Bunraku

Bunraku was founded in Osaka, Japan in 1684. Although the term "bunraku" refers to a more specific type of puppet in Japan, in other countries the word is used loosely to refer to any style of puppetry where a full-bodied puppet is manipulated by any number of visible puppeteers, typically dressed in black. The Muppets and the Henson Company have used this form of puppetry in numerous productions. In America, the bunraku technique is generally refered to as Table-Top.

On the documentary Inside the Labyrinth, Jim Henson makes note of this style of puppetry, saying that "velvet is probably the blackest fabric that you can use, so that's what they had to wear." If the lighting is just right, the performers dressed in black velvet become almost invisible when in front of a background of black velvet. Often times, this background is then replaced by superimposing another background over top of it.

In an interview with Jim Henson, it was suggested that Bunraku was an inspiration for the Muppets. Henson corrected the statement:

"No, I don't think so. ... Bunraku is a marvelous and fascinating art form and puppetry form but, basically, I knew nothing about it until I had been working for a number of years myself."

This form of puppetry has also been used against a blue or green screen.

Below is a list of the use of Bunraku in Henson/Muppet Productions:

The Ed Sullivan Show

 * "Java"
 * "Octopus' Garden"

Sesame Street

 * "Octopus' Garden"
 * "What's My Part?" (Mr. Nose)
 * "Sammy the Snake"
 * "Doin' the Pigeon"
 * "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon"
 * "Disco Frog"
 * "Eight Balls of Fur"
 * "Counting Vacation" (Fish)
 * "Happy Tappin' with Elmo"
 * Baby Tooth and the Funky Funk
 * Journey to Ernie

The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence

 * "For the Birds"

The Muppet Show

 * Episode 101: "Solace"
 * Episode 106: "The Danceros"
 * Episode 108: "All of Me"
 * Episode 113: "In a Little Spanish Town", "All I Need Is the Girl"
 * Episode 117: "Pure Imagination"
 * Episode 119: "I'm Looking Through You"
 * Episode 120: "Nobody Does It Like Me"
 * Episode 121: "Dance"
 * Episode 122: "Java"
 * Episode 124: "When I'm Not Near the Fish I Love"
 * Episode 208: "The Varsity Drag"
 * Episode 216: "If"
 * Episode 220: "The Boy From Ipanema"
 * Episode 221: "Don't Fence Me In"
 * Episode 310: "Dance"
 * Episode 312: "Octopus' Garden"
 * Episode 403: "Take a Chance on Me", "In a Little Spanish Town"
 * Episode 415: "Snowbird", "Dancing on the Ceiling"
 * Episode 416: "You'll Never Walk Alone"
 * Episode 417: "Three Little Fishies"
 * Episode 418: "Disco Frog"
 * Episode 419: "Rubber Band Man"
 * Episode 501: Gene Kelly teaches Kermit to tap dance.
 * Episode 506: "Falling Song", "Jabberwocky"
 * Episode 508: "Puppet Man"
 * Episode 514: "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me"
 * Episode 519: "Friendship"

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

 * Talent Show:
 * Shirley and Nat Muskrat dance as "Carrots the Dancing Horse"
 * Yancey Woodchuck sings "Bar-B-Que"
 * Squirrels dance
 * George and Melissa Rabbit dance

The Muppet Movie

 * Kermit and Fozzie dance at the El Sleezo Cafe.

Labyrinth

 * The Fireys sing "Chilly Down"

The Jim Henson Hour

 * The Extremes
 * The Song of the Cloud Forest

The Muppet Christmas Carol

 * Kermit and Robin walk down the street singing

Muppets Tonight!

 * Episode 109: "Once in a Lifetime"
 * Episode 204: The Dancing Grandmas
 * Episode 206: "Opposites Attract"

The Adventures of Pinocchio

 * The Creature Shop provided effects. Several shots of Pinocchio.

Muppets From Space

 * Gonzo flies through space and meets the Cosmic Fish.

It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie

 * The Bossmen perform during the failed "Cirque du So Lamé" number.