Posts made in October, 2015
The Birth of Rowlf
Rowlf
Later in June of 1962, at the age of 25, the same month that Jim filmed the Tales of the Tinkerdee pilot, he was named the youngest-ever president of the Puppeteers of America, an amazing indication of how much respect he had already begun to gain for his puppeteering, which was only gaining more and more visibility in the public eye. Over the course of the rest of the year, the Muppets were booked as regular guests on a variety show called Mad, Mad World that unfortunately never made it past a pilot, as well as on NBC’s Today Show.
And then in late 1962, Muppets, Inc. was hired by Purina Dog Chow to make commercials for them, and in response, Jim
Read MoreTales of the Tinkerdee Pilot
Kermit the Minstrel
Ever since I decided to undertake this rather massive undertaking, one of the pieces of Henson history I was most excited to see was the Tales of the Tinkerdee pilot. I’d seen brief clips of it at the Jim Henson exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens a few years ago and had wished to see all of it. Now I finally had a chance, and it did not disappoint. In many ways, it was practically designed for me. I’ve always been fascinated by fairy tales and folklore, as was Jim Henson, evidenced in his 1980s fantasy films, The Storyteller, Fraggle Rock, and the Tales from Muppetland specials–Hey, Cinderella; The Frog Prince; and The Muppet Musicians of Bremen.
Read MoreShort Projects
Jim animating “Drums West”.
Today, before proceeding with Jim Henson’s next large project, the Tales of the Tinkerdee pilot, I thought I would briefly cover a number of shorter creative endeavors Jim pursued, some of which overlap with the Sam and Friends time frame. I also hadn’t touched on some of the things going on in Jim’s personal life at the time, and this post will cover some of that, as well.
So, to rewind a bit, in 1960, Jim graduated from the University of Maryland and Jane gave birth to their first child, Lisa Marie Henson. That same year, Jim attended the Puppeteers of America convention, where he met Don Sahlin, a brilliant puppet builder who would come to work/collaborate with him for many years. Around this time,
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