Formerly | Muppets, Inc. (1958–1976; 1985) Henson Associates, Inc. (1976–1987) Jim Henson Productions, Inc. (1987–1997) |
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Company type | Private |
Industry | Entertainment |
Founded | November 20, 1958 |
Founders | Jim and Jane Henson |
Headquarters | Jim Henson Company Lot, , U.S. |
Key people | Brian Henson (Chairman) Lisa Henson (President & CEO) |
Products | Puppetry, Animation, Computer graphics, Digital puppetry, Entertainment |
Brands | |
Owner | Henson family |
Parent | EM.TV & Merchandising AG (2000–2003) |
Divisions | Jim Henson's Creature Shop Henson Recording Studios Henson Alternative |
Website | www |
The Jim Henson Company (formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc.; commonly referred to as Henson) is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is known for its innovations in the field of puppetry, particularly through the creation of Kermit the Frog and the Muppets characters. [1]
Brian Henson is as chairman, while Lisa Henson is CEO. Since 2000, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered at the Jim Henson Company Lot, the historic former Charlie Chaplin Studios, in Hollywood.
The company was established in November 1958 by puppeteers Jim and Jane Henson, [2] and is currently independently owned and operated by their children. Henson has produced many successful television series, including The Muppet Show (1976–1981), Fraggle Rock (1983–1987), and Bear in the Big Blue House (1997–2006); as well, the company designed the Muppet characters for Sesame Street (1969–present).
The company has also produced theatrical films, including The Muppet Movie (1979), The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986). Henson also operates Jim Henson's Creature Shop, an animatronics and visual effects studio which has created characters and effects for both Henson productions and outside projects. [3] In 1989, the company entered merger negotiations with The Walt Disney Company, which were canceled following Jim Henson's death in 1990.
Subsequently, control of the company was assumed by Henson's children: Lisa, Cheryl, Brian, John, and Heather. In 2000, Henson was sold to German media company EM.TV & Merchandising AG; by the end of that year, however, EM.TV's stock collapsed, and the Henson family re-acquired the company in 2003.
In the interim, EM.TV sold the rights to the Sesame Street Muppets to Sesame Workshop in early January 2001, [4] following a December 2000 announcement. Henson sold The Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House properties to Disney in 2004, but retains the remainder of its program library and assets.
As of 2024 [update] , Brian, Lisa, Cheryl, and Heather Henson maintain control of the company. Jane Henson died in April 2013, and John Henson died in February 2014.
Jim and Jane Henson officially founded Muppets, Inc. on November 20, 1958, three years after Sam and Friends debuted on WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. Aside from Sam and Friends, the majority of its work until 1969 was in advertising; appearances on late-night talk shows; and short "meeting films" primarily for enterprise use, produced from 1965 to 1996. In 1968, the company began designing characters and producing short films for the fledgling Sesame Street , which premiered on NET (succeeded by PBS) in November 1969.
One of the company's first characters to appear regularly on television, Rowlf the Dog, originated in commercials for Purina Dog Chow and became a regular character on The Jimmy Dean Show from 1963 to 1966. During this time, the show's host, Jimmy Dean, refused an opportunity to own 40% of the company, assuming that he did not attain that right. Jim Henson also pitched several different projects to the major American television networks, to little avail. Some ideas became unaired pilots, while others were never produced.
In 1976, producer Lew Grade approached Henson to produce a weekly series in Grade's native United Kingdom. This series became The Muppet Show , produced by Associated Television (ATV) for the ITV network. The success of The Muppet Show led to the Muppets becoming an enduring media franchise. Another company controlled by Grade, ITC Entertainment, originally owned The Muppet Show, among other Henson productions, but Henson acquired the rights to these productions in the 1980s. During this time, Henson formed Jim Henson's Creature Shop, a special effects studio partially responsible for the films The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth ; and television series The StoryTeller , Farscape , and Dinosaurs .
Later in his life, Henson produced Fraggle Rock and The Jim Henson Hour . In August 1989, Henson and Disney CEO Michael Eisner began merger discussions reportedly valued at $150 million, which also included a fifteen-year contract for Henson's personal "creative services." [5] However, the deal did not include the rights to the Sesame Street characters, which were owned by Henson, although merchandising revenue was split between Henson and the Children's Television Workshop.
Also during the negotiations, management of the company's Henson International Television distribution unit based in the United Kingdom purchased their unit from the company, leading to the establishment of HIT Entertainment. [6] On May 16, 1990, as negotiations continued, Jim Henson died of toxic shock syndrome. Following Henson's death, neither Disney nor Jim Henson Productions could come to an accord. Negotiations officially ended in December 1990, and Henson remained an independent company. [7] [8]
The Henson family assumed management of the company, and Brian Henson was named president, chairman, and CEO in January 1991. [9] In the following years, Henson entered into deals with several companies, including television rights to the Henson library with Disney Channel and Nickelodeon; a record label with BMG Kidz; and a home media label with Buena Vista Home Video. [10] In 1995, Henson entered into an agreement with ABC to produce primetime television series, leading to Muppets Tonight and Aliens in the Family .
Following the releases of The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island by Walt Disney Pictures, Henson formed Jim Henson Pictures with Sony Pictures Entertainment. In 1998, the company signed a deal with Columbia TriStar Home Video to launch Jim Henson Home Entertainment. [11] By 1999, Henson held partial interests in two cable channels: The Kermit Channel (broadcasting in Asia) and Odyssey Network (broadcasting in the United States), both jointly owned with Hallmark Entertainment. After Hallmark (through Crown Media Holdings) assumed full ownership of these networks, the Kermit Channel was discontinued and Odyssey was renamed the Hallmark Channel.
In 2000, the Henson family sold the company to the German media company EM.TV & Merchandising AG, for $680 million. [12] [13] That summer, EM.TV sold Henson's stakes in the Odyssey and Kermit cable channels in exchange for an 8.2% stake in Hallmark-controlled Crown Media Holdings. [14] By the end of 2000, after EM.TV subsequently experienced major financial problems, EM.TV sold the company's ownership of the Sesame Street Muppets and Henson's small interest in the Noggin television network to Sesame Workshop, [15] and by early 2001, Henson itself was marked for sale. [16] Disney, [17] Viacom, [18] HIT Entertainment, [19] AOL Time Warner, [20] Haim Saban, [21] Classic Media, [22] as well as Henson management, among others, were all parties reportedly interested in acquiring the company.
In December 2002, a deal was announced in which EM.TV would sell a 49.9% stake in Henson to an investment group led by Dean Valentine, a former executive at Disney and UPN. [23] However, in March 2003, the deal was canceled, citing financial issues on Valentine's part. [24] In May 2003, EM.TV was reportedly nearing an agreement to sell Henson to a consortium between Classic Media and Sesame Workshop (with financing from Sony Pictures Entertainment), [25] until the Henson family re-acquired the company for a closing price of $84 million. [26]
In February 2004, Henson sold the Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House to Disney, [27] who subsequently formed The Muppets Studio (known at that time as The Muppets Holding Company). The term "Muppet", likewise, became a legal trademark of Disney; Sesame Workshop retained permission to use the term for its Sesame Street characters under a license from Disney until 2023.
On April 1, 2004, Henson and HIT Entertainment agreed to a five-year global distribution and production deal which included distribution of 440 hours of the company's remaining library including Fraggle Rock , [28] Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas , [29] The Hoobs and Jim Henson's Mother Goose Stories . In addition, the agreement also included the production of new properties, including Frances, in which both companies co-produced and also both co-own the copyright to the series. [30] After that deal expired, Henson entered similar agreements with Lionsgate Home Entertainment and Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment. As well, the company became involved with computer-animated projects, including the direct-to-video Unstable Fables series; Sid the Science Kid ; Dinosaur Train ; and Splash and Bubbles , as well as the puppet series Pajanimals .
Henson later formed Henson Alternative, which specializes in adult content, including the live shows known alternatively as Puppet Improv, Puppet Up! , [31] and Stuffed and Unstrung. In recent years, the Fraggle Rock characters have made several appearances, usually at special events. The characters appeared with Ben Folds Five in the music video for "Do It Anyway"; [32] and in 2013, Gobo and Red Fraggle hosted a Fraggle Rock marathon on the Hub Network.
In 2019, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance , [33] a prequel to The Dark Crystal , premiered on Netflix. [34] In 2022, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock , a reboot of Fraggle Rock , premiered on Apple TV+.
On August 9, 2022, the company signed a worldwide distribution agreement with Shout! Factory which would allow Shout! to distribute thirteen series and specials from the Henson catalog on home entertainment and streaming platforms across all territories. [35] A similar worldwide distribution agreement went into effect on January 1, 2024 for streaming, video on demand, broadcast, digital download, packaged media and certain non-theatrical rights for the films Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal , as well as behind the scenes specials Inside the Labyrinth and The World of the Dark Crystal . [36]
Company type | Division of The Jim Henson Company |
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Industry | Television production |
Founded | 1955 |
Founder | Jim Henson |
Defunct | April 28, 2006 |
Fate | Disbanded and folded into The Jim Henson Company |
Headquarters | United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Products | Television series |
From 1969 to 2000, Henson was contracted to design and create Muppet characters for Sesame Street. With the exception of occasional appearances in the Muppets franchise, the characters were used exclusively for Sesame Street, but Henson legally owned these characters prior to their acquisition by Sesame Workshop. The only exception was Kermit the Frog, who was featured in other projects prior to Sesame Street. Sesame Workshop retains the rights to use any Sesame Street footage featuring the character.
The sale ended any direct affiliation between The Muppets and Sesame Street, although the series retains use of the term "Muppet" under license from Disney. Many of the puppeteers continue to perform with both The Muppets and Sesame Street franchises. While no longer owning the Sesame Street characters, Henson continues to design them. [44] This list excludes pre-2001 Sesame Street co-productions outside the United States.
Production company | Title | Creator(s) / Developer(s) | Release date | Production partners | Network |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Henson Associates, Inc. | The Muppet Show | Jim Henson | 1976–1981 | Associated Television ITC Entertainment | ITV (UK) Syndication (US) |
Fraggle Rock | 1983–1987 | CBC (Canada) HBO Television South | CBC (Canada) HBO (US) ITV (UK) | ||
Muppet Babies | Jim Henson (d): Jeffrey Scott | 1984–1991 | Marvel Productions | CBS | |
Little Muppet Monsters | Jim Henson | 1985 | |||
Fraggle Rock: The Animated Series | Jim Henson (d): John Semper & Cynthia Friedlob | 1987 | NBC | ||
Jim Henson Productions, Inc. | The StoryTeller | Jim Henson (d): Anthony Minghella | 1988–1990 | TVS | NBC (US) Channel 4 (UK) HBO (US) (Greek Myths) |
The Jim Henson Hour [lower-alpha 5] | Jim Henson | 1989 | NBC | ||
The Ghost of Faffner Hall | Tyne Tees Television | ITV (UK) | |||
Jim Henson's Mother Goose Stories | 1990 | Television South West | ITV (UK) The Disney Channel (U.S.) | ||
Dinosaurs | Michael Jacobs Bob Young (d): Jim Henson | 1991–1994 | Michael Jacobs Productions Walt Disney Television | ABC | |
Dog City | Jim Henson (d): Peter Sauder J.D. Smith | 1992–1995 | Nelvana Limited | Fox Kids (USA) YTV (Canada) | |
CityKids | Jeffrey Solomon | 1993–1994 | The CityKids Foundation | ABC | |
Secret Life of Toys | 1993 | The Disney Channel (U.S.) BBC (UK) | |||
Jim Henson's Animal Show | 1994–1998 | Fox Kids (seasons 1–2) Animal Planet (season 3) | |||
Muppets Tonight | 1996–1998 | ABC Disney Channel | |||
Aliens in the Family | Andy Borowitz Susan Borowitz | 1996 | The Stuffed Dog Company | ABC | |
The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss | Dr. Seuss (characters) | 1996–1998 | Nickelodeon | ||
Jim Henson Television | Bear in the Big Blue House [lower-alpha 8] | Mitchell Kriegman | 1997–2006 | Shadow Projects | Playhouse Disney |
Brats of the Lost Nebula | Dan Clark | 1998–99 | Decode Entertainment Wandering Monkey Entertainment | The WB (U.S.) YTV (Canada) | |
Mopatop's Shop | (d): Jocelyn Stevenson | 1999–2003 | Carlton Television | ITV (CITV) | |
Construction Site | |||||
Farscape | Rockne S. O'Bannon | Hallmark Entertainment | Nine Network (Australia) Sci-Fi Channel (USA) | ||
The Fearing Mind | Billy Brown | 2000–01 | Angel/Brown Productions | Fox Family | |
The Hoobs | Jocelyn Stevenson Brian Henson | 2001–2003 | Decode Entertainment | Channel 4 (UK) TVOKids (Canada) | |
Telling Stories with Tomie dePaola | 2001 | Hallmark Channel | |||
Bambaloo | 2002–03 | Yoram Gross-EM.TV | Seven Network ABC TV | ||
The Jim Henson Company | Animal Jam [lower-alpha 9] | John Derevlany | 2003 | TLC Discovery Kids | |
Frances [lower-alpha 10] | Russell Hoban (d): Alex Rockwell Halle Stanford | 2008 | HIT Entertainment | ||
Sid the Science Kid | 2008–13 | KCET (2008–09) KOCE-TV (2010–12) | PBS Kids | ||
Jim Henson's Pajanimals | Jeff Muncy and Alex Rockwell | Sixteen South John Doze Studios Ingenious | PBS Kids Sprout | ||
Dinosaur Train [46] | Craig Bartlett | 2009–20 | Info-communications Media Development Authority Sparky Animation FableVision Snee-Oosh, Inc. (uncredited) Tail Waggin' Productions | PBS Kids | |
Jim Henson's The Possibility Shop | Courtney Watkins | 2009–2011 | |||
Hot Dog TV | 2010 | Cartoon Network | |||
Me and My Monsters | Mark Grant Claudia Lloyd (d): Rebecca De Souza | 2010-2011 | Tiger Aspect Productions Sticky Pictures | Network Ten (Australia) CBBC (UK) | |
Wilson & Ditch: Digging America | Joe Purdy Craig Bartlett | 2010-2012 | PBS Kids | ||
That Puppet Game Show | Jamie Ormerod | 2013–14 | BBC Entertainment | BBC One | |
Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge | 2014 | Syfy | |||
The Doozers | 2014–2018 | DHX Studios Halifax | Hulu (US) Kids' CBC (Canada) | ||
Hi Opie! | Barbara Slade | 2014–2016 | marblemedia | TVO Kids | |
Dot. | Randi Zuckerberg | 2016–2018 | Industrial Brothers | CBC Kids (Canada) Universal Kids (USA) | |
Splash and Bubbles | John Tartaglia | 2016–2018 | Herschend Studios | PBS Kids | |
Word Party | Alex Rockwell | 2016–2021 | Netflix | ||
Julie's Greenroom | Julie Andrews Emma Walton Hamilton Judy Rothman | 2017 | |||
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance [47] [48] | Jim Henson (characters) (d): Jeffrey Addiss Will Matthews | 2019 | |||
Fraggle Rock: Rock On! | 2020 | Apple TV+ | |||
Earth to Ned [49] [50] | 2020–2021 | Marwar Junction Productions | Disney+ | ||
Duff's Happy Fun Bake Time | Duff Goldman | 2021 | Discovery+ | ||
Harriet the Spy [51] | 2021–present | Apple Studios Postworks New York Wellsville Pictures Titmouse, Inc. | Apple TV+ | ||
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock [52] | Jim Henson (original series) (d): Matt Fusfeld Alex Cuthbertson | 2022–present | New Regency Fusfeld & Cuthbertson Regional Entertainment | ||
Slumberkins [53] | Alex Rockwell | 2022 | Factory | ||
The Storyteller [54] | Jim Henson (original series) | TBA | Fremantle | ||
Lore Olympus [55] | Rachel Smythe | TBA | Webtoon | ||
The following list contains projects of The Jim Henson Company under its Henson Alternative banner.
Title | Release date | Production partners | Distributor |
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The Happytime Murders [60] | August 24, 2018 | STX Entertainment | |
The first eight series are produced under its Henson Alternative banner exclusively in North America before premiering worldwide in 2015.
James Maury Henson was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notability as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was also well known for creating Fraggle Rock (1983–1987) and as the director of The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986).
Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson in 1955. Kermit is the pragmatic everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably as the showrunner and host of the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show and a featured role on Sesame Street. He has appeared in other television series, feature films, specials, and public service announcements through the years. He also served as a mascot of The Jim Henson Company and appeared in various Henson projects until 2004.
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.
Fraggle Rock is a children's musical fantasy comedy puppet television series about interconnected societies of Muppet creatures, created by Jim Henson.
Frank Oz is an American puppeteer, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for his involvement with Jim Henson and George Lucas through the Muppets, Sesame Street, and Star Wars, as well as his directorial work in feature films and theater.
Jerry Nelson was an American puppeteer, best known for his work with The Muppets. Renowned for his wide range of characters and singing abilities, he performed Muppet characters on Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and various Muppet movies and specials.
The Jim Henson Hour is an American television series that aired on NBC in 1989. It was developed as a showcase for The Jim Henson Company's various puppet creations, including the Muppet characters.
Kevin Jeffrey Clash is an American puppeteer, director and producer best known for puppeteering Elmo on Sesame Street from 1985 to 2012. He also performed puppets for Labyrinth, Dinosaurs, Oobi, and various Muppet productions.
Steven Lawrence Whitmire is an American puppeteer, known primarily for his work on The Muppets and Sesame Street. Beginning his involvement with the Muppets in 1978, Whitmire inherited the roles of Ernie and Kermit the Frog after Jim Henson's death in 1990; he performed the characters until 2014 and 2016, respectively. As part of the Muppet cast, he has appeared in multiple feature films and television series, performing a variety of characters on The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock and during such occupations has been employed by The Jim Henson Company, Sesame Workshop, and The Muppets Studio.
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.
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.
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.
Matthew James Vogel is an American puppeteer, actor and director. Vogel has worked for Sesame Workshop and The Muppets Studio. He has performed for the Muppets, Sesame Street, and Oobi. He has been the performer of Kermit the Frog since 2017 and the full-time performer of Big Bird since 2018.
The Muppets Studio, LLC is an American entertainment production company and subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, that owns and produces media content for The Muppets franchise. The division was previously formed as The Muppets Holding Company, LLC in 2004 through Disney's acquisition of The Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House intellectual properties from The Jim Henson Company.
Rollie Krewson is a puppet designer and builder known for her work on various Muppet productions. She interned with Jim Henson's company in the mid-1970s. Although she now works primarily as a designer/builder, she began as a performer, doing small bits on The Muppet Show and other projects.
Alice Dinnean is an American puppeteer, voice actress and creative writer who works at The Jim Henson Company. Dinnean has performed on many children's television shows such as The Puzzle Place, Sesame Street, Big Bag, Bear in the Big Blue House, Cousin Skeeter, Jim Henson's Pajanimals, Sid the Science Kid and Jack's Big Music Show. She also did work on various non-Muppet productions such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
Jim Henson's Creature Shop is a special/visual effects company founded in 1979 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The company is based out of Hollywood, California, United States.
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock is an American children's musical fantasy comedy puppet television series about interconnected societies of creatures. It is a reboot of the 1983 series Fraggle Rock by Jim Henson. The first season was released on Apple TV+ on January 21, 2022. It was renewed for a second season which was released on March 29, 2024.