With “The Muppets” in prime time on ABC and “Sesame Street” headed for HBO, the puppet characters created by Jim Henson are suddenly as high profile as they’ve ever been.

But that’s less the case for the company Henson founded, Hollywood’s Jim Henson Co. The company, now in its 60th year, sold the rights to Kermit, Big Bird and other beloved characters years ago.

Still, the company has a handful of other projects in the works and Henson President Peter Schube said the company might still benefit, albeit indirectly, from the Muppets’ newfound prominence by landing new contracts if other puppet shows are made.

“If you made ice cream and everyone thought ice cream was the best dessert in the world, then that would be good for your business,” Schube said.

Though its marquee properties are long gone, Henson is busy developing more. The company is working on new shows and movies based on remaining intellectual property, such as “Fraggle Rock” and “The Dark Crystal.”

The company is also still making money as a puppet maker. Its Jim Henson’s Creature Shop division continues to manufacture the puppets for “Sesame Street,” though not for the Muppets, which has been owned and operated by Burbank’s Walt Disney Co. since 2004.

Schube respectfully disagrees with anyone who thinks it was a mistake to sell Kermit, Miss Piggy and company.

“When people say that, it’s an emotional reaction,” he said. “It made sense at the time and continues to make sense for an established property like the Muppets to be housed inside the Walt Disney Co., which has the resources and distribution platforms to give them a bright future.”

Digital projects

Looking to chart its own future, Henson has lately been focusing its resources on digital offerings. It’s been commissioned to make a new series for preschoolers, “Word Party,” for video-streaming giant Netflix and working on current projects for Amazon Studios and Hulu at its digital animation facility, the Jim Henson Digital Puppetry Studio. There, animators and puppeteers use digital animation technology and motion-capturing body sensors to bring digital characters to life.

The studio is on the Chaplin Stage at Henson’s La Brea Avenue headquarters, where Charlie Chaplin once shot classics including “City Lights” and “The Great Dictator.”

Schube, who has been Henson’s president and chief operating officer since 2003, said the studio aims to keep the company relevant.

In fact, he said the company is the busiest it has been since he first joined back in 1988.

“We have six or seven shows on the air, another two or three about to commence and in addition to creating entirely new projects, continue to develop our legacy properties such as ‘Fraggle Rock’ and ‘Dark Crystal,’ which still resonate with huge audiences around the world and can attract new fans, too,” he said.

Sold

Though Henson and the Muppets are nearly synonymous, the company hasn’t owned that cast of characters for years. In 1989, Jim Henson was in talks to sell to Disney, though the deal fell through after the famed puppeteer’s death in 1990.

The Henson family took over before selling the company to German media firm EM.TV & Merchandising AG in 2000 for $680 million, only to buy it back from them at a much reduced price in 2003 when EM.TV’s stock collapsed.

Disney then entered the picture again, buying the rights to the Muppets and another property, “Bear in the Big Blue House,” in 2004 for an undisclosed price.

At that point, Henson no longer had the rights to the “Sesame Street” characters either, as Big Bird, Elmo and the rest had been sold by EM.TV in 2001 to Sesame Workshop, previously known as the Children’s Television Workshop.

That New York nonprofit recently struck a five-year deal with HBO. New “Sesame Street” episodes will begin airing exclusively on the premium cable network and its streaming outlets starting later this year and be available for free nine months later on PBS, its home for the past 45 years.

Today, Henson’s revenue streams include creating and licensing entertainment content across various distribution channels as well as selling puppets and leasing half the office space on its Hollywood lot.

The 100-employee firm, which is run by Henson’s four surviving children – Chief Executive Lisa, Chairman Brian and directors Cheryl and Heather – is working on establishing partnerships in China, India and other emerging markets with a view to establishing subscription delivery services there for its library of programming.

Schube would not disclose financial information but said Henson is doing well.

“We’re a small company relative to others in our space,” he said, “but we operate on a global basis and if we stay true to our focus on innovating and creating compelling characters, I think we’ll be fine.”