Mark Sainsbury is known for hosting Close Up, New Zealand's most popular current affairs program. After traveling to the United States for a story on the newest Muppet movie, producer Chris Lynch (who's also a puppeteer) had ecstatic news for his cohort. In Sainsbury's words, "[Chris] came in all excited, saying, 'They want to make a Muppet of you'... I thought he was joking."