What I remember about watching television as a child, are the many shows that seemed to bring nothing other then happiness. Some of these shows did a great job in making you forget about your everyday life and taking you to a happy world where problems didn’t exist. The Muppets were a perfect example of this. The Muppet Show aired in the late 70′s and was watched weekly by a worldwide audience of 235 million people. After a period of silence, The Muppets are now returning on the big screen with a new movie.
Anyone that is over 30 years of age, should be familiarized with the characters of The Muppet Show. It hosted a lot of different characters like miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Gonzo, Swedish Chef and many more. The most famous of all these is probably Kermit the Frog. The creator of the puppets that make the characters of the show, is Jim Henson. He first came up with Kermit the Frog long before the actual Muppet Show was created. Kermit was introduced in 1955 and has gone through some transformations to finally become the Kermit the Frog as we know him today. His voice was played by Jim Henson until 1990, when he died.
Jim Henson is not only the spiritual father of the Muppet Show but has also worked on Sesame Street in its forming days. He has worked on the creation of Bert and Ernie, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch. Most of these characters are still very prominent in Sesame Street and have world wide popularity. Kermit the Frog also used to be a part of Sesame Street before Jim Henson went on to make him a part of The Muppet Show.
The most amazing thing about the Muppet Show for me has always been the familiarity that many of the characters have. The best example of this might be the duo Statler and Waldorf, criticizing the Muppet Show at the end of each episode. Statler and Waldorf are two older and grey men who make jokes about how bad they think the Muppet Show was, from their balcony seats. This always reminded me of some of the older people that I used to know, who are giving critique reviews on everything they see from the sideline. Most of the Muppet Show characters have this kind of familiarity to them and have very distinct personalities. This makes it very enjoyable to watch.
The original Muppet Show took place in an imaginary theatre. After the production of The Muppet Show stopped, in the early 80′s, a couple of movies were made with the muppet characters. The copyrights to many of The Muppet Show characters were sold to The Walt Disney Company in 2004. This finally led to the creation of the new movie The Muppets. In this movie, real persons are interacting with The Muppets, just like some of the previous Muppet movies. Jason Segel and Amy Adams play leading roles next to the many muppet characters. I think Jason Segel is the perfect person to play this role as he fits the vibrant and happy atmosphere of The Muppet Show perfectly. In other words, it wouldn’t be a problem to make a Muppet based on the personality and appearance of Segel.
Visiting The Muppets movie is a great idea and can also be a perfect way to spend Christmas evening with your kids. The movie is currently playing in cinemas throughout the US. You can even get a cinema ticket for free if you buy one of The Muppet dvd’s on the internet, starting at $10. Definitely worth the money and your kids will absolutely love this timeless entertainment.