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Bonnie Erickson (born September 20, 1941) is an American designer of puppets, costumes, toys, and graphics, best known for her work with Jim Henson and The Muppets, where her most notable creations include Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf, and as a partner in Harrison/Erickson, the Major League Baseball mascot the Phillie Phanatic .
- September 20, 1941 (age 82), Anoka, Minnesota
- .mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}, .mw-parser-output .marriage-line-margin2px{line-height:0;margin-bottom:-2px}.mw-parser-output .marriage-line-margin3px{line-height:0;margin-bottom:-3px}.mw-parser-output .marriage-display-ws{display:inline;white-space:nowrap}, Leslie Lewis (m. 1963–1975), Wayde Harrison (m. 1977)
- University of Minnesota, Art Students League of New York
Bonnie Erickson designed and built the inimitable Miss Piggy in 1974 for an early "Muppets" television special, produced by Jim Henson. Puppets, props and storyboards from Henson's prolific...
Feb 27, 2018 · The panel features Sonia Manzano, who played Maria on Sesame Street; Fran Brill, the first female puppeteer hired on the program; and Bonnie Erickson, the designer and builder behind some of the most famous Muppets.
In her time working for Jim, Bonnie designed and built an impressive roster of Muppets, including Miss Piggy, Statler, Waldorf, the Newsman, Zoot, and the caricatures of Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Jerry Nelson for the Country Trio. What made Bonnie decide to create her own business?
- She was discovered by Jim Henson through her work in theater. “When I was at the University of Minnesota, my major was art and my minor was theater,” Bonnie explained.
- She designed Statler and Waldorf. “I was a sculptor student in college, but I had never worked with soft foam,” Patricia shared about the first iconic puppet she designed, Statler.
- She received a request from Jim Henson one day to design three pigs. “He came to me one day, obviously he had a script we could use and it was going to be called ‘Return from Beneath the Planet of the Pigs’… So he said ‘We need three pigs.’”
- The evolution of Piggy. “The interesting story about Ms. Piggy is she was performed by many people before she got to Frank,” Bonnie shared about the character’s gradual evolution.
Jan 26, 2012 · Bonnie worked on numerous Muppet projects, including The Muppet Show, The Frog Prince, Fraggle Rock, and The Muppet Movie, and also worked very closely with Jim Henson. Bonnie very graciously agreed to join us for an interview and answer a few questions about her work, her career, The Jim Henson Legacy, working with Jim, and much more. Read on!
Bonnie Erickson is an American designer of puppets, costumes, toys, and graphics, best known for her work with Jim Henson and The Muppets, where her most notable creations include Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf, and as a partner in Harrison/Erickson, the Major League Baseball mascot the Phillie Phanatic.
