The Jim Henson Company

Jim Henson Television
	File:Jim Henson Television logo.png Logo used from 1997 to 2006
Company type	Division of The Jim Henson Company
Industry	Television production
Founded	1955
Founder	Jim Henson
Defunct	2006-04-28
Fate	Disbanded and merged into The Jim Henson Company
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Television series

The Jim Henson Company, Inc., previously known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc. (commonly referred to as Henson), is a privately held entertainment firm located in Los Angeles, California. Celebrated for groundbreaking advancements in puppetry, the company is the creator of legendary figures such as Kermit the Frog and the Muppets.

Established on November 20, 1958 by puppeteers Jim and Jane Henson, the enterprise remains under family ownership and is managed by their offspring. Brian Henson holds the position of chairman while Lisa Henson functions as CEO. Since 2000, its headquarters have been situated at the historic Jim Henson Company Lot in Hollywood.

Henson’s body of work encompasses acclaimed television programs including The Muppet Show (1976–1981), Fraggle Rock (1983–1987), and Bear in the Big Blue House (1997–2006). Additionally, it crafted Muppet characters for Sesame Street (1969–present). The company has also produced feature films such as The Muppet Movie (1979), The Dark Crystal (1982), and Labyrinth (1986).

Its division, Jim Henson's Creature Shop, specializes in animatronics and visual effects, developing characters and digital enhancements for both internal productions and outside clients. In 1989, discussions about merging with The Walt Disney Company were underway but ceased following Jim Henson’s passing in 1990.

Control transitioned to Henson’s five children: Lisa, Cheryl, Brian, John, and Heather. The company was sold to German media corporation EM.TV & Merchandising AG in 2000 but was bought back by the Henson family in 2003 after EM.TV’s stock collapse. During EM.TV’s tenure, rights to the Sesame Street Muppets were transferred to Sesame Workshop in 2001.

In 2004, The Jim Henson Company divested The Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House franchises to Disney while retaining other program libraries and assets. As of 2025, Brian, Lisa, Cheryl, and Heather Henson continue to lead the firm following the deaths of Jane Henson (2013) and John Henson (2014).

1958–1990

On November 20, 1958, Jim and Jane Henson launched Muppets, Inc., three years after Sam and Friends premiered on WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. Until 1969, their primary focus was on advertising campaigns, appearances on late-night talk shows, and producing short "meeting films" for corporations. Beginning in 1968, they started creating characters and shorts for Sesame Street, which debuted on NET in 1969.

One of their early creations, Rowlf the Dog, originated from advertisements for Purina Dog Chow and later became a staple on The Jimmy Dean Show (1963–1966). During this time, host Jimmy Dean declined an opportunity to acquire a 40% stake in the company. Jim Henson pitched numerous projects to major networks with limited success; some remained unaired pilots.

In 1976, producer Lew Grade commissioned Henson to develop a weekly series for UK audiences, which culminated in The Muppet Show airing on ITV. The show’s success firmly established the Muppets as a prominent media franchise. Initially owned by Grade's company ITC Entertainment, rights to The Muppet Show were eventually acquired by Henson during the 1980s. It was also during this period that Jim Henson founded Jim Henson's Creature Shop, which provided special effects for films such as The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, as well as television series including The StoryTeller, Farscape, and Dinosaurs.

Subsequent productions included Fraggle Rock and The Jim Henson Hour. In August 1989, merger discussions began between Henson and Disney CEO Michael Eisner, proposing a $150 million deal that included a fifteen-year agreement for Henson’s creative involvement. This arrangement excluded rights associated with Sesame Street characters owned by Henson; merchandising profits were shared with the Children's Television Workshop.

During this period, management from the UK-based Henson International Television unit purchased their division to form HIT Entertainment. On May 16, 1990, Jim Henson passed away due to toxic shock syndrome. After his death, negotiations between Disney and Jim Henson Productions broke down. By December 1990, talks had ended without an agreement, leaving the company independent.

1991–1999

In January 1991, the Henson family assumed control of the company, naming Brian Henson as president, chairman, and CEO. During this era, Henson secured television rights agreements with Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, launched a music label in collaboration with BMG Kidz, and teamed up with Buena Vista Home Video to establish Jim Henson Video, which operated until 1997. In 1995, Henson collaborated with ABC to develop primetime programs such as Muppets Tonight and Aliens in the Family.

Following Walt Disney Pictures' releases of The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island, Henson created Jim Henson Pictures in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment. In 1998, the company introduced Jim Henson Home Entertainment via a deal with Columbia TriStar Home Video. By 1999, Henson held partial ownership in two cable networks: The Kermit Channel (Asia) and Odyssey Network (U.S.), both jointly owned with Hallmark Entertainment. After Hallmark acquired full control, The Kermit Channel was discontinued and Odyssey was rebranded as the Hallmark Channel.

2000–2004

In 2000, the Henson family sold the business to German media company EM.TV & Merchandising AG for $680 million. EM.TV exchanged Henson's shares in Odyssey and The Kermit Channel for an 8.2% stake in Crown Media Holdings. Due to financial challenges faced by EM.TV, ownership of the Sesame Street Muppets and its stake in Noggin were sold to Sesame Workshop by late 2000. By early 2001, the company was put up for sale again, attracting interest from major players including Disney, Viacom, HIT Entertainment, AOL Time Warner, Haim Saban, Classic Media, among others.

In December 2002, EM.TV agreed to sell a 49.9% interest in Henson to an investment group led by Dean Valentine; however, this transaction collapsed in March 2003 due to financial complications. By May 2003, EM.TV was nearing a sale of Henson to a consortium comprising Classic Media and Sesame Workshop (with financing from Sony), until the Henson family repurchased the company for $84 million.

In February 2004, the Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House franchises were sold by Henson to Disney, which subsequently established The Muppets Studio (initially named The Muppets Holding Company). The "Muppet" trademark became legally owned by Disney while Sesame Workshop retained perpetual licensing rights for its Sesame Street characters.

2004–present

On April 1, 2004, Henson entered into a five-year global distribution and production agreement with HIT Entertainment covering 440 hours of content from Henson’s library, including titles such as Fraggle Rock, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, The Hoobs, and Jim Henson's Mother Goose Stories. This contract also encompassed co-production and co-ownership of new projects like Frances. Upon expiration in April 2009, Henson secured similar agreements with Lionsgate Home Entertainment in August 2009 and Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment in October 2012. The company expanded its portfolio into computer-animated productions such as Unstable Fables, Sid the Science Kid, Dinosaur Train, and Splash and Bubbles, alongside puppet-based series like Pajanimals.

Henson launched Henson Alternative to specialize in adult-targeted content, producing live stage performances including Puppet Up! and Stuffed and Unstrung. Characters from Fraggle Rock have remained prominent through special appearances such as featuring in the Ben Folds Five music video "Do It Anyway" and hosting a marathon event on the Hub Network in 2013.

In 2019, the company debuted The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a prequel series to The Dark Crystal, on Netflix. The rebooted series Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock premiered on Apple TV+ in 2022.

On August 10, 2022, Henson signed a global distribution agreement with Shout! Factory to distribute thirteen series and specials from its catalog across home entertainment and streaming platforms worldwide. This arrangement was expanded effective January 5, 2024, granting Shout! Factory rights to include films such as Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, along with behind-the-scenes featurettes.

On June 20, 2024, Henson announced its intention to sell the historic Jim Henson Company Lot in Hollywood—acquired in 1999—as part of a plan to consolidate operations with its Creature Shop located in Burbank. In November 2024, film producer McG and musician John Mayer purchased the property for $40 million.

On February 25, 2025, DeAPlaneta Entertainment was appointed as distributor and licensor for multiple Henson properties—including Fraggle Rock, Dinosaur Train, Dot., and Pajanimals—across European markets.

Henson family

Jim Henson (1936–1990) – Founder of The Jim Henson Company.
Jane Henson (1934–2013) – Co-founder of the company.
Brian Henson – Serves as Chairman.
Lisa Henson – Holds the position of CEO.
Cheryl Henson – Board member, President of the Jim Henson Foundation, and former liaison to Sesame Workshop from 1992 to 2000.
John Henson (1965–2014) – Member of the board.
Heather Henson – Board member.

Leadership

Peter Schube – President and Chief Operating Officer.
Lori Don – Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Richard Goldsmith – Executive Vice President responsible for Global Distribution and International Consumer Projects.
Joe Henderson – Executive Vice President, Worldwide Administration.
Stephanie Schroeder – Executive Vice President overseeing Business Affairs and Legal matters.
Halle Stanford – Executive Vice President of Children’s Entertainment.
Nicole Goldman – Senior Vice President in charge of Marketing and Publicity.
Anthony Wood – Senior Vice President of Human Resources.
Karen Lee Arbeeny – Vice President, Business Operations within Global Distribution.
Faryal Ganjehei – Vice President, Studio Operations at Henson Recording Studio.
Anna Jordan Douglass – Vice President of Digital Development and Interactive Media.
Howard Sharp – Vice President of Administration.
Peter Brooke – Creative Supervisor at Jim Henson's Creature Shop.
Jerry Houle – Vice President of Marketing from 1977 to 1984.
Bryan O'Connell – Vice President, Children’s Television.

Other staff

Karen Falk – Company historian and archivist.

Television

Between 1969 and 2000, The Jim Henson Company developed and produced Muppet characters specifically for Sesame Street. Apart from occasional appearances within the Muppets franchise, these characters were exclusive to Sesame Street; ownership remained with Henson until transferred to Sesame Workshop. An exception was Kermit the Frog, who appeared in various projects prior to Sesame Street. Sesame Workshop retains rights to any Sesame Street footage featuring Kermit.

The transaction concluded the direct connection between The Muppets and Sesame Street, although the latter continues using the "Muppet" name under a licensing agreement with Disney. Numerous puppeteers work across both franchises. While no longer owning Sesame Street characters, The Jim Henson Company still manages their design, excluding international co-productions before 2001.

External links