Thom McAn

Thom McAn is a brand of shoes developed by Ward Melville and J. Franklin McElwain, named after Scottish golfer Thomas McCann. The name was leant to a series of footwear stores from 1922 to 1996.

In 1969, Jim Henson signed with New York City event agency Autolycus to appear at the annual Thom McAn company meeting in Worcester, Massachusetts. Henson's purpose was to entertain the attendees with humorous segments in between presentations, assisted by Daniel Seagren and Eric Jenkins.

At the meeting (held on June 25-26), Rowlf the Dog appeared as master of ceremonies. He performed a rousing rendition of the company's credo, played electric guitar and closed the proceedings with a version of "Money." Also featured were a slideshow presentation entitled "How To Sell Men’s Shoes To A Woman," featuring narration by Rowlf as a man and his wife (a large Muppet monster) attempt to buy shoes from a McAn store. Kermit the Frog, dubbed "world's leading authority on selling fuzzy slippers," appeared in a pre-taped segment describing the many secrets of success, under the vigil of a Muppet monster (it is unknown whether or not this was a screening of the IBM or a newly created version). Joe Raposo composed original music for Henson's performances.