Book Wednesday

Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles
Alison Inches

I grew up outside of Indianapolis and loved going to the Children's Museum there. It was the largest in the country at that time, and attracted a steady stream of traveling exhibits. My favorite one was an exhibit all about Jim Henson. They had LOTS of props from his shows and movies, as well as "hands on" areas. There was a mock up of the way they film with muppets, including a set, monitors and cameras. Kids could choose a muppet and then get behind the set and hold the muppet up above the barrier. The camera was filming live and you could then look down at the monitors and see how you were moving the muppet. I was intimidated by that back then, but I am glad I tried it out. I vividly remember the glass cases housing the full Big Bird suit and Junior Gorg from Fraggle Rock. Dark Crystal had recently come out, so there were several displays featuring props from that film. They had a full body mock-up of a Skeksis, but what I remember most was the display that included the entire banquet table laid out like they were going to have the feast from the movie. I was very intrigued by the pieces of silverware that they actually wore on their fingertips instead of holding in their hands. Even at that age I was impressed with Henson's design aesthetic.

I love watching behind-scenes specials and reading about how Henson and his crew worked. So, needless to say, I was thrilled when I happened upon this book at a Barnes and Noble in their bargin books area. (Looks like I should be glad I got it when I did since it is going for about $60 in paperback on Amazon now.) The cover design instantly grabbed my attention and I knew I had to buy it.

This book is different than most of the books about Henson because it primarily focuses on Jim Henson's career before he got involved making The Muppet Show. The book begins with a discussion and pictures of things he drew in high school. He designed several concert and play posters for high school and college performances. The book also details some of the creatures he created for use in television commercials during the 70s. It also shows some of his early designs that would eventually evolve into what we now know as Muppets.

The Smithsonian had an exhibit on Henson a couple years ago, and I was lucky enough to visit it. This exhibit featured many of the same design sketches and pieces of art that were shown in this book. It was very cool to see some of his early paintings and drawings in real life. The exhibit even had video showing his television commercials and some of his surrealist short films made during college. Jim Henson is most known for his kids shows, but he produced things for a wide variety of audiences. This book offers some insight into how Henson thought and evolved as a master craftsman.