EM.TV to Sell Muppets to Jim Henson's Children for $89 Million

[Jrobert]

Tell us! Tell us! What was the sign!

 

[grouchman]

maybe it's not the best "business" decision, but this has got to be the best muppet news i've heard in a long long time.

while jim henson was one of a rare few creative people who also posessed business savvy, his work shows he cared about the creative side first.

and maybe during the turmoil of the years between the sale and the buy-back, the henson people have learned some valuable lessons which will make their future easier to manage. there has certainly been a powerful effort to increase muppet awareness in the past few years, where before there was practically nothing.

cheers to brian and the family for making this happen. i hope with the added value and media attention the muppets have gained with recent exposure, it will be easier for bigger dogs like disney, columbia tri-star, nbc, fox and others to do licensing deals with the classic characters and new creations, while putting the creative people in more of a "take it or leave it" position when it comes to "the suits" and program content.

like the others...i never saw this coming. it's nice to have a PLEASANT surprise for a change.

 

[Waldo C Graphic]

Wow. When I read this I just happened to have Bear in the Big Blue House on and all the characters were laughing and cheering for joy. Clearly they heard the news too.

 

[AndyWan Kenobi]

I am thrilled by this news, absolutely thrilled! Thanks, Henson family, for such a wonderful surprise. I'm so relieved to know that the Muppets and their kin will be in the hands (and on the hands) of people who truly care about them.

 

[Jrobert]

Originally posted by grouchman
maybe it's not the best "business" decision, but this has got to be the best muppet news i've heard in a long long time.

while jim henson was one of a rare few creative people who also posessed business savvy, his work shows he cared about the creative side first.

and maybe during the turmoil of the years between the sale and the buy-back, the henson people have learned some valuable lessons which will make their future easier to manage. there has certainly been a powerful effort to increase muppet awareness in the past few years, where before there was practically nothing.

cheers to brian and the family for making this happen. i hope with the added value and media attention the muppets have gained with recent exposure, it will be easier for bigger dogs like disney, columbia tri-star, nbc, fox and others to do licensing deals with the classic characters and new creations, while putting the creative people in more of a "take it or leave it" position when it comes to "the suits" and program content.

like the others...i never saw this coming. it's nice to have a PLEASANT surprise for a change.

EXACTLY! Of course, this is a good thing! Let's just keep our fingers crossed that Henson did learn it's lesson and that hey have the big boys knocking down their doors for some piece of their creativity!

 

[Struble]

I honestly did not care about Henson being sold. I had a "just sell it and get it over with" attitude about it. I just didn't care to sit here reading and speculating after every little press release. In fact, that was one of the reasons I stopped checking this site as often as I used to.

Yet, strangely enough, this news has me elated. It's good to know that since the Henson kids are buying it, the company will remain a free agent. This way they can still work with Disney. They can still work with NBC. Fox. Creature shop can still can work on movies from all over the world.

Had they joined up with Disney or some other big corporate, this couldn't happen. Disney is not going to produce special effects for other peoples companies. Just like other corporates are going to go crawling to Disney to have them do stuff.

I'm really pleased to hear this. The Muppets are remaining in the family. The Muppets are free agents who can work with whatever companies they choose. I'm surprised that anyone would not want this to happen.

Sh.

(Woo, and that was my hundredth post. Just the perfect occasion for it, if I do say)

 

[Mark Filton]

Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[herihodiesemper]

Hallelujah Chorus

WHOO HOO!!!!!!!

nuff said.

 

[BoyRaisin2]

Well well well. I have several reactions to what we are witnessing here today. Let's start:

1. Wow! Wowee, wow, wow, wow, whaa? I didn't see THAT comin'.

2. Where the F did this come from?

3. Hmmm, though I haven't needed this thought in the past year, I always said if Disney couldn't buy it, then Henson's management. This is a little different, but whatever.

4. Diz treating them as a corporate "toy." Diz never even owned them, so who knows?

5. Sesame Workshop getting a minor stake? Gimme a break. They make "Sesame Street" and other educational preschool shows. Woo-woo.

6. The best part of this news? At least the Creature Shop is still part of it. So that's massively cool.

7. What was with all this Disney/Classic/Sesame talk ANYWAY?!

8. After all this crap, we're right back to where we started. Hopefully, the family will make GOOD decisions (for once, and I say that out of frustration).

9. Just don't sell yourselves again. You're a curse, so keep your paws and flippers in the Chaplin lot.

10. As mentioned in previous threads, I thought I didn't think Disney would buy the Muppets. Though I was massively supporting it.

11. Though I prefer Disney, this is OK. But I thought after seven years of wanting a D-H deal to happen, and after an even longer TWO years of this. I just would've got, some, freakin', closure.

12. I know Eisner is thinking about this right NOW.

13. Lisa, Cheryl, Brian, John, Heather. Rivkin? Don't mess this up. Yeah, you own your daddy's characters and company, and that's awesome for you and many otheres here. But was it also "awesome" in late 1999/early 2000 while you had a few hit shows but bombed Muppet projects? So you think about that for awhile. But hey, if not absolutely Disney, then you guys.

And those are my reactions. Now my emoticons, and I have to admit I sorta laughed when I heard about it:

 

[kansasteen14]

This is great news, I wanted Disney to get but this is probably better. besides now they can still work with Disney.