The Muppets to be a vital component of its increasing popularity, providing an "effective and pleasurable viewing" method of presentation for the series' educational curriculum. In the early 1970s, the Muppets continued their presence in television, primarily appearing in "The Land of Gorch" segments during the first season of "Saturday Night Live". As his involvement with "Sesame Street" continued, Henson mused about the possibility of creating a network television series featuring the Muppets; as opposed to "Sesame Street", however, this proposed series would be aimed at a more adult audience and focus largely on sketch comedy. Two pilot specials, "The Muppets Valentine
The Muppets taking time, often up to a year, slowly developing their characters and voices. The characters are also "test-driven, passed around from one Henson troupe member to another in the hope of finding the perfect human-Muppet match". When interacting with them, children tended to believe that the Muppets were living creatures, even in the presence of the puppeteers. On September 17, 2002, Rhino Records released "", a compilation album of music from "The Muppet Show" and subsequent film outings. The Muppets also released "", with John Denver in 1979. Under Disney ownership, albums featuring the Muppets have been released by Walt