Line #96 Main/Muppet


1	!!!For the Muppet franchise, see ''Franchise/TheMuppets''.
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5	[[quoteright:289:[[Series/SesameStreet https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_ly9hjkb6cc1r8bqnuo1_400.jpg]]]]
6	[[caption-width-right:289: ''[[Music/TomSmith But you sewed up your dream and we made quite a team]], Creator/{{Jim\|Henson}} and [[Franchise/TheMuppets Kermit]], a boy and his frog.'']]
7
8	->'''Lisa Simpson:''' Dad, what's a Muppet?\
9	'''Homer Simpson:''' Well, it's not quite a mop, and it's not quite a puppet, but ''maaaan''! ''(laughs)'' So to answer your question, I don't know.
10	-->-- ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''
11
12	A character in a live-action series rendered by puppetry or animatronics. Usually used to create an alien or other non-human character.
13
14	Technically, "Muppet" is [[Creator/{{Disney}} The Walt Disney Company]]'s [[note]]previously The Jim Henson Company[[/note]] trademark name (a coined name, not a portmanteau of "marionette" and "puppet" as is commonly believed) for the [[Franchise/TheMuppets unique brand of puppets]] created by Creator/JimHenson. This usage generally occurs in such things as television shows and movies. Other production shops have adapted Henson's techniques, which have revolutionized puppetry. For many people now, ''Muppet'' and ''puppet'' are practically [[BrandNameTakeover synonymous]].
15
16	Henson created a merging of puppetry (using the hands for the mouth movements) and marionettes (in their use of wires and how animated their movements are). Before television, puppetry was a fairly static art. Henson made the Muppets almost hyper-kinetic, putting a lot of energy into the performance. Furthermore, the way the puppets were operated, for example making them look directly at something (typically with a puppeteer's hand directly manipulating the head), gives them a remarkably lifelike appearance. In addition, while puppeteers in previous productions hid behind a structure on screen in keeping with tradition, Henson realized he could just stage his show using the TV screen frame itself in order to hide the operators and focus all attention on the puppets.
17
18	As such, the typical puppet like Kermit the Frog has his arms controlled by rods, while the puppeteer's dominant hand operates the head, although characters like Rowlf or Ernie have live hands, or gloved hands, requiring a second puppeteer to operate one of the hands. The Swedish Chef is an exception: two puppeteers work together with one handling the head and voice while another use their own hands for the character.
19
20	Animatronics was also improved by the Jim Henson shop. Animatronics employs a complex series of mechanics to create a creature with much more subtle movements and expressions than a standard puppet, such as blinking eyes or opening gills. A puppeteer may often wear a full body suit with an animatronic head controlled by another person. Henson [[YouKeepUsingThatWord didn't consider them to be "Muppets",]] though most people ignore that distinction. The mouth, head and neck of animatronic puppets are usually controlled with a device called a "waldo", a kind of large electronic mitten that's wired up and can control the creature remotely.
21
22	Now common in children's shows, Muppets became widespread due to their popularity in ''Series/SesameStreet'', a Henson co-production.
23
24	A common sub-type is the HandPuppet. For CGI characters, see SerkisFolk. See also {{Prop}}.
25
26	In British slang, the word can be an insult, indicating someone who is, although enthusiastic, clueless and incompetent.
27
28	----
29	!!Examples:
30
31	[[foldercontrol]]
32
33	[[folder:Advertising]]
34	* Even before ''Series/SesameStreet'', early proto-Muppets appeared in ads for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bfdaR4xMeU La Choy Noodles]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lFDJTVvp8U C&P Telephone]], among others.
35	[[/folder]]
36
37	[[folder:Comedy]]
38	* Australian comedian Creator/RandyFeltface is a purple, humanoid muppet.
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
42	* Franchise/TheMuppets' feature films:
43	** ''Film/TheMuppetMovie''
44	** ''Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper''
45	** ''Film/TheMuppetsTakeManhattan''
46	** ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol''
47	** ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland''
48	** ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace''
49	** ''Film/{{The Muppets\|2011}}''
50	** ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted''
51	* Featured in the very adult film ''Film/MeetTheFeebles''.
52	* In the movie ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'', the entire world consisted of such aliens.
53	* Nearly all characters in ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'', such as Hoggle, Sir Didymus, Ludo, and those really strange creatures who dismember themselves at will (and think Sarah can, too). Inside the labyrinth, the only characters that aren't Muppets or actors in some sort of Muppet-enhanced suit are are Sarah, Jareth and Toby.
54	* Yoda, of ''Franchise/StarWars'' fame, portrayed and voiced by veteran Muppeteer Creator/FrankOz in the [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack original]] [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi trilogy]] and ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''. In the rest of the Prequel Trilogy, Yoda is instead portrayed as a CGI character, though Oz still provides his voice. Yoda would eventually reappear as a Muppet in ''Film/TheLastJedi'', performed again by Oz.
55	** Another member of Yoda's species, "The Child" (Grogu), from ''Series/TheMandalorian'', is also portrayed by a puppet. The producers were initially unsure whether it would be best to portray The Child through puppetry or CGI, until Creator/WernerHerzog shamed them into using the puppet.
56	** The Rancor of ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' was scary as hell and very realistic, but a muppet nonetheless. Also other aliens from the Franchise/StarWars universe, including the [[PeopleInRubberSuits Wampa]], Max Rebo and [[SidekickCreatureNuisance Salacious Crumb]]. Jabba the Hutt is also one, albeit an absolutely massive one who required a team of six puppeteers to operate, four of whom had to actually be ''inside'' the costume during filming. Hope none of the puppeteers were claustrophobic. R2-D2 may qualify if you ''really'' stretch the definition of "Muppet".
57	** Similar to Jabba the Hutt, Lady Proxima from ''Film/{{Solo}}'' was also an enormous muppet, controlled by nearly thirty puppeteers in wetsuits, submerged within her bathing pool.
58	* Most of the creatures in ''Film/HellboyIITheGoldenArmy'' (bar the Elemental, the Stone Giant and titular Golden Army).
59	* The first three ''Film/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles\|1990}}'' films and the television show ''Series/NinjaTurtlesTheNextMutation''.[[note]]In the movies, at least, the turtles are actually suitmation with animatronic heads, but Splinter is 100% muppet[[/note]] While Henson himself did the effects for the first film, he declined to participate in the sequels over his dislike of the violence in the first movie.
60	* Audrey II in the 1986 version of ''Film/LittleShopOfHorrors''. Please note it was directed by the aforementioned Frank Oz. Also that it's an extreme example that required ''sixty operators'', and the lips had to be filmed at 16fps (necessitating slower movements for actors in the shot).
61	* The Vogons in ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy2005''. All puppets in the film were designed and constructed by the Jim Henson Creature Shop.
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
65	* Most of Creator/JimHenson's live works as well as those of his successors in his company, including Franchise/TheMuppets.
66	** ''Series/TheMuppetShow''
67	** ''Series/MuppetsTonight''
68	** ''Series/{{The Muppets\|2015}}''
69	** ''Film/AMuppetFamilyChristmas''
70	** ''Series/FraggleRock''
71	** ''Series/SesameStreet''
72	*** Parodied in ''Series/GregTheBunny''.
73	*** Also parodied somewhat on ''Series/CrankYankers''.
74	*** ''Series/WonderShowzen'' completely and utterly thrashes this show around in their yard.
75	** ''Film/EmmetOttersJugBandChristmas''
76	** ''Literature/MrWillowbysChristmasTree''
77	** ''Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse''
78	** Some of the dinosaurs from ''{{Series/Dinosaurs}}'', at least the ones that aren't played by actors in costumes, that is.
79	** ''Series/MopatopsShop'' was a co-production between Jim Henson Productions and Carlton Television, and of course featured Muppets as a result.
80	** ''Series/TheDarkCrystalAgeOfResistance'' brings the techniques used in the 1982 film back to life, with modern enhancements.
81	* ''Series/{{Oobi}}'' is a puppet show, created for Creator/{{Noggin}} while Sesame Workshop and Nickelodeon co-produced all of its programming. The characters are literal hand puppets, described as "furless" Muppets in promotional statements, with acrylic eyes and accessories. Whether or not they actually count as puppets or Muppets is debatable, but it's worth noting that this is one of the most recent TV shows to refer to its characters as Muppets without actually featuring ''the'' Muppets.
82	* Not to mention such programs as ''The Jimmy Dean Show'' and ''Series/TheEdSullivanShow''.
83	* And earliest of all, ''Series/SamAndFriends'', a locally-produced late '50s show on a Washington D.C. station, which featured Henson performing several Muppet characters, including an embryonic Kermit the Frog.
84	** On the other end of the spectrum, the earliest episodes of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' had sketches with muppets (not ''The Muppets'' per se, but original characters). Sadly, the AnimationAgeGhetto came into play and the Muppet sketches were withdrawn.
85	* A third of the cast of ''Series/{{Farscape}}'', being a Henson production.
86	** That's just the main cast. A good number of alien extras and guest characters are Muppets as well.
87	* Almost every actual alien species (not counting displaced human cultures) on ''Series/StargateSG1'', most notably the Goa'uld/Tok'Ra symbiotes and the Asgard. (The Re'tu and the Replicators are SerkisFolk.)
88	* N'Grath, the mantis-like crime lord from the first season of ''Series/BabylonFive''.
89	* The puppet for ''Babylon 5'''s N'Grath was recycled as the She-Mantis in the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS1E4TeachersPet Teacher's Pet]]".
90	* Joel Hodgson's Puppet Bots from ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''.
91	* During the ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode "[[Recap/AngelS05E14SmileTime Smile Time]]", the stars of the quality edutainment show ''Smile Time''. And Angel himself.
92	** Which adds double meaning to Spike's "You're a bloody puppet!" line.
93	* ''Series/{{Alf}}''.
94	* Most of the cast of ''Series/LazyTown''. Why, we may never know, because they're all Muppets of supposedly human characters (although it is a good way to make exceptionally silly characters without asking people to give up their dignity).
95	* Marcus of ''WebVideo/{{Mega64}}''. This is frequently lampshaded.
96	* The British satirical series ''Series/SpittingImage'' employs grotesque-looking rubber puppet caricatures of politicians and other celebrities. They were originally based on the Plastecine sculptures created by Peter Fluck and Roger Law to illustrate articles in the British newspaper ''The Sunday Times''. The ''Spitting Image'' crew also created the music video for Music/{{Genesis\|Band}}' song "Music/LandOfConfusion", which was commissioned after lead singer Music/PhilCollins saw himself caricatured on the show.
97	* Pinch, ''Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld'''s New York Times Correspondent. A copy of the NYT with cardboard eyes and a string attached. A regular "panelist" along with Bill Schulz, who are the [[{{Fox News Liberal}} token liberal]] [[{{Butt Monkey}} butt monkeys]].
98	* Series/{{Mongrels}}, which tries to do "to puppetry what WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons did to animation."
99	* ''Series/TreintaYUnMinutos''
100	* In the ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode "[[Recap/CommunityS4E09IntroToFeltSurrogacy Intro To Felt Surrogacy]]", the study group had all experienced some "embarrassing moment" of some kind, and were going through an awkward silence that had apparently been lasting for days, at which point the Dean shows up and gives out sock puppets to each member to help them relive what happened, as a way of "therapy." The story was told via flashback, where each study group member was represented as a muppet (''not'' their sock puppets), complete with musical sequences a la "Franchise/TheMuppets." Everybody else who appeared in their flashback during the episode was shown as their regular human self, excluding Chang, who had a sock puppet of his own.
101	** Apparently, Chang already had his sock puppet at that point in time, which you can actually see ''[[Film/{{Inception}} on his muppet]]'' in the brief moment it appears in the episode.
102	* ''Series/FurTV'' it's a European parody of the Muppets with a lot of sex and DarkHumor.
103	* The puppets in ''Series/TheNoddyShop'' are considered these, with some of the puppeteers on the show being veterans from Jim Henson's ''Fraggle Rock''.
104	* The French kids show ''Series/LesMinikeums''.
105	* The urban-themed ''Series/CityKids'' has these original muppets acting as the GreekChorus.
106	* Everyone in ''Series/MrMeaty''.
107	* In ''Series/HomeMovieThePrincessBride'', a generic "Whatnot" Muppet substitutes as Westley's (kinda) dead body during the scene with the healer.
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Music]]
111	* The video for Music/{{Haken}}'s "Cockroach King" has Muppet versions of the band doing a BohemianParody.
112	* After Music/PatoFu recorded an album using [[EverythingIsAnInstrument toys and toy instruments]], they drafted for the tour two puppeteers from their hometown as Muppet monsters providing SopranoAndGravel backing vocals. In the sequel album, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r6FpRCtty0 they even sing lead once.]]
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Theater]]
116	* Parodied, subverted, lampshaded and everything else in TheMusical ''Theatre/AvenueQ'', which is not by Jim Henson.
117	** However, all four of the puppeteers from the original cast are Muppet Peformers and got their puppeteering start on Sesame Street. Three of them are still working on Henson projects today.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Web Original]]
121	* ''WebVideo/TransylvaniaTelevision'', "The Retro Monster Comedy Show [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids that's not for kids]]," contains examples of Muppet-style puppetry.
122	* The Dan Deacon music video for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N01aTvi7ef4 Paddling Ghost]] features a whole array of differently articulated muppets, evidently telling TheHerosJourney of a bedsheet ghost with an eyepatch.
123	* Most of the characters from ''WebVideo/DontHugMeImScared''.
124	* WebVideo/{{Arlo}} is one that reviews Creator/{{Nintendo}} games.
125	[[/folder]]
126
127	[[folder:Western Animation]]
128	* The Robinsons from ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' all resemble muppet characters and have MarionetteMotion, though they're actually CGI. They even have tags describing their fabric makeup, threads, and stuffing inside of their bodies, implying they're literally muppets [[LivingToys come to life.]]
129	* The characters from ''WesternAnimation/{{Mad}}'''s "Flammable" and "[=SpongeWow=]" sketches.
130	** The sketch "After Bert" uses a MediumBlending between this, CGI and the show's usual ClipArtAnimation.
131	* Used in ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'''s "Born Again Virgin ChristmasSpecial" in a sketch parodying ''Literature/EmmetOttersJugBandChristmas''.
132	* A couple of Jim Henson Company-produced kids series of the recent past, ''WesternAnimation/SidTheScienceKid'' and ''WesternAnimation/DinosaurTrain'' are fully [=CGI=]. However, not only do the character designs resemble traditional Muppets, but they're performed like them as well. For some of the more complicated puppets on ''Series/FraggleRock'' and other 80s Henson projects, Jim Henson and crew created radio control puppetry systems where a puppeteer operates a remote control that is translated into movement of the puppet by small motors. In the late '80s, Jim Henson, who was an early fan of [=CGI=], had the idea that the controller output could instead be sent to a computer which then translates it into a rough first pass version of an animated character that is then cleaned up in post. The first such character, Waldo C. Graphic, appears in ''Series/TheJimHensonHour'' and the ''Ride/MuppetVision3D'' attraction at Walt Disney World. The system was later refined by a team lead by Jim's son Brian, and has been used for projects like the aforementioned series.
133	* You'd be forgiven for thinking that ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies2018'' used puppets. It's ''very'' good looking CGI that, according to Matt Danner, is accomplished using jiggle tech.
134	[[/folder]]

Context Main / Muppet