It's not all Muppets and Sesame Street: Former Oswestry student's book celebrates Jim Henson's influence
A new book from a former Oswestry student is celebrating the influence of everyone's favourite puppetmaster Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets and Sesame Street.
The book comes from Andrea Wright, a former Rhyn Park School and Oswestry College student, who is now an academic at Edge Hill University.
Titled 'The Fairy Tales of Jim Henson: Keeping the best place by the fire', the book examines Henson's position as a creative force - beyond the Muppets and Sesame Street.
It suggests Henson has been significantly underestimated as a key player in the evolution of screen fairy tales.
Andrea was given access to materials from the private Jim Henson Company Archives to explore his distinctive methods.
In creating the book she has been able to look at letters, sketches, doodles, plans and scripts, all of which gave unique insights into the creative processes that went on behind the scenes.
She explains how Henson was a genius at sparking the viewer's imagination, mixing and sometimes even subverting classic fairy tale tropes with inventive design and cutting-edge tech.
The book argues that while his popular family shows and Disney's sheer size understandably grab all the attention, Henson's massive contribution through various adaptations and original stories is often overlooked.
Andrea says Henson's real impact stretches "far beyond The Muppet Show", arguing that he was a pioneer, "finding new ways to blend puppetry, technology, and compelling storytelling".
The book is the first to properly re-evaluate Henson’s work by putting his fairy tale credentials front and centre, and challenges the common thinking that Disney is the only major creative force worth talking about.
The book is out now and available from https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526166104/.
