Kermit & Miss Piggy: Before "The Muppets" movie

In his 40-plus years as a "60 Minutes" correspondent, Morley Safer has rarely been flustered in an interview - neither dictators nor drug lords can shake his confidence.

And then, in March 1979, Morley interviewed the Muppets' Miss Piggy for his piece "Backstage at the Muppets," and suddenly he was not the commanding correspondent we've come to know.

It all started out innocently enough -- Morley and his long-time friend and producer John Tiffin set out to do a piece on the Muppets, which had become a worldwide TV phenomenon.

Little did Morley know he was walking into a well-worn trap, about to become the latest object of Miss Piggy's desires. As they've been saying in television long before Las Vegas stole it: "What happens on the road, stays on the road." Especially if that road eventually becomes Sesame Street.

The Muppets got to where they are today with a lot of hard work, great talent and a little luck. Jim Henson had the idea for what was essentially a vaudeville show with puppets back in the 1970's. All three major TV networks turned him down, including CBS.

Undeterred, Henson packed Kermit into a bag and took the idea to England. British TV loved it, and eventually the Muppets were household faces, names and voices in 106 countries. At one point, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Scooter and the Great Gonzo were part of the single most watched television show in the world.