The fact is, the Muppets were born of the counterculture movement of the ‘60s. Henson was a hippie, speaking to fellow hippies with his humour. He happened to use puppets to do so – and he also had a sweet, sentimental, hopeful streak. But as he was a hippie, free love, drugs, and peace are unquestionably in the Muppets’ DNA.

Perhaps the Muppets have been able to appeal to both children and adults because they are puppets. They can adapt to any era, they don’t age, they can do anything, and they’re in a unique position to break the fourth wall, to remind you that what you’re watching isn’t real. It’s the perfect formula to to smuggle in satire.

A felt phenomenon

It’s in their cultural influence, that the truly subversive nature of The Muppets is revealed. Fourteen years after their creation, their first true heir emerged: The Simpsons. Parents decried that series, too, when it first premiered in primetime in 1989. And it took many viewers a while to catch on that ‘cartoon’ does not equal kiddie, just as ‘puppet’ does not equal kiddie. The Simpsons continues to air, now surrounded by even more ‘adult’ cartoons such as Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers. The animated Disney movies that dominated pop culture throughout the ‘90s – Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King – borrowed heavily from the Muppets, sneaking adult-level jokes and themes among the moral lessons and catchy songs. Pixar has since followed suit. Even many live-action shows have borrowed elements of the Muppets’ approach: Seinfeld’s cartoonish, absurdist approach; Curb Your Enthusiasm’s behind-the-showbiz-scenes satire; everything about 30 Rock. Think about it: on 30 Rock, Liz is Kermit, Jenna is Miss Piggy, Tracy is Fozzie, and Jack is probably that self-important American Eagle.