The Jim Henson Company facts for kids
 |
|
The Jim Henson Company Lot in Los Angeles, pictured in 2006.
|
|
|
Formerly
|
Muppets, Inc. (1958–1976; 1985) Henson Associates, Inc. (1976–1987) Jim Henson Productions, Inc. (1987–1997) |
|---|---|
| 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 |
The Jim Henson Company is an American entertainment company. It is located in Los Angeles, California. This company is famous for its amazing work with puppetry. They created beloved characters like Kermit the Frog and all the Muppets.
The company was started in November 1958 by puppeteers Jim and Jane Henson. Today, their children own and run the company. Brian Henson is the chairman, and Lisa Henson is the CEO. Since 2000, the company's main office has been at the Jim Henson Company Lot. This historic place used to be the Charlie Chaplin Studios in Hollywood.
The Jim Henson Company has made many popular TV shows. These include The Muppet Show (1976–1981), Fraggle Rock (1983–1987), and Bear in the Big Blue House (1997–2006). They also designed the Muppet characters for Sesame Street (1969–present).
The company has also produced movies like The Muppet Movie (1979), The Dark Crystal (1982), and Labyrinth (1986). They also run Jim Henson's Creature Shop. This studio creates amazing animatronics and visual effects for their own projects and for other companies.
In 1989, Jim Henson talked about joining with The Walt Disney Company. But these talks ended after Jim Henson passed away in 1990. After his death, his children took over the company. These children are Lisa, Cheryl, Brian, John, and Heather.
In 2000, the Henson family sold the company to a German media company called EM.TV & Merchandising AG. However, EM.TV had money problems, so the Henson family bought the company back in 2003. During this time, the rights to the Sesame Street Muppets were sold to Sesame Workshop in 2001. In 2004, Henson sold The Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House to Disney. But the company still owns most of its other shows and movies.
As of 2024, Brian, Lisa, Cheryl, and Heather Henson still control the company. Jane Henson passed away in 2013, and John Henson passed away in 2014.
Company History
Early Years (1958 to 1990)
Jim and Jane Henson officially started their company, Muppets, Inc., on November 20, 1958. This was three years after their first show, Sam and Friends, began on TV. For many years, the company mostly worked on commercials and short films.
In 1968, the company started creating characters and short films for a new show called Sesame Street. This show first aired in November 1969. One of their first characters to be on TV regularly was Rowlf the Dog. He first appeared in commercials for dog food. He then became a regular on The Jimmy Dean Show from 1963 to 1966.
In 1976, a producer named Lew Grade asked Jim Henson to create a weekly TV show in the United Kingdom. This show became The Muppet Show. It was a huge success and made the Muppets very famous. The company later got the rights to The Muppet Show and other productions. During this time, Henson also started Jim Henson's Creature Shop. This special effects studio helped create characters for movies like The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. They also worked on TV shows like The StoryTeller and Dinosaurs.
Later, Jim Henson created Fraggle Rock and The Jim Henson Hour. In 1989, Jim Henson and Disney began talks about joining forces. However, Jim Henson sadly passed away on May 16, 1990. After his death, the deal with Disney did not happen, and the company remained independent.
New Leadership (1991 to 1999)
After Jim Henson's death, his family took over the company. Brian Henson became the president and CEO in 1991. In the years that followed, the company made deals with different companies. They worked with Disney Channel and Nickelodeon for TV rights. They also partnered with Sony Pictures Entertainment to create Jim Henson Pictures. In 1998, they launched Jim Henson Home Entertainment. By 1999, Henson also owned parts of two TV channels: The Kermit Channel in Asia and Odyssey Network in the United States. These channels later changed ownership.
Changes in Ownership (2000 to 2004)
In 2000, the Henson family sold the company to a German media company called EM.TV & Merchandising AG. But EM.TV soon had big money problems. By the end of 2000, EM.TV sold the Sesame Street Muppets to Sesame Workshop. Then, in 2003, the Henson family bought their company back.
In February 2004, Henson sold the Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House to Disney. Disney then created The Muppets Studio. The word "Muppet" also became a special trademark of Disney. Sesame Workshop still has permission to use the word "Muppet" for its Sesame Street characters.
Recent Projects (2004 to Present)
Since 2004, The Jim Henson Company has continued to create new shows and movies. They made deals with companies like Lionsgate Home Entertainment. They also started making computer-animated projects. These include the Unstable Fables movies, Sid the Science Kid, Dinosaur Train, and Splash and Bubbles. They also made the puppet series Pajanimals.
Henson also created Henson Alternative. This part of the company makes shows for older audiences. These include live shows like Puppet Up!. In recent years, the Fraggle Rock characters have appeared in music videos and TV marathons. In 2019, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a show that takes place before The Dark Crystal, came out on Netflix. In 2022, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, a new version of Fraggle Rock, started on Apple TV+.
In 2022, the company made a deal with Shout! Factory. This deal allows Shout! Factory to share many of Henson's older shows and specials. A similar deal was made in 2024 for movies like Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal.
Company Staff
Henson Family Members
- Jim Henson (1936–1990) – He was the founder of The Jim Henson Company.
- Jane Henson (1934–2013) – She helped Jim start the company.
- Brian Henson – He is the Chairman of the company.
- Lisa Henson – She is the CEO of the company.
- Cheryl Henson – She is on the company's Board of Directors. She also leads the Jim Henson Foundation.
- John Henson (1965–2014) – He was also on the Board of Directors.
- Heather Henson – She is on the Board of Directors too.
Film and TV Shows
Movies
| Company Name | Title | Release Date | Other Partners | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muppets Inc. | Time Piece | 1965 | Pathé Contemporary Films | |
| The Cube | February 23, 1969 | NBC | ||
| Henson Associates | The Muppet Movie | June 22, 1979 | ITC Entertainment | Associated Film Distribution |
| The Great Muppet Caper | June 22, 1981 | Universal Pictures | ||
| The Dark Crystal | December 17, 1982 | Universal Pictures | ||
| The Muppets Take Manhattan | July 13, 1984 | TriStar Pictures | ||
| Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird | August 2, 1985 | Children's Television Workshop | Warner Bros. | |
| Labyrinth | June 27, 1986 | Lucasfilm | TriStar Pictures | |
| Jim Henson Productions | The Witches | August 24, 1990 | Lorimar Film Entertainment | Warner Bros. |
| Jim Henson's Muppet*Vision 3D | May 16, 1991 | Walt Disney Imagineering | Disney-MGM Studios Walt Disney Attractions |
|
| The Muppet Christmas Carol | December 11, 1992 | Walt Disney Pictures | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution | |
| Gulliver's Travels | February 4, 1996 | Hallmark Entertainment | NBC | |
| Muppet Treasure Island | February 16, 1996 | Walt Disney Pictures | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution | |
| Jim Henson Pictures | Buddy | June 6, 1997 |
|
Sony Pictures Releasing |
| Muppets from Space | July 14, 1999 | Columbia Pictures | ||
| The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland | October 1, 1999 |
|
||
| Rat | October 6, 2000 (UK) |
|
||
| Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story | December 2, 2001 | Hallmark Entertainment | CBS | |
| It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie | November 29, 2002 | Universal Pictures | ||
| Good Boy! | October 10, 2003 | |||
| Five Children and It | October 15, 2004 |
|
Capitol Films | |
| Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars | October 17, 2004 | Hallmark Entertainment | Syfy | |
| The Muppets' Wizard of Oz | May 20, 2005 |
|
ABC | |
| MirrorMask | September 30, 2005 | Destination Films |
|
|
| The Jim Henson Company | Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs and a Baby | March 4, 2008 |
|
Genius Products |
| Unstable Fables: Tortoise vs. Hare | September 9, 2008 | |||
| Unstable Fables: The Goldilocks and the 3 Bears Show | December 16, 2008 | |||
| Sid the Science Kid: The Movie | March 25, 2013 |
|
PBS NCircle Entertainment |
|
| Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day | October 10, 2014 |
|
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | |
| Lily the Unicorn | June 26, 2015 |
|
Amazon Prime Video | |
| Turkey Hollow | November 21, 2015 | Lifetime | ||
| The Star | November 17, 2017 | Sony Pictures Releasing | ||
| Dinosaur Train: Adventure Island | April 10, 2021 |
|
PBS Universal Pictures |
|
| Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio | December 9, 2022 |
|
||
| The Portable Door | April 7, 2023 | Story Bridge Films |
|
|
| Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip | TBA |
|
Disney+ | |
| Untitled Labyrinth spin-off sequel |
|
Sony Pictures Releasing | ||
| Muppet Man | Walt Disney Pictures | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | ||
| The Buried Giant |
|
Netflix |
Television Shows
The Jim Henson Television logo used from 1997 to 2006.
|
|
| Division of The Jim Henson Company | |
| Industry | Television production |
| Fate | Disbanded and folded into The Jim Henson Company |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Founder | Jim Henson |
| Defunct | April 28, 2006 |
| Headquarters |
United States
|
|
Area served
|
Worldwide |
| Products | Television series |
From 1969 to 2000, Henson helped create Muppet characters for Sesame Street. The Jim Henson Company used to own these characters. But then they were sold to Sesame Workshop. The only exception was Kermit the Frog. He appeared in other projects before Sesame Street.
Even though Henson no longer owns the Sesame Street characters, they still help design them. Many of the puppeteers work on both The Muppets and Sesame Street.
TV Series List
| Company Name | Title | Creator(s) / Developer(s) | Release Date | Other 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 | 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 | 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 | John Derevlany | 2003 | TLC Discovery Kids |
|
| Frances | 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 | 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 | Jim Henson (characters)
(d): Jeffrey Addiss Will Matthews |
2019 | |||
| Fraggle Rock: Rock On! | 2020 | Apple TV+ | |||
| Earth to Ned | 2020–2021 | Marwar Junction Productions | Disney+ | ||
| Duff's Happy Fun Bake Time | Duff Goldman | 2021 | Discovery+ | ||
| Harriet the Spy | 2021–present | Apple Studios Postworks New York Wellsville Pictures Titmouse, Inc. |
Apple TV+ | ||
| Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock | Jim Henson (original series)
(d): Matt Fusfeld Alex Cuthbertson |
2022–present | New Regency Fusfeld & Cuthbertson Regional Entertainment |
||
| Slumberkins | Alex Rockwell | 2022 | Factory | ||
| The Storyteller | Jim Henson (original series) | TBA | Fremantle | ||
| Lore Olympus | Rachel Smythe | TBA | Webtoon |
As a Contributor
- The Tonight Show (1955-1961)
- Sesame Street (1969–present)
- Saturday Night Live (Season 1)
- "The Land of Gorch" segments (1975-1976)
- The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange (2012–2014)
TV Specials
- Hey, Cinderella! (1969)
- The Great Santa Claus Switch (1970)
- The Frog Prince (1971)
- The Muppet Musicians of Bremen (1972)
- Out to Lunch (1974)
- The Muppets Valentine Show (1974)
- The Muppet Show: ... (1975)
- Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977)
- The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979)
- John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together (1979)
- The Muppets Go to the Movies (1981)
- Of Muppets and Men (1981)
- The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show (1982)
- Rocky Mountain Holiday (1983)
- The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (1986)
- The Tale of the Bunny Picnic (1986)
- The Christmas Toy (1986)
- A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)
- Sesame Street... 20 Years & Still Counting (1989)
- The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990)
- The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990)
- Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree (1995)
Direct-to-Video Releases
- Jim Henson Play-Along Video (1988)
- Hey, You're as Funny as Fozzie Bear: A Comedy Show Starring Fozzie Bear and You
- Mother Goose Stories: Miss Muffet, Songs of Sixpence, Little Boy Blue (1987–1990)
- Neat Stuff... To Know and Do
- Peek-A-Boo, A Big Surprise for Little People
- Sing-Along, Dance-Along, Do-Along: Rowlf teaches kids about music
- Wow, You're a Cartoonist!
- Muppet Sing Alongs
- Billy Bunny's Animal Songs (1993)
- It's Not Easy Being Green (1994)
- Muppet Treasure Island Sing Along (1996)
- Things That Fly (1996)
- Muppet Classic Theater (1994)
- Jim Henson's Preschool Collection (1995)
- Mother Goose Stories: Humpty Dumpty
- Mother Goose Stories: Mary Had a Little Lamb
- Muppets on Wheels
- Yes, I Can Be a Friend
- Yes, I Can Learn
- Yes, I Can Help
- Kermit's Swamp Years (2002)
Online Content
- The Skrumps (2007)
- The Sam Plenty Cavalcade of Action Show Plus Singing! (2008)
Henson Alternative Projects
Henson Alternative creates projects for older audiences.
Movies for Older Audiences
| Title | Release Date | Other Partners | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Happytime Murders | August 24, 2018 |
|
STX Entertainment |
TV Series for Older Audiences
- Tinseltown (2007)
- Alt/Reality (2010-2011)
- Simian Undercover Detective Squad (2012)
- Late Night Buffet with Augie and Del (2006)
- Del's Vegas Comedy Binge (2007)
- Late Night Liars (2010)
- Marvin E. Quasniki for President (2011–12)
- Neil's Puppet Dreams (2012–13)
- Ketchup with the Hot Dogs (2013–14)
- Good Morning Today (2013–14)
- No, You Shut Up! (2013–2016)
- The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell (2018)
Stage Shows
- Puppet Up! - Uncensored (2006–present)
- Stuffed and Unstrung (2010-2013)
Other Productions
- The Muppet parts of the Nintendo Digital Event at E3 (2015).
- Star Fox Zero commercial (2016).
See also
In Spanish: The Jim Henson Company para niños
- Tippett Studio
