The Wider Worlds of Jim Henson: Essays on His Work and Legacy Beyond The Muppet Show and Sesame Street

by Jennifer C. Garlen (Editor), Anissa M. Graham (Editor)

Overview

Jim Henson was the creative force behind a huge catalog of television series, films, specials, and other productions, even excepting the Muppets. This collection of essays delves into the rest of Henson's body of work, including projects developed during his lifetime and those that represent his legacy. Covered here are Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Jim Henson Hour, Dinosaurs, Farscape, and more. Henson's influence on both audiences and later productions remains palpable on screens large and small, as this collection attests.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786469864
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	12/10/2012
Pages:	276
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jennifer C. Garlen is an independent scholar in Huntsville, Alabama, where she teaches courses on literature, film, and popular culture for lifetime learning programs. Anissa M. Graham is a senior lecturer in the English department at the University of North Alabama where she teaches courses in writing and literature.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part 1 Revisiting Fraggle Rock

Fraggle Rock and the Art of World Building Aaron Calbreath-Frasieur 7

Outer Spaces: Fraggle Rock Around the Globe Andrew Leal 24

No Sex, Please. We're Fraggles! Tami Meredith Maryanne L. Fisher 41

The Ecology of Fraggle Rock Justin Werfel 62

Part 2 Inside the Worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth

Interpreting the Various Species in The Dark Crystal and Fraggle Rock Gideon Haberkorn 73

"What was sundered and undone shall be whole": Union, Nature and Aughra in The Dark Crystal Roxanne Harde 88

A Natural History of The Dark Crystal: The Conceptual Design of Brian Froud Catriona McAra 101

Finding Your Way Through Labyrinth Tom Holste 117

Anti-Consumerism in Labyrinth David R. Burns Deborah Burns 131

Part 3 Storytellers and Specials

Everyone's a Storyteller: The Shifting Roles of Stories, Storytellers and Audiences in The Jim Henson Hour Anthony F. Strand 143

There Is No One Story Nathaniel Long 161

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas: The Gift of the Muppets Catherine Edwards 173

Telling Toy Stories in The Christmas Toy Jennifer C. Garlen Anissa M. Graham 189

Part 4 Journeys Forward and Back

The Muppetry of Nightmares: Figures of Fear, Danger and Terror in The Cosby Show, Chappelle's Show and Saturday Night Live Michael J. Berntsen 199

Dinosaurs and the Evolution of the Jim Henson Company Jennifer Stoessner 213

Exploring the Alien Other on Farscape: Human, Puppet, Costume, Cosmetic Sherry Ginn 228

Mupper Memes, or Beaker Conquers YouTube Anissa M. Graham 241

Fandom and Nostalgia in Disney's The Muppets Jennifer C. Garlen 251

About the Contributors 261

Index 265

Editorial Reviews

an important, enlightening compilations of thoughtful, intriguing essays on one of the 20th centuries most creative minds. Highly recommended.”—Rogue Cinema; “engaging academic anthology on the works of Jim Henson and of the studio that bears his name...sure to delight Henson scholars and fans alike”—Gramarye.

From the Publisher

"engaging academic anthology on the works of Jim Henson and of the studio that bears his name...sure to delight Henson scholars and fans alike"

Gramarye

an important, enlightening compilations of thoughtful, intriguing essays on one of the 20th centuries most creative minds. Highly recommended.

Rogue Cinema