The Muppets

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The Muppets are a group of puppets and costume characters, and the company created by Jim Henson. Individually, a Muppet is properly one of the puppets made by Jim Henson or his Creature Shop – though the term is often used erroneously to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show and Sesame Street characters, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark linked to the characters created by The Jim Henson Company.

The word "Muppet" itself was said by Henson to have been created by combining the words "marionette" and "puppet"; however, Henson was also known to have stated that it was just something he liked the sound of, and he made up the "marionette/puppet" story while talking to a journalist because it sounded plausible.^[1]

Muppets are distinguished from ventriloquist "dummies", which are typically animated only in the head and face, in that their arms or other features are also mobile and expressive. Muppets are typically made of softer materials. They are also presented as being independent of the puppeteer, who is usually not visible, hidden behind a set or outside of the camera frame.

[edit] Appearance

The most common design for a Jim Henson Muppet is a character with a very wide mouth and large protruding eyes. The puppets are often molded or carved out of foam rubber, and then covered with fleece. Yarn, nylon string, or (most commonly) ostrich feathers are used to create hair. As there is no "eye store" from which they can be purchased, Muppet eyes are often made (as in the case of the original Kermit) from ping-pong balls, from fishing floats, or from a hemispherical toy called a Wacky Stax. Muppets may represent humans, anthropomorphic animals, realistic animals, robots or anthropomorphic objects, extra-terrestrial creatures, mythical beings or other unidentified, newly imagined creatures.

[edit] Operation

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

[edit] Famous Muppets

The Muppets in Weezer's 'Keep Fishin'"

Famous Muppets include Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Rowlf the Dog, Beaker, Scooter, and Animal. The most widely known television shows featuring Muppets are Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and The Muppet Show. A recurring adult-oriented cast of Muppets (in a setting known as The Land of Gorch) were part of the first season of Saturday Night Live. Other less-popular series have included The Jim Henson Hour and Muppets Tonight. The puppet characters of Farscape, The Storyteller, The Hoobs, and Dinosaurs, as well as from the films Labyrinth, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and The Dark Crystal, are not considered Muppets, although they were also made by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. For a history of Jim Henson's Muppets, see Jim Henson.

After earlier unsuccessful attempts, The Walt Disney Company finally bought the Muppets in 2004. Exceptions include characters appearing on Sesame Street (as they were previously sold to Sesame Workshop), the Fraggles of Fraggle Rock, along with the above-mentioned non-"Muppet"-brand characters.

The Muppets' popularity has been so expansive that Muppet characters have been treated as celebrities in their own right, including presenting at the Academy Awards, making cameos in Rocky III and An American Werewolf in London, and being interviewed on the newsmagazine 60 Minutes. Kermit the Frog was interviewed early on in Jon Stewart's run on The Daily Show. and has served as Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade. Michael Parkinson once famously interviewed Miss Piggy on his UK chatshow.

Muppet-like and Muppet-inspired puppets star in the 2004 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Avenue Q (which disavows any relationship with Sesame Workshop or the Jim Henson Company).

[edit] Cultural references

• The music video for the Weezer song "Keep Fishin'" is premised on the band performing on The Muppet Show and features appearances by several characters.
• On September 28, 2005, the United States Postal Service released a Jim Henson and the Muppets postage stamp series.^[2]
• "Smile Time," an episode of Angel, revolves around an evil Muppet-like children's TV show and features several Henson-regular puppeteers.
• In the 2005 animated Teen Titans episode "Bunny Raven... or How to Make a Titanimal Disappear", the final scene takes place in a theatre that resembles the set of The Muppet Show. There is a puppet Amazing Mumbo stagehand that mimics Scooter's mannerisms and a pithy one-liner joke is delivered by two Mumbos that look like Statler & Waldorf.
• In The Goodies episode titled "Earthanasia", Tim, Bill and Graeme are waiting for the end of the world. As Tim does some ironing, he explains that there will be no more Muppets when the world ends. Graeme then explains that they are just puppets and even takes some socks and imitates the voices of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, which causes Tim to go insane.
• Several episodes of Family Guy have spoofed the Muppets.
• Several episodes of The Simpsons have spoofed the Muppets.
• On an episode of Saturday Night Live in which pop singer Justin Timberlake hosted, one sketch featured Timberlake and a fake puppet of Kermit the Frog performing a duet of Rainbow Connection.
• An American inspirational billboard campaign featured Kermit the Frog with the caption "Eats Flies. Dates a Pig. Hollywood Star" and the byline "Live Your Dreams."

[edit] Some Muppets and their performers

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There are only three major, unretired classic characters that have always been portrayed by one puppeteer. Two of them are Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Zoot, since they're performed by Dave Goelz, the only major Muppet performer who joined the Henson company before the early 1970s who hasn't since retired or passed away. (Gonzo technically only has Goelz as a perfomer, though an identical puppet with a different name was performed by someone else.)

The third unretired major classic character is Robin the Frog, performed by Jerry Nelson; the character has simply not been used again since Nelson's retirement in 2004-05.

Several minor characters, such as George the Janitor and Marvin Suggs (both performed by Frank Oz) only have one performer as well, but they have not been seen in some time.

Of the newer puppeters (1978-present), several of their characters have only been performed by one person: Bobo, Clifford, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Johnny Fiama, Marvin Suggs, Pepe, Rizzo the Rat.

• Animal - Frank Oz (1975 - 1999), Eric Jacobson (2002 - present)
• Beaker - Richard Hunt (1977 - 1991), Steve Whitmire (1992 - present)
• Bobo - Bill Barretta (1996 - present)
• Crazy Harry - Jerry Nelson (1975-1999), Rickey Boyd (2005) (appeared in 1974's The Muppets' Valentine Special as Crazy Donald, performed by John Lovelady)
• Clifford - Kevin Clash (1989-present)
• Dr. Bunsen Honeydew - Dave Goelz (1976-present)
• Dr. Teeth - Jim Henson (1975 - 1990), John Kennedy (1991-2003), Bill Barretta (1996 - present)
• Sgt. Floyd Pepper - Jerry Nelson (1975-1999), John Kennedy (2005-present)
• Fozzie Bear - Frank Oz (1976 - 2000), Eric Jacobson (2002 - present)
• George the Janitor - Frank Oz (1974-77, 1992) (character is semi-retired)
• Gonzo - Dave Goelz (1976-present) (originally appeared as a monster called "Cigar Box Frackle," performed by Danny Seagren, for a TV special called The Great Santa Claus Switch in 1970)
• Janice - Fran Brill (1975)), Eren Ozker (1976-1977), Richard Hunt (1976-1992), Brian Henson (2001), Tyler Bunch (2005-present)
• Johnny Fiama - Bill Barretta (1996 - present)
• Kermit the Frog - Jim Henson (1955 - 1990), Steve Whitmire (1990 - present)
• Lew Zealand - Jerry Nelson (1978-2003), Bill Barretta (2002)
• Link Hogthrob - Jim Henson (1977 - 1990), Steve Whitmire (1992-present) (character has been semi-retired since Henson's death)
• Marvin Suggs - Frank Oz (1976 - 2000) (character has been semi-retired since Season 1 of The Muppet Show, but makes occasional cameos)
• Miss Piggy - Frank Oz (1976 - 2002), Eric Jacobson (2001 - present)
• Pepe the Prawn - Bill Barretta (1996-present)
• Pops - Jerry Nelson (1980-81, 1992, 2002) (character is semi-retired)
• Rizzo the Rat - Steve Whitmire (1978-present)
• Robin - Jerry Nelson (1971-2005)
• Rowlf the Dog - Jim Henson (1962 - 1990), Bill Barretta (1996 - present)
• Sam the Eagle - Frank Oz (1975 - 1999), Kevin Clash (2002 - 2003), Eric Jacobson (2005)
• Scooter - Richard Hunt (1976 - 1990), Adam Hunt (1999) [voice only], Brian Henson (2002 - 2003), Rickey Boyd (2005)
• Statler - Richard Hunt (1976 - 1992), Jerry Nelson (1975, 1992-2001), Steve Whitmire (2002-present)
• Swedish Chef - Jim Henson (1975 - 1990), David Rudman (1992), Bill Barretta (1996 - present)
• Sweetums - Richard Hunt (1976 - 1991), John Henson (1991 - present)
• Waldorf - Jim Henson (1975 - 1990), Dave Goelz (1991 - present)
• Zoot - Dave Goelz (1975-present)

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Theatrical

The Muppet Movie (1979)

The Great Muppet Caper (1981)

The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)

Jim Henson's MuppetVision 3D (1991)

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

Muppets from Space (1999)

[edit] Telefilms

It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005)

[edit] TV Shows

Sam and Friends (1955-61)

Sesame Street (1969 – present)

Saturday Night Live (1975)

The Muppet Show (1976-1981)

Fraggle Rock (1983-87)

Muppet Babies (1984-1991)

The Jim Henson Hour (1989)

Dog City (1989)

Muppets Tonight (1996-1998)

[edit] TV Specials

Hey Cinderella! (1970)

The Frog Prince (1971)

The Muppet Musicians of Bremen (1972)

The Muppets Valentine Show (1974)

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977)

The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979)

John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together (1979)

The Muppets at the Movies (1981)

The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show (1982)

Rocky Mountain Holiday with John Denver and the Muppets (1983)

The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (1985)

The Christmas Toy (1986)

Tale of the Bunny Picnic (1986)

Song of the Cloud Forest (1989)

A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)

The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990)

The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990)

[edit] Direct-to-video

Muppet Classic Theater (1994)

Kermit's Swamp Years (2002)

Playhouse Video -- compilations of The Muppet Show with new framing material created in the 1980s

Muppet Sing-Along -- compilations distributed by Disney in the 1990s. While mostly containing vintage footage, some new footage was shot for wrapraround segments.

[edit] See also

• List of Muppets based on celebrities
• Sesame Street

[edit] References

1. ^ Marionette and Puppet. Muppet Wiki.
2. ^ United States Postal Service (September 28, 2005). Jim Henson, Muppets, get stamps of approval. Press Release.

[edit] External links

• Muppet Wiki - Encyclopedia
• Muppets.com - Official site
• The Jim Henson Company - Original creators of The Muppets
• The Jim Henson Legacy - The Legacy of the Maker of the Muppets Jim Henson
• 5 Freaky Muppet Videos