Jim Henson's Muppets, including the beloved Kermit the Frog, first came to life in the mid-1950s. Join Josh and Chuck as they explore the history and nitty gritty details of the world's most famous puppets in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.
AI Summary
Josh and Chuck dive deep into the magical world of Jim Henson's Muppets, tracing their journey from a 1955 local TV show called "Sam and Friends" all the way to becoming beloved global icons. They explore the fascinating technical aspects of how Muppets are constructed and operated, revealing the complex puppeteering techniques, specialized stitching methods, and ingenious staging tricks that bring these felt characters to life. The hosts also discuss the key players like Jim Henson and Frank Oz, famous Muppet spinoffs, and share plenty of behind-the-scenes stories that might just change how you watch Kermit and friends forever.
"The television show, 30 Rock, there was a thing on the internet — Discussed in comparison to The Muppet Show, with characters paralleling each other."
— Chuck
A Christmas Story
1983
1h 33m
★ 7.2
"I'll add that to a Christmas story, and it's a wonderful life — Listed alongside other Christmas classics when Chuck says he'll check out Emmet Otter's special."
— Chuck
Avenue Q
2003
2h 0m
★ 0.0
"There is a Broadway show called Avenue Queue. It's like a revision of Sesame Street — Mentioned as a Muppet-inspired Broadway musical that won a Tony Award."
— Josh
"Did you ever watch Fragile Rock? — Discussed as another Henson production that Chuck watched on HBO."
— Josh
It's a Wonderful Life
1946
2h 11m
★ 8.3
"I'll add that to a Christmas story, and it's a wonderful life — Mentioned alongside other Christmas classics when Chuck says he'll check out Emmet Otter's special."
— Chuck
"Did you ever watch Muppet Babies? — Mentioned as an animated spinoff series featuring the Muppet characters as babies."
— Josh
Saturday Night Live
1975
★ 7.0
"a little show called Sarant Live starts up in 1975 — Mentioned as a show where Muppets appeared early on in sketches called 'The Land of Gorge'."
— Chuck
Star Wars
1977
2h 1m
★ 8.2
"He also puppeted and voiced Yoda in all the Star Wars — Mentioned when discussing Frank Oz's other famous puppet work beyond the Muppets."
— Chuck
The Muppet Movie
1979
1h 35m
★ 7.2
"as performed by a certain philosophizing frog in a swamp at the beginning of the Muppet movie — Referenced when discussing the famous song 'Rainbow Connection' from the opening scene of the film."
— Josh
The Muppet Show
1976
★ 8.0
"Henson strikes a deal with ITC, and they start shooting the Muppets show in London — Discussed as the main television series that launched the Muppets to fame."
— Josh
Trading Places
1983
1h 56m
★ 7.2
"Later on, he reprises that role sort of in trading places — Referenced as another film where Frank Oz played a similar corrections officer role."
— Josh
What About Bob?
1991
1h 40m
★ 6.9
"He directed What About Bob and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and some other classics — Referenced as one of the movies Frank Oz directed after his work with the Muppets."
— Josh
💬 Comments
Log in to leave a comment.