{"id":41618,"date":"2026-01-29T07:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T15:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=41618"},"modified":"2026-02-08T07:15:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T15:15:40","slug":"its-easy-making-green-muppets-continue-to-make-a-profit-50-years-into-their-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/its-easy-making-green-muppets-continue-to-make-a-profit-50-years-into-their-run\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s easy making green: Muppets continue to make a profit 50 years into their run"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jared Bahir Browsh<\/a>, University of Colorado Boulder<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A variety show that\u2019s still revered for its absurdist, slapstick humor debuted 50 years ago. It starred an irreverent band of characters made of foam and fleece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long after \u201cThe Muppet Show<\/a>\u201d\u2018s original 120-episode run ended in 1981, the legend and legacy of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and other creations concocted by puppeteer and TV producer Jim Henson have kept on growing. Thanks to the Muppets\u2019 film franchise and the wonders of YouTube, the wacky gang is still delighting, and expanding, its fan base<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a scholar of popular culture<\/a>, I believe that the Muppets\u2019 reign, which began in the 1950s<\/a>, has helped shape global culture, including educational television. Along the way, the puppets and the people who bring them to life have earned billions in revenue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kermit\u2019s origin story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Muppets, a portmanteau of marionette and puppet, first appeared on TV in the Washington, D.C., region in 1955, when Henson created a short sketch show called \u201cSam and Friends<\/a>\u201d with his future wife, Jane Nebel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their motley cast of puppets, including a lizardlike character named Kermit<\/a>, sang parody songs and performed comedy sketches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henson\u2019s creations were soon popping up in segments on other TV shows, including \u201cToday\u201d and late-night programs. Rowlf the Dog<\/a> appeared in Canadian dog food commercials before joining \u201cThe Jimmy Dean Show<\/a>\u201d as the host\u2019s sidekick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that show ended, Rowlf and Dean performed on the \u201cEd Sullivan Show,\u201d where Kermit had occasionally appeared since 1961<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From \u2018Sesame Street\u2019 to \u2018SNL\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As Rowlf and Kermit made the rounds on variety shows, journalist Joan Ganz Cooney<\/a> and psychologist Lloyd Morrisett<\/a> were creating a new educational program. They invited Henson to provide a Muppet ensemble for the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henson waived his performance fee to maintain rights over the characters who became the most famous residents of \u201cSesame Street<\/a>.\u201d The likes of Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster and Big Bird were joined by Kermit who, by the time the show premiered in 1969, was identified as a frog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When \u201cSesame Street\u201d became a hit, Henson worried that his Muppets would be typecast as children\u2019s entertainment. Another groundbreaking show, aimed at young adults, offered him a chance to avoid that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSaturday Night Live\u2019s\u201d debut on NBC in 1975 \u2013 when the show was called \u201cSaturday Night<\/a>\u201d \u2013 included a segment called \u201cThe Land of Gorch<\/a>,\u201d in which Henson\u2019s grotesque creatures drank, smoked and cracked crass jokes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Land of Gorch\u201d segments ended after \u201cSaturday Night Live\u2019s\u201d first season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miss Piggy gets her closeup<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Muppet Show\u201d was years in the making. ABC eventually aired two TV specials<\/a> in 1974 and 1975 that were meant to be pilots for a U.S.-produced \u201cMuppet Show.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After no American network picked up his quirky series, Henson partnered with British entertainment entrepreneur Lew Grade<\/a> to produce a series for ATV, a British network, that featured Kermit and other Muppets. The new ensemble included Fozzie Bear, Animal and Miss Piggy<\/a> \u2013 Muppets originally performed by frequent Henson collaborator Frank Oz<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Muppet Show<\/a>\u201d parodied variety shows on which Henson had appeared. Connections he\u2019d made along the way paid off: Many celebrities he met on those shows\u2019 sets would guest star on \u201cThe Muppet Show,\u201d including everyone from Rita Moreno and Lena Horne to Joan Baez and Johnny Cash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Muppet Show,\u201d which was staged and shot at a studio near London<\/a>, debuted on Sept. 5, 1976, in the U.K<\/a>, before airing in syndication in the United States on stations like New York\u2019s WCBS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Muppets hit the big screen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Muppet Show\u201d was a hit, amassing a global audience of over 200 million. It won many awards<\/a>, including a Primetime Emmy for outstanding comedy-variety or music series<\/a> \u2013 for which it beat \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d \u2013 in 1978.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While his TV show was on the air, Henson worked on the franchise\u2019s first film, \u201cThe Muppet Movie.\u201d The road film, released in 1979, was another hit: It earned more than US$76 million at the box office<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Muppet Movie\u201d garnered two Academy Award nominations for its music, including best song for \u201cRainbow Connection<\/a>.\u201d It won a Grammy<\/a> for best album for children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next two films, \u201cThe Great Muppet Caper<\/a>,\u201d which premiered in 1981, and \u201cThe Muppets Take Manhattan<\/a>,\u201d released in 1984, also garnered Oscar nominations for their music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Fraggle Rock\u2019 and the Disney deal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The cast of \u201cThe Muppet Show\u201d and the three films took a break from Hollywood while Henson focused on \u201cFraggle Rock<\/a>,\u201d a TV show for kids that aired from 1983-1987 on HBO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Henson\u2019s other productions, \u201cFraggle Rock\u201d featured absurdist humor \u2013 but its puppets aren\u2019t considered part of the standard Muppets gang. This co-production between Henson, Canadian Broadcast Corporation and British producers was aimed at international markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quickly conglomerating media industry led Henson to consider corporate partnerships to assist with his goal of further expanding the Muppet media universe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In August 1989, he negotiated a deal with Michael Eisner of Disney who announced at Disney-MGM Studios an agreement in principle to acquire The Muppets, with Henson<\/a> maintaining ownership of the \u201cSesame Street\u201d characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The announcement also included plans to open Muppet-themed attractions at Disney parks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But less than a year later, on May 16, 1990, Henson died<\/a> from a rare and serious bacterial infection<\/a>. He was 53.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of Muppets and mergers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Henson\u2019s death led to the Disney deal\u2019s collapse<\/a>. But the company did license The Muppets to Disney, which co-produced \u201cThe Muppet Christmas Carol<\/a>\u201d in 1992 and \u201cMuppet Treasure Island<\/a>\u201d in 1996 with Jim Henson Productions, which was then run by Jim\u2019s son, Brian Henson<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2000, the Henson family sold the Muppet properties to German media company EM.TV & Merchandising AG<\/a> for $680 million. That company ran into financial trouble soon after, then sold the Sesame Street characters to Sesame Workshop for $180 million in late 2000<\/a>. The Jim Henson Company bought back the remaining Muppet properties for $84 million in 2003.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2004, Disney finally acquired The Muppets<\/a> and most of the media library associated with the characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disney continued to produce Muppet content, including \u201cThe Muppet\u2019s Wizard of Oz\u201d in 2005. Its biggest success came with the 2011 film \u201cThe Muppets,\u201d which earned over $165 million at the box office<\/a> and won the Oscar for best original song \u201cMan or Muppet<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMuppets Most Wanted<\/a>,\u201d released in 2014, earned another $80 million worldwide, bringing total global box office receipts to over $458 million across eight theatrical Muppets movies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u2018Muppet Show\u2019 goes on<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Muppets continue to expand their fandom across generations and genres<\/a> by performing at live concerts and appearing in several<\/a> series and films<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through these many hits and occasional bombs, and the Jim Henson Company\u2019s personnel changes<\/a>, the Muppets have adapted to changes in technology and tastes, making it possible for them to remain relevant<\/a> to new generations<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That cast of characters made of felt and foam continue to entertain fans of all ages. Although many people remain nostalgic over \u201cThe Muppet Show,\u201d two prior efforts to reboot the show proved<\/a> short-lived<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when Disney airs its \u201cThe Muppet Show<\/a>\u201d anniversary special on Feb. 4, 2026, maybe more people will get hooked as Disney looks to reboot the series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jared Bahir Browsh<\/a>, Assistant Teaching Professor of Critical Sports Studies, University of Colorado Boulder<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jared Bahir Browsh, University of Colorado Boulder A variety show that\u2019s still revered for its absurdist, slapstick humor debuted 50 years ago. It starred an irreverent band of characters made of foam and fleece. Long after \u201cThe Muppet Show\u201d\u2018s original 120-episode run ended in 1981, the legend and legacy of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":41619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[293,279,7,10,36,38,41],"tags":[17409,4694,885,891,886,860,2225,17406,17407,17410,861,536,17408],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41618"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41618"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41620,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41618\/revisions\/41620"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}