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Under pressure to show creative sparks, Disney has acquired Jim Henson's famous Muppets. Surprised? By Ananya Roy Disney chief Michael Eisner used to make news for being the world's best paid CEO. These days, he makes news for being the most begrudged CEO. No, wait. He made news for something else the other day: the purchase of Jim Henson Company's famous Muppets. What would a CEO of a company that invented---if that's the word---the world's most adorable mouse find attractive in a bunch of hand-yakking dolls? Jumping to the conclusion that Eisner needs something---anything---to thwart the hostile takeover bid from Comcast, would not be a bad way to begin. Ever since Steve Jobs' Pixar pulled out of a co-production animation film deal with Disney, the latter has been seen as a vulnerable takeover target. Some observers, of course, thought all was lost back in the mid-1990s when Jeffrey Katzenberg quit for DreamWorks SKG, the most creative thing to have happened to filmdom in recent years... Still, considering it's Disney we're talking about, that's quite a staggering thought. Grant Disney, then, a chance to show that it hasn't lost its creative brains. Send Kermit The Frog---the first experience a kid often has of 'reality' reporting----straight to the spot. Kermit, if he needs an introduction, is a Muppet. A reporter Muppet. The spot, in this case, is University of Maryland, where once upon a time (about 50 years ago), there was a man called Jim Henson. What would Kermit report? True to form, he'd begin with the fairy tale---or at least, the traditionally received version of the tale, as standardized. So, there was a man called Jim Henson, and he had a vivid imagination. He looked at a sock, and saw a sock puppet. No big deal there. But he looked at the sock puppet, and saw a unique personality. And another, and another... till he had a whole bunch of Muppets rocking toddler-land like never before. Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and the Animal characters. Starring in The Muppet Show. They all ribbed one another, said witty things, kept the kids rollicking, made millions of dollars, went global and made everybody jump for jo----yoweerz-werp-thwack. Hey---what was that? Market competition. And that? Market fatigue. Thump. Boy, a rotten tomato flung at poor Fozzie Bear. Brother, grin an' bear it. Flooshp. Watch out, here comes another. Aw, Piggy's in trouble. And--ouch. Somebody sure doesn't like fairy tales going off-script. Cough cough---back to the studio---sputter sputter, it's not getting any easier... Is anybody listening?
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