Cute and quirky with songs to match,
Jim Henson's
Muppets have been responsible for over three decades of children's entertainment that isn't just for kids. Alongside
Sesame Street, which was aimed at younger children and also created many iconic kids' TV characters, the
Muppets who appeared on
The Muppet Show and in
the Muppets' films had a more sophisticated, wittier look and sense of humor. Artist/puppeteer
Henson created a rough version of the most famous
Muppet, Kermit the Frog, in 1955 for
Sam and Friends, a Washington, D.C.-area children's show for which he was a puppet designer; by the time
The Muppet Show began in 1976,
the Muppets were a full cast of characters -- including Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Rowlf the Dog, and the
Muppet band, Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem -- and their mix of sophisticated puppetry and music was already in place. Along with
Henson,
the Muppets' main original puppeteers and voices included
Frank Oz,
Richard Hunt, and
Dave Goelz.
In 1976, the soundtrack to their 1972 version of
The Frog Prince became one of
the Muppets' first albums. In 1978, a
Muppet Show soundtrack arrived, featuring classic
Muppets songs like "Mah Nah Mah Nah," "Bein' Green," and the show's theme; 1979's
The Muppet Movie, 1981's
The Great Muppet Caper, and 1984's
The Muppets Take Manhattan also featured songs that rivaled the quality of any "real" musicals of the time, including the wonderful "Rainbow Connection." The soundtrack to 1988's
The Ghost of Haffner Hall featured
the Chieftains'
Paddy Moloney and was the final
Muppet production before
Henson's death in 1990 from pneumonia.
Henson's son
Brian stepped in as Kermit's voice and the
Muppets franchise continued with productions like 1992's
The Muppet Christmas Carol, 1995's
Kermit Unpigged, 1996's
Muppet Treasure Island, and 2005's The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. The Muppet Babies' animated shows and movies also had soundtracks, including
Muppet Babies: Rock It to the Stars. The gang returned to the silver screen in 2011 with
The Muppets, offering a soundtrack of classic
Muppets songs, new tunes by the live-action stars, and contemporary covers with a
Muppets twist.
–
Heather Phares, Rovi