00:00 This podcast episode is about how Muppets work, starting with the history of Jim Henson and the creation of the Muppets.

04:11 The formation of a kids show called Sesame Street in 1968 catapulted Jim Henson and his Muppets into a possible TV deal and introduced iconic characters like Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, and Cookie Monster.

08:11 The Muppet Show was born in 1976 after Jim Henson struck a deal with ITC and started shooting the show in London, syndicating it out to CBS.

12:02 The Muppets were created by Jim Henson using reticulated polyfoam for their construction, which allowed for more flexibility and movement in their facial expressions.

15:58 Kermit the Frog's skin was made from a fuzzy green coat and his eyes were halves of a toy called wacky stacks, with the size of the pupils indicating the age of the Muppet, and the man responsible for the Muppets' eyes and sewing techniques was Don Saline, who created the Henson stitch to hide seams and used Antron Fleece as the covering for most Muppets.

19:28 Muppeteers often use a technique called right-handing, where a second puppeteer operates the right hand of a Muppet to allow for more specific movements, and in some cases, multiple puppeteers are needed to operate different parts of a Muppet's body, but they do a good job of making it look seamless.

23:05 Muppeteers find their work to be very complicated and physically exhausting, especially when operating full body Muppets like Big Bird, which requires a Muppeteer to stand inside and control both hands using a pulley system.

26:26 The Muppet Show had a lot of background Muppets called "what nots" or "anything Muppets" that were interchangeable and could be customized with different costumes and features, and Miss Piggy had her own costume designer.

30:09 Fragile Rock, Muppet Babies, and Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas were all popular shows featuring Muppets.

33:52 Jim Henson's death was caused by a bacterial infection, not pneumonia, and his son did not take over the voice of Kermit, it was actually the host of the podcast.