We don’t need fancy pollsters to tell us The Muppets have a higher favorability rating than the Church of Scientology. One group scores high and the other….does not. The massive difference in public opinion is why many were distraught over a recent report regarding the two groups. Last week Jeff Sneider of The InSneider wrote The Jim Henson Company was on the verge of selling its legendary studio lot on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles to the Church of Scientology. But don’t worry about Miss Piggy having to sit down for an audit anytime soon. The Jim Henson Company has said that is definitely not happening.
Deadline was the first to “suppress” the report The Jim Henson Company Lot will soon end up in the hands of the Church of Scientology. While the famous studio is up for sale, The Jim Henson Company released an official statement totally saying the controversial church is a possible buyer.
In regards to recent rumors about the sale of the La Brea studio lot, the Henson family is not in any business dealings with the Church of Scientology, and that organization is not in consideration as a potential buyer of the property. It is still the family’s intention to move The Jim Henson Company to a new location it can share with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, but at this time the family is not in escrow with any buyer.
The Church of Scientology owns many high-profile real estate holdings in Los Angeles. But Deadline says a church insider denied any discussions over the property.
The Henson family purchased the famous lot in 1999 and it has served as the company’s headquarters ever since. (Disney, who owns the rights to The Muppets and not the entire Jim Henson Company, does not own the lot.) The front of the studio pays homage to its famous past and present. The entrance features a statue of Kermit dressed as Charlie Chaplin’s The Tramp. That’s a nod to the lot’s original 1917 name, Charlie Chaplin Studios.
Who will ultimately end up buying the Jim Henson Company studio lot is unknown. Fortunately fans of The Muppets know it won’t be renamed for L. Ron Hubbard anytime soon.