'Mystery Science Theater 3000'

Showing that there's more to puppets than kid's shows and dirty jokes, "MST3K" added sharp comedic voices and made the robot sidekicks seem as real as their flesh-and-blood counterparts. Trapped within the Satellite of Love, Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo and Gypsy proved themselves far more valuable than the bowling pins and gumball machines that were used to construct them, providing companionship for Joel Robinson and Mike Nelson -- and hours of witty movie mockery for the rest of us.

'The Muppet Show'

It's certainly saying something that, on a list as brief as this one,
Jim Henson needs to take up two slots (nearly three, since
"Fraggle Rock" would almost definitely have to be number 11).
If "Sesame Street" was designed for kids, it was "Muppets" that
could pick them up as they began to learn about the real world. From 1976 to1981, into decades of syndication, Kermit and his motley crew crafted a potent mix of adult humor, youthful innocence and old-school vaudeville entertainment unlike anything we've seen since. From Fozzy Bear to Dr. Teeth to The Swedish Chef, the show yielded countless breakout characters still so beloved that they inspire constant shout-outs in pop culture.

The Productions of 'Sid & Marty Kroft'

Whoever first thought of creating a tiny man, then shoving his hand up its rear-end so he could talk out of the corner of his mouth to provide the illusion of life, was clearly operating under the influence of something illegal. It's only appropriate, then, that psychedelic siblings Sid and Marty Kroft took the field of puppetry to a whole different level throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. Their dominance began with the weird world of "H.R. Pufnstuf" ("Who's your friend when things get rough?"), and carried on through the rockin' show "The Bugaloos"; the unsettling "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters"; and, perhaps, the most bizarre children's program to ever run on television, "Lidsville" (which featured living, talking hats). Decades later, "Mr. Show" would run a sketch about "Sam and Criminy Craffft", two brothers creating a kid's show called "The Altered State of Druggachusetts." Somewhere, Sid & Marty were undoubtedly taking notes.

'Spitting Image' / 'D.C. Follies'

It's somewhat forgotten now, but the latter half of the Reagan decade gave rise to a significant uprise in political puppetry. The movement is perhaps best committed to history by Genesis' "Land of Confusion" video, which attempted to bring the twisted-faced puppets of the hit U.K. program "Spitting Image" to the rest of the world. Designed by innovative cartoonists Peter Fluck and Roger Law, "Image" ran for 12 seasons and was relentless in its depiction of politicians and celebrities as bug-eyed, dried-up buffoons. Puppet producers Sid & Marty Kroft took note of the phenomenon and turned it into "D.C. Follies," a U.S. show that featured Fred Willard as a Washington bartender serving up drinks (and punchlines) to puppet versions of everyone from Reagan to Whoopi Goldberg to a tap-dancing Gerald R. Ford. In this age of Jon Stewart and the Crank Yankers, it seems that a rebirth of the political movement would be perfectly timed.

'Greg the Bunny'

While some might scream bloody murder over a few puppets we had to cut for this list (Mr. Rogers' Lady Elaine and X the Owl; "Thunderbirds"; Captain Kangaroo's Bunny Rabbit and Mr. Moose; Mr. Hat and others -- much love), we'd be remiss if we didn't note this seemingly indestructible fugitive from public access television. Created by some Manhattan friends around the turn of the millennium, the Muppet-like Greg and his alcoholic buddy, Warren the ape, soon received their very own Fox TV show -- which was quickly canceled. But IFC resurrected the subversive puppets and gave them a "MST3K"-like gig, spoofing movies. Currently, they can be seen in everything from "The Passion of the Easter Bunny" to "Naturally Sewn Killers." Scatchamagowza!

'Lamb Chop'

In modern television history, the greatest bond between puppet and puppeteer was forged between ventriloquist Shari Lewis and her feisty, childlike Lamb Chop. Beginning their collaboration on "Captain Kangaroo" in the late '50s, the duo entertained children on various programs for nearly 40 years, culminating in a five-Emmy run on "Lamb Chop's Play-Along" in the '90s. Lewis died of pneumonia in 1998, but Lamb Chop carries on to this day, recently performing at a star-studded benefit concert. Thanks to the efforts of Shari's daughter, Mallory Lewis, it appears that Shari and Lamb Chop's song will, indeed, never end.