The Muppets are a group of puppet characters that are known for their absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential variety-sketch humor. They are the namesakes of the Disney-owned media franchise that includes television, film, music, and other media associated with the characters. They were created by Jim Henson in 1955.
The Muppets branched out into theatrical films in the 1970s and 1980s, with films like The Muppet Movie (1979), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). In the late 1980s, as Henson was negotiating to sell The Jim Henson Company, Disney became involved with them. Muppet Babies (1984–91), The Jim Henson Hour (1989) and Muppets Tonight (1996–98), all of which were similar in style to The Muppet Show, and three films: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), and Muppets from Space (1999) continued the Muppets' media appearance on television.

The Muppets were purchased by Disney in February 2004, enabling them to reach a wider audience than in previous years. Following The Muppets (2011) and Muppets Most Wanted (2014), Disney's subsequent ventures included a short-lived primetime series (2015–2016), a reboot of Muppet Babies (2018–present), and the streaming television series Muppets Now (2020–present).