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{{for|the slang term|Muppet (slang)}} |
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[[Image:Jim Henson's Muppets.png|right|250px]] |
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'''The Muppets''' are a group of [[puppet]] characters created by [[Jim Henson]]. Individually, a Muppet is properly one of the puppets made by Jim Henson or his [[The Jim Henson Company|company's workshop]]. Although the term is often used erroneously to refer to any [[puppet]] that resembles the distinctive style of ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' and ''[[Sesame Street]]'' characters, the term is both an informal name and legal [[trademark]] linked to the characters created by Henson. |
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The word "Muppet" itself was said by Henson to have been created by combining the words "[[marionette]]" and "puppet"; however, Henson was also known to have stated that it was just something he liked the sound of, and he made up the "marionette/puppet" story while talking to a journalist because it sounded plausible.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://muppet.wikicities.com/wiki/Marionette_and_Puppet |title=Marionette and Puppet |publisher=Muppet Wiki}}</ref> |
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After earlier unsuccessful attempts, [[The Walt Disney Company]] finally bought the Muppets in 2004.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20040218/ai_n12772234 findarticles.com "Disney buys Muppets as bid prospect fades" 2/18/04]</ref> Exceptions include characters appearing on ''Sesame Street'' (as they were previously sold to [[Sesame Workshop]]), the Fraggles of ''[[Fraggle Rock]]'' (which are still owned by [[The Jim Henson Company]]), along with the above-mentioned non-"Muppet"-brand characters. The legal trademark on the term "Muppet" is currently held by [[The Muppet Holding Co., LLC]] (now The Muppets Studio, LLC,{{Fact|date=June 2008}} a division of the Walt Disney Company); although Sesame Workshop and the Jim Henson Company continue to use the term on their characters with certain permissions. |
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After nearly a decade, a new movie is in the works. Disney recently enlisted [[Jason Segel]] and Nick Stoller to create the next Muppet movie for the studio.<ref>[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117982291.html?categoryId=2430&cs=1&query=muppets ''Variety'', 3/11/08, Segel and Stoller take on Muppets]</ref> |
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==Physical Appearance== |
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A common design for a [[Jim Henson]] Muppet is a character with a very wide mouth and large protruding eyes. The puppets are often molded or carved out of [[foam rubber]], and then covered with fleece. Muppets may represent humans, [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] animals, realistic animals, robots, extraterrestrial creatures, mythical beings or other unidentified, newly imagined creatures, monsters or abstract characters. |
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Muppets are distinguished from [[ventriloquist]] "dummies", which are typically animated only in the head and face, in that their arms or other features are also mobile and expressive. Muppets are typically made of softer materials. They are also presented as being independent of the puppeteer, who is usually not visible—hidden behind a set or outside of the camera frame. Using the camera frame as the "stage" was an innovation of the Muppets.<ref>Christopher Finch ''Jim Henson: The Works'' 1993, ISBN 0679412034</ref> Previously on television, there would typically be a stage hiding the performers, as if in a live presentation. |
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==Operation== |
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The Muppeteer typically holds the puppet above his head or in front of his body, with one hand operating the head and mouth and the other manipulating the hands and arms, either with two separate control rods or by "wearing" the hands like gloves. One consequence of this design is that most Muppets are left-handed as the puppeteer uses his right hand to operate the head while operating the arm rod with his left hand. There are many other common designs and means of operation. In advanced Muppets, several puppeteers may control a single character; the performer who controls the mouth usually provides the voice for the character. As technology has evolved, the Jim Henson team and other puppeteers have developed an enormous variety of means to operate puppets for film and television, including the use of suspended rigs, internal motors, remote radio control, and computer enhanced and superimposed images. Creative use of a mix of technologies has allowed for scenes in which Muppets appear to be riding a bicycle, rowing a boat, and even dancing on-stage with no puppeteer in sight. |
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==Muppets characters== |
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[[Image:Fishinvid1024.jpg|left|thumb|250px|The Muppets in [[Weezer]]'s '[[Keep Fishin]]'"]] |
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:''See also: [[:Category:Muppet characters]]'' |
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Famous Muppets from ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' and its numerous spin-offs include [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Miss Piggy]], [[Fozzie Bear]], [[Janice]], [[Gonzo the Great]], [[Rowlf the Dog]], [[Dr. Bunsen Honeydew]] and [[Beaker (Muppet)|Beaker]], [[Scooter (Muppet)|Scooter]], [[Statler and Waldorf]], the [[Swedish Chef]], [[Sam the Eagle]], [[Sweetums]], [[Pepe the King Prawn]], [[Rizzo the Rat]] and [[Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem]]. Other well-known Muppets include ''[[Sesame Street]]'' characters such as [[Big Bird]], [[Oscar the Grouch]], [[Elmo]], [[Zoe (Sesame Street)|Zoe]], [[Bert and Ernie]], [[Cookie Monster]], [[Grover]], [[Abby Cadabby]] and [[The Count]], as well as the main characters of ''[[Fraggle Rock]]''. |
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The most widely known{{Fact|date=February 2008}} television shows featuring Muppets have been ''[[Sesame Street]]'', ''[[The Muppet Show]]'', ''[[Fraggle Rock]]'' and ''[[Bear in the Big Blue House]]''. Other series have included ''[[The Jim Henson Hour]]'', ''[[The Ghost of Faffner Hall]]'', ''[[Dog City]]'', ''[[Secret Life of Toys]]'', ''[[Muppets Tonight]]'', ''[[The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss]]'' and ''[[Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony]]''. A recurring adult-oriented cast of Muppets (in a setting known as [[SNL: Season 1|The Land of Gorch]]) were featured throughout the first season of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''. |
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The puppet characters of ''[[Farscape]]'', ''[[The Storyteller]]'', ''[[Mother Goose Stories]]'', ''[[The Hoobs]]'', ''[[Construction Site]]'' and ''[[Dinosaurs (TV series)|Dinosaurs]]'', as well as from the films ''[[Labyrinth (film)|Labyrinth]]'', ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (film)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'', ''[[Buddy (film)|Buddy]]'', ''[[The Country Bears]]'' and ''[[The Dark Crystal]]'', are not considered Muppets, as they were made by [[Jim Henson's Creature Shop]], rather than by Henson's Muppet Workshop. The puppet casts of ''[[Puppet Up!]]'' and ''[[Tinseltown]]'' are also not considered Muppets as they were made by The Jim Henson Company after the sale of The Muppets in 2004. The ''[[Star Wars]]'' character [[Yoda]] was voiced by [[Frank Oz]], one of Henson's regular performers, and is often referred to as a Muppet in media and reference works; he is not, however, a Muppet and Henson's organization was not involved in the character's design. |
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The Muppets' popularity has been so expansive that Muppet characters have been treated as celebrities in their own right{{Fact|date=January 2008}}. The Muppets have presented at the [[Academy Awards]] and [[Emmy Awards]]{{Fact|date=February 2008}}; made [[cameo role|cameo appearances]] in such feature films as ''[[Rocky III]]'', ''[[An American Werewolf in London]]'' and ''[[Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium]]''{{Fact|date=February 2008}}; and have been interviewed on the [[newsmagazine]] ''[[60 Minutes]]''. [[Kermit the Frog]] was interviewed early on in [[Jon Stewart]]'s run on ''[[The Daily Show]]'',<ref>[http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=129336&title=kermit-the-frog TheDailyShow.com]</ref> guest hosted ''[[The Tonight Show]]'', ''[[Jimmy Kimmel Live]]'', ''[[Extreme Makeover: Home Edition]]'' and an [[April Fool's Day]] edition of ''[[Larry King Live]]''{{Fact|date=February 2008}}; and the frog has served as Grand Marshal of the [[Tournament of Roses Parade]]{{Fact|date=February 2008}}. The characters also appeared in-character on such sit-coms and dramas as ''[[The Cosby Show]]'', ''[[The West Wing]]'' and ''[[The Torkelsons]]''{{Fact|date=February 2008}}. The [[music video]] for the [[Weezer]] song "[[Keep Fishin']]" is premised on the band performing on ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' and features appearances by several characters. On [[September 28]], [[2005]], the [[United States Postal Service]] released a ''Jim Henson and the Muppets'' [[postage stamp]] series.<ref>United States Postal Service ([[September 28]], [[2005]]). ''[http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2005/sr05_046.htm Jim Henson, Muppets, get stamps of approval]''. Press Release.</ref> The Muppets also appeared on [[Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve]] for the 2008 countdown on [[December 31]], [[2007]]. Kermit, Rizzo and others welcomed in the new year with a series of messages to welcome viewers back from the advertising breaks. After one such segment, with Kermit in Time Square, co-host [[Ryan Seacrest]] thanked his pal "Kerms" for the help bringing in '08.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1143908/ New Year's Rockin' Eve 2008 (2007) (TV)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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==Filmography== |
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[[Image:DSC06127.jpg|right|thumb|The Muppets being prepared for a [[Smithsonian]] exhibit.]] |
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===Theatrical films=== |
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: ''[[The Muppet Movie]]'' (1979) |
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: ''[[The Great Muppet Caper]]'' (1981) |
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: ''[[The Muppets Take Manhattan]]'' (1984) |
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: ''[[Jim Henson's MuppetVision 3D]]'' (1991) |
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: ''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]'' (1992) |
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: ''[[Muppet Treasure Island]]'' (1996) |
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: ''[[Muppets from Space]]'' (1999) |
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===Telefilms=== |
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: ''[[It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie]]'' (2002) |
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: ''[[The Muppets' Wizard of Oz]]'' (2005) |
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===Television series=== |
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: ''[[Sam and Friends]]'' (1955-61) |
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: ''[[Sesame Street]]'' (1969-present) |
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: ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' (1975-1976) |
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: ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' (1976-1981) |
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: ''[[Fraggle Rock]]'' (1983-87) |
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: ''[[Muppet Babies]]'' (1984-1991) |
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: ''[[The Jim Henson Hour]]'' (1989) |
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: ''[[Dog City]]'' (1989 special on [[NBC]], regular show on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] from 1992-1995) |
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: ''[[Secret Life of Toys]]'' (1994-1996) |
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: ''[[Muppets Tonight]]'' (1996-1998) |
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===Television specials=== |
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: ''Hey Cinderella!'' (1970) |
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: ''[[The Frog Prince (Muppets)|The Frog Prince]]'' (1971) |
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: ''[[The Muppet Musicians of Bremen]]'' (1972) |
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: ''The Muppets Valentine Show'' (1974) |
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: ''[[Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas]]'' (1977) |
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: ''The Muppets Go Hollywood'' (1979) |
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: ''[[John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together]]'' (1979) |
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: ''The Muppets Go To the Movies'' (1981) |
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: ''Of Muppets and Men'' (1981) |
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: ''The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show'' (1982) |
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: ''Rocky Mountain Holiday with John Denver and the Muppets'' (1983) |
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: ''The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years'' (1985) |
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: ''[[The Christmas Toy]]'' (1986) |
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: ''[[The Tale of the Bunny Picnic]]'' (1986) |
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: ''[[A Muppet Family Christmas]]'' (1987) |
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: ''Song of the Cloud Forest'' (1989) |
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: ''[[The Muppets at Walt Disney World]]'' (1990) |
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: ''The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson'' (1990) |
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: ''[[Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree]]'' (1995) |
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===Direct-to-video features=== |
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: ''[[Muppet Classic Theater]]'' (1994) |
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: ''[[Kermit's Swamp Years]]'' (2002) |
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===Internet=== |
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: ''[[Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony]] on [[Movies.com]]'' (2005-2006) |
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== Future == |
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After the consensus was reached that ''The Muppets' Wizard of Oz'' failed to deliver critically, the question hung in the air if whether or not another Muppet film would be made.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} A new film has been confirmed by [[Jason Segel]] and Nick Stoller, who both plan to produce the next Muppet film.<ref name="stoller">Fleming, Michael. [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117982291.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1&query=segel+muppet+film "Segel and Stoller take on Muppets."] ''[[Variety]]''. Retrieved: [[April 5]], [[2008]]</ref> They have also stated that they will both write the next picture, but only Stoller will direct.<ref name="stoller"/> |
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On [[March 31]] [[2008]], ''First Showing'' revealed details about the new Muppet film.<ref name="first">Billington, Alex. {{cite web|url=http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/03/31/jason-segel-reveals-new-muppets-movie-details/|title=Jason Segel Reveals New Muppets Movie Details|publisher=First Showing| accessdate = 2008-05-08}}</ref> ''Coming Soon'' reported similar news.<ref name="coming">Newgen, Heather. {{cite web|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=43501|title=Exclusive: In the Future with Segel and Hader!|publisher=Coming Soon| accessdate = 2008-05-09}}</ref> After an interview with Jason Segel, ''First'' announced, "it's going to be incredibly old-fashioned, with the familiar Muppet characters putting on a show to save an old theater. The danger? An evil character wants to tear the place down to get at the oil underneath."<ref name="first"/> Segel stated that he was the most enthusiastic about the project, also stating, "I just remember being 10 years old and for me Kermit was Tom Hanks. Kermit is like the original Everyman and I remember watching the old Muppets with my parents and seeing Peter Sellers and people like that on. I've always had Muppet pictures and figurines all through my house. Now that I'm getting to write it, I feel like all of my dreams are coming true."<ref name="coming"/> |
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==In pop-culture== |
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Muppet-like and Muppet-inspired puppets star in the 2004 [[Tony Award]]-winning [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical ''[[Avenue Q]]'' (which disavows any relationship with Sesame Workshop or the Jim Henson Company). [[Peter Jackson]]'s film, ''[[Meet the Feebles]]'' is another parody of the Muppets. ''[[The Simpsons]]'', ''[[Family Guy]]'', ''[[Robot Chicken]]'' and many other television shows and movies have referenced The Muppets - for a more comprehensive list, see [[wikiasite:muppet:Category:References|Muppet Wiki]]. They also make an appearance in the band [[Weezer]]'s music video for "[[Keep Fishin']]", and the new music based [[improvisational]] comedy "Crayons and Fun" on [[Will Ferrell]]'s live streaming video website [[Funny or Die]] features a medley parody inspired by Muppets (which also disavows any relationship with Sesame Workshop or the Jim Henson Company). |
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[[Image:Slimey.jpg|thumb|right|Slimey the worm is a muppet.]] |
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==See also== |
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{{portal|Muppets}} |
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*[[Jim Henson]] |
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*[[Sesame Street]] |
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*[[Fraggle Rock]] |
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*[[Bear in the Big Blue House]] |
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*[[The Dark Crystal]] |
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==References== |
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<references /> |
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==External links== |
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{{Muppets}} |
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<!-- Please note that links may be removed if they are not consistent with external links guidelines (search for WP:EL). --> |
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* [http://www.muppetcentral.com Muppet Central] - fan site |
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* [http://www.muppetnewsflash.com The Muppet Newsflash] - blog |
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* [http://www.toughpigs.com Tough Pigs] - blog |
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* [[wikiasite:muppet|Muppet Wiki]] - encyclopedia |
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* [http://www.muppetcast.com MuppetCast] - podcast |
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{{Muppet films}} |
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{{Sesame Street}} |
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[[Category:Muppets| ]] |
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[[Category:Saturday Night Live sketches|Muppets]] |
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