For decades the creative minds at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop have inspired children and adults alike with their imaginative puppets.
Now you can get a unique behind-the-scenes look at how the magic happens.
The Long Island City-based character design studio on Northern Blvd. is opening its doors for tours every Saturday throughout the summer.
“We did a test in October, just two days of tours to test it out and see how it would go,” Melissa Creighton, director of the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, told the Daily News. “And it was a huge success, so now we’ve made it a regular thing.”
A puppeteer herself, she previously worked on Sesame Street, as well as the children’s show “It’s a Big Big World.”
Drawings of characters from 2018’s “The Happytime Murders” as well as the sign for the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in New York City. (Michael Sheridan / New York Daily News)
“We do ten tours every Saturday, and we just show people everything we do here,” she added.
The 80-minute experience includes opportunities to get up close and personal with an assortment of famed creatures from Jim Henson projects, including the cast of characters from “Fraggle Rock,” which originally aired on HBO before getting a revival on Apple TV in 2022.
Puppets at the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in New York City. (Michael Sheridan / New York Daily News)
Visitors can also see puppets from “Julie’s Greenroom,” a short-lived show on Netflix starring Julie Andrews, along with the Otter family from the 2008 stage show of “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas.” There are also assorted characters from “The Happytime Murders,” a surprisingly raunchy comedy directed by Jim Henson’s son, Brian, and starring Melissa McCarthy, that was released in 2018. Fans of 1982’s “The Dark Crystal” can also sit in one of the chairs from the film that the evil Skeksis used.
An assortment of eyes in a drawer at the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in New York City. (Michael Sheridan / New York Daily News)
In addition to the classic puppets, the tour also includes a walk through the vast creature shop where the elaborate characters are designed and made. This includes a Q&A with a builder, as well as a puppeteer who teaches you how to work the various creations.
Tickets are available at jimhensonexperiences.com.