Happy Birthday,Jim Henson!
In 1977, at the age of six, I fell in love for the first time.
He was green, made of felt and his name was Kermit the Frog. He was surrounded by a zany group of friends, including the likes of Miss Piggy, Fozzie and Gonzo, who the world now know as the Muppets.
The Muppet Show aired in the UK from 1976–1981 and was my favourite show on TV. Then, in 1996, a new and updated show was released called Muppets Tonight.
At the time, I had just started working for Reed Books as a designer in their children’s licensed brands’ department. When I was given the job to be the lead designer on the Muppets Tonight publishing programme, I was beyond myself with glee. I had landed my dream job!
Designing licensed character merchandise means working with a style-guide, which contain fonts, colours, patterns and images, keeping the property ‘on brand’ across all products. However, with Muppets Tonight, there was no such thing. We had a very laid-back licensor back then, (Jim Henson Productions Inc), which gave me a bit more scope to play with various designs. In the end we decided upon a magazine-style design, using fonts and colours that echoed the TV Show. The books were filled with fun-facts, silly stories and, a-hem, bad jokes . . .
During the creation of these books, I spent far too many hours watching the original Muppet Movie under the pretence that I was doing so for ‘research purposes’. And, I also kept impersonating Randy & Andy’s catchphrase ‘This job’s too hard!’, as we hurtled towards an extremely tight deadline.
But we hit the deadline, and here are two books from that series created back in the 90s.
Taken from Perfectly Cool Kermit.
Today, September 24th 2023, would have been Jim Henson’s 87th birthday. He once said:
‘My ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope still is to leave the world a little bit better for my having been here.’
A true genius and legend, who really did make a difference to this world, creating a joyous and precious legacy that has entertained children and adults all over the globe for decades, and continues to do so until this day. For me, it’s been a privilege and a dream to have created something from Jim’s Muppet world.
Wishing you a very happy and heavenly birthday, Jim! Thank you.
Want a licensed character product designed? Drop me a line here.
(And, if Kermit is reading, I would be more than happy to design any of your books in the future. #justsaying.)
Book Design: Mandy Norman
Books written by: Anna Ludlow and Charlie Gardner
Published by: Reed Books