The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, slapstick, burlesque, and self-referential style of musical variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, the eponymous media franchise encompasses films, television, music, and other media associated with the characters. Owned by the Jim Henson Company for nearly five decades, the Muppets were acquired by the Walt Disney Company in 2004, which established the Muppets Studio division to oversee the characters.
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 the early to 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 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 (1996–1998), both of which were similar in format to The Muppet Show, as well as the animated spin-off Muppet Babies (1984–1991); 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).
