THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER was released in the summer of 1981. This was five years after The Muppet Show started, and just a few months after it ended. Given that The Muppet Show ended at the height of its popularity (Jim Henson wanted it to end on a high note rather than watch it inevitably fall from grace) the film was a welcome visit with old friends to contemporary audiences. It also solidified the Muppets’ transition from television to film. No longer was their popularity due solely to having a weekly variety show; they were movie stars.