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125-565: The Jim Henson Company , formerly known as Muppets, Inc. , Henson Associates, Inc. , and Jim Henson Productions, Inc. (commonly referred to as Henson ), is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is known for its innovations in the field of puppetry , particularly through the creation of Kermit the Frog and the Muppets characters. Brian Henson

250-540: A Fraggle Rock marathon on the Hub Network . In 2019, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance , a prequel to The Dark Crystal , premiered on Netflix . In 2022, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock , a reboot of Fraggle Rock , premiered on Apple TV+ . On August 10, 2022, the company signed a worldwide distribution agreement with Shout! Factory which would allow Shout! to distribute thirteen series and specials from

375-627: A Crocodile " from Peter Pan ). The only uncut release of Season 1 on DVD so far is the German DVD release by Buena Vista Home Entertainment Germany in 2010 (which also contains English audio). However, the intro and end credit sequences on this release are in German. In addition, the Paul Williams episode is missing a scene following " All of Me " wherein Fozzie and Scooter first discuss

500-637: A Friend " (the latter of which would be cut again when released on the first series DVD) as well as a sketch with the Talking Houses, while the Alice Cooper episode removed Robin the Frog 's performance of " Somewhere Over the Rainbow ". Time-Life and Jim Henson Home Entertainment began marketing "best of" volumes of The Muppet Show for mail-order in 2001, with six initial volumes with three episodes on each VHS and DVD. Unique to each episode

625-563: A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie . It is then that the theatre becomes registered as a historical landmark, and it cannot be shut down. In the film, the theatre is shown to be in New York City. According to The Phantom of the Muppet Theater , the theatre was built by a stage actor named John Stone in 1802. At some point, a production of Hamlet ran in the theatre, with Stone playing the title role. An alternative exterior

750-525: A catalyst for social and psychological change in transformative arts . Puppetry is a very ancient art form, thought to have originated about 4000 years ago. Puppets have been used since the earliest times to animate and communicate the ideas and needs of human societies. Some historians claim that they pre-date actors in theatre. There is evidence that they were used in Egypt as early as 2000 BCE when string-operated figures of wood were manipulated to perform

875-535: A character borrowed from the Italian commedia dell'arte . By 1804 the success was such that he gave up dentistry altogether and became a professional puppeteer, creating his own scenarios drawing on the concerns of his working-class audience and improvising references to the news of the day. He developed characters closer to the daily lives of his Lyon audience, first Gnafron, a wine-loving cobbler, and in 1808 Guignol. Other characters, including Guignol's wife Madelon and

1000-617: A fifteen-year contract for Henson's personal "creative services." However, the deal did not include the rights to the Sesame Street characters, which were owned by Henson, although merchandising revenue was split between Henson and the Children's Television Workshop . Also during the negotiations, management of the company's Henson International Television distribution unit based in the United Kingdom purchased their unit from

1125-562: A folk tradition. The importance of Marathi artists is evidenced, states Blackburn, from the puppeteers speaking Marathi as their mother tongue in many non-Marathi speaking states of India. According to Beth Osnes, the tholu bommalata shadow puppet theatre dates back to the 3rd century BCE, and has attracted patronage ever since. The puppets used in a tholu bommalata performance, states Phyllis Dircks, are "translucent, lusciously multicolored leather figures four to five feet tall, and feature one or two articulated arms". The process of making

1250-665: A hundred, paraded through town during the Higantes Festival . These puppets are made as a devotion to San Clemente and as a mockery against colonial-era land owners who discriminated Filipinos. Various traditions are connected with the higantes . Since the 20th century, multiple puppet arts have developed in the Philippines. A notable Filipino puppeteer is Amelia Lapeña Bonifacio . In Burma , today called Myanmar, an elaborate form of puppet shows, called Yoke thé , evolved, based on royal patronage. The probable date of

1375-498: A license from Disney until 2023. On April 1, 2004, Henson and HIT Entertainment agreed to a five-year global distribution and production deal which included distribution of 440 hours of the company's remaining library including Fraggle Rock , Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas , The Hoobs and Jim Henson's Mother Goose Stories . In addition, the agreement also included the production of new properties, including Frances , in which both companies co-produced and also both co-own

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1500-522: A long tradition of puppetry. In the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata there are references to puppets. Another ancient reference to puppetry is found in Tamil classic ‘Silappadikaaram’ written around 1st or 2nd century B.C. Kathputli , a form of string puppet performance native to Rajasthan , is notable and there are many Indian ventriloquists and puppeteers. The first Indian ventriloquist, Professor Y. K. Padhye , introduced this form of puppetry to India in

1625-691: A major role in shadow play theatre in most parts of India, except in Kerala and Maharashtra. Almost everywhere, except Odisha, the puppets are made from tanned deer skin, painted and articulated. Translucent leather puppets are typical in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, while opaque puppets are typical in Kerala and Odisha. The artist troupes typically carry over a hundred puppets for their performance in rural India. Rod puppets are an extension of glove-puppets, but are often much larger and supported and manipulated by rods from below. This form of puppetry now

1750-411: A number of strings, plus sometimes a central rod attached to a control bar held from above by the puppeteer. Rod puppets are made from a head attached to a central rod. Over the rod is a body form with arms attached controlled by separate rods. They have more movement possibilities as a consequence than a simple hand or glove puppet. Puppetry is a very ancient form of theatre which was first recorded in

1875-639: A puppet show within a castelet (shown right) illustrates fol. 54v of Li romans du boin roi Alixandre ('The Romance of the Good King Alexander'), a Flemish manuscript illuminated by the workshop of Jehan de Grise between 1338 and 1344. In Sicily , the sides of donkey carts are decorated with intricate, painted scenes from the Frankish romantic poems, such as The Song of Roland . These same tales are enacted in traditional puppet theatres featuring hand-made marionettes of wood. In Sicilian this

2000-626: A series. While other networks in the United States rejected Henson's proposals, British producer Lew Grade expressed enthusiasm for the project and agreed to co-produce The Muppet Show for ATV in the United Kingdom for ITV network. The Muppet Show was produced by ITC Entertainment and Henson Associates with programmes produced and recorded at the ATV Elstree Studios in Borehamwood , Hertfordshire . The series

2125-537: A seven-day period. Henson also gained valuable friendships with multiple celebrities through his work on Saturday Night Live . Henson and his team were later able to use these skills and relationships on The Muppet Show . The Muppet Show was first aired in September 1976 in the UK and by December the series had around 14 million viewers tuning in on Sunday evenings. In January 1977, over 100 countries had either acquired

2250-568: A single finger, and sock puppets , which are formed from a sock and operated by inserting one's hand inside the sock, with the opening and closing of the hand simulating the movement of the puppet's "mouth". A hand puppet or glove puppet is controlled by one hand which occupies the interior of the puppet and moves the puppet around. Punch and Judy puppets are familiar examples. Other hand or glove puppets are larger and require two puppeteers for each puppet. Japanese Bunraku puppets are an example of this. Marionettes are suspended and controlled by

2375-671: A stick, achieving minimum animation in both cases. Puppets are described in the epic Mahabharata , Tamil literature from the Sangam era , and various literary works dating from the late centuries BC to the early centuries AD, including the Edicts of Ashoka . Works like the Natya Shastra and the Kama Sutra elaborate on puppetry in some detail. China has a history of puppetry dating back 3000 years, originally in pi-yung xi ,

2500-521: A torture to have to watch the show!"). At the end of the song, Gonzo appeared inside the "O" in "Show" to play the final note on a trumpet; again, with various comical results. Each episode ended with an extended instrumental performance of "The Muppet Show Theme" by the Muppet orchestra before Statler and Waldorf gave the last laugh of the night, followed by Zoot playing an off-key final note on his saxophone. Some last-laugh sequences had other Muppets on

2625-582: A weekly series in Grade's native United Kingdom. This series became The Muppet Show , produced by Associated Television (ATV) for the ITV network. The success of The Muppet Show led to the Muppets becoming an enduring media franchise . Another company controlled by Grade, ITC Entertainment , originally owned The Muppet Show , among other Henson productions, but Henson acquired the rights to these productions in

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2750-536: A wide range of styles and approaches. There are also a number of British theatre companies, including Horse and Bamboo Theatre , and Green Ginger , which integrate puppetry into highly visual productions. From 1984 to 1996, puppetry was used as a vehicle for political satire in the British television series Spitting Image . Puppetry has also been influencing mainstream theatre, and several recent productions combine puppetry with live action, including Warhorse , at

2875-485: Is a variety sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and starring the Muppets . It is presented as a variety show, featuring recurring sketches and musical numbers interspersed with ongoing plot-lines with running gags taking place backstage and in other areas of the venue. The Muppet Show is known for its uniquely designed characters, burlesque nature, slapstick , sometimes absurdist and surreal humour , and parodies . Within its context, Kermit

3000-535: Is a manifestation of the Lord of Misrule and Trickster , figures of deep-rooted mythologies. Punch's wife was originally "Joan", but later became "Judy". In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the familiar Punch and Judy puppet show which existed in Britain was performed in an easily transportable booth . The British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild in the early 20th century instigated a resurgence of puppetry. Two of

3125-525: Is a strong tradition of puppetry native to Indonesia , especially in Java and Bali . In Java, wayang kulit , an elaborate form of shadow puppetry, is very popular. Javanese rod puppets have a long history and are used to tell fables from Javanese history. Another popular puppetry form in Indonesia is wayang golek . Thailand has hun krabok , a popular form of rod puppet theatre. Vietnam developed

3250-590: Is also a marionette theatre at Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna founded by Christine Hierzer-Riedler and Werner Hierzer over 40 years ago. The marionette theatre performs world famous operas, musicals and fairy tales. Marionette puppet theatre has had a very long history in entertainment in Prague , and elsewhere in the former Czechoslovakia and then in the Czech Republic and Slovakia . It can be traced deep into

3375-509: Is also found in pictorial traditions in India, such as temple mural painting, loose-leaf folio paintings, and the narrative paintings. Dance forms such as the Chhau of Odisha literally mean "shadow". The shadow theatre dance drama theatre are usually performed on platform stages attached to Hindu temples , and in some regions these are called Koothu Madams or Koothambalams . In many regions,

3500-419: Is also shown in the book. Locations seen in the Muppet Theater include backstage right (which includes Kermit's desk), the dressing rooms, the attic (seen in four compilation videos released in 1985), the canteen, the prop room, the stage, Statler and Waldorf's box, the auditorium, reception, the recording studio, the stage door lobby, the boiler room and the back alley. Some of these sets were later re-used as

3625-642: Is believed that the word marionette originates from the little figures of the Virgin Mary , hence the word "marionette" or "Mary doll. Comedy was introduced to the plays as time went by, and ultimately led to a church edict banning puppetry. Puppeteers responded by setting up stages outside cathedrals and became even more ribald and slapstick . Out of this grew the Italian comedy called Commedia dell'arte . Puppets were used at times in this form of theatre and sometimes Shakespeare 's plays were performed using marionettes instead of actors. An early depiction of

3750-600: Is called " Opera dei pupi ", or "Opera of the puppets". The "Opera dei pupi" and the Sicilian tradition of cantastorie, the word for storyteller, are rooted in the Provençal troubadour tradition , in Sicily during the reign of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor , in the first half of the 13th century. The 18th century was a vital period in the development of all Italian theatre , including the marionette theatre. The rod puppet

3875-723: Is chairman and Lisa Henson is CEO. Since 2000, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered at the Jim Henson Company Lot , the historic former Charlie Chaplin Studios, in Hollywood . The company was established in November 1958 by puppeteers Jim and Jane Henson , and is currently independently owned and operated by their children. Henson has produced many successful television series, including The Muppet Show (1976–1981), Fraggle Rock (1983–1987), and Bear in

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4000-492: Is found mostly in West Bengal and Orissa . The traditional rod puppet form of West Bengal is known as Putul Nautch . They are carved from wood and follow the various artistic styles of a particular region. The traditional rod puppet of Bihar is known as Yampuri . Glove puppets are also known as sleeve, hand or palm puppets. The head is made of either papier mâché , cloth or wood, with two hands emerging from just below

4125-746: Is influenced by the Islamic culture. Karagoz , the Turkish Shadow Theatre, has widely influenced puppetry in the region and it is thought to have passed from China by way of India. Later, it was taken by the Mongols from the Chinese and passed to the Turkish peoples of Central Asia. The art of Shadow Theater was brought to Anatolia by the Turkish people emigrating from Central Asia. Other scholars claim that shadow theater came to Anatolia in

4250-716: The Odyssey were presented using puppetry. The roots of European puppetry probably extend back to the Greek plays with puppets played to the "common people" in the 5th century BC. By the 3rd century BC these plays would appear in the Theatre of Dionysus at the Acropolis . In ancient Greece and ancient Rome clay dolls, and a few of ivory, dated from around 500 BC, were found in children's tombs. These dolls had articulated arms and legs, and in some cases an iron rod extending up from

4375-577: The Star Wars film series. Two of Henson's childhood idols, Edgar Bergen and Milton Berle , also guest-starred during the second season. In 1977, Rita Moreno won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for her appearance. The next year, Peter Sellers — who chose not to appear as himself, instead appearing in a variety of characters — and Bernadette Peters earned nominations for

4500-572: The It's the Muppets banner, Meet the Muppets and More Muppets, Please! Later, three volumes of The Very Best of The Muppet Show were released on VHS and DVD in the UK (volume 3 was a release of full episodes as opposed to compilations). Unlike the Playhouse Video releases, It's the Muppets and The Very Best of The Muppet Show did not include any original footage or guest star clips, but all compilation collections did include material cut from

4625-564: The Munich Marionette Theatre . A German dramatist, poet, painter and composer, Pocci wrote 40 puppet plays for his theatre. Albrecht Roser has made a considerable impact with his marionettes in Stuttgart . His characters Clown Gustaf and Grandmother are well-known. Grandmother , while outwardly charming, is savagely humorous in her observations about all aspects of society and the absurdities of life. In Lindau ,

4750-450: The Qajar era (18th and 19th centuries) as influences from Turkey spread to the region. Kheimeh Shab-Bazi is a traditional Persian puppet show which is performed in a small chamber by a musical performer and a storyteller called a morshed or naghal . These shows often take place alongside storytelling in traditional tea and coffee-houses ( Ghahve-Khane ). The dialogue takes place between

4875-949: The Royal National Theatre and Madam Butterfly at the English National Opera . Many regional variants of Pulcinella were developed as the character spread across Europe. In the Netherlands it is Jan Klaassen (and Judy is Katrijn ); in Denmark Mester Jackel ; in Russia Petrushka ; and in Romania Vasilache . In Russia, the Central Puppet Theatre in Moscow and its branches in every part of

5000-633: The Salzburg Marionette Theatre was founded in 1913 by Professor Anton Aicher and is world-famous. The Salzburg Marionette Theatre still continues the tradition of presenting full-length opera using marionettes in their own purpose built theatre until recently under the direction of Gretl Aicher . It performs mainly operas such as Die Fledermaus and The Magic Flute and a small number of ballets such as The Nutcracker . The Salzburg Marionette Theatre productions are aimed for adults although children are of course welcome. There

5125-407: The gendarme Flagéolet soon followed, but these are never much more than foils for the two heroes. Guignol's inevitable victory is always the triumph of good over evil. The traditional British Punch and Judy puppetry traces its roots to the 16th century to the Italian commedia dell'arte . The character of "Punch" derives from the character Pulcinella , which was Anglicized to Punchinello . He

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5250-453: The "Old Telephone Pole bit". This scene does appear (albeit slightly abridged) in the international release. The German version also lacks the song " In My Life " performed by Twiggy , instead substituting it with a performance of " Lean on Me " by German singer Mary Roos . The Muppet Show was released for streaming on Disney+ on 19 February 2021. However, two episodes featuring guests Brooke Shields and Chris Langham are omitted from

5375-701: The "theatre of the lantern shadows", or as it is more commonly known today, Chinese shadow theatre . By the Song dynasty (960–1279 AD), puppets played to all social classes including the courts, yet puppeteers, as in Europe, were considered to be from a lower social stratum. In Taiwan , budaixi puppet shows, somewhat similar to the Japanese bunraku, occur with puppeteers working in the background or underground. Some very experienced puppeteers can manipulate their puppets to perform various stunts, for example, somersaults in

5500-601: The 16th century from Egypt . The advocates of this view claim that shadow theatre found its way into the Ottoman palaces when Yavuz Sultan Selim conquered Egypt in 1517. He saw shadow theatre performed during a party in his honour and he was said to be so impressed with it that he took the puppeteer back to his palace in Istanbul where his 21-year -old son, later Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent , developed an interest in

5625-407: The 1920s and his son, Ramdas Padhye, subsequently popularised ventriloquism and puppetry. Almost all types of puppets are found in India. India has a rich and ancient tradition of string puppets or marionettes. Marionettes with jointed limbs controlled by strings allow far greater flexibility and are therefore the most articulate of the puppets. Rajasthan, Orissa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are some of

5750-428: The 1930s and thereafter, states Stuart Blackburn, these fears of its extinction were found to be false as evidence emerged that shadow puppetry had remained a vigorous rural tradition in central Kerala mountains, most of Karnataka, northern Andhra Pradesh, parts of Tamil Nadu, Odisha and southern Maharashtra. The Marathi people, particularly of low caste, had preserved and vigorously performed the legends of Hindu epics as

5875-469: The 1980s. During this time, Henson formed Jim Henson's Creature Shop , a special effects studio partially responsible for the films The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth ; and television series The StoryTeller , Farscape , and Dinosaurs . Later in his life, Henson produced Fraggle Rock and The Jim Henson Hour . In August 1989, Henson and Disney CEO Michael Eisner began merger discussions reportedly valued at $ 150 million, which also included

6000-867: The 19th century, puppetry faced competition from other forms of theatre such as vaudeville and music hall , but it adapted to these challenges, for example: by developing stage acts and participating in the new forms of popular theatre, or reinventing itself in other ways and finding audiences at the newly fashionable seaside resorts. The Teotihuacan culture (Central Mexico) of 600 AD made figurines with moveable arms and legs as part of their funerary rites. Native Americans also used ceremonial puppets. In 1519, two puppeteers accompanied Hernando Cortez on his first journey to Mexico. Europeans brought their own puppet traditions with them, but gradually distinctive styles, forms and puppet characters developed in North America . The Muppet Show The Muppet Show

6125-519: The 5th century BC in Ancient Greece . Some forms of puppetry may have originated as long ago as 3000 years BC . Puppetry takes many forms, but they all share the process of animating inanimate performing objects to tell a story. Puppetry occurs in almost all human societies where puppets are used for the purpose of entertainment through performance, as sacred objects in rituals , as symbolic effigies in celebrations such as carnivals , and as

6250-473: The 7:30 to 8 pm ET slot from the networks to their affiliates. CBS became interested in Henson's series proposals and expressed intent to broadcast it weekly on its owned and operated stations . According to Henson's pitch reel, George Schlatter was originally involved. Lew Grade , the proprietor of the British commercial station ATV, was familiar with puppet television programmes, having underwritten

6375-671: The American Revolution . The series also won the top Variety Prize in the Golden Rose of Montreux international Contest in May 1977. In 1985, Playhouse Video released a collection of video compilations under the Jim Henson's Muppet Video banner. Ten videos were released, featuring original linking material in addition to clips from the show. Videos included: In 1993, Jim Henson Video released two compilations under

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6500-527: The Big Blue House (1997–2006); as well, the company designed the Muppet characters for Sesame Street (1969–present). The company has also produced theatrical films, including The Muppet Movie (1979), The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986). Henson also operates Jim Henson's Creature Shop , an animatronics and visual effects studio which has created characters and effects for both Henson productions and outside projects. In 1989,

6625-539: The Czech Association of Friends of Puppet Theatre and in 1912 advocated the publication of the oldest specialist puppet-theatre magazine still published today, Loutkář . Veselý played a key role in founding UNIMA (International Puppetry Association) in 1929, and was elected its first president. In 1920 and 1926 respectively, Josef Skupa created his most famous puppet characters: Spejbl and Hurvínek , comical father and his rascal son. In 1930, he set up

6750-702: The Dark Crystal . On June 20, 2024, the company announced they were planning to sell the Jim Henson Company Lot off La Brea Avenue in Hollywood, which it purchased in 1999, as “part of a much longer-term strategy to have The Jim Henson Company and our renowned Burbank-based Jim Henson’s Creature Shop under one roof, which is not feasible in Hollywood due to the space the Shop requires.” In November of 2024, producer McG and musician John Mayer bought

6875-517: The Dog , originated in commercials for Purina Dog Chow and became a regular character on The Jimmy Dean Show from 1963 to 1966. During this time, the show's host, Jimmy Dean , refused an opportunity to own 40% of the company, assuming that he did not attain that right. Jim Henson also pitched several different projects to the major American television networks, to little avail. Some ideas became unaired pilots, while others were never produced. In 1976, producer Lew Grade approached Henson to produce

7000-456: The Family . Following the releases of The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island by Walt Disney Pictures , Henson formed Jim Henson Pictures with Sony Pictures Entertainment . In 1998, the company signed a deal with Columbia TriStar Home Video to launch Jim Henson Home Entertainment. By 1999, Henson held partial interests in two cable channels: The Kermit Channel (broadcasting in Asia) and Odyssey Network (broadcasting in

7125-435: The Frog (performed by Henson) acts as showrunner and host, who tries to maintain control of the overwhelming antics of the other Muppet characters, as well as appease the rotating slate of guest stars . As The Muppet Show became popular, many celebrities were eager to perform with the Muppets on television and in subsequent films. Henson produced two pilot episodes for ABC in 1974 and 1975, but neither went forward as

7250-399: The Frog, who announced, "It's The Muppet Show , with our very special guest star, [name of guest star]!" usually cheering afterwards. During the first season, the theme song contained a joke from Fozzie Bear and featured Kermit introducing the guest star ("To introduce our guest star, that's what I'm here to do, so it really makes me happy to introduce to you..."). At the song's end, Gonzo

7375-476: The Great appeared in front of the "Muppet Show" banner, attempting to play the "O" in "Show" like a gong, with various comical results. From the second to fourth seasons, the joke and Kermit's introduction were replaced by a short quip from Statler and Waldorf , then a shot of the audience singing "Why don't they get things started?" The fifth season version had an extra verse from the hecklers ("Why do we always come here? I guess we'll never know. It's kind of like

7500-429: The Guild's founders, H. W. Whanslaw and Waldo Lanchester , both worked to promote and develop puppetry with publications of books and literature, mainly focusing on the art of the marionette. Lanchester had a touring theatre and a permanent venue in Malvern, Worcestershire , regularly taking part in the Malvern Festival and attracting the attention of George Bernard Shaw . One of Shaw's last plays, Shakes versus Shav ,

7625-498: The Happiness Hotel in The Great Muppet Caper . A replica of the theatre is used as the setting for the Muppet*Vision 3D attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios . Scooter's uncle J.P. Grosse owns the theatre and rents it to the Muppets. In a deleted scene from It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie , Kermit reveals that J.P. has died and left the theatre to the Muppets in his will. This would have taken place some time after 1996, as J.P. can be seen (and referred to as such by

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7750-412: The Henson catalog on home entertainment and streaming platforms across all territories. A similar worldwide distribution agreement went into effect on January 5, 2024, for streaming, video on demand, broadcast, digital download, packaged media and certain non-theatrical rights for the films Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal , as well as behind the scenes specials Inside the Labyrinth and The World of

7875-421: The Henson family re-acquired the company for a closing price of $ 84 million. In February 2004, Henson sold the Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House to Disney, who subsequently formed The Muppets Studio (known at that time as The Muppets Holding Company). The term "Muppet", likewise, became a legal trademark of Disney; Sesame Workshop retained permission to use the term for its Sesame Street characters under

8000-478: The Lindau Marionette Opera was founded in 2000 by Bernard Leismueller and Ralf Hechelmann . The company performs a large number of operas as well as a marionette ballet, Swan Lake . In Augsburg, the historic Augsburg Marionette Theatre was founded in 1943 by Walter Oehmichen . It continues to this day along with an adjoining puppet museum under the grandsons of the founder, Klaus Marschall and Juergen Marschall . Much earlier in nearby Salzburg , Austria,

8125-583: The Odyssey and Kermit cable channels in exchange for an 8.2% stake in Hallmark-controlled Crown Media Holdings. By the end of 2000, after EM.TV subsequently experienced major financial problems, EM.TV sold the company's ownership of the Sesame Street Muppets and Henson's small interest in the Noggin television network to Sesame Workshop, and by early 2001, Henson itself was marked for sale. Disney, Viacom , HIT Entertainment , AOL Time Warner , Haim Saban , Classic Media , as well as Henson management, among others, were all parties reportedly interested in acquiring

8250-569: The United States . The following list contains projects of The Jim Henson Company under its Henson Alternative banner. The first eight series are produced under its Henson Alternative banner exclusively in North America before premiering worldwide in 2015. Puppetry There are many different varieties of puppets, and they are made of a wide range of materials, depending on their form and intended use. They can be extremely complex or very simple in their construction. The simplest puppets are finger puppets , which are tiny puppets that fit onto

8375-408: The United States), both jointly owned with Hallmark Entertainment. After Hallmark (through Crown Media Holdings ) assumed full ownership of these networks, the Kermit Channel was discontinued and Odyssey was renamed the Hallmark Channel . In 2000, the Henson family sold the company to the German media company EM.TV & Merchandising AG , for $ 680 million. That summer, EM.TV sold Henson's stakes in

8500-458: The action of kneading bread. Wire controlled, articulated puppets made of clay and ivory have also been found in Egyptian tombs. Hieroglyphs also describe "walking statues" being used in ancient Egyptian religious dramas. Puppetry was practiced in ancient Greece and the oldest written records of puppetry can be found in the works of Herodotus and Xenophon , dating from the 5th century BC. Sub-Saharan Africa may have inherited some of

8625-458: The air. Japan has many forms of puppetry, including the bunraku. Bunraku developed out of Shinto temple rites and gradually became a highly sophisticated form of puppetry. Chikamatsu Monzaemon , considered by many to be Japan's greatest playwright, gave up writing kabuki plays and focused exclusively on the puppet-only bunraku plays. Initially consisting of one puppeteer, by 1730 three puppeteers were used to operate each puppet in full view of

8750-502: The art form of water puppetry , unique to that country. The puppets are built out of wood and the shows are performed in a waist-high pool. A large rod under the water is used by puppeteers to support and control the puppets, creating the appearance of the puppets moving over water. The origin of this form of puppetry dates back seven hundred years when the rice fields would flood and the villagers would entertain each other. Puppet show competitions between Vietnamese villages eventually led to

8875-412: The audience. The puppeteers, who dressed all in black, would become invisible when standing against a black background, while the torches illuminated only the carved, painted and costumed wooden puppets. Korea 's tradition of puppetry is thought to have come from China. The oldest historical evidence of puppetry in Korea comes from a letter written in 982 A.D. from Choe Seung-roe to the King. In Korean,

9000-485: The balcony. For example, in one episode, the Muppets of Sesame Street appeared behind Statler and Waldorf, who told them, "How should we know how to get to Sesame Street ? We don't even know how to get out of this stupid theatre box!" Every season, the TV version of the song was presented with re-worked lyrics. While the opening sequence evolved visually over the show's five seasons, the musical composition remained essentially

9125-477: The building for $ 40 million. From 1969 to 2000, Henson was contracted to design and create Muppet characters for Sesame Street . With the exception of occasional appearances in the Muppets franchise, the characters were used exclusively for Sesame Street , but Henson legally owned these characters prior to their acquisition by Sesame Workshop. The only exception was Kermit the Frog , who was featured in other projects prior to Sesame Street . Sesame Workshop retains

9250-426: The company entered merger negotiations with The Walt Disney Company , which were canceled following Jim Henson's death in 1990. Subsequently, control of the company was assumed by Henson's children: Lisa , Cheryl , Brian , John , and Heather . In 2000, Henson was sold to German media company EM.TV & Merchandising AG ; by the end of that year, however, EM.TV's stock collapsed, and the Henson family re-acquired

9375-908: The company in 2003. In the interim, EM.TV sold the rights to the Sesame Street Muppets to Sesame Workshop in early January 2001, following a December 2000 announcement. Henson sold The Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House properties to Disney in 2004, but retains the remainder of its program library and assets. As of 2024, Brian, Lisa, Cheryl, and Heather Henson maintain control of the company. Jane Henson died in April 2013 and John Henson died in February 2014. Jim and Jane Henson officially founded Muppets, Inc. on November 20, 1958, three years after Sam and Friends debuted on WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. Aside from Sam and Friends ,

9500-465: The company, leading to the establishment of HIT Entertainment . On May 16, 1990, as negotiations continued, Jim Henson died of toxic shock syndrome . Following Henson's death, neither Disney nor Jim Henson Productions could come to an accord. Negotiations officially ended in December 1990, and Henson remained an independent company. The Henson family assumed management of the company, and Brian Henson

9625-520: The company. In December 2002, a deal was announced in which EM.TV would sell a 49.9% stake in Henson to an investment group led by Dean Valentine, a former executive at Disney and UPN . However, in March 2003, the deal was canceled, citing financial issues on Valentine's part. In May 2003, EM.TV was reportedly nearing an agreement to sell Henson to a consortium between Classic Media and Sesame Workshop (with financing from Sony Pictures Entertainment), until

9750-503: The copyright to the series. After that deal expired, Henson entered into similar agreements with Lionsgate Home Entertainment on August 10, 2009 and later with Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment three years later on October 25, 2012. As well, the company became involved with computer-animated projects, including the direct-to-video Unstable Fables series; Sid the Science Kid ; Dinosaur Train ; and Splash and Bubbles , as well as

9875-609: The country enhanced the reputation of the puppeteer and puppetry in general. There is a long tradition of puppetry in Germany and Austria. Much of it derives from the 16th-century tradition of the Italian commedia dell'arte . The German version of the British character of 'Punch' is called Kasperle of Kaspar while Judy is called Grete . In the 18th century, operas were specifically composed for marionette puppets. Gluck , Haydn , de Falla and Respighi all composed adult operas for marionettes. In 1855, Count Franz Pocci founded

10000-567: The creation of secretive and exclusive puppet societies. The Philippines first developed its art of puppetry during the Spanish colonial period. The oldest known Filipino puppetry is the carrillo , also known as kikimut , titire , and potei . It was first recorded in 1879. It involves small carts used in puppet plays with figures made of cardboard utilized for shadow plays. In the late 1800s, another Filipino puppetry developed. Higantes are giant papier-mâché puppets, numbering more than

10125-547: The decline of this practice, although Muppet caricatures and parodies continued to appear. The practice did, however, take place for actors Michael Caine and Tim Curry , who were the lead performers in The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island , respectively. The Muppet Show ran for five seasons, with minor alterations taking place each season. The Muppet Show The Muppet Show - Volume 2 Singles The Muppet Show

10250-455: The dialogue, the movement of the puppet and the beat of the dholak are well synchronised and create a dramatic atmosphere. In Kerala , the traditional glove puppet play is called Pavakoothu . Afghanistan has produced a form of puppetry known as buz-baz . During a performance a puppeteer will simultaneously operate a marionette of a markhor while playing a dambura (long-necked lute). Middle Eastern puppetry, like its other theatre forms,

10375-552: The early part of the Middle Ages. Marionettes first appeared around the time of the Thirty Years' War . The first noted Czech puppeteer was Jan Jiří Brat, who was born in 1724. He was the son of a local carpenter and created his own puppet theatre. Matěj Kopecký was the most famous 19th-century Czech puppeteer, and was responsible for communicating the ideas of national awareness. In 1911, Jindřich Veselý co-founded

10500-401: The epic can take forty-one nights, while an abridged performance lasts as few as seven days. One feature of the tholu pava koothu show is that it is a team performance of puppeteers, while other shadow plays such as the wayang of Indonesia are performed by a single puppeteer for the same Ramayana story. There are regional differences within India in the puppet arts. For example, women play

10625-513: The episodes and characters used in The Muppet Show , and subsequent film outings, were bought in February 2004 by The Walt Disney Company . Several songs were cut from the series 1 DVD release due to music licensing issues. There have also been some cuts in the intro sequence, and backstage scenes leading up to these songs. However, episodes that used Disney music remained unaltered (for example, episode 14 of series 1 used " Never Smile at

10750-467: The first (1975–76) season of the American comedy television programme Saturday Night Live . Although they lasted for only that one season on Saturday Night Live because of conflicts with that show's writers and producers, Henson and his team learned a great deal from being involved with the production. They gained institutional knowledge about adapting and quickly creating a television programme within

10875-604: The first modern professional puppet theatre. An important puppet organisation is the National Marionette Theatre in Prague. Its repertoire mainly features a marionette production of Mozart 's opera Don Giovanni . The production has period costumes and 18th-century setting. There are numerous other companies, including Buchty a Loutky ("Cakes and Puppets"), founded by Marek Bečka . Puppets have been used extensively in animated films since 1946. Jiří Trnka

11000-498: The function of transmitting cultural values and ideas that in large African cities is increasingly undertaken by formal education, books, cinema, and television. There is evidence for puppetry in the Indus Valley civilization . Archaeologists have unearthed one terracotta doll with a detachable head capable of manipulation by a string dating to 2500 BC. Another figure is a terracotta monkey which could be manipulated up and down

11125-521: The glove puppet comes alive. The tradition of glove puppets in India is popular in Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal and Kerala. In Uttar Pradesh , glove puppet plays usually present social themes, whereas in Orissa such plays are based on stories of Radha and Krishna. In Orissa , the puppeteer plays a dholak (hand drum) with one hand and manipulates the puppet with the other. The delivery of

11250-455: The head of the KMUP network) in episode 107 of Muppets Tonight , the 1990s reworking of The Muppet Show . In the film The Muppets , a badly deteriorated version of the Muppet Theater is located next to Muppet Studios in Los Angeles. The Muppets reunite in hopes of raising enough money to buy the theatre from the oil magnate Tex Richman before he can demolish it and start drilling for oil on

11375-434: The majority of its work until 1969 was in advertising; appearances on late-night talk shows; and short "meeting films" primarily for enterprise use, produced from 1965 to 1996. In 1968, the company began designing characters and producing short films for the fledgling Sesame Street , which premiered on NET (succeeded by PBS ) in November 1969. One of the company's first characters to appear regularly on television, Rowlf

11500-753: The morshed and the puppets. A recent example of puppetry in Iran is the touring opera Rostam and Sohrab . Although there are few remaining examples of puppets from ancient Greece , historical literature and archaeological findings shows the existence of puppetry. The Greek word translated as "puppet" is "νευρόσπαστος" ( nevrospastos ), which literally means "drawn by strings, string-pulling", from "νεῦρον" ( nevron ), meaning either "sinew, tendon, muscle, string", or "wire", and "σπάω" ( spaō ), meaning "draw, pull". Aristotle referred to pulling strings to control heads, hands and eyes, shoulders and legs. Plato 's work also contains references to puppetry. The Iliad and

11625-471: The motto of a prominent Lyon troupe: "Guignol amuses children… and witty adults". Laurent Mourguet , Guignol's creator, fell on hard times during the French Revolution, and in 1797 started to practice dentistry , which in those days was simply the pulling of teeth. To attract patients, he started setting up a puppet show in front of his dentist's chair. His first shows featured Polichinelle ,

11750-421: The neck. The rest of the figure consists of a long, flowing skirt. These puppets are like limp dolls, but in the hands of an able puppeteer, are capable of producing a wide range of movements. The manipulation technique is simple the movements are controlled by the human hand, the first finger inserted in the head and the middle finger and the thumb in the two arms of the puppet. With the help of these three fingers,

11875-530: The origin of Burmese marionettes is given as around 1780, during the reign of King Singu Min , and their introduction is credited to the Minister of Royal Entertainment, U Thaw. From their inception, marionettes enjoyed great popularity in the courts of the Konbaung dynasty . Little has changed since the creation of the art by U Thaw, and the set of characters developed by him is still in use today. India has

12000-563: The original US broadcasts. In 1994, Buena Vista Home Video under the Jim Henson Video imprint released The Muppet Show: Monster Laughs with Vincent Price , featuring the episodes with Vincent Price and Alice Cooper. Both episodes were edited. In addition to replacing the first series opening and the ending logos with Zoot, the Vincent Price episode was edited to remove the songs " I'm Looking Through You " and " You've Got

12125-640: The performers also worked on Sesame Street , whose characters made sporadic appearances on The Muppet Show . Jack Burns served as the head writer for the first season, before Jerry Juhl became the head writer from the second season. The music was performed by ATV's musical director Jack Parnell and his orchestra. The rights to the series have been owned by The Muppets Studio  (a division of  The Walt Disney Company ) since they were acquired from The Jim Henson Company in 2004. Since its debut in 1969, Sesame Street had given Jim Henson's Muppet characters exposure. However, he began to perceive that he

12250-593: The plays. In other areas, the style of shadow puppetry known as khayal al-zill , a metaphor translated as "shadows of the imagination" or "shadow of fancy", still survives. This is a shadow play with live music, "the accompaniment of drums, tambourines and flutes...also..."special effects" – smoke, fire, thunder, rattles, squeaks, thumps, and whatever else might elicit a laugh or a shudder from his audience" In Iran , puppets are known to have existed much earlier than 1000 AD, but initially only glove and string puppets were popular . Other genres of puppetry emerged during

12375-808: The pre-recorded character dialogue to the puppets' mouth movements. Anderson returned to puppetry in 1983 with Terrahawks and the unaired pilot Space Police in 1987. Current British puppetry theatres include the Little Angel Theatre in Islington , London, Puppet Theatre Barge in London, Norwich Puppet Theatre , the Harlequin Puppet Theatre , Rhos-on-Sea , Wales, and the Biggar Puppet Theatre, Biggar, Lanarkshire , Scotland . British puppetry now covers

12500-585: The puppet drama play is performed by itinerant artist families on temporary stages during major temple festivals. Legends from the Hindu epics Ramayana and the Mahabharata dominate their repertoire. However, the details and the stories vary regionally. During the 19th century and early parts of the 20th century of the colonial era, Indologists believed that shadow puppet plays had become extinct in India, though mentioned in its ancient Sanskrit texts. In

12625-511: The puppet series Pajanimals . Henson later formed Henson Alternative, which specializes in adult content, including the live shows known alternatively as Puppet Improv , Puppet Up! , and Stuffed and Unstrung . In recent years, the Fraggle Rock characters have made several appearances, usually at special events. The characters appeared with Ben Folds Five in the music video for "Do It Anyway"; and in 2013, Gobo and Red Fraggle hosted

12750-443: The puppet traditions of ancient Egypt. Certainly, secret societies in many African ethnic groups still use puppets (and masks ) in ritual dramas as well as in their healing and hunting ceremonies. Today, puppetry continues as a popular form, often within a ceremonial context, and as part of a wide range of folk forms including dance, storytelling, and masked performance . In the 2010s throughout rural Africa, puppetry still performed

12875-477: The puppets is an elaborate ritual, where the artist families in India pray, go into seclusion, produce the required art work, then celebrate the "metaphorical birth of a puppet" with flowers and incense. The tholu pava koothu of Kerala uses leather puppets whose images are projected on a backlit screen. The shadows are used to creatively express characters and stories in the Ramayana . A complete performance of

13000-401: The regions where this form of puppetry has flourished. The traditional marionettes of Rajasthan are known as Kathputli . Carved from a single piece of wood, these puppets are like large dolls that are colourfully dressed. The string puppets of Orissa are known as Kundhei . The string puppets of Karnataka are called Gombeyatta . Puppets from Tamil Nadu , known as Bommalattam , combine

13125-928: The renowned ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev offered to appear; his performance on this unusual TV programme produced so much favourable publicity that the series became one of the most sought after for various celebrities to appear in. Many episodes featured actors, such as Steve Martin , Harvey Korman , Sylvester Stallone , Julie Andrews , Carol Burnett , Liza Minnelli , Christopher Reeve , Raquel Welch , Joel Grey and Dom DeLuise ; some had veteran performers like Ethel Merman , Bob Hope , Danny Kaye , Don Knotts , Liberace , Peter Ustinov , James Coburn , Lena Horne , Zero Mostel and Vincent Price , and others had well-known pop singers, including Elton John , Diana Ross , Harry Belafonte , Kenny Rogers , Linda Ronstadt , Alice Cooper , Paul Simon , Helen Reddy , Debbie Harry and Leo Sayer . Sayer's show used his hit song " The Show Must Go On " with slightly changed lyrics in

13250-484: The rights to use any Sesame Street footage featuring the character. The sale ended any direct affiliation between The Muppets and Sesame Street , although the series retains use of the term "Muppet" under license from Disney. Many of the puppeteers continue to perform with both The Muppets and Sesame Street franchises. While no longer owning the Sesame Street characters, Henson continues to design them. This list excludes pre-2001 Sesame Street co-productions outside

13375-469: The rod and two strings, Radillo's marionettes were controlled by as many as eight strings, which increased control over the individual body parts of the marionettes. Guignol is the main character in the French puppet show which has come to bear his name. Although often thought of as children's entertainment, Guignol's sharp wit and linguistic verve have always been appreciated by adults as well, as shown by

13500-589: The same award. One episode had the staff writer Chris Langham (who wrote some episodes of this show, starting in the third season) guest-starring when Richard Pryor was unable to make the taping of the episode at the last minute. An early tradition was to present the guest star with a Muppet likeness of themselves as a parting gift at the end of the show, but this only lasted for the first two episodes produced, with Connie Stevens and Juliet Prowse . The high cost and effort of creating these unique Muppets, scheduling conflicts, and potential legal issues contributed to

13625-481: The same. Over the years, the song has become a staple of the Muppets franchise as a whole. The Muppet Theater is the setting for The Muppet Show , a grand old vaudeville house that has seen better days. In episode 106, Kermit identifies the name of the theatre as The Benny Vandergast Memorial Theater, although other episodes merely identify it as "the Muppet Theater". It is also identified as simply "Muppet Theater" in It's

13750-559: The second verse, from "I wish I could tear down the walls of this theatre" to "I wish I could tear down the walls of this Muppet Theatre". Some guest stars, such as the Monty Python star John Cleese , co-wrote much of their own episodes. The second-to-last episode, in 1981, had the then- James Bond actor Roger Moore , while the final episode to be taped guest-starred the actor and dancer Gene Kelly . Mark Hamill appeared in one episode as both himself and Luke Skywalker , his role in

13875-406: The series or were making offers, which had resulted in over £6 million in overseas sales. "The Muppet Show Theme" (written by Henson and Sam Pottle in 1976 ) is the show's theme song. While the opening sequence changed from season to season, the overall concept remained the same. Each episode began with "The Muppet Show" logo on a title card. The centre of the "O" then opened to reveal host Kermit

14000-552: The site. Many of the characters who appeared on The Muppet Show have appeared in previous and subsequent Muppet productions. No guest star ever appeared twice on The Muppet Show , although John Denver appeared both on the show and in two specials ( John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together and John Denver & the Muppets: Rocky Mountain Holiday ), while Dudley Moore reappeared in

14125-537: The special, The Muppets Go to the Movies . Additionally, several guest stars from the series had cameos in the first three Muppet theatrical films, and the season four guest Alan Arkin had a cameo in The Muppets . Originally, the producers had to call on their personal contacts to appeal to them to appear, especially considering that doing so required an overseas trip to Britain. However, the situation changed when

14250-855: The techniques of rod and string puppets. Shadow puppets are an ancient part of India's culture and art, particularly regionally as the keelu bomme and Tholu bommalata of Andhra Pradesh , the Togalu gombeyaata in Karnataka , the charma bahuli natya in Maharashtra , the Ravana chhaya in Odisha , the Tholpavakoothu in Kerala and the thol bommalatta in Tamil Nadu . Shadow puppet play

14375-499: The tops of their heads. This rod was used to manipulate the doll from above, as it is done today in Sicilian puppetry. A few of these dolls had strings in place of rods. Some researchers believe these ancient figures were simply toys and not puppets, due to their small size. Italy is considered by many to be the early home of the marionette due to the influence of Roman puppetry. Xenophon and Plutarch refer to them. The Christian church used marionettes to perform morality plays . It

14500-743: The various works of Gerry Anderson , while also producing two specials with Henson: Julie on Sesame Street and a special on Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass . Grade offered Henson a deal that resulted in the latter's programme being produced at the ATV Elstree Studios . ATV, as part of the ITV network , would broadcast the programme to other ITV stations in the United Kingdom, and its distribution arm, ITC Entertainment , would handle international broadcasts. Henson set aside his misgivings about syndication and accepted. Meanwhile, Henson's Muppets were featured in The Land of Gorch skits during

14625-484: The word for puppet is Kkoktugakshi . Gagsi means a "bride" or a "young woman", which was the most common form the dolls took. A kkoktugakshi puppet play has eight scenes. The Indonesian wayang theater was influenced by Indian traditions. Some scholars trace the origin of puppets to India 4000 years ago, where the main character in Sanskrit plays was known as Sutradhara , "the holder of strings". Wayang

14750-605: Was an acknowledged leader in this area. Miroslav Trejtnar is a master puppeteer and teacher of traditional Czech marionette-making skills. In 2016, Czech and Slovak Puppetry was included on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists . Throughout this period, puppetry developed separately from the emerging mainstream of actor theatres, and the 'ragged' puppeteers performed outside of theatre buildings at fairs, markets etc., continuing to be classified along with bandits and gypsies. In

14875-407: Was an introduction by Jim Henson's son, Brian. Nine more volumes were added for 2002, the series' 25th anniversary. The collection was available for retail in 2002 via Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment and Jim Henson Home Entertainment by which time Time-Life had released its tenth volume. Buena Vista Home Entertainment released the first three seasons on DVD between 2005 and 2008. The rights to

15000-419: Was becoming typecast as a children's entertainer. Subsequently, he began to conceive a programme for a more adult audience. Two television specials , The Muppets Valentine Show (1974) and The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975), were produced for ABC and are considered pilots for The Muppet Show . Neither of them were ordered to series. However, the prime-time access rule was recently enacted, moving

15125-505: Was mainly of lower-class origin, but the marionette theatre was popular in aristocratic circles, as a celebration of the Age of Enlightenment . The effects, and the artful and complex construction of the puppets, the puppet theatres, and the puppet narratives, were all popular, particularly in Venice. In the 19th century, the marionettes of Pietro Radillo became more complex and instead of just

15250-501: Was named president, chairman, and CEO in January 1991. In the following years, Henson entered into deals with several companies, including television rights to the Henson library with Disney Channel and Nickelodeon ; a record label with BMG Kidz ; and a home media label with Buena Vista Home Video . In 1995, Henson entered into an agreement with ABC to produce primetime television series, leading to Muppets Tonight and Aliens in

15375-685: Was nominated for nine BAFTA Awards during its run, winning three. It was nominated for 21 Primetime Emmy Awards , winning four, including the 1978 award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Series . It was presented with a Peabody Award in 1978. Also in 1978, the show received the Television Award of Merit from the Mary Washington Colonial Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of

15500-653: Was premiered in the UK on 5 September 1976 and ended on 23 May 1981. Five seasons, totalling 120 episodes, were broadcast on ATV and other ITV franchises in the UK and in first-run syndication in the United States from 1976 to 1981. The cast of performers over the course of the series included Henson, Frank Oz (credited as featured performer as well as creative consultant ), Jerry Nelson , Richard Hunt , Dave Goelz , Steve Whitmire , Fran Brill , Eren Özker , Louise Gold , Kathryn Mullen , Karen Prell , Brian Muehl , Bob Payne , John Lovelady , Jane Henson , Peter Friedman , Betsy Baytos, and dancer Graham Fletcher. Many of

15625-404: Was written for and first performed in 1949 by the company. From 1957 to 1969, Gerry Anderson produced many television series starring marionettes, starting with Roberta Leigh 's The Adventures of Twizzle and ending with The Secret Service . Many of these series (the most famous of which was Thunderbirds ) employed a technique called Supermarionation , which automatically synchronized

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