following Disney's acquisition of the Muppets, puppets created by The Jim Henson Company are no longer referred to as Muppets. Puppets created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, including those in Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, have never been considered Muppets,[45] 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[46], and has been loosely described as a Muppet in media and reference works; he is not, however, and Henson was otherwise seldom involved in the character's conception.[47][48]



Performers































Performer
 Principal character(s)

Matt Vogel
 Kermit the Frog, Floyd Pepper, Uncle Deadly, Lew Zealand, Sweetums

Eric Jacobson
 Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle

Dave Goelz
 Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf, Zoot, Beauregard

Bill Barretta
 Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, Pepe the King Prawn, The Swedish Chef, Bobo the Bear

David Rudman
 Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Wayne

Peter Linz
 Walter, Statler, Lips, Link Hogthrob, Robin the Frog

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 alongside 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; Caroll Spinney; and Brian Henson performed several minor characters and often 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.


Henson, Hunt, and Nelson continued performing until their deaths in 1990, 1992, and 2012, respectively. Whitmire, Goelz, and Bill Barretta, who joined the main cast of performers in the mid-1990s, assumed Henson's characters, with Whitmire also assuming the role of Beaker. The remainder of Hunt's characters were left without a stable performer until David Rudman began performing those characters in the late 2000s. Oz continued performing until his retirement from puppeteering in 2000; Eric Jacobson assumed his characters beginning in 2002.[27] At Nelson's behest, Matt Vogel gradually began performing his characters in 2008.


Whitmire was dismissed from the cast in 2016, with Vogel cast as Kermit the Frog in 2017, and the majority of Whitmire's characters assumed by the remainder of the cast.[49] The Muppets are currently performed by a cast of six principal puppeteers: Jacobson, Goelz, Barretta, Rudman, Vogel and Peter Linz.[27]



Design and performance





Rowlf the Dog's design features the distinct wide mouth and glove-like hands found in typical Muppets.


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. The puppets are often molded or carved out of various types of foam and covered with any felt-like material. Muppet characters may represent humans; anthropomorphic characters; realistic animals; robots; extraterrestrial or mythical creatures; or any other forms of abstract characters.


The Muppets are distinguished from ventriloquist dummies, which are often 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, who is usually not visible—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, there would often be a stage masking the performers, as if in a live presentation. Sometimes, they are seen full-bodied; this is achieved by using invisible strings to manipulate the characters, with vocals added at a later point.[50]


Since 2006, Disney has contracted Puppet Heap to produce and maintain newer models of the Muppets.[51] The puppeteer, referred to as the "Muppet 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 Muppets are left-handed, with the performer using their right hand to operate the head while operating the arm with their left hand.


In the case of more complex Muppets, several puppeteers may control a single character; the performer who controls the mouth usually provides the voice for the character. As technology has advanced, the Jim Henson team and other puppeteers 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 perform such complex movements as riding bicycles, rowing boats, and dancing wholly independently of the performer.


According to writer Michael Davis, the characters tend to develop "organically", alluding to the performers taking up to a year to develop their characters and voices. The characters are also "test-driven, passed around from one Henson troupe member to another in the hope of finding the perfect human-Muppet match".[52] When interacting with them, children tended to believe that the Muppets were living creatures, even in the presence of the puppeteers.[53]



Media



Filmography and television


Main article: List of The Muppets productions


Discography


Main article: The Muppets discography

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 outings. The Muppets also released John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together, with John Denver in 1979.


Under Disney ownership, albums featuring the Muppets have been released by Walt Disney Records, including Best of the Muppets: The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005), The Muppets: A Green and Red Christmas (2006), Muppets: The Green Album (2011), The Muppets: Original Soundtrack (2011), and Muppets Most Wanted: Original Soundtrack (2014). Legal music publishing rights to Muppet-related songs such as "Rainbow Connection", are controlled by Fuzzy Muppet Songs and Mad Muppet Melodies, imprints of Disney Music Publishing.



Theme parks




The Muppet*Vision 3D attraction has operated at Disney's Hollywood Studios since 1991.




The Stage 1 Company store, a Muppet-themed gift shop at Disney's Hollywood Studios.


The Muppets appear at the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, having first made appearances at Walt Disney World in 1990. Their first featured attraction, Here Comes the Muppets, was a live stage show that opened shortly after Jim Henson's death and ran at Disney's Hollywood Studios (known then as Disney-MGM Studios) for a year.[54]Muppet*Vision 3D, a 4D film attraction that uses audio-animatronic Muppets and 4D effects, then opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios on May 16, 1991. The attraction is notable for being the final Muppets project to be produced by Jim Henson. Muppet*Vision 3D had a subsequent opening at Disney California Adventure, on February 8, 2001, and operated there until its closure in 2014.


In addition to their main presence at Disney's Hollywood Studios, the Muppets also appear in Great Moments in American History, a live show at the Magic Kingdom and the Muppet Mobile Lab at Epcot.[55][56] The latter attraction is a free-roving vehicle with audio-animatronics of Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker. As part of Disney's Living Character Initiative, it premiered in 2007 at Epcot[57] and was later previewed at Disney California Adventure and Hong Kong Disneyland.[58][59]


In 2010, the Muppets were the face of the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" charity campaign. Guests could register for a select service activity on the Disney website, and in return for completing the service work, participants could print a voucher for a free one-day admission ticket to Disneyland or Walt Disney World Resort. The Muppets appeared in television and print ads for the campaign and were featured prominently on the campaign's website.[60]


Disney has released numerous collector pins featuring the Muppets since 2004. These include Limited Edition pins, Hidden Mickey pin collections, 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.[61]



Publishing


Since the late 1970s, numerous Muppet-related comic books have been released over the years. The first comic strips based on the Muppets appeared on September 21, 1981, in over 500 daily newspapers, just months after The Muppet Show ended its five-year run. The Muppets Comic Strip was printed daily from 1981 to 1986. By the end of its initial run, the comic strip was seen in over 660 newspapers worldwide. Special strips were also created in color, exclusively for issues of Muppet Magazine.


The only film in the franchise to see a comic book adaptation 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 No. 32, August. 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 the success of the Muppet Babies television show, Star Comics began releasing the Muppet Babies comic book title on a bi-monthly basis. These were original stories, not adaptations of the show's episodes. In the final Disney Adventures issue, with a cover date of November 2007, a one-page story single strip focusing on Fozzie Bear, Smedley, Statler, and Waldorf (with a cameo by Scooter) was released. Roger Langridge wrote and drew the comics intending it to be more long running.


In 2009, Boom! Studios began publishing The Muppet Show, a mini-series based on the eponymous television show and written and drawn by Roger Langridge. An ongoing series titled The Muppet Show: The Comic Book followed and ran for eleven issues. Additionally, Boom! Studios also published Muppet fairy-tale comic adaptations similar to The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island. In 2012, Marvel Comics took over the publishing duties for the series.[62]


A comic strip by Guy Gilchrist and Brad Gilchrist circulated in newspapers during the 1980s. Many of the strips were compiled in various book collections.[63]


Muppet Magazine was published from 1983 to 1989. The magazine took on the format of being by the Muppets more than about them and had such features as celebrity interviews and comic stories.[64]



In popular culture




The Muppets performing with CeeLo Green at Rockefeller Center in 2012.


The popularity of the Muppets has been so pervasive that the characters have been viewed by the media as celebrities in their own right.[65] The Muppets have received their own collective star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with Kermit having his own individual star as well.[30] The characters have also presented at the Academy Awards and Emmy Awards;[66][67] made cameo appearances in such feature films as Rocky III,[68]An American Werewolf in London[69] and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium;[70] and have been interviewed on the news magazine 60 Minutes.


Kermit was interviewed early on in Jon Stewart's run on The Daily Show,[71] 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;[72] and has served as Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade.[73] The characters also appeared in-character on such sitcoms and dramas as The Cosby Show and The Torkelsons.[74] The music video for the Weezer song "Keep Fishin'" is premised on the band performing on The Muppet Show and features appearances by several characters.


On September 28, 2005, the United States Postal Service released a Jim Henson and the Muppets postage stamp series.[75] The Muppets also appeared on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve for the 2008 countdown on December 31, 2007. Kermit, Rizzo, and others welcomed in the new year with a series of messages to welcome viewers back from the advertising breaks. After one such segment, with Kermit in Times Square, co-host Ryan Seacrest thanked his pal "Kerms" for the help bringing in '08.[76] 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. Kermit and the Muppets (and also Bear from Bear in the Big Blue House) have also made many appearances on The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.


On July 25, 2007, the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta announced the opening of a new Jim Henson Wing, which would house anywhere from 500 to 700 retired Muppets. The new 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.[77][78][79]


Muppet-like and Muppet-inspired puppets star in the 2004 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Avenue Q. Peter Jackson's film, Meet the Feebles is another parody of the Muppets. A vomit-spewing Kermit the Frog was a recurring character on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and the Muppets were frequently preempted at the beginning of episodes for the Canadian series You Can't Do That on Television. Seth Green's short-lived show Greg the Bunny was about sentient hand-puppets working in a Muppet-like children's show. Many other films and television shows such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, The West Wing and Robot Chicken have referenced The Muppets.



See also




References





  1. ^ ab "The Walt Disney Company and The Jim Henson Company Sign Agreement for Disney to buy The "Muppets" and "Bear in the Big Blue House"". Press release. The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on December 7, 2004. Retrieved January 16, 2013. In the months before his death in 1990, my father Jim Henson pursued extensive discussions with The Walt Disney Company based on his strong belief that Disney would be a perfect home for the Muppets..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ ab "The Walt Disney Company and The Jim Henson Company Sign Agreement for Disney to buy the "Muppets" and "Bear in the Big Blue House"" (PDF). Press release. The Jim Henson Company. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2013.


  3. ^ ab "Disney buys Muppets as bid prospect fades". The Independent. February 18, 2004. Archived from the original on December 3, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2011.


  4. ^ abcd Barnes, Brooks (September 18, 2008). "Fuzzy Renaissance". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2012.


  5. ^ ab Jurgensen, John (August 19, 2011). "A Muppet Makeover". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2012.


  6. ^ Fleming, Michael (March 12, 2008). "Segel and Stoller take on Muppets". Variety. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2011.


  7. ^ ab Fritz, Ben (January 15, 2013). "Disney cancels 'Little Mermaid 3-D,' dates 'Pirates 5' for 2015". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2013.


  8. ^ ab Holloway, Daniel (May 12, 2016). "'The Muppets' Cancelled by ABC". Variety. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2016.


  9. ^ "Into the rainbow with the Muppets". The Saturday Paper. May 30, 2015. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.


  10. ^ Jones, Brian Jay (2013). "Sam and Friends". Jim Henson: The Biography. New York: Ballantine Books. pp. 41–42. ISBN 978-0-345-52611-3. It was really just a term we made up. For a long time I would tell people it was a combination of marionettes and puppets but, basically, it was really just a word that we coined. We have done very few things connected with marionettes.


  11. ^ Express (July 9, 2008). "Muppet Mania: Karen Falk on Jim Henson". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2015.


  12. ^ Jones, Brian Jay (2013). "Sam and Friends". Jim Henson: The Biography. New York: Ballantine Books. pp. 48–50. ISBN 978-0-345-52611-3.


  13. ^ Morrow, p. 93


  14. ^ Davis, p.163


  15. ^ Finch, p.5


  16. ^ McNary, Dave (March 19, 2015). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Starring in 'Fraggle Rock' Movie (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2016.


  17. ^ Swansburg, John (December 6, 2013). "Muppet Man". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 28, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2015.


  18. ^ Jones, p. 455


  19. ^ Ackman, Dan (February 18, 2004). "Disney Deal: Kermit Goes For The Big Bucks". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2015.


  20. ^ Meier, Barry (February 18, 2004). "Kermit and Miss Piggy Join Stable of Walt Disney Stars". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 22, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2016.


  21. ^ ab Ackman, Dan (February 2, 2004). "Disney Deal: Kermit Goes For The Big Bucks". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.


  22. ^ James, Meg (February 18, 2004). "Kermit Is Now Part of Magic Kingdom". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2010.


  23. ^ O'Neill, Megan (July 20, 2010). "How The Muppets Made A Comeback On YouTube". Retrieved December 30, 2011.


  24. ^ Pilat, Kasia (September 18, 2010). "Awesome of the Day: The Muppets Kitchen". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on September 7, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2011.


  25. ^ DVDizzy.com and UltimateDisney.com: The Ultimate Guide to Disney DVD and Beyond Archived August 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine


  26. ^ Hill, Jim (April 29, 2010). "With new merch & a new movie in the pipeline, there's no stopping the Muppets now". Jim Hill Media. Archived from the original on May 10, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2011.


  27. ^ abcd Setoodeh, Ramin (March 11, 2014). "How Kermit and the Muppets Got Their Mojo Back". Variety. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.


  28. ^ Fleming, Michael (March 12, 2008). "Segel and Stoller take on Muppets". Variety. Retrieved May 14, 2016.


  29. ^ Williams, Christopher (December 9, 2010). "Google+ gets Muppets boost". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 9, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2012.


  30. ^ ab Gorman, Anna (March 20, 2012). "Muppets to get star on Hollywood Walk of Fame". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.


  31. ^ Vlessing, Etan (May 9, 2012). "Just For Laughs Fest Books Chelsea Handler, Aziz Ansari and The Muppets". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 23, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.


  32. ^ Brodesser-Akner, Claude (March 1, 2012). "New Muppets Movie Going Ahead, But Without Jason Segel As a Writer". Vulture. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2012.


  33. ^ Kit, Borys (January 8, 2013). "Tina Fey in Talks to Join Disney's 'Muppets' Sequel (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 10, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013.


  34. ^ Cox, Gordon (June 11, 2013). "Disney Theatrical Eyeing Muppets On Stage". Variety. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2013.


  35. ^ Kelley, Seth (March 17, 2015). "Kermit Talks to Kids in Disney Junior's 'Muppet Moments'". Variety. Archived from the original on March 19, 2015. Retrieved March 19, 2015.


  36. ^ Lynch, Jason (September 20, 2015). "Inside The Muppets' Decade-Long Journey Back to Prime-Time TV ABC places its biggest fall bet on Kermit and Miss Piggy". Adweek. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.


  37. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (April 3, 2015). "'Muppets' Revived at ABC With 'Big Bang Theory' Co-Creator". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2015.


  38. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "Comedies "The Muppets", "Dr. Ken" & "The Real O'Neals" Get ABC Series Orders"". deadline.com. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 10, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.


  39. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (May 7, 2015). "'The Muppets,' Comedy from 'Community' Star Ken Jeong Among ABC Orders". Variety. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.


  40. ^ Friedlander, Whitney (June 10, 2015). "ABC Sets Fall Premiere Dates for 'Muppets,' 'Wicked City,' 'TGIT' & More". Variety. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2015.


  41. ^ Martens, Todd (September 9, 2017). "'The Muppets Take the Bowl' captures the zany, all-inclusive spirit of the puppets at their best". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 14, 2017.


  42. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 21, 2018). "Disney Planning Another 'Muppets' Reboot for Its Streaming Service". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 26, 2018.


  43. ^ Anderson, Ethan (February 7, 2019). "The Muppets Revival is Coming to Disney+ from Josh Gad and 'Once Upon a Time' Creators". /Film. Retrieved February 7, 2019.


  44. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (February 23, 2018). "It's time to light the lights! Muppets to play first ever UK shows". The Guardian. Retrieved March 12, 2018.


  45. ^ Judy Harris (September 21, 1982). "Jim Henson's Muppets". Cinefantastique. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.


  46. ^ Finch, p.176


  47. ^ Hauptfuhrer, Fred (June 9, 1980). "Yoda Mania: America Falls in Love with the 26–Inch, Green, Pointy-Eared Sage and his Master Puppeteer, Frank Oz". People. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2012.


  48. ^ Plume, Kenneth. "Interview with Frank Oz (Part 2 of 4)". IGN. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2012.


  49. ^ Parker, Ryan (July 13, 2017). "Kermit the Frog Muppeteer Says Disney Fired Him". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 13, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2017.


  50. ^ Christopher Finch Jim Henson: The Works 1993,
    ISBN 0-679-41203-4.


  51. ^ Barnes, Brooks (November 20, 2011). "Wocka, Wocka, Wocka! Muppet Antics Resume". The New York Times. Retrieved February 20, 2014.


  52. ^ Davis, Michael (2008). Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street. New York: Viking Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-670-01996-0.


  53. ^ Morrow, Robert W. (2006). Sesame Street and the Reform of Children's Television. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 84. ISBN 0-8018-8230-3.


  54. ^ Hochberg, Matt (March 28, 2007). "Here Come the Muppets". Studios Central. Retrieved October 14, 2015.


  55. ^ Bevil, Dewayne (July 28, 2016). "Disney: Muppets show coming to Magic Kingdom". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.


  56. ^ Slater, Shawn (July 28, 2016). "The Muppets Are Coming to Walt Disney World Resort This Fall in an All-New Show". Disney Parks Blog. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.


  57. ^ Marshall, Jack (August 21, 2007). "Muppets on Wheels Debut at Epcot". AllEars. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2015.


  58. ^ Palicki, Martin (November 11, 2010). "The Themed Entertainment Association's 15th Thea Awards: Delightfully Disney" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 30, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2015.


  59. ^ Burgan, Derek (April 1, 2015). "A Look Behind The Magic". Parkscope. Blogger. Archived from the original on February 25, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2015.


  60. ^ Daher, Thierry (November 8, 2014). "Disney Parks: Interactive Muppet Mayhem". Unit9 Digital. CAID. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2015.


  61. ^ "Pins - Collections By Disney". Collections By Disney. Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.


  62. ^ "Marvel and Disney Publishing Worldwide launch Disney•Muppets Presents giant-sized comic". Marvel Comics. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2012.


  63. ^ Gilchrist, Guy. "Muppets from the 1980s..." Archived from the original on April 4, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.


  64. ^ Dougherty, Philip H. (April 7, 1983). "ADVERTISING; Muppet Magazine In Cheerios Promotion". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2013.


  65. ^ Nakamura, Reid (September 22, 2015). "Why the Media Won't Stop Treating the Muppets Like Real People". The Wrap. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.


  66. ^ "The Day - Google News Archive Search".


  67. ^ Katrina M. (April 10, 2014). "Muppets Most Wanted: Movie Review". Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2014.


  68. ^ Nicole A. (November 23, 2011). "The Muppet Brand in Other Mainstream Movies". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2011.


  69. ^ An American Werewolf in London (IMDB) Archived February 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine


  70. ^ Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (IMDB) Archived January 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine


  71. ^ "Kermit the Frog". thedailyshow.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2010.


  72. ^ Thomas Tennant. "Larry King Live: An Overview". About.com Guide. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on February 2, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2012.


  73. ^ "Extreme Makeover Home Edition Season 7 Morris Family Episode Guide - ABC.com". ABC. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012.


  74. ^ "The Torkelsons" Educating Millicent (TV Episode 1991), retrieved February 1, 2019


  75. ^ United States Postal Service (September 28, 2005). Jim Henson, Muppets, get stamps of approval. Press Release.


  76. ^ New Year's Rockin' Eve 2008 (2007) (TV) Archived December 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine


  77. ^ Pousner, Howard (December 2, 2011). "With Muppets on-screen, puppet center works to secure Henson legacy". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2011.


  78. ^ "Nation's Largest Puppetry Center to Open Jim Henson Wing in Atlanta" (PDF) (Press release). Center for Puppetry Arts. July 25, 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 24, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2011.


  79. ^ Lee, Barry. "It Belongs In a Museum: The New Henson Exhibit in Atlanta". Toughpigs. Retrieved July 15, 2017.




Works cited



  • Davis, Michael (2008). Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street. New York: Viking Penguin.
    ISBN 978-0-670-01996-0

  • Finch, Christopher (1981). Of Muppets and Men. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
    ISBN 0-394-52085-8

  • Jones, Brian J. (2013). Jim Henson: The Biography. New York: Ballantine Books.
    ISBN 978-0-345-52611-3

  • Morrow, Robert W. (2006). Sesame Street and the Reform of Children's Television. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press.
    ISBN 0-8018-8230-3



External links







  • Official website

  • Official UK site












-

這個網誌中的熱門文章

Tangent Lines Diagram Along Smooth Curve

圖片
7 1 I am trying to replicate a diagram and have a minimal example. I don't know how to add additional tangents between the specified points and preserve smoothness. documentclass{article} usepackage{tikz} usetikzlibrary{calc,intersections} begin{document} begin{tikzpicture} % Axes draw [->, name path=x] (-1,0) -- (11,0) node [right] {$x$}; draw [->] (0,-1) -- (0,6) node [above] {$y$}; % Origin node at (0,0) [below left] {$0$}; % Points coordinate (start) at (1,-0.8); coordinate (c1) at (3,3); coordinate (c2) at (5.5,1.5); coordinate (c3) at (8,4); coordinate (end) at (10.5,-0.8); % show the points foreach n in {start,c1,c2,c3,end} fill [black] (n) circle (2pt) node [below] {}; % join the coordinates draw [thick,name path=curve] (start) to[out=70,in=180] (c1) to[out=0,in=180]
閱讀完整內容

Yusuf al-Mu'taman ibn Hud

圖片
Main article: Taifa of Zaragoza Al-Mu'taman Ruler of Zaragoza Reign 1081–1085 Predecessor Ahmad al-Muqtadir Successor Al-Mustain II Born Zaragoza Died 1085 Full name Yusuf ibn Ahmad al-Mu'taman ibn Hūd House Banu Hud Yusuf ibn Ahmad al-Mu'taman ibn Hūd (Arabic: المؤتمن بالله يوسف إبن أحمد إبن هود ‎, al-Mutaman bi l-Lah , died c. 1085) was the third king of the Banu Hud dynasty who ruled over the Taifa of Zaragoza from 1081 to 1085. Yusuf al-Mutaman reigned during the height of power of Muslim Zaragoza , following the thriving period of his father Ahmad al-Muqtadir. He continued his father's efforts and created around him a court of intellectuals, living in the beautiful palace of Aljafería, nicknamed as "the palace of joy". Al-Mu'taman was also a scholarly king and a patron of science, philosophy and arts. As an example of a wise king, he knew astrology, philosophy, and especially mathematics, a discipline in which
閱讀完整內容

Zucchini

圖片
This article is about the vegetable. For other uses, see Zucchini (disambiguation). Zucchini (courgette) A striped and a uniform color zucchini Genus Cucurbita Species Cucurbita pepo Origin 19th century northern Italy The zucchini ( / z uː ˈ k iː n i / , American English) or courgette ( / k ʊər ˈ ʒ ɛ t / , British English) is a summer squash which can reach nearly 1 metre (100 cm; 39 in) in length, but is usually harvested when still immature at about 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 in). [1] A zucchini is a thin-skinned cultivar of what in Britain and Ireland is referred to as a marrow. [2] [3] In South Africa, a zucchini is known as a baby marrow. Along with certain other squashes and pumpkins, the zucchini belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo . It can be dark or light green. A related hybrid, the golden zucchini, is a deep yellow or orange color. [4] In a culinary context, the zucchini is treated as a vegetable; it is usually cooked and presented as a savory dish o
閱讀完整內容