Jim Henson's Animal Show with Stinky and Jake
Trailer
Synopsis
Hosted by Stinky the skunk and Jake the polar bear, the series runs as a talk show in which two animal species drop by as guests each episode. The puppet guests — built by The Jim Henson Company and including Armstrong the Hawk, Ollie the Tapir, Tizzy the Bee, and Dullard the Aardvark — speak about themselves while real wildlife footage plays alongside. Several of these puppets were later reused on Muppets Tonight, Bear in the Big Blue House, and Sesame Street.
Context & Trivia
Jim Henson's Animal Show with Stinky and Jake originally aired on Fox Kids from 1994 to 1996, as part of "The Fox Cubhouse", and later moved to Animal Planet for its third season, which was released as early as 1998. The series is notable for being one of The Jim Henson Company's first productions to blend traditional puppetry with advanced computer technology. Tizzy the Bee, one of the recurring characters, was among the first TV puppets built with The Creature Shop's Performance Control System for computer-generated puppetry, allowing performers to interact with animated characters in real-time. This was a significant advancement, as it was previously difficult for performers to react to an empty space or know exactly where to look when working with characters that would be drawn in later. The puppets created for this show were reused in many subsequent Muppet productions, including Muppets Tonight, Bear in the Big Blue House, Mopatop's Shop, and Sesame Street.
Puppeteers
Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Karen Prell, Louise Gold, Mak Wilson, Mike Quinn, Steve Whitmire, John Eccleston, David Greenaway, Katherine Smee, Nigel Plaskitt, Frank Oz
Voices
Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Bill Barretta, Karen Prell, Louise Gold, Mak Wilson, John Eccleston
Puppet companies
The Jim Henson Company
Created by
Jim Henson
Direction
Peter Harris
Writing
Jim Lewis, Jocelyn Stevenson, Bill Oddie, Rob Sprackling, John Smith
Cast
Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Karen Prell, Louise Gold, Mak Wilson, Mike Quinn, Steve Whitmire
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More from The Jim Henson Company
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It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)
Labyrinth
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Muppets Most Wanted
Muppets Tonight
Sesame Street
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show
The Happytime Murders
The Muppet Christmas Carol
