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Of Muppets and Men: The Making of the Muppet Show
Of Muppets and Men: The Making of the Muppet Show goes behind the scenes of The Muppet Show. After a brief history of the Henson Company and the rest of their work, including Sesame Street, the book breaks down all the major players behind the scenes, including the puppeteers. The second half of the book is a look at one week on the set -- Finch takes the reader day-by-day through the creation of the Linda Ronstadt episode of The Muppet Show.
180 pages, Hardcover
First published November 12, 1981
5 people are currently reading
390 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Finch
70 books37 followersChristopher Finch was born in Guernsey in the British Channel Islands, and now lives in Los Angeles. He is an artist and a photographer who has had one person shows in New York and California, and he is the author of almost thirty non-fiction books including the best sellers Rainbow: the Stormy Life of Judy Garland, The Art of Walt Disney, Jim Henson: the Works, and Norman Rockwell's America. Recently he has embarked on a series of noir-inflected mystery novels set in New York in the late 1960s and featuring the private investigator Alex Novalis. The first of these, Good Girl, Bad Girl, is to be published by Thomas & Mercer in 2013. These books draw on his own experiences in the New York art world at a time when today's SoHo was an urban wilderness with rats frolicking in the gutters and artists eking out a living in barren loft spaces. He is married to Linda Rosenkrantz, an author and a co-founder of the website Nameberry.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
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February 22, 2016When the Muppets joined Saturday Night Live, the SNL writers were most unhappy. Nobody wanted to write for what John Belushi called the 'Mucking Fuppets'.
One of the writers stormed out of a meeting angrily declaring 'I won't write for felt'.
Oh to be able to use that line.
One of the writers stormed out of a meeting angrily declaring 'I won't write for felt'.
Oh to be able to use that line.
March 6, 2023
I finished and returned this book months ago. I just noticed it when I was checking out my currently reading shelf. Anyways, I love Muppets and they are forming my will to live right now.
December 17, 2015
This book is the holy grail of Muppet fans, and it is very hard to find it at a good price. There is good reason for this, and not just the scarcity of the book. Christopher Finch offers a behind-the -scenes look at the Muppet Show which is breathtaking and unrivaled.
The book offers beautiful pictures, but also wonderful stories about the Muppeteers and about how the special effects were created so skillfully that viewers did not even realize they were special effects.
The book offers beautiful pictures, but also wonderful stories about the Muppeteers and about how the special effects were created so skillfully that viewers did not even realize they were special effects.
February 26, 2025
As of right now, this book is mostly available either through libraries, as a lucky find at used book sales, or for purchase online for at least $150 or more. Getting the chance to read it was like chasing my own miniature white whale before I was finally able to obtain a copy of Of Muppets and Men to read through interlibrary loan.
And good gracious, was it ever worth all of that wait and effort! I absolutely loved reading all the behind-the-scenes details about all that went into crafting a standard episode of one of my favorite shows. I also enjoy how this book captures the Muppets at one of their all-time peaks. At the time of this book's publication, their globally popular show (plus the first Muppet movie), though nearing its end, had helped solidly cement them a permanent place deep in pop culture. Not only that, but here the core Muppet performers are all still together - Jim Henson and Frank Oz, but also Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Louise Gold, Steve Whitmire, and all of them at the top of their game as they work together in their unique weird harmony, all while clearly having a blast no matter what obstacles their unique line of work was throwing their way. Of Muppets and Men, simply put, is just an absolutely fantastic snapshot in time.
Although I have since been able to fortunately locate and buy a copy for myself from an online seller (who unwittingly sold their copy at far below the usual average price), I still dream that one day this book will have a limited edition reprint. Just because I lucked out doesn't mean others need to continue to struggle to get their chance to read Of Muppets and Men. For all the Muppet fans out there, this is nothing less than an utter jewel of a book that definitely deserves to be more available than it currently is.
And good gracious, was it ever worth all of that wait and effort! I absolutely loved reading all the behind-the-scenes details about all that went into crafting a standard episode of one of my favorite shows. I also enjoy how this book captures the Muppets at one of their all-time peaks. At the time of this book's publication, their globally popular show (plus the first Muppet movie), though nearing its end, had helped solidly cement them a permanent place deep in pop culture. Not only that, but here the core Muppet performers are all still together - Jim Henson and Frank Oz, but also Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, Louise Gold, Steve Whitmire, and all of them at the top of their game as they work together in their unique weird harmony, all while clearly having a blast no matter what obstacles their unique line of work was throwing their way. Of Muppets and Men, simply put, is just an absolutely fantastic snapshot in time.
Although I have since been able to fortunately locate and buy a copy for myself from an online seller (who unwittingly sold their copy at far below the usual average price), I still dream that one day this book will have a limited edition reprint. Just because I lucked out doesn't mean others need to continue to struggle to get their chance to read Of Muppets and Men. For all the Muppet fans out there, this is nothing less than an utter jewel of a book that definitely deserves to be more available than it currently is.
September 1, 2010
A wonderful book, very informative and with great pictures! A must read for Muppet fans!
May 13, 2014
Fabulous behind the scenes look at the Muppet Show! Details about guest stars, what Jim Henson was like on set and chronicles the daily schedule of a week with the team.
March 2, 2019
This is surprisingly erudite. Ms Piggy is compared to Madame Bovary. (Also, apparently she was originally written as a minor character: a chorus girl, but her personality dictated that she must eventually become a star of the show.)
The key players behind the muppets are Jim Henson (a polite southerner who is extremely busy but always somehow manages to appear calm and relaxed) and Frank Oz (an Englishman who learned puppeteer from his parents and who Henson tried to recruit before he had finished school; also he's the opposite of Henson in that he always appears serious and busy). Dave Goelz also seems like an interesting figure: he played Dr. Bunsen (and Gonzo) and it's apparently easy to imagine him as a physics teacher.
It was interesting to hear about how the same person playing several characters imposed constraints on the show. Rowlf was never able to become the star he was destined to be because he was also played by Henson so wasn't able to talk to Kermit much. And how do Fozzie Bear and Ms Piggy interact? We don't know because they're both played by Oz.
There was this nice quote: "a joke that isn't good enough to use once may be abd enough to use three times".
The key players behind the muppets are Jim Henson (a polite southerner who is extremely busy but always somehow manages to appear calm and relaxed) and Frank Oz (an Englishman who learned puppeteer from his parents and who Henson tried to recruit before he had finished school; also he's the opposite of Henson in that he always appears serious and busy). Dave Goelz also seems like an interesting figure: he played Dr. Bunsen (and Gonzo) and it's apparently easy to imagine him as a physics teacher.
It was interesting to hear about how the same person playing several characters imposed constraints on the show. Rowlf was never able to become the star he was destined to be because he was also played by Henson so wasn't able to talk to Kermit much. And how do Fozzie Bear and Ms Piggy interact? We don't know because they're both played by Oz.
There was this nice quote: "a joke that isn't good enough to use once may be abd enough to use three times".
March 3, 2025
This is probably the first and original book about the Muppets. It cover the origins and behind the scenes with lots of useful info and photos. It’s an older book and most of the photos are black and white. I believe it was written with Jim Henson’s participation/blessing.
There may be a more recent book written about The Muppets with more detail and photos but this one is a classic if you can find a copy.
Actual photos of the book on Amazon
There may be a more recent book written about The Muppets with more detail and photos but this one is a classic if you can find a copy.
Actual photos of the book on Amazon
December 2, 2019
(Sigh) I’d like to go back in time to circa 1980 London, walk into Muppet Workshop, and apply for a job doing anything on The Muppet Show. In lieu of that impossible scenario, this book gives a good impression of what it was like with Jim Henson, Frank Oz and the rest. Putting on a show as unique as this one was equal parts work, fun and creativity.
May 2, 2022
Amazing look behind the scenes of the Muppet Show with loads of insight, personality, and factoids. It’s fascinating to see how everything was put together and the people behind it. This book is super hard to get now but totally worth it.
August 21, 2022
Such a good and well-written look at behind the scenes of The Muppet Show! I especially loved the layout (that font is SO nice) and the little tidbits of jokes and conversations sprinkled between descriptions of the going-ons, it was so immersive!
Will definitely read this again!
Will definitely read this again!
February 23, 2021
Great behind the scenes book filled with great photos and anecdotes.
February 5, 2023
What a wonderful read. I loved the behind the scenes of my favorite show. I am a huge Muppet fan so this was a great read.
July 31, 2025
A great look into the makings of the Muppet Show. Wanted 9000% more history and behind-the-scenes anecdotes but what was presented was lots of fun.
January 3, 2026
Very interesting. Contains exclusive behind the scenes photos.
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February 19, 2026How beautiful it must be to belong to something as wholeheartedly as they did
September 3, 2013
I read this a while back and if I could ever get a copy of this, I would buy it in an instant. It is a must read for all fans of Jim Henson and the the Muppets...it is the supreme knowledge of all things Muppet.
I loved getting to see how the magic was performed behind the scenes...wait it actually below the scenes. I have all three seasons of The Muppet Show on DVD and have watched every episode many times even though it drives my husband nuts...he loves it to, but he usually wants to watch something else.
I didn't realize how much work was put into each show which also makes me appreciate Jim's talent and direction even more now that I'm an adult. I used to play with my puppets when I was a kid while watching The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. My favorite characters on the show were Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Rowlf the Dog. I felt sorry for Beaker and Gonzo.
If you can get your hands on a copy of this book, please read it so you can see how the magic was made. Very good read.
I loved getting to see how the magic was performed behind the scenes...wait it actually below the scenes. I have all three seasons of The Muppet Show on DVD and have watched every episode many times even though it drives my husband nuts...he loves it to, but he usually wants to watch something else.
I didn't realize how much work was put into each show which also makes me appreciate Jim's talent and direction even more now that I'm an adult. I used to play with my puppets when I was a kid while watching The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. My favorite characters on the show were Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Rowlf the Dog. I felt sorry for Beaker and Gonzo.
If you can get your hands on a copy of this book, please read it so you can see how the magic was made. Very good read.
September 28, 2016
NOTE: I'm a HUUUUGE Muppet fan, so this review will come as a surprise to precisely no one.
If you're looking for a well-researched, beautifully photographed, entertainingly-written history of The Muppets written at the height of their popularity, this is the coffee table book for you. It's definitely of it's time (early 1980s), so there's nothing about Jim Henson's untimely death, the brief decline of the Muppets, nor the nostalgic resurgence of the past decade. This is a time capsule, for that fleeting moment when Jim Henson was at his most prolific and creative, when the Muppets were on top, at the products being churned out were high-quality, creative and beautiful. This is a book with which you can have the uncommon experience of learning and reminiscing simultaneously. Well-worth the weight!
If you're looking for a well-researched, beautifully photographed, entertainingly-written history of The Muppets written at the height of their popularity, this is the coffee table book for you. It's definitely of it's time (early 1980s), so there's nothing about Jim Henson's untimely death, the brief decline of the Muppets, nor the nostalgic resurgence of the past decade. This is a time capsule, for that fleeting moment when Jim Henson was at his most prolific and creative, when the Muppets were on top, at the products being churned out were high-quality, creative and beautiful. This is a book with which you can have the uncommon experience of learning and reminiscing simultaneously. Well-worth the weight!
July 31, 2009
The very best, if the only, behind-the-scenes study of the production of The Muppet Show. Finch had first-hand access, and carefully details the actual process used by the production team to create each show. Invaluable to all students of Henson productions, although unfortunately out of print and somewhat rare. Photos abound, color and black and white.
June 29, 2009
Great insight to the development and artistry of the Muppets and their characters!
December 29, 2011
This book filled me with so much joy! Yay for the Muppets!
June 8, 2012
Totally absorbing if you've ever wanted to know what went into making this piece of art. It really was that; look at how they worked on it and tell me it's not ya bastard
August 31, 2016
It's like watching a behind-the-scenes-special as a book. It's full of information and if you love the Muppets from the beginning you really should try to find and read this book.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews