Disney kill a tribute to Kermit.Byline: HEATHER GREENAWAYBig Yin buys iron cattle for garden MUPPET MUPPET Most Useless Police Person Ever Trained stars Kermit the frog Kermit the Frog is a Muppet who was first introduced in 1955 and is one of puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous and beloved creations. Kermit was performed by Henson until his death in 1990. Since then, he has been performed by Steve Whitmire. and Miss Piggy Miss Piggy is a Muppet character primarily played by Frank Oz. In 2001, Eric Jacobson began performing her, although Oz has not officially retired. She was voiced by Laurie O'Brien in Muppet Babies. have been axed from a touring puppet show - after Disney threatened legal action. The Disney Corporation of America, who own the Muppets copyright, threatened to sue the two-man show touring Scotland if they didn't axe their pig and frog puppets. Puppeteers Philip Fletcher and Carl Chadd had wanted to make their show, featuring the 'Gluvets', a Muppets tribute. They asked the estate of Jim Henson, the late Muppet creator, last September for permission but were told the rights had been sold to Disney.Misled Promoter Paul Bridson then wrote to Disney in Florida. He believed they did not object and the show had bookings in Irvine, Stirling and Dundee. Kermit and Miss Piggy topped the bill, with other puppets looking and sounding like Big Bird, Bert and Gonzo. But after the first two shows at Irvine and Stirling last weekend, Disney lawyers claimed they had been misled. Paul Bridson said: 'They seemed to think we would be submitting scripts for Muppet shows to Disney. That was never the case. 'It's just a frog and a pig but we can't afford to take on Disney.' |
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