Muppets

The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson and his team beginning in the 1950s. The name, coined by Henson, refers to a distinctive style of puppetry that blends hand and rod manipulation, with expressive facial features and a plush, colorful appearance. Muppets are known for humor, musical numbers, and performances aimed at both children and adults.

Henson developed the characters through early television work such as Sam and Friends, but the Muppets achieved international fame with The Muppet Show, a variety program that aired from 1976 to 1981. The Muppets also starred in feature films, starting with The Muppet Movie (1979), and continued to appear in later films and specials.

In 1969, many Muppets became central to Sesame Street, an educational program co-created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett. These characters, designed by Henson and colleagues, helped define the show's approach to puppetry and curriculum-based content. Sesame Street remains produced by Sesame Workshop and continues to use Muppet performers alongside other characters.

In 2004 the Walt Disney Company acquired the Muppets, including The Muppets Studio, from The Jim Henson Company. The Sesame Street brand remains separate, owned by Sesame Workshop. After the Disney deal, The Muppets appeared in the 2011 feature The Muppets, the 2014 film Muppets Most Wanted, and the 2015 ABC television series The Muppets, among other projects.

The Muppets have had a broad influence on puppetry and popular culture, combining humor, warmth, and satirical wit that appeal to multiple generations.