A variety show still revered for its absurdist, slapstick humor debuted 50 years ago. It stars an irreverent band of characters made of foam and wool.

duration “The Muppet Show“The original 120-episode run ended in 1981, the legend and legacy of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and other creations created by puppeteer and TV producer Jim Henson continues to grow. Thanks to the Muppets film franchise and the wonders of the YouTubeTHE The wacky gang is still enjoying, and expanding, its fan base.

As a popular culture scholarI believe the reign of the Muppets, which began in the 1950shelped shape global culture, including educational television. Along the way, puppets and the people who bring them to life have made billions in revenue.

Kermit’s origin story

Muppets, a portmanteau of marionette and puppet, first appeared on TV in the Washington, DC, region in 1955, when Henson created a short sketch show called “Sam and Friends” with his future wife, Jane Nebel.

Their motley cast of puppets, including a lizard-like character named Kermitsang parody songs and performed comedy sketches.

Henson’s creations soon appeared in parts of other TV shows, including “Today” and late night programs. Rowlf the Dog appeared in Canadian dog food commercials before joining the “The Jimmy Dean Show” as the host’s sidekick.

After that performance, Rowlf and Dean performed on the “Ed Sullivan Show,” where Kermit has been making occasional appearances since 1961.

From ‘Sesame Street’ to ‘SNL’

While Rowlf and Kermit make the rounds of variety shows, journalists Joan Ganz Cooney and psychologist Lloyd Morriset created a new educational program. They invited Henson to provide a Muppet ensemble for the show.

Henson waived his performance fee to retain the rights to the characters who became the most famous residents of “Sesame Street.” The likes of Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster and Big Bird were joined by Kermit who, at the time the show premiered in 1969, was identified as a frog.

When “Sesame Street” became a hit, Henson worried that his Muppets would be typecast as children’s entertainment. Another groundbreaking show, aimed at young adults, offers him a chance to avoid that.

NBC’s “Saturday Night Live’s” debut was in 1975 – when the show was called “Saturday Night” – includes a feature called “The land of Gorch is flat,” in which Henson’s strange creations drink, smoke and crack crass jokes.

The parts of “The Land of Gorch” ended after the first season of “Saturday Night Live”. https://www.youtube.com/embed/IxnG5X4Geak?wmode=transparent&start=0 The first season of ‘Saturday Night Live’ included ‘Land of Gorch’ sketches starring creatures created by Jim Henson to entertain adults.

Approached by Miss Piggy

“The Muppet Show” was years in the making. ABC at the end aired two TV specials in 1974 and 1975 intended to be pilots for a “Muppet Show” produced in the US.

After no American network picked up his unique series, Henson teamed up British entertainment entrepreneur Lew Grade to produce a series for ATV, a British network, featuring Kermit and the other Muppets. The new ensemble includes Fozzie Bear, Animal and Miss Piggy – Muppets were originally created by frequent Henson collaborators Frank Oz.

“The Muppet Show” parodies the various shows Henson appeared in. The connections he made along the way paid off: Many celebrities he met on the sets of those shows would go on to guest star on “The Muppet Show,” including everyone from Rita Moreno and Lena Horne to Joan Baez and Johnny Cash.

“The Muppet Show,” featuring and Shot in a studio near Londondebuted in September 5, 1976, in the UKbefore airing in syndication in the United States on stations such as WCBS in New York. https://www.youtube.com/embed/b8DijZ2aFxg?wmode=transparent&start=0 While the opening and closing theme songs changed over time, they retained a Vaudeville vibe despite the house band’s preference for rock and jazz.

The Muppets hit the big screen

“The Muppet Show” was a hit, garnering a worldwide audience of over 200 million. it won many awardsincluding a Primetime Emmy for outstanding comedy-variety or music series – where it beat “Saturday Night Live” – in 1978.

While his TV show was on the air, Henson worked on the first film in the franchise, “The Muppet Movie.” The film on the road, released in 1979, was another hit: It earned more than US$76 million at the box office.

“The Muppet Movie” earned two Academy Award nominations for its music, including best song for “Rainbow Connection.” it won a Grammy for best album for children.

The next two films, “The Great Muppet Caper“which aired in 1981, and”The Muppets take over Manhattan,” released in 1984, also earned Oscar nominations for their music.

‘Fraggle Rock’ and the Disney deal

The cast of “The Muppet Show” and the three films took a break from Hollywood while Henson focused on “Fraggle Rock,” a children’s TV show that aired from 1983-1987 on HBO.

Like Henson’s other productions, “Fraggle Rock” features absurdist humor – but its puppets are not considered part of the standard Muppets gang. This co-production between Henson, Canadian Broadcast Corporation and British producers is aimed at international markets.

The rapid consolidation of the media industry led Henson to consider corporate partnerships to aid his goal of further expanding the Muppet media universe.

In August 1989, he negotiated a deal with Disney’s Michael Eisner who announced Disney-MGM Studios an agreement in principle to got The Muppets, with Henson continuing ownership of the “Sesame Street” characters.

The announcement also included plans to open Muppet-themed attractions at Disney parks.

But less than a year later, on May 16, 1990, Henson died from a rare and serious bacterial infection. He is 53 years old.

In Muppets and mergers

Henson’s death led to The collapse of the Disney deal. But the company licensed The Muppets to Disney, co-producing “The Muppet Christmas Carol“in 1992 and”Muppet Treasure Island is an island” in 1996 with Jim Henson Productions, run by Jim’s son, Brian Henson.

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

In 2004, Disney finally got The Muppets and most of the media library associated with the characters.

Disney continued to produce Muppet content, including “The Muppet’s Wizard of Oz” in 2005. Its biggest success came with the 2011 film “The Muppets,” which grossed a lot. $165 million at the box office and won the Oscar for best original song “Human or Muppet.”

“Muppets Most Wanted,” released in 2014, earned another $80 million worldwide, bringing the total worldwide box office receipts to more than $458 million across the eight theatrical Muppets movies.

The ‘Muppet Show’ continues

The Muppets continue to expand their fandom across generations and genres by performing in live concerts and shows some series and films.

Through these many hits and occasional bombs, and the The Jim Henson Company staff is changingthe Muppets have adapted to changes in technology and taste, making it possible for them to stay relevant on new generations.

That cast of characters made of felt and foam continues to entertain fans of all ages. Although many people remain nostalgic for “The Muppet Show,” two early efforts to reboot the show Proved short life.

But when Disney aired “The Muppet Show” Anniversary special on Feb. 4, 2026, perhaps more people will be attracted as Disney looks to reboot the series.

Jared Bahir BrowseAssistant Teaching Professor of Critical Sports Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

This article was reprinted from The Conversation under Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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