Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 17:30, 14 May 2016

The Muppets are an ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque and self-referential style of variety-sketch comedy. Having been created in 1955 by Jim Henson, they are the namesake for the Disney media franchise of the same name.

The Muppets debuted on the television program Sam and Friends, which aired from 1955 to 1961. After appearing on skits in several late night talk shows and advertising commercials during the 1960s, Henson's Muppets began appearing on Sesame Street when that show debuted in 1969. The Muppets attained celebrity status and international recognition through their breakout roles in The Muppet Show (1976–1981), a primetime television series that garnered four Primetime Emmy Award wins and twenty-one nominations during its five-year run. In the late 1970s and into the 1980s, the Muppets diversified into theatrical feature films, such as The Muppet Movie (1979), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). The Muppets continued their presence in television and film in the 1990s with The Jim Henson Hour (1989), Muppets Tonight (1996–98)—a series continuation of The Muppet Show—and three films, The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), and Muppets from Space (1999). The Walt Disney Company began involvement with the Muppets in the late 1980s, seeking to acquire the characters from the Jim Henson Company. In 2004, Disney acquired the rights to the Muppets, allowing the characters to gain broader public exposure than previous years. Under Disney's control, the Muppets enjoyed revitalized success, starring in two films—The Muppets (2011) and Muppets Most Wanted (2014)—as well as a short-lived primetime television series on ABC.

Throughout their six decades of existence, 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, such as the American Film Institute, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, Library of Congress, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

History

1950s–1960s: Beginnings

The Muppets were created in the 1950s, beginning with Kermit the Frog, who would become Jim Henson's signature character. Henson stated that the term "Muppet" had been created as an amalgamation of the words "marionette" and "puppet", but also claimed that it was actually a word he had coined. In 1955, the Muppets were introduced on Sam and Friends, a television program that aired on WRC-TV in Washington D.C.. Conceptualized by Jim and wife Jane Henson, the series was notable for the being the first form of puppet media, to not include a physical proscenium arch to present the characters within. Instead, Henson utilized the natural four-sided frame of a television set that viewers would already be watching through as the program's theatre.

During the 1960s, the characters—notably Kermit and Rowlf the Dog—appeared on skits in several late-night talk shows and advertising commercials. Rowlf became the first Muppet with a regular spot on network television when he began appearing as Jimmy Dean's sidekick on The Jimmy Dean Show. In 1966, Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett began developing an educational television series targeted towards children and approached Henson to design several Muppet characters for the program. Produced by the Children's Television Workshop, the show debuted as Sesame Street in 1969. Henson and his creative team created and performed several characters for the show in the years that followed; Henson waived his performance fee in exchange for retaining ownership rights to the Muppet characters created for Sesame Street. The Muppets' involvement in Sesame Street was considered to be a vital component of the show's blossoming popularity, providing an "effective and pleasurable viewing". 

1970s: The Muppet Show

In the 1970s, as his involvement with Sesame Street continued, Henson mused creating a television program of his own to feature the Muppets as well. However, unlike Sesame Street, which was geared towards the a young demographic, Henson pursued developing a series that would be aimed towards both adults and children. 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, Lew Grade approached Henson and agreed to produce the series for Associated Television in the United Kingdom. In 1976, The Muppet Show debuted introducing characters such as Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and Animal, as well as showcasing regulars Kermit and Rowlf. The Muppet Show became increasingly popular due to its sketch comedy variety format, unique brand of humor and prolific roster of guest stars.

1980s–1990s: Continued success

The success of The Muppet Show allowed Henson Associates to diversify into theatrical feature films based on the group, and went on to produce The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Take Manhattan, which followed in 1979, 1981 and 1984, respectively.

By the late 1980s, Jim Henson entered discussions with Michael Eisner and the Walt Disney Company, in which the latter would acquire Jim Henson Productions and in turn, own the Muppets. Disney was interested in purchasing the company for $150 million. In addition to the company and Muppet characters, Eisner expressed a desire to include the Sesame Street characters as part of the acquisition. Henson, however, consistently referred to such a motive as a "non-starter" for the deal. Discussions between the two companies continued with Henson and Walt Disney Imagineering preemptively developing Muppet-themed attractions for the Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World. However, negotiations broke off after Jim Henson's death in 1990. The following year, Muppet*Vision 3D debuted at Disney-MGM Studios, the only attraction to come to fruition from the original plans. Still interested in the franchise, Disney co-produced the fourth and fifth Muppet films, The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island, with Jim Henson Productions in 1992 and 1996, respectively. Following that, the characters starred in Muppets Tonight which ran on ABC from 1996 to 1998 and a sixth film, Muppets from Space, released by Columbia Pictures in 1999.

In 2000, Henson Productions was sold to EM.TV & Merchandising AG. Following the sale, EM.TV was plagued with financial probelsm and the Henson family purchased the company back in 2003, with the exception of the rights to the Sesame Street characters, which had been sold by EM.TV to Sesame Workshop.

2000s–2010s: Disney acquisition

Fourteen years after initial negotiations began, Disney purchased the Muppet intellectual properties from the Jim Henson Company for $75 million, on February 17, 2004. The acquisition consisted of the rights and trademarks to the Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House characters, as well as to the Muppet film and television library. Exceptions included the Sesame Street characters—as they were previously sold to Sesame Workshop—the Fraggle Rock characters which were retained by Henson, and the distribution rights to The Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppets from Space, and Kermit's Swamp Years, which remained with Sony Pictures Entertainment. Disney subsequently formed The Muppets Studio, a wholly owned subsidiary responsible for managing the Muppet characters and franchise. As a result, the term "Muppet" became a legal trademark owned by Disney, although Sesame Workshop continues to apply the term to their characters, and archival footage of Kermit, under an exclusive license from Disney.

The Jim Henson Company retains the rights to a number of 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 specials have since been released uncut, current releases of Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas and The Christmas Toy have removed the appearances by Kermit the Frog.

Disney began gradually reintroducing the franchise to the mainstream in 2008. As a method of regaining a wider audience, Disney began to produce and air their own comedy shorts on YouTube. After the "Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody" was posted on the Muppet Studios' YouTube channel, it ultimately gained 50 million views and took home two Webby Awards. Videos are being posted on the site regularly. Recently, the Muppets starred in an online web series with Cat Cora called The Muppets Kitchen With Cat Cora, where cooking demonstrations are shown. A television special, A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, premiered on NBC on December 17, 2008. It was released on DVD on September 29, 2009. A Halloween special featuring the Muppets was expected to air on ABC in October 2010, but was shelved.

On March 31, 2008, First Showing revealed details about a seventh Muppet film. It was announced at Disney's D23 Expo that the title would be The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made. The title was later referred to as The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time. In January 2010, James Bobin signed on to direct the film, which was retitled as The Muppets. Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Chris Cooper were cast and Flight of the Conchords member Bret McKenzie serving as music supervisor. Filming wrapped up in February of the following year and The Muppets was released on November 23, 2011. The film was met with a positive reception, commercial success and an Academy Award win for Best Original Song ("Man or Muppet"). In December 2011, Google released a video of the Muppets as a way to promote their social networking site, Google+.

On March 20, 2012, the Muppets received a collective star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony featured such notables as then Walt Disney Studios chairman Rich Ross, The Jim Henson Company's Lisa and Brian Henson, and incumbent Muppet performers; Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman, Matt Vogel, and Peter Linz. That same year, the Muppets hosted a Just for Laughs comedy gala in Montreal.

After the successful performance of The Muppets, Disney greenlit a new film in March 2012, with Bobin and Nicholas Stoller returning to direct and write, respectively. The film, a musical comedy caper titled Muppets Most Wanted, was released on March 21, 2014 with Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey and Ty Burrell in supporting roles.

Disney Theatrical Productions revealed 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 out. Muppets Moments, a series of interstitial shorts, premiered on Disney Junior on April 3, 2015. The short-form series features conversations between the Muppets and young children.

After the release of Muppets Most Wanted, Disney was interested in expanding the Muppets' presence across various media platforms, particularly in television. Discussions for a new primetime series began internally within the Muppets Studio. By April 2015, Bill Prady was commissioned to write a script for a pilot with the working title, Muppets 2015. In May 2015, ABC announced that it had greenlit a new primetime television series titled, The Muppets, co-created by Prady and Bob Kushell, and directed by Randall Einhorn. The series premiered on September 22, 2015 in the United States and ended on March 1, 2016.

Physicality

Appearance and design

The majority of the Muppets are designed as a combination of rod puppets and hand puppets. A common facial design for a Muppet is a character with a very large mouth and big protruding eyes.

The puppets are often molded or carved out of various types of foam, and then covered with fleece, fur, or other felt-like material. Muppets may represent humans, anthropomorphic animals, realistic animals, robots, anthropomorphic objects, extraterrestrial creatures, mythical beings or other unidentified, newly imagined creatures, monsters, or abstract characters.

Muppets are distinguished from ventriloquist "dummies"/"puppets", which are typically animated only in the head and face, in that their arms or other features are also mobile and expressive. Muppets are typically made of softer materials. They are also 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 as the "stage" was an innovation of the Muppets. Previously on television, there would typically be a stage hiding the performers, as if in a live presentation. Sometimes they are seen full-bodied. This is done by using invisible strings to move the characters' bodies and mouths, and then adding the voices later.

Muppets tend to develop, as writer Michael Davis put it, "organically", meaning that the puppeteers take time, often up to a year, slowly developing their characters and voices. Muppets are also, as Davis said, "test-driven, passed around from one Henson troupe member to another in the hope of finding the perfect human-Muppet match".

When interacting with Muppets, children tended to act as though the Muppets were living creatures, even when they could see the puppeteers.

Operation

The puppeteer, often dubbed as the "Muppet performer", holds the Muppet above his head or in front of his body, with one hand operating the head and mouth and the other manipulating the hands and arms, either with two separate control rods or by "wearing" the hands like gloves. One consequence of this design is that most Muppets are left-handed as the puppeteer uses his right hand to operate the head while operating the arm rod with his left hand. There are many other common designs and means of operation. In advanced Muppets, several puppeteers may control a single character; the performer who controls the mouth usually provides the voice for the character. As technology has evolved, the Jim Henson team and other puppeteers have developed an enormous variety of means to operate Muppets for film and television, including the use of suspended rigs, internal motors, remote radio control, and computer enhanced and superimposed images. Creative use of a mix of technologies has allowed for scenes in which Muppets appear to be riding a bicycle, rowing a boat, and even dancing on-stage with no puppeteer in sight.

Characters

Famous Muppets from The Muppet Show and related spin-offs include Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Rowlf the Dog, Scooter, Rizzo the Rat, Pepe the King Prawn, Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, Statler and Waldorf, the Swedish Chef, Sam Eagle, Walter, and the band Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem featuring Dr. Teeth on keyboard, Animal on the drums, Floyd Pepper on bass, and Janice on lead guitar, Zoot on saxophone, and Lips on trumpet. Other notable Muppets include Sesame Street characters such as Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Ernie, Grover, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and the main characters of Fraggle Rock.

Television shows featuring Muppets have included The Jimmy Dean Show, Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, Bear in the Big Blue House, The Jim Henson Hour, Muppets Tonight, Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony, and The Muppets. A recurring adult-oriented cast of Muppets (in a setting known as The Land of Gorch) were featured throughout the first season of Saturday Night Live. Guest stars on some of these programs have occasionally had Muppet versions of themselves. It was a regular practice for the first few episodes of The Muppet Show, and ZZ Top, among others, have appeared as Muppet versions of themselves on Sesame Street. Muppet versions of real people have also appeared in other shows, such as in 30 Rock, when one of the characters, Kenneth Parcell, views his co-workers as Muppet versions in the episode "Apollo, Apollo" on March 26, 2009.

The puppet characters of other Henson productions, such as Farscape, The Storyteller, Mother Goose Stories, The Hoobs, Construction Site and Dinosaurs, as well as from the films Labyrinth, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Buddy, The Country Bears and The Dark Crystal, are not considered Muppets, as they were made by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, rather than by Henson's Muppet Workshop. The puppet casts of Puppet Up! and Tinseltown are also not Muppets as they were made by the Jim Henson Company after the sale of the Muppets to Disney in 2004. The Star Wars character, Yoda, was performed and voiced by Frank Oz, one of Henson's regular performers, and is often genericized as a Muppet in media and reference works; he is not, however, and Henson's organization was not involved in the character's conception.

Performers

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 her children. Seeking additional performers, Jim came into contact with a 16-year old Frank Oz that same year. Although interested, Oz declined participation due to his young age and commitment to high school, and instead suggested Jerry Juhl, a fellow who worked alongside Oz at the Vagabond Puppet Theater in Oakland, California. Oz subsequently joined in August 1963. When The Muppet Show began, the main cast of performers grew to include Henson, Oz, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, and Steve Whitmire, while Juhl became head-writer for the series. Henson, Hunt, and Nelson continued performing until their deaths in 1990, 1992, and 2012, respectively. Oz retired in 2000. The Muppets are currently performed by a cast of seven principal puppeteers: Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman, Matt Vogel, and Peter Linz.

In popular culture

The popularity of the Muppets has been so expansive that the characters have been viewed by the media as real celebrities in their own right. The Muppets have received their own collective star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with Kermit having his own individual star as well. The characters have also presented at the Academy Awards and Emmy Awards; made cameo appearances in such feature films as Rocky III, An American Werewolf in London and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium; and have been interviewed on the news magazine 60 Minutes. Kermit the Frog was interviewed early on in Jon Stewart's run 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 in-character on such sitcoms and dramas as The Cosby Show, The West Wing and The Torkelsons. 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. 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. Miss Piggy has appeared as a guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Kermit the Frog appeared on Hollywood Squares and as one of the celebrity commentators on VH1's I Love documentary series. In September 2010, the Muppets launched a new online cooking show called "The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora".

On July 25, 2007, the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta announced the opening of a new Jim Henson Wing, which will house anywhere from 500 to 700 retired Muppets. The new wing will also include films, sketches, and other materials from the Jim Henson Company archives. The wing was originally slated to open in 2012, but has been delayed by a lack of funding and rescheduled for a possible 2014 or 2015 debut.

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.

Other appearances

References

1. ^ "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. 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.
2. ^ "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. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
3. ^ "Disney buys Muppets as bid prospect fades". The Independent. February 18, 2004. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
4. ^ Barnes, Brooks (September 18, 2008). "Fuzzy Renaissance". The New York Times. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
5. ^ Jurgensen, John (August 19, 2011). "A Muppet Makeover". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 24, 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
6. Fleming, Michael (March 12, 2008). "Segel and Stoller take on Muppets". Variety. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
7. ^ Fritz, Ben (January 15, 2013). "Disney cancels 'Little Mermaid 3-D,' dates 'Pirates 5' for 2015". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 14, 2013. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
8. ^ Holloway, Daniel (May 12, 2016). "'The Muppets' Cancelled by ABC". Variety. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
9. 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. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
10. Jones, Brian Jay (2013). "Sam and Friends". Jim Henson: The Biography. New York: Ballantine Books. pp. 48–50. ISBN 978-0-345-52611-3. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
11. Swansburg, John (December 6, 2013). "Muppet Man". The New York Times. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
12. James, Meg (February 18, 2004). "Kermit Is Now Part of Magic Kingdom". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
13. O'Neill, Megan (July 20, 2010). "How The Muppets Made A Comeback On YouTube". Retrieved December 30, 2011.
14. DVDizzy.com and UltimateDisney.com: The Ultimate Guide to Disney DVD and Beyond.
15. Hill, Jim (April 29, 2010). "With new merch & a new movie in the pipeline, there's no stopping the Muppets now". Jim Hill Media. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
16. Billington, Alex. "Jason Segel Reveals New Muppets Movie Details". First Showing. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
17. "New Disney 'Pirates,' 'Muppet,' Beatles Movies Announced At D23 Expo". Access Hollywood. September 11, 2009.
18. Rosenberg, Adam (May 3, 2010). "The Muppets Are Coming! 'American Woman' Goes Viral On Memorial Day, 'Lost' Promo This Wednesday!". MTV Movies Blog. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
19. Williams, Christopher (December 9, 2010). "Google+ gets Muppets boost". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
20. ^ Gorman, Anna (March 20, 2012). "Muppets to get star on Hollywood Walk of Fame". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
21. Vlessing, Etan (May 9, 2012). "Just For Laughs Fest Books Chelsea Handler, Aziz Ansari and The Muppets". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
22. Brodesser-Akner, Claude (March 1, 2012). "New Muppets Movie Going Ahead, But Without Jason Segel As a Writer". Vulture. Retrieved March 1, 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
23. Kit, Borys (January 8, 2013). "Tina Fey in Talks to Join Disney's 'Muppets' Sequel (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
24. Cox, Gordon (June 11, 2013). "Disney Theatrical Eyeing Muppets On Stage". Variety. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
25. Kelley, Seth (March 17, 2015). "Kermit Talks to Kids in Disney Junior's 'Muppet Moments'". Variety. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
26. 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. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
27. ^ Setoodeh, Ramin (March 11, 2014). "How Kermit and the Muppets Got Their Mojo Back". Variety. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
28. Goldberg, Lesley (April 3, 2015). "'Muppets' Revived at ABC With 'Big Bang Theory' Co-Creator". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
29. Andreeva, Nellie. "Comedies "The Muppets", "Dr. Ken" & "The Real O'Neals" Get ABC Series Orders"". deadline.com. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
30. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (May 7, 2015). "'The Muppets,' Comedy from 'Community' Star Ken Jeong Among ABC Orders". Variety. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
31. Friedlander, Whitney (June 10, 2015). "ABC Sets Fall Premiere Dates for 'Muppets,' 'Wicked City,' 'TGIT' & More". Variety. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
32. Christopher Finch Jim Henson: The Works 1993, ISBN 0-679-41203-4.
33. Davis, Michael (2008). Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street. New York: Viking Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-670-01996-0.
34. 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.
35. Judy Harris (September 21, 1982). "Jim Henson's Muppets". Cinefantastique. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
36. 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. Retrieved December 17, 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
37. Plume, Kenneth. "Interview with Frank Oz (Part 2 of 4)". IGN. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
38. Nakamura, Reid (September 22, 2015). "Why the Media Won't Stop Treating the Muppets Like Real People". The Wrap. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
39. "The Day - Google News Archive Search".
40. Katrina M. (April 10, 2014). "Muppets Most Wanted: Movie Review". Retrieved June 30, 2014.
41. Nicole A. (November 23, 2011). "The Muppet Brand in Other Mainstream Movies". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
42. An American Werewolf in London (IMDB).
43. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (IMDB).
44. "Kermit the Frog". thedailyshow.com.
45. Thomas Tennant. "Larry King Live: An Overview". About.com Guide. The New York Times Company. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
46. "Extreme Makeover Home Edition Season 7 Morris Family Episode Guide - ABC.com". ABC.
47. United States Postal Service (September 28, 2005). Jim Henson, Muppets, get stamps of approval. Press Release.
48. New Year's Rockin' Eve 2008 (2007) (TV).
49. Pilat, Kasia (September 18, 2010). "Awesome of the Day: The Muppets Kitchen". Paste Magazine. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
50. Pousner, Howard (December 2, 2011). "With Muppets on-screen, puppet center works to secure Henson legacy". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
51. "Nation's Largest Puppetry Center to Open Jim Henson Wing in Atlanta" (PDF) (Press release). Center for Puppetry Arts. July 25, 2007. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
52. Couch, Aaron (February 7, 2014). "Jimmy Fallon Welcomes Andy Samberg, Muppets to Final 'Late Night' (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 9, 2014.

External links

• Official website
• Official UK site

v t e Sesame Street
Fictional location Sesame Workshop productions Characters Educational goals Format Influence Licensing Recurring segments Accolades
People	Fran Brill Kevin Clash Joan Ganz Cooney Ryan Dillon Louise Gold Jim Henson Richard Hunt Eric Jacobson Gerald S. Lesser Peter Linz Kermit Love Joey Mazzarino Lloyd Morrisett Jerry Nelson Carmen Osbahr Frank Oz Carol-Lynn Parente Joe Raposo Martin P. Robinson David Rudman Jon Stone Caroll Spinney Matt Vogel Steve Whitmire List of guest stars List of puppeteers
Production	History Research International co-productions Elmo's World "Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce" Wicked Witch episode Music discography
Songs	Theme song "Bein' Green" "C Is For Cookie" "I Love Trash" "Mah Nà Mah Nà" "Monster in the Mirror" "One of These Things (Is Not Like the Others)" "Rubber Duckie" "Sesame's Treet" "Sing"
Films	Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (1985) The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999) Cameos The Muppet Movie (1979) The Great Muppet Caper (1981) The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
U.S. spin-offs	Play with Me Sesame Sesame Beginnings Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures Elmo: The Musical The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo Mecha Builders
Television specials	Julie on Sesame Street (1973) Out to Lunch (1974) Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978) A Special Sesame Street Christmas (1978) Big Bird in China (1983) Don't Eat the Pictures (1983) A Muppet Family Christmas (1987) Sesame Street, Special (1988) Big Bird in Japan (1989) Sesame Street... 20 Years & Still Counting (1989) Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake (1991) Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years (1993) Sesame Street Stays Up Late! (1993) Elmo Saves Christmas (1996) Elmopalooza (1998) The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street (1998) CinderElmo (1999) Elmo's Christmas Countdown (2007) Abby in Wonderland (2008) The Cookie Thief (2015) Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas (2016) Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration (2019) Sesame Street: Elmo's Playdate (2020)
Books	The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover (1971) Sesame Street Together Book (1971) Happy Birthday, Cookie Monster (1986)
Literature	Sesame Street Magazine Children and Television: Lessons from Sesame Street The Sesame Street Dictionary Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street Sunny Days: The Children's Television Revolution That Changed America
Video games	Big Bird's Egg Catch Alpha Beam with Ernie The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure Cookie's Counting Carnival Ready, Set, Grover! Once Upon a Monster Elmo's Musical Monsterpiece Kinect Sesame Street TV
Attractions	Sesame Place Philadelphia San Diego Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic Spaghetti Space Chase Super Grover's Box Car Derby
Documentaries	The World According to Sesame Street Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street Jim Henson Idea Man
Related	The Jim Henson Company Noggin (1999-2002) Sesame Street in the UK Sesame Street Live Comic strip Syndication packages The Muppets Big Bag Oobi (episodes) Panwapa Teletape Studios Kaufman Astoria Studios The Joan Ganz Cooney Center
Category

• 1955 introductions
• Fictional comedians
• The Muppets
• Puppet troupes
• Saturday Night Live sketches
• Sketch comedy troupes
• Walt Disney Records artists
• Fictional musical groups
• Metafictional characters