That gentleman in the picture above (on the right… I think we all know the guy on the left) is creative director and character designer Edward Eyth. He’s had a successful career as a working artist in many different media, but in the 1990s, he got the chance to work on a few Henson projects.
For example, he designed the look of the young version of Kermit for Kermit’s Swamp Years. He designed Johnny Fiama and Spamela Hamderson for Muppets Tonight. He also did design work for The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Mopatop’s Shop, and Animal Jam. Outside of the Muppet world, you’ve seen his work in Back to the Future Part II, Flight of the Navigator, Masters of the Universe, The Rocketeer, and more.
In the 1990s, Miss Piggy was in desperate need of a makeover. It was up to Eyth to offer a few ideas for redesigns and updates to the puppet. Basically, Piggy needed to go from this:
To this:
In Eyth’s own words:
In my thirties, after being recruited by the Jim Henson Company for design/creative work, I was asked to do an extreme makeover on Miss Piggy. She had begun to appear matronly and a bit frumpy. I put together a few sketches to explore current hairstyles at the time, and some trendy fashion ensembles to give her a more youthful style & sophistication. Went to bed that night snickering at the realization I’d just spent the day . . styling a pig. My years at Henson, contributing to Jim’s legacy were a career highlight I’ll always treasure.
Eyth was kind enough to allow us to share his original sketches here. So enjoy, and see what could have been!
Many, many thanks to Edward Eyth for allowing us to share his work!
Click here to ask your stylist for “The Rachel” on the ToughPigs forum!
by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
