Does Puppet Heap build The Muppets now?

mupcollector1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2010
Messages
1,189
Reaction score
342
Does Puppet Heap build The Muppets now or is The Jim Henson Company still involved in some way in the making of The Muppets?

If Puppet Heap does build for The Muppets now, I'm glad they built a lot of the rare characters from The Muppet Show for the new Muppet Movie. Although personally I think they still need some work on some characters like Fozzie (I feel that his fur is too fluffy, and his eyes are kind of seperated) and Gonzo (It seems like his eye lids don't move far back like it used to). But they're trying and they're building in my opinion has gotten a little bit better than last year.

Anyway, how come The Jim Henson Company isn't building The Muppets? I heard somewhere that it was because the Henson Company wanted more money and Disney decided to look for an alternative. Then again, that could have been a rumor.
 

beaker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2002
Messages
7,761
Reaction score
858
Fozzie just looks attrocious, and yeah Gonzo looks way off. Otherwise everyone else looks AMAZING...from Kermit, Floyd and Piggy to Rowl(bee-yoo-ti-ful) to Behemoth, etc. No idea why they couldn't use the Fozzie and Gonzo they had been using for the 2008-2009 muppets.com and youtube videos.
 

mupcollector1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2010
Messages
1,189
Reaction score
342
No idea why they couldn't use the Fozzie and Gonzo they had been using for the 2008-2009 muppets.com and youtube videos.
Well Muppets and any kind of television hand puppet made of foam latex disinergreates after usage. Though when I went for a tour of The Muppet Workshop back in 1998, they told me that the main characters had a finalized sculpted model in which they casted using liquid foam latex so they could build the characters not only faster but accurate. Why Puppet Heap doesn't do this, I have no idea. I don't know why Puppet Heap can't get the molds from the Henson Workshop or like I mentioned before, why even have an alternative workshop building for the characters that have been The Jim Henson Company's since 1954.
 

beaker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2002
Messages
7,761
Reaction score
858
Well Muppets and any kind of television hand puppet made of foam latex disinergreates after usage. Though when I went for a tour of The Muppet Workshop back in 1998, they told me that the main characters had a finalized sculpted model in which they casted using liquid foam latex so they could build the characters not only faster but accurate. Why Puppet Heap doesn't do this, I have no idea. I don't know why Puppet Heap can't get the molds from the Henson Workshop or like I mentioned before, why even have an alternative workshop building for the characters that have been The Jim Henson Company's since 1954.
Well I hate to make disparaging remarks about their work, as I personally think virtually all of the builds in the film are amazing to behold. It's just I found it distracting every time Fozzie was on and seeing his shiny odd fur and new head sculpt, same with Gonzo's new face sculpt/eye placement. I mean is the 2008 Fozzie in that bad of disrepair, or the fabric really that rare as people have said? Who knows

But it sounds like Puppet Heap does things a bit differently than Workshop did
 

mupcollector1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2010
Messages
1,189
Reaction score
342
I'm not sure if anyone has seen this in the ending credits of the new Muppet movie but there's like three parties that built for that film.

Puppet Head
Jim Henson's Creature Shop (they were credited for costumes which I found a little strange but was happy to see the name in the credits)
and before all that, it says "Muppet Workshop"

Now is there now a new official Muppet Workshop? If so, that'll be great.

Another thing that has been on my mind all this week is that well the new Muppet productions are in CA, but Puppet Heap is in New Jersey according to my research. Now that would be kind of difficult in terms of production. Now I know that the old Muppet workshop (owned by Henson at the time) was in New York and they would somehow ship the puppets to where ever the studio was, even if it was in a different state.

Then again during The Muppet Show, there was two workshops, one in New York, then one in London which I think was in the same studio as where they filmed the show, and the main purpose was so they could build or repair characters or props last minute.

But did they do the same for Muppets Tonight? Wasn't Muppets Tonight filmed in Canada?
 

a_Mickey_Muppet

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2004
Messages
2,151
Reaction score
118
I'm not sure if anyone has seen this in the ending credits of the new Muppet movie but there's like three parties that built for that film.

Puppet Heap
Jim Henson's Creature Shop (they were credited for costumes which I found a little strange but was happy to see the name in the credits)
and before all that, it says "Muppet Workshop"
Yea i seen all of the ending credits too! :cool:
 

beaker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2002
Messages
7,761
Reaction score
858
I'm not sure if anyone has seen this in the ending credits of the new Muppet movie but there's like three parties that built for that film.

Puppet Head
Jim Henson's Creature Shop (they were credited for costumes which I found a little strange but was happy to see the name in the credits)
and before all that, it says "Muppet Workshop"

Now is there now a new official Muppet Workshop? If so, that'll be great.

Another thing that has been on my mind all this week is that well the new Muppet productions are in CA, but Puppet Heap is in New Jersey according to my research. Now that would be kind of difficult in terms of production. Now I know that the old Muppet workshop (owned by Henson at the time) was in New York and they would somehow ship the puppets to where ever the studio was, even if it was in a different state.

Then again during The Muppet Show, there was two workshops, one in New York, then one in London which I think was in the same studio as where they filmed the show, and the main purpose was so they could build or repair characters or props last minute.

But did they do the same for Muppets Tonight? Wasn't Muppets Tonight filmed in Canada?
That is odd! I kind of now wish Puppet Heap was in New York City:smile: Kind of have that torch passed...but they still have a thing called "Muppet Workshop"? Very cool.
I guess it's Disney's internal puppet makers?

I think it's interesting that there is this legal and actual segregation of Jim Henson Company from the Muppets(unlike Sesame Street, who openly call their characters Muppets...they cant with Fraggle Rock) But they used the JHC lot for the Muppet Studio tour in the beginning of the movie. So Im glad there is still a relative relation going on.
 

mupcollector1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2010
Messages
1,189
Reaction score
342
Yeah, what happened with Disney and the Jim Henson Workshop? I heard that Disney didn't want to pay Henson more money so they switched to the alternative, Puppet Heap.
 

minor muppetz

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2005
Messages
16,044
Reaction score
2,642
Yeah, what happened with Disney and the Jim Henson Workshop? I heard that Disney didn't want to pay Henson more money so they switched to the alternative, Puppet Heap.
Well, when Disney got the Muppets, they made a special deal with The Jim Henson Company allowing them to continue building the Muppets and developing ideas for Muppets for five years (which has expired by now), though it seems most of the Muppet stuff planned during that time got canceled.
 

mupcollector1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2010
Messages
1,189
Reaction score
342
I know that Muppets Wizard of Oz was in development during the Jim Henson Company time then they finally made it around the time of when the deal was made by Disney.
 
Top