Two photos of Bowb, Gwonck, Nrlll, Krcch, Sssst and Tckkk in the wilds of suburbia.
The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow was a proposed Thanksgiving television special with music intended to be written by Raymond Scott.[1]
Set in 1968, a treatment was written by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl about a group of monsters living in the wild around a small New England town, which is the turkey capital of the country.[2]
The original production phase made it as far as puppet design, some of which were built and still exist in the archives. Photos of Lisa and Cheryl Henson were taken in Jim Henson's back yard as a test to see how the puppets would look in the real world outside of a sound stage. The intention was to shoot the special on location.[2]
In 2014, Roger Langridge adapted the story into a graphic novel; and in 2015, the Jim Henson Company revived the project as a made-for-TV movie directed by Kirk Thatcher for the Lifetime television network.
Puppets[]
Character names are taken from the 2014 comic book adaptation.
At least seven puppets appear in Henson's original photoshoots. Two versions of the "Gwonck" character appear (one with eyebrows raised, the other lowered), altered from early versions of The Snerfs puppets. The puppet known as "Tckkk" was previously made for the "Music Hath Charms" sketch for Muppet variety appearances. The largest puppet of the group, a powder blue monster with a purple nose, was previously used as Thudge and appears in The Great Santa Claus Switch, "Numerosity," The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence, and ads for the Better World Society. They are the only one without the same brownish-green fur that the other puppets were built with.
Although the original project was not developed, other puppets designed for the special resurfaced in later productions, including "Sssst" on the first season of Sesame Street and "Nrlll" in The Great Santa Claus Switch.
While the puppet did not appear in any of Henson's original photoshoots or outdoor tests for the project (nor was it included in the 2014 comic adaptation), one of the heads of the the Rock and Roll Monster has appeared alongside the other original monster puppets in displays and exhibits.[3]
See also[]
- The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow graphic novel
- Turkey Hollow TV movie
Sources[]
- ↑ Manhattan Research, Inc. book, chapter by Karen Falk and Irwin Chusid.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Henson.com podcast interview with Lisa Henson, June 9, 2011
- ↑ Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow puppets display
