France's Guignols celebrate 20 years with special

Assistant Patricia Misiri arranges the hair of puppets depicting France's Segolene Royal (C) and Nicolas Sarkozy (L) at the Canal plus studios in Paris January 29, 2007.

PARIS (Hollywood Reporter) - The Muppets got a run for their money Monday night as France's most famous puppets, the Guignols, celebrated their 20th birthday.

The Guignols, whose show airs on pay TV network Canal Plus, have been an integral part of French popular culture since they were created in 1988. Hosted by a satirical latex version of recently ousted veteran TF1 news anchor Patrick Poivre d'Arvor -- the real anchor was replaced, but his puppet version is still going strong -- the Guignols continue to give Canal Plus its highest average nightly ratings.

Canal Plus featured a Guignols special complete with a live broadcast of the puppets on hit nightly talk show "Le Grand Journal," a behind-the-scenes look at how the show is made and four consecutive hours of Guignols programing. Celebrities who made appearances included Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe and politicians Francois Hollande and Francois Bayrou.

"Les Guignols" has had a 4,000-episode run and attracts between 2.5 million and 3 million viewers every night in its 7:55 p.m. slot, airing unencrypted on the pay TV channel for all audiences.

(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)