Bonnie Erickson

Last updated

Bonnie Erickson
Bonnieerickson.jpg
Born (1941-09-20) September 20, 1941 (age 82)
Anoka, Minnesota
EducationUniversity of Minnesota, Art Students League of New York
Occupation(s) designer of puppets, costumes, toys, and graphics
Spouses
Leslie Lewis
​
(m. 1963⁠–⁠1975)​
Wayde Harrison
​
(m. 1977)​

Bonnie Erickson (born September 20, 1941) is an American designer of puppets, costumes, toys, and graphics, best known for her work with Jim Henson and The Muppets, where her most notable creations include Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf, and as a partner in Harrison/Erickson, the Major League Baseball mascot the Phillie Phanatic.

Contents

Biography

Jim Henson Company and The Muppets

Erickson began her career with a background in theater and art, having studied at the University of Minnesota and the Art Students League of New York. After working in legitimate theater as assistant to costume designer Patricia Quinn Stewart, she was hired by Jim Henson in 1970 to provide costumes for the Muppet characters in The Frog Prince . She continued with the company, specializing in puppets made from carved foam like Miss Piggy and Statler and Waldorf. [1] [2]

Erickson served as Head of the Muppet Workshop for Jim Henson Associates, and set up the original London workshop for The Muppet Show . [3]

In 1983, Erickson served as Design Consultant and Workshop Director for the Jim Henson series Fraggle Rock .

In 1986, Erickson became Vice President of Creative Projects for The Jim Henson Company in which she worked on productions such as The Tale of the Bunny Picnic and The Christmas Toy .

Erickson served as a Creative Director for the product division of The Jim Henson Company and Children's Television Workshop from 1987 to 2000, in which time she art directed the creation of the popular children's toy Tickle Me Elmo. [4] [5]

Harrison/Erickson, Inc.

In 1977, she and Wayde Harrison established Harrison/Erickson, Inc., a design and marketing resource for national sports teams, television production and the advertising and toy industries, with Jim Henson Associates as their first client. [6]

Erickson designed many professional sports mascots, including the Phillie Phanatic and Youppi!, now in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. [7] [8]

The Jim Henson Legacy

In 1994, Erickson became a trustee of the Jim Henson Legacy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and perpetuating Jim Henson's contributions to the worlds of puppetry, television, motion pictures, special effects and media technology. From 2007 to 2010, she served as president, and then Executive Director until 2014. During her tenure, she oversaw the Henson Family collection of objects from Henson productions at the Smithsonian Institution, Center for Puppetry Arts, Museum of the Moving Image, The Strong, and Museum of Pop Culture. [9]

Erickson was also instrumental in the installation of a statue of Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog at the University of Maryland. The caricature Muppet of Jim Henson she created inspired the action figure by Palisades Toys. [4]

Erickson's notable credits

The Muppets

Mascots

Phillie Phanatic, originally designed by Bonnie Erickson in 1978 Phillie Phanatic.jpg
Phillie Phanatic, originally designed by Bonnie Erickson in 1978

Advertising clients

Notable toy and product manufacturer clients

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Muppets</span> Puppet characters created by Jim Henson

The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses television, film, music, and other media associated with the characters. Originally owned by the Jim Henson Company for nearly five decades, the franchise was purchased by the Walt Disney Company in 2004.

<i>The Muppet Show</i> Variety television show (1976–81)

The Muppet Show is a variety sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and starring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a series and other networks in the United States rejected Henson's proposals, British producer Lew Grade expressed enthusiasm for the project and agreed to co-produce The Muppet Show for the British channel ATV. Five seasons, totalling 120 episodes, were broadcast on ATV and other ITV franchises in the United Kingdom and in first-run syndication in the United States from 1976 to 1981. The programme was produced and recorded at the ATV Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statler and Waldorf</span> Muppet characters

Statler and Waldorf are a pair of Muppet characters from the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show, best known for their cantankerous opinions and shared penchant for heckling. The two elderly men first appeared in The Muppet Show in 1975, where they consistently jeered the entirety of the cast and their performances from their box seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillie Phanatic</span> Mascot for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball

The Phillie Phanatic is the official mascot for the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team. He is a large, furry, green flightless bird with an extendable tongue. He performs various routines to entertain fans during baseball games at Citizens Bank Park and makes public relation and goodwill appearances for the Phillies. The Phanatic is widely acknowledged as one of the best ballpark mascots, and one of the most recognizable mascots in North American sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youppi!</span> Canadian sports mascot

Youppi! is the official mascot for the Montreal Canadiens, and former longtime mascot of the Montreal Expos. Youppi! wears an "!" instead of a jersey number.

<i>The Muppets Take Manhattan</i> 1984 film by Frank Oz

The Muppets Take Manhattan is a 1984 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Frank Oz and the third theatrical film featuring the Muppets. The film stars Muppet performers Jim Henson, Oz, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, as well as special appearances by Art Carney, James Coco, Dabney Coleman, Gregory Hines, Linda Lavin and Joan Rivers. Filmed in New York City during the prior summer, it was released theatrically on July 13, 1984, by TriStar Pictures. A fantasy sequence in the film introduced the Muppet Babies, toddler versions of the lead Muppet characters.

<i>A Muppet Family Christmas</i> 1987 Christmas television special featuring the Muppets

A Muppet Family Christmas is a Christmas musical television special starring Jim Henson's Muppets. It first aired on December 16, 1987, on the ABC television network in the United States. Its teleplay was conceived by longtime Muppet writer Jerry Juhl, and directed by Peter Harris and Eric Till. This television special was filmed at 9 Channel Nine Court in Toronto, Ontario. The special features various Muppets from The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and Muppet Babies. It also stars Gerard Parkes as Doc from the North American wraparound segments of Fraggle Rock, and Henson as himself in a cameo appearance at the end. In the plot, the Muppets surprise Fozzie Bear's mother with a Christmas visit to her farmhouse, unaware of her planned getaway to Malibu.

<i>Muppet*Vision 3D</i> 3D theme park attraction

Muppet*Vision 3D is a 3D film attraction located at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. The attraction also formerly operated at Disney California Adventure. Directed by Jim Henson, the attraction consists of a pre-show which then leads into Kermit the Frog guiding park guests on a tour through Muppet Studios, while the Muppets prepare their sketch acts to demonstrate their new breakthrough in 3D film technology. The show, however, completely unravels when Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's experimental 3D sprite, Waldo, causes mayhem during the next portion of the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Goelz</span> American puppeteer

David Charles Goelz is an American puppeteer, puppet builder and actor, known for his work with the Muppets. As part of the Muppets' performing cast, Goelz performs Gonzo the Great, as well as Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf, Zoot and Beauregard, originating on The Muppet Show. Goelz's puppeteering roles also included in Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth. Outside of puppeteering work, he was also the voice of Figment in the Journey into Imagination with Figment attraction at Epcot.

<i>The Great Muppet Caper</i> 1981 film directed by Jim Henson

The Great Muppet Caper is a 1981 musical heist comedy film directed by Jim Henson and the second theatrical film featuring the Muppets. The film stars Muppet performers Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, and Steve Whitmire, as well as Charles Grodin and Diana Rigg with special cameo appearances by John Cleese, Robert Morley, Peter Ustinov, and Jack Warden. The film was produced by ITC Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company and distributed by Universal Pictures. In the plot, the Muppets are caught up in a jewel heist while investigating a robbery in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Prell</span> American puppeteer and animator (born 1959)

Karen Leigh Prell is an American puppeteer and animator. She is the performer of Red Fraggle in Fraggle Rock.

<i>Muppets TV</i> French TV series or program

Muppets TV is a French television series in ten 45-minute episodes, produced by Sébastien Cauet for The Muppets Studio, based on the characters from The Muppet Show created by Jim Henson, and broadcast between 29 October and 31 December 2006 on TF1.

Victor Yerrid is an American actor and puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company and has performed Muppet characters in many films, television commercials and television shows. He is best known in the Muppet World for his work on the online series Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony, in which he performed Waldorf along with an assortment of other characters.

The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence is the second of two pilots for The Muppet Show, airing on ABC on March 19, 1975. The other pilot, The Muppets Valentine Show, aired in 1974.

<i>The Land of Gorch</i> Recurring Saturday Night Live skit featuring Jim Hensons Muppets.

The Land of Gorch was a recurring adult puppetry skit that appeared in the first season of the American comedy television program Saturday Night Live, featuring Jim Henson's Muppets.

The Muppets Go Hollywood is a one-hour television special that promoted The Muppet Movie, the first theatrical film in The Muppets franchise. It first aired May 16, 1979 on CBS, six weeks before the American release of The Muppet Movie.

The Muppets Go to the Movies is a one-hour television special starring Jim Henson's Muppets. It first aired May 20, 1981 on ABC as promotion for The Great Muppet Caper, which was released in the United States a month later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroly Wilcox</span> American puppeteer (1931–2021)

Carolyn Wilcox, known as Caroly Wilcox, was an American theatre professional, best known for her work with the Muppets, on television programs including Sesame Street,The Muppet Show, and Fraggle Rock, and in The Muppet Movie, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and other films.

References

  1. ↑ Jones, Brian Jay (September 24, 2013). Jim Henson: The Biography. Ballantine Books. pp. 186–187. ISBN   978-0-345-52611-3.
  2. ↑ Traubman, Eleanor (February 24, 2010). "From Muppets to Mascots: The Incredible Journey of Bonnie Erickson". Creative Times. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  3. ↑ Jones, Brian Jay (September 24, 2013). Jim Henson: The Biography. Ballantine Books. p. 238. ISBN   978-0-345-52611-3.
  4. 1 2 3 Roe, Ryan (January 17, 2012). "An Interview with Bonnie Erickson". ToughPigs.com. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  5. ↑ Jones, Brian Jay (September 24, 2013). Jim Henson: The Biography. Ballantine Books. pp. 208–209. ISBN   978-0-345-52611-3.
  6. ↑ Jones, Brian Jay (September 24, 2013). Jim Henson: The Biography. Ballantine Books. p. 276. ISBN   978-0-345-52611-3.
  7. ↑ Rubin, Mike (December 17, 2015). "Master of Puppets". Victory Journal.
  8. ↑ Jarvis, Robert M. (May 23, 2002). "Hi-Jinks at the Ballpark: Costumed Mascots in the Major Leagues". Cardozo Law Review. 23 (5).
  9. ↑ Gupta, Anika. "The Woman Behind Miss Piggy". Smithsonian.com. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  10. ↑ Falk, Karen (October 26, 2012). Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal. Chronicle Books. p. 82. ISBN   978-1-4521-0582-6.
  11. 1 2 Falk, Karen (October 26, 2012). Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal. Chronicle Books. p. 88. ISBN   978-1-4521-0582-6.
  12. 1 2 Finch, Christopher (1981). Of Muppets & Men. Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN   0-394-52085-8.
  13. ↑ Falk, Karen (October 26, 2012). Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal. Chronicle Books. p. 98. ISBN   978-1-4521-0582-6.
  14. 1 2 3 Hennes, Joe (January 17, 2012). "Bonnie Erickson - Career timeline". ToughPigs.com. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.