After nearly a quarter century, The Jim Henson Company is selling off its historic studio lot in Los Angeles, according to The Wrap‘s Drew Taylor.
The reason for the move is to consolidate their space, as the company told Taylor that it’s “part of a much longer-term strategy to have The Jim Henson Company and our renowned Burbank-based Jim Henson’s Creature Shop under one roof, which is not feasible in Hollywood due to the space the Shop requires.”
Built in 1917 for film icon Charlie Chaplin, the lot has changed hands over the years, including being owned by Red Skelton, CBS, and the A&M Record Company, before being purchased by Henson in 1999. The company paid tribute to the lot’s founder by erecting a statue of Kermit the Frog dressed in Chaplin’s famous “Tramp” outfit at the studio gate. The statue remains there even after Henson sold off the Muppets to Disney in 2004. The Muppets briefly returned to the lot, as it stood in for the derelict Muppet Studios in the 2011 film The Muppets.
Since the purchase, the lot has been the company’s main base of operations, though they do retain a facility in Long Island City, New York, which is unaffected by the sale. For now, the company plans to remain a tenant at the lot, with the move being a gradual process. But for anyone still looking to check out the quirky, historic lot, it will be open to the public for performances of “Puppet Up!,” which returns July 26-28 and August 2-4. Tickets can be purchased at this link.
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by Matthew Soberman – Matthew@ToughPigs.com
