Some good news of late, The Jim Henson Company finally got permission to reinstate Kermit for Emmet Otter! The special even aired recently on ABC Family:
http://kidscreen.com/2015/12/17/the-jim-henson-company-remasters-christmas-classics/The bad news, they matted it to widescreen and because they restored it in HD, the frame rate has been manipulated.
(facepalm)