Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles: A Muppet Sketchbook [Hardcover]

Alison Inches (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2001

This story of Jim Henson, his childhood, early career and the later development of cartoon characters for commercials and television includes sketches and drawings of many of the characters who later became Muppets.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Jim Henson needs no introduction. For those of us who grew up with The Muppet Show and Sesame Street, Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles reveals how his art came alive over a period of almost 20 years before those shows even began. For those who saw his advertisements and appearances on late-night shows, it is a reminder that he changed television. His creations required the genius of both the visual and the performing arts, mixed with a rolling sense of humor, and all are present here: the early silk-screens show the sensibility of a great artist, the drawings show the thinking process of a powerful designer, and the stories are those of one of the greatest performance artists of our time. The book ends in 1976, when The Muppet Show began its first season, leaving the reader hungry for more, but this archaeological journey goes a long way toward uncovering Jim Henson's world. --Juliette Cezzar

From Publishers Weekly

For a look at one imaginative artist's process and talent, youngsters can open Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles: A Muppet Sketchbook by Alison Inches. Early scribbles, posters, storyboards, and set and puppet designs show all sorts of creatures (e.g., "The La Choy Dragon" and "Taminella Grinderfall"), as well as the first inception of characters that would later become famous including drawings of Kermit the Frog, Big Bird and a purple (!) Oscar the Grouch. ( May)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810932407
• ISBN-13: 978-0810932401
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,220,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #95 in Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Specific Objects

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles is the #1 Henson book!, April 6, 2001

By 

Ryan Dillon (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles: A Muppet Sketchbook (Hardcover)

This is a must for all you muppet fans!

The wonderful new long awaited book, Jim Henson's Desings and Doodles is almost a museum on paper. It shows Jim's best artwork, from storyboards, to puppet desingns, even a very early Kermit sketch. The book also features a never before seen look at the never produced special, "Johnny Carson and The Muppet Machine" which was to be a physcedelic trip into the 1960's. The artwork is very detailed, and even has a stone carving of Ed Macmahon! The book also shows some of his early work, including silkscreen images of meloncholy (which was inspired by the death of his brother , Paul) and concert posters and crazy characters who were soon to be Frackles!

One of the best parts of the book is Henson 's early commercial storyboards, which feature the two popular commercial Muppets ,Wilkins and Wontkins, Hansel and Gretel Muppets, and Kermit, The Snerfs and Rowlf (the IDEAL doll ad where Kermit sings the unfamilliar jingle"Oh buy us, oh buy us, oh buy us we beg! If you do not buy us, we'll bite you in the leg!!!) . Early drawings of the La Choy Dragon, and Nutty Bird(Royal Crown soda ads, precursor to Big Bird) are also featured.

The book brings us for the first time many illustrations of show ideas that never made it to the small screen. The Zoocus (The Zoo Circus), The Entertainers, and Martian Landing are all examples shown by illustrations from Jim's fertile imagination. The Zoocus was to be a show full of new Muppets such as Mr. Ripple and Carbourator Jones and had a guest star on each show (Sound like TMS to you?). The show would be a variety but would mostly ,as shown in Henson's drawings,be a talk show with the guest, where the Muppets would lounge behind large alters and other sets. The Entertainer was to be a show about a travelling vaudevillian show where Muppet men (and a can can girl) would sing popular songs at the time. This was also to be a Variety type show. Martian Landing would feature Muppet Koosebaine like creatures that would swap jokes and do skits on another planet. It was to be a Live variety show. It ashame these didn't get aired.

This book has so much I haven't mentioned yet, (I don't want to spoil it!) and it is definetly worth every penny. By far, one of my favs. among a long line of Muppet Books. Enjoy!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Facinating collection of work from Jim Henson, March 20, 2005

By 

Melissa Kaye (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles: A Muppet Sketchbook (Abradale Books) (Hardcover)

I have always been a Jim Henson fan. After all, I grew up with Sesame Street and the Muppet Show. I was always fascinated with the strange and creative creatures that he came up with. This book is a gold mine of his ideas and sketches - some that you will recognize and some that you have probably never seen.

This is sort of an odd book for me to have. I don't collect books based on movies or TV shows. But this one doesn't really fall into that category at all. It's more of an artist's diary and sketchbook. I enjoy just paging through it to look at all of the wonderous things Jim Henson imagined. His work seems to have something "odd" to it that I can somehow connect with and be fascinated by it.

I think anyone who has enjoyed Jim Henson's productions will probably enjoy looking through this book. It's an adventure to page through time after time.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spot on Mr Henson..... Spot on!!, July 31, 2001

By 

Mark Ellis Iddon (Shipton Under Wychwood, Oxfordshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles: A Muppet Sketchbook (Hardcover)

Jim Henson was a man who managed to sum up the whole intire feeling of what it was to be young, and full of energy in his fantastic creations. His work, from Mupets to films such as 'Labyrinth' and 'The Dark Crystal', showed us that he could tap that part of our minds that wanted to let go, and be free to live in our fantasies. This book, unlocks the back door to the mind that created our most cherished characters from the Henson world. It shows us where these characters came from, and also gives us an insight to the man who made it all happen. I found this book to be a real Gem, and an adventure. Just seeing the doodles Jim did as a child, or a teen, and some of his non character based art work, was fascinating. Buy this book If you are a fan of Mr hensons work. It is not the most complete book, as far as his other projects go, and some people may wish that some of his film work had got into the book. But for those that like to get closer to their idols, and want to feel like a close friend looking through his old scrapbooks, get this book. You won't be dissapointed.