The Muppets Take Manhattan Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, and Animal), who previously co-directed "The Dark Crystal" with Henson. The film introduced the Muppet Babies, as toddler versions of the Muppet characters in a fantasy sequence. The eponymous animated television series premiered on CBS in September 1984, airing until 1991. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and the rest of the Muppets have graduated from Danhurst College by entertaining their fellow graduates with their theatrical production of "Manhattan Melodies". Upon the suggestion of taking the show to Broadway, the Muppets proceed with the idea, certain they will become stars instantly. Arriving in Manhattan, the group meet producer
The Muppets Studio several months after Jim Henson's death in 1990. Despite the collapse of the merger deal, by 1992, Disney and Jim Henson Productions had already struck a number of deals: The Henson family subsequently sold the entirety of the Jim Henson Company to German conglomerate EM.TV in 2000. In 2003, the Henson family repurchased The Jim Henson Company from EM.TV. Eisner, still interested in the Muppet properties, re-opened negotiations with the Hensons and announced the purchase of "The Muppets" and "Bear in the Big Blue House" assets from The Jim Henson Company for $75 million on February 17, 2004. The acquired