32 Greatest Jim Henson Creatures

Miss Piggy

The Creature: Confident and unafraid of going for what she wants, Miss Piggy is infatuated with Kermit the Frog. A total diva, Miss Piggy only likes the finer things in life, and is sure that one day she’ll become a big star. If she has a catchphrase, it’s probably “Hiiii-ya!”, which she pairs with a well-placed karate chop.

Henson Magic: “When I first created Miss Piggy, I called her Miss Piggy Lee,” remembers Muppet designer Bonnie Erickson, “as both a joke and an homage.

"Peggy Lee was a very independent woman, and Piggy certainly is the same. But as Piggy's fame began to grow, nobody wanted to upset Peggy Lee, especially because we admired her work. So, the Muppet's name was shortened to Miss Piggy."

Animal

The Creature: A wild drummer on The Muppet Show , Animal lives up to his title by having zero limits. He performs with Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, and he likes his music LOUD.

Henson Magic: Performer Frank Oz said that he could sum up Animal in just five words: sex, sleep, food, drums and pain.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The Creatures: Eponymous heroes in the first film based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and toys. They are comprised of Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello, four anthropomorphic turtles who fight the evil Shredder.

Henson Magic: Henson called the Turtle creatures the most advanced he had ever worked on. The individual suits took 18 weeks to complete.

Beaker

The Creature: A funny-looking assistant, Beaker helps Dr Bunsen Honeydew in his numerous experiments on The Muppet Show . Those experiments often go horrifically wrong, leading to Beaker running around weeping in fear. Over the years, he’s been subjected to numerous horrible lab busts.

Henson Magic: Beaker and a number of Beaker clones once appeared in a segment alongside crooner Mac Davis.

Gelflings

The Creature: Elf-like creatures on the planet Thra. Only two appear in The Dark Crystal – Jen and Kira – the rest of their race having been killed by the Skeksis. They are skilled in the creative arts. Girl gelflings have wings – sadly the boys don’t.

Henson Magic: Henson himself controlled the Jen puppet, while certain stunt scenes had Henson collaborator Kiran Shah dressed in a full-body puppet outfit.

The Fireys

The Creature: Forest-dwelling nuisances, the Fireys attempt to detain Sarah in Labyrinth by roping her into their own flaming dance number. They can remove all of their limbs, and are an unreliable, unsettling presence.

Henson Magic: Puppeteers dressed in black and working against a black background manipulated the Fireys, with the forest imagery added in post-production.

Cantus And The Minstrels

The Creature: Charming and inscrutable, Cantus is the coolest of the Fraggles. He travels the world along with his Minstrels, performing with his magic pipe. We like to think he uses that pipe to smoke some interesting substances, too.

Henson Magic: Henson was a smart cookie – the word ‘cantus’ is Latin for ‘song’.

Mystics

The Creature: Wise and tranquil, the Mystics are many-limbed wise men who appear in The Dark Crystal. They’re the antithesis of the Skeksis. The two races were once combined in the same powerful being, but split into good and evil forms when the dark crystal divided.

Henson Magic: Mimes and dancers were recruited to bring life to the Mystics, whose movements are slow but purposeful.

Oscar The Grouch

The Creature: Moody but easy to perk up, Oscar lives in a dustbin on Sesame Street. Which is fine, because he just loves rubbish (some might say disturbingly so), which he demonstrates with his song ‘I Love Trash’.

Henson Magic: Henson based Oscar on a rude waiter who once served him in a restaurant.

Fizzgig

The Creature: Gobby pet to The Dark Crystal ’s Kira. Fizzgig is basically another dimension’s idea of a dog – yappy in the face of danger, whimpering when he’s told off. He has a very impressive set of gnashers, too.

Henson Magic: Believe it or not, somebody had to voice Fizzgig, and that honour went to Percy Edwards – who also provided the dog voice of Ambrosius in Labyrinth .