MARVELLO MUPPETS!
IT’S A BRITISH SHOW!
From Kermit the Frog to Fozzie Bear, the Muppets have been popculture icons for almost half a century! Created by the godfather of puppetry, Jim Henson, the quirky characters first debuted on local Washington kids’ show Sam and Friends in 1955, before some of the characters appeared on beloved children’s series Sesame Street in 1969.
But the story of the
Muppets as stars in their own right begins with The Muppet Show, which premiered 45 years ago on January 16.
Beloved by the young – and young at heart – the broad popularity of the variety sketch show attracted many celebrity guest hosts, including Liza Minnelli, Julie Andrews and Elton John. The show even generated two chart-topping hit songs, with Kermit’s ‘Rainbow Connection’ and ‘Halfway Down The Stairs’, and became a launch pad for multiple spin-off films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper.
Funny, loveable and often goofy, Jim’s characters taught children to see the goodness in each other – but the show was not without scandal.
Rights and ownership issues have been a constant, particularly following Jim Henson’s death in 1990.
In 2003, the Henson family had to reacquire the rights from a collapsed German production company, before selling it on to Disney a year later for the relative bargain of $75 million.
In 2017, Jim’s daughter, Cheryl, hit back at claims made by actor Steve Whitmire – who voiced Kermit the Frog for almost 30 years – after he alleged he was sacked because he challenged plans to change the famous frog.
Cheryl took to social media to insist Steve was let go because his “performance of Kermit has strayed far away from my father’s goodhearted, compassionate leader of the Muppets”.
Despite the hiccups, the Muppets have prevailed. Thanks to some clever projects that have kept the show relevant to new viewers while staying true to their original fans, including the 2011 flick The Muppets, the characters continue to delight and entertain young audiences – all while never appearing to age a day!
After failing to find a US production home, the original series was picked up by British network ATV, who then syndicated it back to the US.