We’ve lost an important chronicler of Muppet and Henson history. As announced by Didier Ghez, the moderator of the Disney History Institute page on Facebook, author Christopher Finch has died.
Finch was the author of 1981’s Of Muppets and Men: The Making of the Muppet Show, one of the earliest in-depth behind-the scenes books about the Muppets. It’s since become a highly sought-after volume for Muppet collectors. Two years later, he wrote The Making of The Dark Crystal: Creating a Unique Film, further cementing his position as one of the great purveyors of Henson-related non-fiction.
In 1993, Finch wrote Jim Henson: The Works, an overview of Henson’s entire life and career. The Works has long served as one of the essential informational books on the Muppets, and over the years it’s helped convert many burgeoning fans into full-blown, knowledgeable, trivial-spouting Muppet nerds. Finch’s text explained the development and creation of many familiar projects, pointed out recurring themes in Henson’s work, and introduced us to many lesser-known productions that most of us had never even heard of in 1993. Decades before Tales of the Tinkerdee, Puppetman, and the like were a few clicks away online, we learned about them from Christopher Finch.
Finch wrote several other books about pop culture, including the equally essential The Art of Walt Disney, and he was a painter and graphic artist as well. You can read more about him and his work on Muppet Wiki.
Click here to remember Christopher Finch on the Tough Pigs forum!
by Ryan Roe – Ryan@ToughPigs.com
