Henson Associates, Inc.

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

Henson Associates, Inc. was formed on November 20, 1958 as "Muppets, Inc." by Jim Henson and his wife Jane, three years after Henson's first show, Sam and Friends, premiered. Until the premiere of Sesame Street in 1969, the company mainly did work for commercials. In 1976, Muppets, Inc. was renamed Henson Associates, Inc., and it became Jim Henson Productions in 1987 (although the name Henson Associates, inc. continued to be used on copyright information until 1990).



1st Logo (September 15-December 8, 1984)


Visuals: Over a solid beige background, there is a giant green "ha!", with red text reading "HENSON ASSOCIATES, INC." in an ITC Avant Garde font below it, and "For" placed on the top left of it. The exclamation point shines from top to bottom.

Trivia:

  • The logo was designed by David Kaestle and debuted as a print logo in 1975. When the company introduced new stationery that year, the logo was printed twice on the back of the paper so that, when it was folded, the recipient would be greeted with "ha! ha!". The design would also be adapted for other company divisions, including "he!" (Henson Enterprises), "hep!" (Henson Electronic Products), "hi!" (Henson International), "hit!" (Henson International Television (later HIT Entertainment)), "ho!" (The Henson Organization, Ltd.), "hop!" (Henson Organization Publishing), and "hum!" (Henson Universal Music).[1]
  • The "ha!" logo is still in use today as the print logo for Henson Alternative.

Technique: Scanimate.

Audio: The closing theme of the show.

Availability:

  • It appeared on the very first season of Muppet Babies.
  • Re-airings of the show plastered the logo with newer Henson logos (e.g. Jim Henson Productions/Jim Henson Television).
  • It was last seen when the show was rebroadcast on Playhouse Disney Australia in the mid-2000s.

2nd Logo (September 14, 1985-January 21, 1986)


Visuals: Transitioning from the Marvel Productions logo, the "ha!" from the previous logo fades in and zooms out, and when it stops zooming, the background changes from blue to a beige gradient. "HENSON ASSOCIATES, INC." appears stacked below it. A copyright notice appears below.

Variants:

  • An early version exists that had the word "For" next to "ha!" (like the first logo).
  • The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years utilizes a cut-short version (as to avoid showing the Marvel Productions logo), likely because they lacked another logo to use.

Technique: Scanimate.

Audio: The ending theme. On The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years, Zoot blows his saxophone.

Availability:

  • It appeared on season 2 of Muppet Babies. Like the first logo, it was also plastered with newer Henson logos (e.g. Jim Henson Productions/Jim Henson Television) during many reruns.
  • It also appeared on the short-lived Muppets, Babies and Monsters.
  • This is usually preserved on the 1986 special The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years.

3rd Logo (September 13-December 27, 1986)

Visuals: The text "HENSON ASSOCIATES INC." in green appears on a white card. There is a copyright stamp below in black. The text bears a strong resemblance to the previous logo.

Technique: A printed card.

Audio: The ending theme.

Availability: It only appeared on season 3 of Muppet Babies.

References

Henson Associates, Inc.
Jim Henson Productions
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