Jim Henson Company will say goodbye to Chaplin Studios Lot

The Muppets are moving. After more than 20 years on the historic Chaplin Studios Lot, The Wrap reports that the Jim Henson Company plans to sell the space, which includes recording studios and Charlie Chaplin’s 10,000-square-foot sound stage and original woodworking shop. Since the Henson Company reopened the lot in 2000, it’s been diligently watched over by a 12-foot tall statue of Kermit the Frog dressed as Chaplin’s famous character, The Tramp.

The company will reportedly continue to rent the space for a time while looking for a new home. Per The Wrap, the sale is “part of a much longer-term strategy to have The Jim Henson Company and our renowned Burbank-based Jim Henson’s Creature Shop under one roof, which is not feasible in Hollywood due to the space the Shop requires.” Disney acquired the rights to the Muppet characters in 2004. In 2011, Disney released The Muppets movie, which was all about the gang coming together to save the famed Muppet Theater from being sold off before their trademarks expire. Funny how life imitates art imitates life….

Of course, the Chaplin Lot had a rich history before the Muppets got there, and will hopefully continue to be part of Hollywood history after the Muppets are gone. In addition to being the studio where Chaplin filmed iconic movies like The Kid, The Gold Rush, Modern Times, and The Great Dictator, it’s also seen a lot of other important moments in pop culture, most significantly the 1985 recording of “We Are The World” with Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones, and every other famous singer at the time. When the Muppets moved in in 2000, CEO Lisa Henson (daughter of Jim and Jane) called the lot a “lovable hodge-podge of quirky, unusual spaces,” per The Wrap. “There are unexpected elements in some of the offices, like original vaults and fish-tank-like bathrooms. It’s not your typical corporate space, but it’s ideal for the Muppets,” she said. Hopefully, the Muppets find a home that suits them just as well, and Chaplin Studios finds new residents that are equally reverent to its history.