08/05/2003 - Germany's EM.TV sells the Jim Henson Company to the heirs of the man who invented the Muppets for Euros78m after buying it in 2000 for $680m

Muppet fans of the world, rejoice! Kermit, Miss Piggy, The Great Gonzo and Fozzie Bear have returned home safe and sound after three years spent in Germany as the special guests of German media group EM.TV & Merchandising. EM.TV announced the sale of the Jim Henson Company to the late inventor’s children for a reported Dollars 89m (Euros78m). The German group bought the company back in 2000 at the height of the stock market boom, for Dollars 680 million.
The Henson family beat off a number of major rivals including the Walt Disney Company and US media tycoon Haim Saban, and will pay EM.TV Dollars 78 million (Euros68m) in cash plus an additional Dollars 11 million (Euros9.626m) in Henson Company liquid assets.