In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time. The term is also used interchangeably to refer to a production (typically film) with a large cast or a cast with several prominent performers.
116-477: The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist , surrealist , burlesque , and self-referential style of variety - sketch comedy . Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they have become a media franchise encompassing children's films , television, music, and other media associated with the characters. Owned by the Jim Henson Company for nearly five decades,
232-622: A parody of other mockumentary -style series such as The Office , Modern Family , and Parks and Recreation , The Muppets portrayed the everyday personal and professional lives of the Muppets in Los Angeles as they produced a late-night talk show hosted by Miss Piggy. The ABC series portrayed the characters in more adult situations than previous incarnations, including depictions of alcohol consumption, sexual innuendos, and mild profanity. The series premiered on September 22, 2015, in
348-639: A "sack-body" puppet, is built with the puppet's arms directly connected to its base. Popular examples include the Sesame Street characters Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch , and the Muppet character Rowlf the Dog . The Swedish Chef , another Muppet character, is operated in a unique way; both of his hands are actual human hands, supplied by the second performer. The technique of the main puppeteer performing
464-404: A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie , retained by NBCUniversal Television Distribution . 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
580-544: A black background, with the background and puppeteer's costume normally made of black velvet . The puppeteers manipulate the puppets under the light, while they position themselves unseen against the black unlit background. Puppets of many sizes and types may be used. The original concept of this form of puppetry can be traced to Bunraku puppetry. Bunraku puppets are a type of wood-carved puppet originally made to stand out through torch illumination. Developed in Japan over
696-405: A box) who would talk when Wences opened the box. Similarly, chinface puppetry involves puppet features drawn or attached onto an upside-down chin. A pull string puppet is a puppet consisting of a cloth body where in the puppeteer puts his/her arm into a slot in the back and pulls rings on strings to make certain movements such as waving the arms or moving the mouth. A push puppet consists of
812-451: A character's head with an assistant performing both arms is also used for Rowlf playing the piano. Light curtain puppet presentations use light to highlight small portions of a performance area, allowing the puppet to be seen while the manipulators remain invisible. The puppets stand on a stage divided into an unlit background and a well-lit foreground, meeting to form a "curtain" of light. The puppeteer dresses in black and remains hidden in
928-493: 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 on NET , and later PBS . 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
1044-541: A collective star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . That year, the Muppets hosted a Just for Laughs comedy gala in Montreal . Following the release of The Muppets , Disney announced an eighth film in 2012, with Bobin and Stoller returning to direct and write, respectively. Muppets Most Wanted was released in 2014 and starred Ricky Gervais , Tina Fey , and Ty Burrell . The film received positive reviews but
1160-515: A country's established ruling dynasty or was unrecognised by its nobility. "Puppet government", "puppet regime" and " puppet state " are derogatory terms for a government that is in charge of a region or country but only through being installed, supported and controlled by a more powerful outside government. An example is Vidkun Quisling , a Norwegian fascist leader during the Second World War who collaborated with Nazi Germany and led
1276-698: A finger, glove or rod puppet. The puppet play performed by the Von Trapp children with Maria in The Sound of Music is a marionette show. Prominent marionette theaters operating today include: Salzberg Marionette Theater , Bob Baker Marionette Theater , Center for Puppetry Arts , Melchior Marionette Theater, the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre in Central Park , New York, and Le Theatre de Marionette . The marotte
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#17327647023901392-569: A human, designed to be part of a large spectacle or parade . 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. 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 (384–322 BC) discusses puppets in his work On
1508-430: A large cast of characters, namely the show's hosts Chris McLean and Chef Hatchet, as well as a diversity of competitors commonly known as "Generation One": Beth, DJ, Gwen, Geoff, Lindsay, Heather, Alejandro, Duncan, Tyler, Harold, Trent, Bridgette, Noah, Leshawna, Katie, Sadie, Ezekiel, Cody, Sierra, Eva, Owen, Courtney, Justin, Izzy and Blaineley. Chris and Chef continued to appear as the hosts of every season, while many of
1624-450: A large cast of many different imaginary friends, including protagonists Bloo, Cheese, Coco, Wilt and Eduardo, many of which were created by Craig McCracken ; Nickelodeon's Rugrats features a variety of characters, mainly the eight leading protagonists: Tommy, Dil, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, Kimi, Angelica and Susie; Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil and Angelica were featured since the show's inception in 1991, while Dil, Kimi and Susie were introduced in
1740-657: A majority of the Muppet film and television library, as well as the Bear in the Big Blue House television series. Exceptions included the Sesame Street characters ; the Fraggle Rock characters , which were retained by Henson; 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
1856-405: A medium to convey cultural and social messages to the audience. The word puppet can mean a political leader installed, supported and controlled by powerful external forces without legitimacy in the country itself. In modern times, that usually implies no democratic mandate from the country's electorate; in earlier times, it could have meant a monarch imposed from outside, who was not a member of
1972-466: A more adult audience and focus largely on satirizing sketch comedy . Two television pilots , 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 other networks in the United States expressed little interest in the project, British producer Lew Grade approached Henson and agreed to co-produce
2088-414: A number of strings, plus sometimes a central rod attached to a control bar held from above by the puppeteer. The control bar can be either horizontal or vertical. Basic strings for operation are usually attached to the head, back, hands (to control the arms) and just above the knee (to control the legs). This form of puppetry is complex and sophisticated to operate, requiring greater manipulative control than
2204-427: A production. The following are, alphabetically, the basic and conventional forms of puppet: The black light puppet is a form of puppetry where the puppets are operated on a stage lit only with ultraviolet lighting , which hides the puppeteer and accentuates the colours of the puppets, which are normally designed using colours that respond to UV light by glowing brightly. The puppeteers perform dressed in black against
2320-412: A puppet government. In a more general sense, a puppet is any person who is controlled by another by reasons of (for instance) undue influence, intellectual deficiency, or lack of character or charisma. Science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein 's novel The Puppet Masters depicts alien parasites who attach themselves to human beings and control their actions. Poppet , a word that sounds similar,
2436-605: A puppet, illustration, painting, or other visual medium is accompanied by rhythmical speech or song that describes or reenacts events to tell a story. Carnival puppets (also known as body puppets ) are usually designed to be part of a large spectacle. These are often used in parades (such as the Mayday parade in Minneapolis , United States and The Cape Town Carnival in South Africa) and demonstrations, and are at least
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#17327647023902552-399: A segmented character on a base which is kept under tension until the button on the bottom is pressed. The puppet wiggles, slumps and then collapses. Push puppets are usually intended as novelty toys , rather than as part of professional puppet theatre. A rod puppet is a puppet constructed around a central rod secured to the head. A large glove covers the rod and is attached to the neck of
2668-475: A series of dances. Not all forms of puppetry need specially created items to puppet. Object puppets can be created with found everyday objects either assembled in advance or during performance. Señor Wences was a Spanish ventriloquist who became popular through his appearances on the American program The Ed Sullivan Show . His characters included Johnny (a face drawn on his hand) and Pedro (a gruff head in
2784-425: A surface similar to a table top (hence the name). Shares many characteristics with Bunraku. A Ticklebug is a type of hand puppet created from a human hand to have four legs, where the puppet features are drawn on the hand itself. The middle finger is lifted as a head, and the thumb and forefinger serve as a first set of two legs on one side, while the ring finger and little finger serve as a second set of two legs on
2900-551: A team of writers, who then send their sketches to the creators for approval. In animated series, characters are created by writers, except for comic book and story book-based shows with currently existing characters. The Muppets that were intended for Sesame Street , and the title-character from Blue's Clues , were respectively created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Jim Henson , and Angela C. Santomero , Todd Kessler and Traci Paige Johnson , for edutainment purposes; Cartoon Network's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends consists of
3016-427: A thousand years ago and formalised and combined with shamisen music at the end of the 16th century, the puppeteers dress to remain neutral against a black background, although their presence as a kind of 'shadow' figure adds a mysterious power to the puppet. Bunraku traditionally uses three puppeteers to operate a puppet that varies from 1/3 to 1/2 life size. Cantastoria is a form of visual storytelling in which
3132-438: Is a cut-out figure held between a source of light and a translucent screen. Bunraku puppets are a type of Japanese wood-carved puppet. A ventriloquist's dummy is a puppet, often human-shaped, operated by a ventriloquist performer's hand; the performer produces the puppet's voice with little or no movement of her mouth, which creates the illusion that the puppet is alive. Carnival puppets are large puppets, typically bigger than
3248-428: Is a form of glove or hand puppetry and rod puppetry. Many puppeteers, particularly those for Jim Henson's Muppets , get their start assisting on a human-arm puppet; this is often known as "right-handing". Some of Henson's Muppets, such as the Muppet character Fozzie Bear and the Sesame Street characters Ernie and Count von Count , are live-hand puppets, as are Yoda and ALF . A variation of this puppet, called
3364-521: Is a key characteristic of ensemble casting in film; whether it is a location, event, or an overarching theme that ties the film and characters together. Films that feature ensembles tend to emphasize the interconnectivity of the characters, even when the characters are strangers to one another. The interconnectivity is often shown to the audience through examples of the " six degrees of separation " theory, and allows them to navigate through plot lines using cognitive mapping . Examples of this method, where
3480-534: Is a kind of shadow puppet theater known in Sundanese, Javanese, and Indonesian as 'wayang (kulit)', that is, (leather) shadow puppet. While most shadow puppets cast black silhouettes from behind a screen, motekar shadow puppets can be in full color. They use plastic materials, transparent dyes, a special light system, and a special type of screen to make this happen. Motekar puppet shows can be performed by one or several puppeteers and usually feature music, singing, and
3596-407: Is a method of puppetry invented by Gerry Anderson , which he used in his television shows Stingray and Thunderbirds . The puppets were marionettes with electronically moving mouths to allow for lip-synchronised speech . The marionettes were still controlled by human manipulators with darkened strings. A table top puppet is a puppet usually operated by rod or direct contact from behind, on
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3712-427: Is a simplified rod puppet that is just a head and/or body on a stick. It was used by jesters in renaissance times. In a marotte à main prenante , the puppeteer's other arm emerges from the body (which is just a cloth drape) to act as the puppet's arm. Some marottes have a small string running through the stick attached to a handle at the bottom. When the handle is squeezed, the mouth opens. Motekar or wayang motekar
3828-399: Is a tiny puppet that fits onto a single finger, and the sock puppet , which is formed and operated by inserting one's hand inside a sock, with the opening and closing of the hand simulating the movement of the puppet's "mouth." The sock puppet is a type of hand puppet , which is controlled using one hand that occupies the interior of the puppet and moves the puppet around. A "live-hand puppet"
3944-556: Is an object, often resembling a human, animal or mythical figure , that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer . Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in ancient Greece . There are many different varieties of puppets, and they are made from a wide range of materials, depending on their form and intended use. They range from very simple in construction and operation to very complex. The puppeteer buses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods or strings to move
4060-477: Is larger and requires two puppeteers. One puppeteer places their dominant hand inside the puppet's head and operates the puppet's head and mouth, while putting their non-dominant hand into a glove and special sleeve attached to the puppet to operate one of the arms. The second puppeteer puts their hand into another glove/sleeve attached to the puppet in order to operate the other arm. This way, the puppet can perform hand gestures and interact with objects with ease. This
4176-465: Is mentioned in Tamil literature Silappadikaram , which is written around 2nd century B.C. Puppetry by its nature is a flexible and inventive medium and many puppet companies work with combinations of puppet forms and incorporate real objects into their performances. They might, for example, incorporate performing objects such as torn paper for snow , or a sign board with words as narrative devices within
4292-804: Is notable as Henson's final directorial effort. Muppet*Vision 3D subsequently opened at Disney California Adventure , on February 8, 2001; this version closed in 2014. The Muppets also were featured in The Muppets Present...Great Moments in American History at the Magic Kingdom from 2016 to 2020; and the Muppet Mobile Lab at Epcot since 2007. 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 at Epcot and
4408-418: Is similar to a hand puppet but is larger and requires two puppeteers for each puppet. A marionette is a much more complicated type of puppet that is suspended and controlled by a number of strings connected to the head, back and limbs, plus sometimes a central rod attached to a control bar held from above by the puppeteer. A rod puppet is constructed around a central rod secured to the head. A shadow puppet
4524-430: Is used mainly in pre-schools or kindergartens for storytelling with young children. A hand puppet (or glove puppet ) is a puppet controlled by one hand, which occupies the interior of the puppet. The Punch and Judy puppets are familiar examples of hand puppets. Larger varieties of hand puppets place the puppeteer's hand in just the puppet's head, controlling the mouth and head, and the puppet's body then hangs over
4640-676: The Star Wars character Yoda was originally performed by Frank Oz , and has been loosely described as a Muppet in media and reference works; he is not, however, and Henson otherwise had no involvement in the character's conception. 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 with Oz at
4756-542: The American Film Institute , the Hollywood Walk of Fame , the Library of Congress , and both Academies of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Television Arts and Sciences . The Muppets were created by puppeteer Jim Henson in the 1950s; Henson claimed, but later recanted, that he coined the term Muppet as a portmanteau of the words marionette and puppet . Among Henson's earliest creations
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4872-406: The "Múa rối nước". Múa rối nước literally translates to "dance underwater" or "dancing underwater". This is an ancient tradition that dates back to the 10th century. The puppets are built out of wood and the shows are performed in a waist-deep pool. A large rod supports the puppet under the water and is used by the puppeteers to control them. The appearance is of the puppets moving over the water. When
4988-557: The 30th anniversary of Labyrinth . Musical guests Gerard Way and Ray Toro of My Chemical Romance , along with Jarrod Alexander , Matt Gorney , and Jamie Muhoberac performed a tribute to Labyrinth with a medley of songs including " Underground " and " As the World Falls Down ". In September 2017, the Muppets performed a live concert series at the Hollywood Bowl , hosted by Bobby Moynihan . This performance
5104-676: The Dog , Bert and Ernie , Grover , and Cookie Monster . The majority of the Muppets are designed as hand puppets , with several characters utilizing rods . Common design elements of the Muppets include flexible faces with wide mouths and large protruding eyes. Most of the Muppets are molded or carved out of various types of foam and covered with any felt-like material. The characters may represent humans; anthropomorphic characters; realistic animals; animate inanimate objects; robots; extraterrestrial or mythical creatures; or other forms of abstract characters. The Muppets are distinguished from ventriloquist dummies, which are usually animated only in
5220-479: The Halloween special Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021), and most recently the streaming television series The Muppets Mayhem (2023). Throughout nearly seven decades, the Muppets have been regarded as a staple of the entertainment industry and popular culture in the United States and English-speaking areas around the world. They have been recognized by various cultural institutions and organizations, including
5336-523: The Motion of Animals . The movements of animals may be compared with those of automatic puppets, which are set going on the occasion of a tiny movement; the levers are released, and strike the twisted strings against one another. In India, puppetry was practiced from ancient times and is known by different names in different parts of the country. Excavation of clay dolls from Indus valley sites serve as an indication. The art of puppetry called Bommalattam
5452-491: The Muppet characters created for the program. Sesame Street garnered a positive response, and the Muppets' involvement in the series was said to be a vital component of its increasing popularity, providing an "effective and pleasurable viewing" method of presentation for its educational curriculum. In the early 1970s, the Muppets continued their presence in television, primarily appearing in The Land of Gorch segments during
5568-683: 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, as they are generally more complex in design and performance than regular Muppets. At Henson's suggestion,
5684-591: The Muppets and young children. After the release of Muppets Most Wanted , Disney was interested in expanding the Muppets' presence across other media, 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 commissioned an eponymous series , co-developed by Prady and Bob Kushell and directed by Randall Einhorn . Developed as
5800-585: The Muppets appear at the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts , having first appeared at Walt Disney World in 1990. Their first featured attraction, Here Come the Muppets , was a live stage show that opened shortly after Jim Henson's death and ran at Disney's Hollywood Studios (known at that time as Disney-MGM Studios) for a year. Muppet*Vision 3D , a 4D film attraction that also uses audio-animatronic characters, opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios on May 16, 1991, exactly one year after Henson's death. It
5916-511: The Muppets appear to exhibit complex movements wholly independently of the performer. In his book, Street Gang , author Michael Davis wrote that the characters tend to develop "organically", alluding to the performers taking up to a year to develop their characters and voices. They are also "test-driven, passed around from one Henson troupe member to another in the hope of finding the perfect human-Muppet match". When interacting with them, children believed that Muppets were living beings, even when
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#17327647023906032-505: The Muppets in the late 1980s, during which Henson entered negotiations to sell The Jim Henson Company. The Muppets continued their media presence on television with series such as The Jim Henson Hour (1989) and Muppets Tonight (1996–98), both of which were similar in format to The Muppet Show , as well as the animated spin-off Muppet Babies (1984–91); three theatrical films: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Muppet Treasure Island (1996) and Muppets from Space (1999), and
6148-473: 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. In November 2024, it was announced that the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios will be rethemed to
6264-411: The Muppets to locate Rowlf the Dog after his disappearance. The series was intended to be directed by Jason Moore ; written by Josh Gad , Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis ; produced by ABC Signature Studios and The Muppets Studio , and feature original music by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez . After an executive change at The Muppets Studio that prompted a different creative direction for
6380-557: The Muppets was developed during that time and expected to air on ABC that October, but was canceled. In 2011, the Muppets were featured in an eponymous seventh film The Muppets , intended to serve as a "creative reboot " for the characters. Walt Disney Pictures 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 Muppets
6496-571: The Muppets, Disney canceled development on the project in September 2019. A second Disney+ series, Muppets Now , a short-form improvisational comedy series, was announced in August 2019 and was released on July 31, 2020. Muppets Haunted Mansion , a Halloween special based on the Disney attraction of the same name , was released on October 8, 2021. A third Disney+ series The Muppets Mayhem ,
6612-531: The Muppets. Among other print media, the Muppets have featured in comics since the 1970s. An eponymous comic strip by Guy and Brad Gilchrist first ran on September 21, 1981, in over 500 daily newspapers, six months after The Muppet Show ended its five-year run. By the end of its run in 1986, the comic strip was seen in over 660 newspapers worldwide. Many of the strips were compiled in various book collections. Special strips were also created in color, exclusively for issues of Muppet Magazine . Muppet Magazine
6728-579: The United States, and received mixed reviews, with critics praising the show's adult humor but criticizing the writing and characterization. The Muppets was canceled after one season, which concluded on March 1, 2016. On September 24, 2016, The Muppets were featured in a benefit concert called "Puppets for Puppetry," hosted by the Jim Henson Company for the Center for Puppetry Arts . [1] This concert honored Puppeteer Dave Goelz and celebrated
6844-776: The Vagabond Puppet Theater in Oakland, California . Upon graduating, Oz subsequently joined in August 1963, which then consisted of Henson, Juhl, and Muppet designer Don Sahlin . 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 ; Fran Brill , Caroll Spinney ; and Brian Henson performed several minor characters and assisted
6960-526: The appearances by Kermit the Frog. The 2015 ABC Family airing, the 2017 DVD and the 2018 Blu-ray releases of Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas and the Amazon Prime Video release of The Christmas Toy reinstate Kermit's scenes. After the acquisition was complete, Disney gradually began reintroducing the franchise to the mainstream, synergistically promoting the Muppets across different parts of
7076-584: The arm with their left hand. For more complex Muppets, several performers may operate a single character, with the performer controlling the mouth usually voicing the character. As technology has advanced, the Jim Henson team and other performers 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
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#17327647023907192-418: The audience's attention away from the performer's activities and heighten the illusion that the dummy is speaking. They are called dummies because they do not speak on their own. The ventriloquist dummy is controlled by one hand of the ventriloquist. Ventriloquism acts are not always performed with a traditional dummy; occasionally other forms of puppetry are used. A water puppet is a Vietnamese puppet form,
7308-408: The body, head, limbs, and in some cases the mouth and eyes of the puppet. The puppeteer often speaks in the voice of the character of the puppet, and then synchronizes the movements of the puppet's mouth with this spoken part. The actions, gestures and spoken parts acted out by the puppeteer with the puppet are typically used in storytelling . Two simple types of puppets are the finger puppet , which
7424-422: 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 of the Muppets are left-handed , with the performer using their right hand to operate the head while operating
7540-608: The characters are popular for their appearances on Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock ; and also feature in Sam and Friends , The Jimmy Dean Show , The Jim Henson Hour , Muppets Tonight , Bear in the Big Blue House , Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony , The Muppets , and The Muppets Mayhem . An adult-oriented 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
7656-486: The characters of the Muppets franchise were acquired by the Walt Disney Company in 2004. The Muppets originated in the short-form television series Sam and Friends , which aired on WRC-TV and in syndication from 1955 to 1961. Following appearances on late-night talk shows and in advertising during the 1960s, the Muppets began appearing on Sesame Street (1969–present) during their formative years in
7772-617: The classic example of this. In China, it became popular from the Song dynasty . A sock puppet is a puppet formed and operated by inserting a hand inside a sock. The hand is opened and closed to simulate the movement of the puppet's "mouth" and give the impression of speaking. Sometimes eyes and other facial features are added to the sock in order to make the puppet more realistic. Sock puppets are popular in many puppet performances, as they are simple to make and easy to use. They are mostly used in satirical or children's works. Supermarionation
7888-672: The company for $ 150 million. Eisner was also interested in acquiring the Sesame Street Muppet characters, but Henson declined that proposal, considering it a "non-starter" for the deal. An " agreement in principle " for the acquisition was publicly announced by Disney and Henson at the Disney-MGM Studios theme park in Walt Disney World Resort on August 28, 1989, along with plans for Muppets-themed attractions to debut at that park and Disneyland
8004-460: The company. The Muppets made appearances on Disney Channel and starred in the ABC television film, The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005). A television special, A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa , premiered on NBC on December 17, 2008. As a method of regaining a wider audience, Disney produced a series of vignettes for YouTube and Disney.com . A cover version of Queen 's " Bohemian Rhapsody "
8120-417: The departure of players is less disruptive than would be the case with a regularly structured cast. The television series The Golden Girls and Friends are archetypal examples of ensemble casts in American sitcoms. The science-fiction mystery drama Lost features an ensemble cast. Ensemble casts of 20 or more actors are common in soap operas , a genre that relies heavily on the character development of
8236-413: The dholak (a double-headed drum) and the sarangi (a bowed string instrument). Rajasthan puppetry performances are typically accompanied by lively folk songs and dances, creating a vibrant and engaging atmosphere. The stories depicted in the puppet shows often revolve around historical events, mythological tales, social issues, and moral lessons. The performances are not only entertaining but also serve as
8352-573: The early-mid 1970s and attained celebrity status and international recognition through The Muppet Show (1976–1981), their flagship sketch comedy television series that received four Primetime Emmy Award wins and 21 nominations during its five-year run. During the late 1970s and 1980s, the Muppets diversified into theatrical films, including The Muppet Movie (1979); The Great Muppet Caper (1981); and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). Additionally, new Muppet characters were created for Fraggle Rock (1983–1987). Disney began involvement with
8468-593: The ensemble. The genre also requires continuous expansion of the cast as the series progresses, with soap operas such as General Hospital , Days of Our Lives , The Young and the Restless , and The Bold and the Beautiful staying on air for decades. An example of a success for television in ensemble casting is the Emmy Award -winning HBO series Game of Thrones . The fantasy series features one of
8584-402: The entire arm. Other parts of the puppet (mainly arms) are usually not much larger than the hand itself. Often the mouth can also open and close, and special variants exist with eyelids that can be manipulated. A sock puppet is a particularly simple type of hand puppet made from a sock. Also called a "two-man puppet" or a "live-hand puppet", the human-arm puppet is similar to a hand puppet but
8700-488: The first season of NBC 's Saturday Night Live . The Muppet characters featured in The Land of Gorch behaved boorishly and made frequent references to drug abuse, sexual activity, and consumption of alcohol; adult themes that Henson wanted to explore with the characters in an effort to not let him nor the Muppets be typecast as entertainment for children. The writers of Saturday Night Live clashed with Henson's vision for
8816-480: The fisherman getting the short end (often capturing his surprised neighbor by mistake). Besides village life, scenes include legends and national history. Lion dogs romp like puppies while dragons exhale fire and smoke and shoot sprays of water at the audience. Performances of up to 18 short scenes are usually introduced by a pig-tailed bumpkin known as Teu, and accompanied by a small folk orchestra. Painted wooden heads, hands made just by stuffing clothes or cotton into
8932-481: The following year. In anticipation of the acquisition, the television special The Muppets at Walt Disney World premiered on May 6, 1990. However, the proposed merger was cancelled after Henson's death on May 16, 1990. Nevertheless, Disney initiated a licensing agreement with Jim Henson Productions to continue developing Muppets attractions and the use of the characters within the Disney theme parks. The following year, Muppet*Vision 3D debuted at Disney–MGM Studios,
9048-405: 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, officially known as a "Muppet performer", who is usually 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, a stage was used to mask
9164-432: The largest ensemble casts on the small screen. The series is notorious for major character deaths, resulting in constant changes within the ensemble. Ensemble casts are common in children's television. Children's shows make heavy use of non-human characters: the casting process is only involved when there is an occasion of humans interacting with non-human characters. Non-human characters are usually created from scratch by
9280-462: The main cast in 2011, debuting the role of Walter in The Muppets. Whitmire was dismissed from the cast in 2016, with Vogel cast as Kermit the Frog in 2017, and most of Whitmire's other characters were assumed by the remainder of the cast, primarily by Linz. The Muppets are currently performed by a core cast of six principal puppeteers: Goelz, Barretta, Jacobson, Vogel, Rudman, and Linz, with
9396-459: The main cast of Fraggle Rock . A shadow puppet is a cut-out figure held between a source of light and a translucent screen. Shadow puppets can form solid silhouettes or be decorated with various amounts of cut-out details. Colour can be introduced into the cut-out shapes to provide a different dimension and different effects can be achieved by moving the puppet (or light source) out of focus. Javanese shadow puppets known as Wayang Kulit are
9512-430: 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. Goelz, Whitmire, and Bill Barretta , who joined the main cast of performers in the mid-1990s, assumed Henson's characters, with Whitmire cast in
9628-488: The natural framing of the television set through which it was viewed. 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
9744-553: The occasional ensemble of "additional" Muppet performers that includes Julianne Buescher , Tyler Bunch , Alice Dinnean , Bruce Lanoil , Leslie Carrara-Rudolph , Drew Massey , Mike Quinn , and Michelan Sisti . From 1962 to 1978, Don Sahlin was the primary designer and builder of the Muppets and was described by Henson as “the man most responsible for the look of the Muppets.” Sahlin's designs are often recognizable for their spheroid heads partially bisected to create large mouths; several characters designed by Sahlin include Rowlf
9860-528: The only attraction successfully developed from the original plans. Walt Disney Pictures also co-produced the fourth and fifth Muppets films, The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and Muppet Treasure Island (1996), with Jim Henson Productions. The characters subsequently starred in Muppets Tonight , which aired on ABC from 1996 to 1998; and a sixth film, Muppets from Space , released by Columbia Pictures in 1999. In 2000, The Jim Henson Company
9976-405: The opposite side. The toy theatre is a puppet cut out of paper and stuck onto card. It is fixed at its base to a stick and operated by pushing it in from the side of the puppet theatre. Sheets of puppets and scenery were produced from the 19th century for children's use. The Ventriloquist's Dummy is a puppet shaped like a small human which is operated by a ventriloquist performer to focus
10092-744: The original characters only returned in a spin-off series, Total Dramarama (despite having yet to return to the game, they became the most well-known cast of the show); one other example of a children's show that involves human casting process and non-human character creation is Barney & Friends ; Other examples of shows that exclusively involve casting processes include Drake & Josh , iCarly and True Jackson, VP ; Other shows that exclusively involve non-human character creation include Tom Ruegger and Steven Spielberg 's Animaniacs , Tiny Toon Adventures , and Freakazoid! , as well as Cow and Chicken , Hey Arnold! , The Proud Family and The Replacements . Puppet A puppet
10208-787: The performers were present. 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 releases. With John Denver , John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together was produced and released in 1979. Under Disney ownership, The Muppets album releases have been released by Walt Disney Records ; including new album releases and album reissues , such as The Muppet Christmas Carol in 2005 and The Muppet Movie in 2013. Legal music publishing rights to Muppet songs are administered by Fuzzy Muppet Songs and Mad Muppet Melodies, imprints of Disney Music Publishing . Similar to other Disney characters,
10324-402: The performers, as would be the case in a live performance. Sometimes, they are seen full-bodied; in most cases, invisible strings are used to manipulate these puppets, with vocals added at a later point. Performers often use dollies to mimic walking. Since 2006, Disney has contracted Puppet Heap to produce and maintain newer models of the Muppets. During most performances, the performer holds
10440-498: The popular model, which gives precedence to a sole protagonist , an ensemble cast leans more towards a sense of "collectivity and community". Ensemble casts in film were introduced as early as September 1916, with D. W. Griffith 's silent epic film Intolerance , featuring four separate though parallel plots. The film follows the lives of several characters over hundreds of years, across different cultures and time periods. The unification of different plot lines and character arcs
10556-466: The program, often refusing to commit to writing the segments, and several cast members bemoaned the inclusion of the Muppets. Eventually, the collaboration proved too divisive, and the Muppets departed Saturday Night Live after the conclusion of the first season. As his involvement with Sesame Street continued, Henson began developing a network television series focusing on the Muppets; as opposed to Sesame Street , however, this series would be aimed at
10672-436: The puppet. A rod puppet is controlled by the puppeteer moving the metal rods attached to the hands of the puppet (or any other limbs) and by turning the central rod secured to the head. The best known examples of rod puppets are Jim Henson 's Muppets , most notably Muppet characters such as Kermit the Frog , Miss Piggy , Gonzo and others, many Sesame Street characters such as Elmo , Bert , Grover and Abby Cadabby , and
10788-413: The rice fields would flood, the villagers would entertain each other using this puppet form. The water also provides the setting for traditional stories depicting day-to-day village life. Water puppets bring wry humor to scenes of farming, fishing, festival events such as buffalo fights, and children's games of marbles and coin-toss. Fishing turns into a game of wits between the fisherman and his prey, with
10904-462: The role of Beaker and Nelson cast in the role of Statler, both previously performed by Hunt. The remainder of Hunt's characters were left without a stable performer until David Rudman was cast in those roles in the 2000s. Oz continued performing until his retirement from puppeteering in 2000; Eric Jacobson was cast as his characters beginning in 2002. At Nelson's behest, Matt Vogel gradually began performing his characters in 2008. Peter Linz joined
11020-450: The second season of the series and the first two installments of the show's film trilogy , respectively; two fellow Nickelodeon shows, SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents , consist of large casts of marine life and magical creatures, respectively, including respective leading protagonists, SpongeBob, Patrick and Squidward, and Cosmo, Wanda and Poof; the first three seasons of Canadian cartoon series Total Drama consist of
11136-430: The series for Associated Television . Debuting in 1976, The Muppet Show introduced new characters such as Miss Piggy , Fozzie Bear , and Gonzo , 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 vaudeville -style humor, and prolific roster of guest stars . It
11252-432: The six degrees of separation is evident in films with an ensemble cast, are in productions such as Love Actually , Crash , and Babel , which all have strong underlying themes interwoven within the plots that unify each film. The Avengers , X-Men , and Justice League are three examples of ensemble casts in the superhero genre. Those three films all focus on teams of five or more protagonists, instead of
11368-602: The size of a human and often much larger. One or more performers are required to move the body and limbs. In parades, the appearance and personality of the person inside is not relevant to the spectator. These puppets are particularly associated with large-scale entertainment, such as the nightly parades at various Disney complexes around the world. Similar puppets were designed by Julie Taymor for The Lion King . The Jim Henson Company also has their version of these puppets called full-bodied puppets . The Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Mr. Snuffleupagus , as well as
11484-465: The sleeve of the dress, with painted appearances, angled eyebrows, mustache for men and nose ring for ladies, and huge expressive eyes all over, manikins are hung with dresses produced using sequined old textures. The puppeteers, known as " Kathputliwalas " skillfully manipulate the puppets while also providing voice and narration for the characters. They use their hands and feet to control the strings and often perform with live music, using instruments like
11600-722: The standard one or two central protagonists. Referential acting is a key factor in executing this balance, as ensemble cast members "play off each other rather than off reality". Hollywood movies with ensemble casts tend to use numerous actors of high renown and/or prestige, instead of one or two "big stars" and a lesser-known supporting cast. Filmmakers known for their use of ensemble casts include Quentin Tarantino , Wes Anderson , and Paul Thomas Anderson among others. Ensemble casting also became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on different characters in different episodes. In addition,
11716-535: The television film It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002). Disney acquired the Muppets from the Henson family in February 2004, though the deal excluded the Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock characters. Subsequent projects have included the television film The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005), two theatrical films: The Muppets (2011) and Muppets Most Wanted (2014), a primetime series (2015–2016),
11832-603: The term for their characters, as well as archival footage of Kermit the Frog. Henson retained 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
11948-419: The three films received four Academy Award nominations. The Muppet Show ended its five-season run in 1981. In 1983, Henson debuted Fraggle Rock , which aired on HBO in the United States until 1987. In 1989, Henson entered negotiations with Michael Eisner and The Walt Disney Company , in which Disney would acquire Jim Henson Productions and, in turn, the Muppets. Disney expressed interest in purchasing
12064-553: The titular character from Bear in the Big Blue House , are popular examples of this type of puppet (Snuffleupagus, in particular, requires two puppeteers; one in the front of the puppet, and one in the back). The Little Girl Giant Puppet is an initiative by the MJF Charitable Foundation to promote Puppetry and to spread the message of female empowerment in Sri Lanka. This giant puppet measured 14 ft and
12180-403: The unlit background of the stage while the puppet is held across the light curtain in the lit foreground of the stage. "Light curtain puppet" is an umbrella term, and any puppet which is extended into a well-lit area where its handler remains separated from the puppet by a division of light may be called a light curtain puppet. Marionettes , or "string puppets", are suspended and controlled by
12296-496: Was Kermit the Frog , who became his most recognizable character. Originally conceived for an adult audience, the Muppets were introduced in 1955 in Sam and Friends , a short-form television series produced for WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. 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
12412-484: Was a commercial disappointment at the box office. 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. Muppet Moments , an interstitial television series, premiered on Disney Junior in April 2015. The short-form series features conversations between
12528-470: Was a critical and commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing puppet film of all time and winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song for Bret McKenzie 's " Man or Muppet ". During the film's publicity campaign, the Muppets appeared in promotional advertisements and marketing efforts by Disney and were also featured in a promotional video for Google+ . In March 2012, the Muppets received
12644-469: Was among these projects and immediately went viral , ultimately amassing 90 million views and winning two Webby Awards . In 2010, the Muppets starred in The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora , which co-starred Cat Cora and showcased cooking demonstrations. That same year, Disney used the Muppets to promote their volunteerism program at the company's theme parks. A Halloween special featuring
12760-494: Was built under the direction of Swedish artist Felix Widen Norgren (Director, Compania Pirata) in collaboration with Power of Play PVT LTD, Sri Lanka. The finger puppet is a simple puppet variant which fits onto a single finger. Finger puppets normally have no moving parts, and consist primarily of a hollow cylinder shape to cover the finger. Finger puppets are often decorated with eyes and mouths made out of fabric or other materials. This form of puppet has limited application and
12876-463: Was followed by a second event in July 2018 at London's O2 Arena , their first outside of the United States. In February 2018, Disney announced that a streaming television reboot series was in development for Disney+ . The project, known as Muppets Live Another Day , was intended as a limited-run series set in the 1980s after the events of The Muppets Take Manhattan and depicted Kermit recruiting
12992-449: Was later previewed at Disney California Adventure and Hong Kong Disneyland . In 2010, the Muppets were the face of the " Give a Day, Get a Disney Day " charity campaign. Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Sweetums appeared in daily parades at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. The Muppets appeared in television and print ads for the campaign and were featured prominently on the campaign's web site. Disney has released numerous collector pins featuring
13108-445: Was nominated for twenty-one Primetime Emmy Awards during its run, winning four, including Outstanding Variety Series in 1978. The success of The Muppet Show allowed Henson Associates to diversify into theatrical films, the first of which, The Muppet Movie , was released in 1979. Following The Muppet Movie were The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Take Manhattan , released in 1981 and 1984, respectively. Collectively,
13224-961: Was ordered in March 2022. The series was developed and written by Adam F. Goldberg , Bill Barretta and Jeff Yorkes and starred Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem , alongside Lilly Singh and Tahj Mowry . 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 (vocals, keyboards), Animal (drums), Floyd Pepper (bass, vocals), Janice (guitar, vocals), Zoot (saxophone), and Lips (trumpet). As well as The Muppet Show ,
13340-635: Was published from 1983 to 1989. The magazine was presented as being run by the Muppets themselves and included such features as celebrity interviews and comic stories. The only Muppets film adapted as a comic book 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 issue #32. The adaptation was later re-printed into three limited series issues, released under Marvel's Star Comics imprint (November 1984 – January 1985). Ensemble cast In contrast to
13456-449: Was sold to EM.TV & Merchandising AG for $ 680 million. However, EM.TV's stock collapsed 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 . Fourteen years after initial negotiations began, Disney acquired the Muppets intellectual property from the Henson company for $ 75 million on February 17, 2004. The acquisition consisted of
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