A MAJOR Celebrity Is Buying the Jim Henson Company Lot

Disney4me · December 23, 2024

When the news broke that Muppets Courtyard would be removed from Disney’s Hollywood Studios to be replaced by a new Monsters, Inc. Land, Muppets fans everywhere were saddened by the news.

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Muppets Courtyard in Hollywood Studios

One piece of Muppets Courtyard specifically got a lot of attention — Muppet*Vision 3D. Disney shared that they “are having creative conversations and exploring ways to preserve the film and other parts of the experience for fans to enjoy in the future.” The Jim Henson Company also shared a statement about preserving the film, so many fans are hopeful they’ll be able to experience the show well into the future in some way. Jim Henson’s legacy continues to live on through the Muppets and his last piece of work, but now it seems that the company’s studio lot is being sold to a famous celebrity!

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Jim Henson Company Lot has been on the market since the late creator’s family announced their intention to sell it so they could have all of the Jim Henson Company and the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop (based in Burbank) under one roof.

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The lot sale caught the attention of singer-songwriter John Mayer, who has an office on the lot, and movie director McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol), who have now been in talks with the company to purchase the lot for $40 million. According to Mayer’s representative Larry Solters, “John Mayer and McG are under contract to purchase Henson Studios.”

John Mayer ©Getty Images

Solters has not elaborated on what Mayer and McG plan to use the lot for however, it has most currently been used as a music recording studio. The history of the lot is rich, beginning with comic and actor Charlie Chaplin building it as his own movie studio complex in 1917. It was then sold to Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1966. The Jim Henson Company purchased the property in 1999 and erected the statue of Kermit as Charlie Chaplin as the Tramp at the entrance. According to the LA Times, “The property was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1969.”