82-422: The Swedish Chef is a Muppet character from the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show , known for his eccentric culinary skills and communicating in mock Swedish gibberish. He was originally performed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz simultaneously, with Henson performing the head and voice and Oz performing the character with real hands. The Swedish Chef is currently performed by Bill Barretta . He
164-682: 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, 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
246-569: 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
328-517: A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002), Studio DC: Almost Live (2008), a sketch for the cast of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and an episode with Hannah Montana star Jason Earles and Cory in the House star Jason Dolley , the Muppet viral video " Popcorn " (2010), The Muppets (2011), Muppets Most Wanted (2014), a regular role on The Muppets (2015), and also appearing as
410-405: 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
492-463: A circulation of 334,000 copies in 2001. The 2004 circulation of the paper was 335,000 copies. It was 339,400 copies on weekdays in 2005. In 2010, the circulation of the paper had declined to 270,900 copies. Kvällsposten , founded in 1948, is – since 1998 – an edition of Expressen distributed in the south of Sweden, including Skåne and Blekinge counties. Its editorial offices are in Malmö and
574-546: 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
656-586: A guest alongside Miss Piggy on the 5th season of MasterChef Junior (2017). A younger version of the Swedish Chef appeared on the Disney Junior series Muppet Babies where he was referred to simply as Chef. The Swedish Chef has also appeared in a 2013 " This is SportsCenter " commercial with Robert Flores , Henrik Lundqvist , Steve Levy , and Linda Cohn . He appears in Muppets Now on
738-663: 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
820-505: A network television series focusing on the Muppets; as opposed to Sesame Street , however, this series would be aimed at 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
902-475: A second puppeteer, originally Frank Oz, serve as those of the Chef, which, in a twist on the formula, are actual human hands instead of puppet gloves, allowing him to better interact with the food he prepares and the tools he uses. In recent years, the Chef has been sometimes seen wearing a wedding ring, one belonging to Steve Whitmire , who usually performed his hands during the majority of Bill Barretta's tenure as
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#1732790686068984-507: A shelf or the back wall in the process. After this introduction, the Chef begins to prepare a recipe while giving a gibberish explanation of what he is doing. His commentary is spiced with the occasional English word to clue in the viewer to what he is attempting. These hints are necessary as he frequently uses unorthodox culinary equipment (firearms, sports equipment, hand tools, etc.) to prepare his dishes. (e.g. "See de moofin? Und here de boom-a-shootin" before tossing an English muffin into
1066-443: Is best known for his ridiculous cooking methods and the phrase "Bork, bork, bork!". A parody of television chefs , the Swedish Chef wears a toque blanche , has a thick brown moustache and has bushy eyebrows that completely obscure his eyes. He was one of the few Muppets to employ an actual puppeteer 's visible hands, which extended from the ends of his sleeves and facilitated handling food and utensils. Frank Oz originally provided
1148-489: Is bewildering and annoying to Swedes" and argued that Swedes don't find the character funny at all; the author Jeremy Stahl quoted his wife who said the character "doesn't sound Swedish, doesn't act Swedish, and there's nothing Swedish about him. He's not funny." The linguist Tomas Riad said "it's not funny for us to laugh at. It's funny for other people to laugh at." In the German-dubbed version of The Muppet Show ,
1230-807: 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
1312-478: Is one of two nationwide evening newspapers in Sweden . Describing itself as independent liberal, Expressen was founded in 1944; its symbol is a wasp and its slogans are "it stings" or " Expressen to your rescue". The newspaper awards the culture prize Expressens Heffaklump for children's and youth culture. The first edition of Expressen was published on 16 November 1944. A main feature that day
1394-679: 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
1476-403: The 1960s, the Muppets began appearing on Sesame Street (1969–present) during their formative years in 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,
1558-558: 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
1640-670: The Chef is Danish rather than Swedish, and his name is Smørrebrød Skagerrak . Besides appearances in The Muppet Show , the chef also appears in The Muppet Movie (1979), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (1986), A Muppet Family Christmas (1987), Muppet*Vision 3D (1991), an attraction found at Disney's Hollywood Studios , The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), Muppets From Space (1999), It's
1722-459: The Chef's amusement. In 2010, the Chef was seen wearing a wedding ring, implying that the character is married. Some claim that the Swedish Chef was inspired by a real-life chef. One example is Friedman Paul Erhardt , a German American television chef known as "Chef Tell". Another example is Lars "Kuprik" Bäckman , a real-life Swedish chef. Bäckman claims that his rather unsuccessful appearance on an early edition of Good Morning America caught
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#17327906860681804-725: 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
1886-684: 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,
1968-597: 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
2050-587: 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
2132-512: 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
2214-468: The Muppets be typecast as entertainment for children. The writers of Saturday Night Live clashed with Henson's vision for 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
2296-595: 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 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
2378-474: 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
2460-413: 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
2542-559: 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
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2624-576: 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 ,
2706-533: 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
2788-435: The Swedish Chef, and I never once heard him mention an actual Swedish chef..." According to Brian Henson, in one of his introductions for The Muppet Show , "[Jim Henson] had this tape that he used to play which was 'How to Speak Mock Swedish'. And he used to drive to work and I used to ride with him a lot. And he would drive to work trying to make a chicken sandwich in mock Swedish or make a turkey casserole in mock Swedish. It
2870-578: The United States and English-speaking areas around the world. They have been recognized by various cultural institutions and organizations, including 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
2952-583: 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
3034-776: 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
3116-408: The air and blowing a hole through it with a blunderbuss to make a doughnut .) The sketch typically degenerates into a slapstick finale where the equipment or ingredients (often a live animal he is attempting to cook) get the better of him. The Chef is referred to by name in one episode, in which Danny Kaye plays his uncle. Kaye reels off a very long name but adds, "But we call him Tom" – much to
3198-614: 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 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
3280-526: 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
3362-584: 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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3444-423: The attention of Jim Henson , who later bought the rights to the recording and created Bäckman's Muppet alter ego. Bäckman's Dalecarlian accent would explain the chef's strange pronunciation. Muppet writer Jerry Juhl denied Bäckman's story and insisted the character had no real-world counterpart: "I wrote, rehearsed, rewrote, brainstormed, and giggled uncontrollably a thousand times with Jim Henson as we dealt with
3526-422: 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
3608-446: The character's hands. Nearly all Swedish Chef sketches on The Muppet Show feature him in a kitchen, waving some utensils while singing an introductory song in a mock language – a semi-comprehensible gibberish supposedly mimicking Swedish phonology and prosody . The song's lyrics vary slightly from one episode to the next, but always end with "Bork, bork, bork!" as the Chef throws the utensils aside, occasionally knocking items off
3690-464: The character. Since Whitmire's departure from The Muppets, Peter Linz has served as the Chef's hands. The Muppets have not had the same cultural impact in Sweden as in the United States. In Sweden, the Swedish Chef's name was translated as Svenske kocken , meaning the "Swedish cook". A 2012 Slate article stated that "the fact that his nonsense words are so widely interpreted as Swedish-sounding
3772-608: 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
3854-674: 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
3936-465: 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 "
4018-538: The competitor Aftonbladet is independent social-democratic . Ownership of Expressen (and Sweden's largest morning newspaper, Dagens Nyheter ) is controlled by the Bonnier family , while Aftonbladet is owned jointly by Swedish trade unions and the Norwegian publishing family Schibsted . In 1998, the circulation of Expressen was 316,000 copies on weekdays and 396,000 copies on Sundays. The paper had
4100-547: The early 1970s, the Muppets continued their presence in television, primarily appearing in The Land of Gorch segments during 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
4182-617: The editor in chief is Magnus Ringman. Göteborgs-Tidningen or GT was a tabloid newspaper founded in Gothenburg in 1902. GT was owned by Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning , but in 1973 it was acquired by Göteborgs-Posten . In 1998, Bonnier AB bought the newspaper and since then it has become a regional edition of Expressen – distributed in the southwest of Sweden, including Västra Götaland County . GT ' s headquarters are in Gothenburg and its editor in chief
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#17327906860684264-594: The first Muppet character to appear regularly on network television when he began appearing with Jimmy Dean on The Jimmy Dean Show . In 1966, Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett began developing a children's educational television program and approached Henson to design a cast of Muppet characters during this stage. Produced by the Children's Television Workshop , the program debuted as Sesame Street in 1969 on NET , and later PBS . Henson and his creative team became closely involved with Sesame Street during
4346-485: 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,
4428-405: 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
4510-466: 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
4592-431: 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
4674-554: 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
4756-529: 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
4838-451: The paper had a liberal stance, but it declared its independent leaning in 1995. Through mergers, the Gothenburg edition of Expressen is titled GT (originally Göteborgs-Tidningen ) and the Malmö edition is titled Kvällsposten , but the three share half of the content. Expressen (with GT and Kvällsposten ) maintains a centre-right political profile, describing its editorial position as "independent liberal ", while
4920-788: 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,
5002-405: 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
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#17327906860685084-516: The project, British producer Lew Grade approached Henson and agreed to co-produce the series for Associated Television . Debuting in 1976, The Muppet Show introduced new characters such as Miss Piggy , Fozzie Bear , 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
5166-463: 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
5248-652: The segment "Økėÿ Døkęÿ Køøkïñ" in which he competes against celebrity chefs. In 2020, he appeared in the cooking simulation video game Overcooked: All You Can Eat as a playable character . Swedish Chef appears as a playable character in Disney Heroes: Battle Mode , a mobile game featuring Disney characters. The Muppets 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
5330-419: The series was the first form of puppet media not to incorporate a physical proscenium arch typical of such works, relying instead on the natural framing of the television set through which it was viewed. 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
5412-543: The subject in Swedish magazine Expressen in 1985, Jim Henson claimed that "one of my writers came up with the idea that the chef should sound like the Swedish actors in Ingmar Bergman films". The Swedish Chef is a variation of a live-hand Muppet. The Chef's lead performer, originally Jim Henson, uses his dominant hand to perform the character's head and mouth, and provides his mock Swedish dialogue. Both hands of
5494-501: 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), 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
5576-478: The term Muppet as a portmanteau of the words marionette and puppet . Among Henson's earliest creations 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 ,
5658-603: 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
5740-420: 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
5822-414: The years that followed; Henson waived his performance fee in exchange for retaining ownership rights to the Muppet characters created for the program. Sesame Street garnered a positive response, and the Muppets' involvement in the series was said to be a vital component of its increasing popularity, providing an "effective and pleasurable viewing" method of presentation for its educational curriculum. In
5904-486: 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
5986-472: 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
6068-472: 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
6150-536: Was an interview with the crew members of a British bomber who were successful in sinking the German ship Tirpitz . A project of Albert Bonnier Jr. , Carl-Adam Nycop , and Ivar Harrie – who was to become the first editor-in-chief – Expressen was created in part to push back against " national socialism and related violent ideologies." The paper is owned by the Bonnier Group . As of 2005,
6232-465: 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
6314-453: 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
6396-446: 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,
6478-963: 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 ,
6560-649: 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). Expressen Expressen ( The Express )
6642-451: 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
6724-579: Was the most ridiculous thing you had ever seen. And people at traffic lights used to stop and sort of look at him a little crazy. But that was the roots of the character that would eventually become the Swedish Chef." According to Juhl, "Jim spent a couple of weeks listening to Berlitz tapes while commuting to get his babble perfected. Then, much later, I actually WROTE the babble! Heck, I come from good Danish stock, which Jim and I decided made me an expert in Scandenavian linguistics." When interviewed on
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