Brand of the day: The Muppets
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The Muppets are our brand of the day.
The puppet collective are in the headlines following the announcement that Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy have split up.
The Hollywood power couple have called it quits ahead of ABC's hotly-anticipated reboot of The Muppets, which is set to premiere in September.
Speaking at a press conference in Beverly Hills on Monday to promote the series, Kermit admitted that the split had been tough for the pair.
Created in the 50s by Jim Henson, the Muppets first appeared on live action show Sam and Friends.
Henson fashioned Kermit using an old coat of his mother's and made his eyes from ping-pong balls.
In 1976 The Muppet Show premiered, gathering popularity thanks to it's self-referential humor and roster of guest stars.
The program's success led to the creation of The Muppet Movie in 1979 and since then Henson's creations have featured in 12 films including The Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppets from Space and The Muppets' Christmas Carol.
Through the years the franchise has attracted appearances from some of Hollywood's biggest names – from Michael Caine to Salma Hayek and Whoopi Goldberg.
During the TV show's six year run, no celebrity was allowed to appear more than once, but they could request to feature in a scene with their favorite Muppet, be it Animal, Gonzo or any of the other characters.
Henson died in 1990 – the weekend before he was reportedly set to sell The Muppets and his entire company to Disney for approximately $150m. Disney eventually purchased the rights to the show in 2004.
Upon Henson's death, Rowlf the Dog went into partial retirement as a tribute to his creator – it was only in 2011 that he spoke again.
Kermit and Miss Piggy have broken up before, and both have said that “thoughtful consideration and considerable squabbling” had preceded to today's announcement.
ABC’s revival of The Muppets will give viewers a sneak peek behind the scenes of Miss Piggy’s new late-night show in a mockumentary style.
Kermit will act as executive producer on the talk show.
