Bonnie Erickson

Bonnie Erickson (born September 20, 1941) is an American designer of puppets, costumes, toys, and graphics, best known for her work with Jim Henson and The Muppets, where her most notable creations include Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf, and as a partner in Harrison/Erickson, the Major League Baseball mascot the Phillie Phanatic.

Bonnie Erickson
Born	(1941-09-20) September 20, 1941 (age 83) Anoka, Minnesota
Education	University of Minnesota, Art Students League of New York
Occupation(s)	designer of puppets, costumes, toys, and graphics
Spouses	Leslie Lewis ​ (m. 1963⁠–⁠1975)​ Wayde Harrison ​ (m. 1977)​
Children	Christopher Wisedell Lewis

Biography

Jim Henson Company and The Muppets

Erickson began her career with a background in theater and art, having studied at the University of Minnesota and the Art Students League of New York. After working in legitimate theater as assistant to costume designer Patricia Quinn Stewart, she was hired by Jim Henson in 1970 to provide costumes for the Muppet characters in The Frog Prince. She continued with the company, specializing in puppets made from carved foam like Miss Piggy and Statler and Waldorf.^[1][2]

Erickson served as Head of the Muppet Workshop for Jim Henson Associates, and set up the original London workshop for The Muppet Show in 1976.^[3]

In 1983, Erickson served as Design Consultant and Workshop Director for the Jim Henson series Fraggle Rock.

In 1986, Erickson returned to The Jim Henson Company as Vice President of Creative Projects in which she worked on productions such as The Tale of the Bunny Picnic and The Christmas Toy.

Erickson served as a Creative Director for the product division of The Jim Henson Company and Children's Television Workshop from 1987 to 2000. Among the many products she art directed was the popular children's toy Tickle Me Elmo.^[4][5]

Harrison/Erickson, Inc.

In 1977, she and husband Wayde Harrison established Harrison/Erickson, Inc., a design studio and marketing resource for national sports teams, television production and the advertising and toy industries, with Jim Henson Associates becoming one of their first clients.^[6]

Erickson designed many professional sports mascots, including the Phillie Phanatic and Youppi!, now in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.^[7][8]

Harrison and Erickson are trustees of The Strong Museum of Play.^[9]

In addition to domestic commercials, Harrison, Erickson, Inc. produced designs and provided production casting and performance for international clients in France, Germany, Mexico, Switzerland, and Japan. A series of Budweiser Taste Bud ads were created by Erickson exclusively for Saturday Night Live. She created characters for both Burger King and McDonald’s and created the first talking Happy Meal.

The Jim Henson Legacy

In 1994, Erickson became a trustee of the Jim Henson Legacy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and perpetuating Jim Henson's contributions to the worlds of puppetry, television, motion pictures, special effects and media technology. From 2007 to 2010, she served as president, and then executive director until 2014. During her tenure, she oversaw the Henson Family donation of objects from Henson productions to the Smithsonian Institution, Center for Puppetry Arts, Museum of the Moving Image, The Strong National Museum of Play, and Museum of Pop Culture.^[10]

Erickson was also instrumental in the installation of a statue of Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog at the University of Maryland. The caricature Muppet of Jim Henson she created inspired the Jim Henson Legacy commemorative action figure by Palisades Toys.^[4]

Live theater

Erickson's work has been featured in The Warrior Ant, a multimedia production for The Next Wave Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York in 1988, and in the nationwide Bette Midler The Divine Miss Millennium Tour in 1999.^[11]

In 2012, Erickson oversaw "Jim Henson's Musical World," a two-night concert at Carnegie Hall featuring the New York Pops and characters from The Muppets, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock.^[12]

Erickson's notable credits

The Muppets

Year	Character(s)	Production	Designer	Builder
1972	Caleb Siles, Mean Floyd, Mordecai Sledge, and Lardpork[13]	The Muppet Musicians of Bremen	Yes	Yes
1973	Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Jerry Nelson caricature puppets[14]	The Dick Cavett Show	Yes	Yes
1974	George the Janitor[15]	The Muppets Valentine Show	Yes	Yes
1974	Mildred Huxtetter[15]	The Muppets Valentine Show	Yes	No
1974	Miss Piggy[14]	The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence	Yes	Yes
1974	Statler and Waldorf[14]	The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence	Yes	Yes
1974	The Muppet Newsman[14]	The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence	Yes	Yes
1974	Dr. Julius Strangepork (originally “Dr. Nauga”)[14]	The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence	Yes	Yes
1974	Gene Shallit caricature puppet[14]	The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence	Yes	Yes
1974	Zoot[14]	The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence	Yes	No
1974	Animal[14]	The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence	Yes (co-designed with Jim Henson)	No
1974	Janice[14]	The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence	No	Yes
1974	The Swedish Chef[14]	The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence	No	Yes (co-built with Jim Henson)
1975	Vazh from The Land of Gorch	Saturday Night Live	No	Yes
1976	Fozzie Bear[4][16][15]	The Muppet Show	No	Yes
1983	Espinete[12]	Barrio Sésamo	No	Yes
1983	Kippi Ben Kippod[12]	Rechov Sumsum	No	Yes

Mascots

Mascot[12]	Team/company	Years active	Image
Phillie Phanatic	Philadelphia Phillies	1978-present
Youppi!	Montreal Expos/Canadiens	2005-present
Sharpo	Sharp Electronics	1979-1982
Big Shot	Philadelphia 76ers	1979-1996
Hoops	Philadelphia 76ers	1979-1983
Dandy	New York Yankees	1979-1981
Ribbie and Roobarb	Chicago White Sox	1981-1990
Duncan the Dragon	New Jersey Nets	1982-1991
Hugo	Charlotte Hornets	1988-present
K.C. Wolf	Kansas City Chiefs	1989-present
Booster	Houston Rockets	1989-1993
Stuff the Magic Dragon	Orlando Magic	1989-present
Pirate Pete	Delaware River & Bridge Authority	1995-present
Slyly	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	1995-present
Jaxson de Ville	Jacksonville Jaguars	1996-present
G-Whiz	Washington Wizards	1997-present
Phred	Philadelphia Phillies	2000-present

Advertising clients

• American Dairy Association
• AT&T
• Budweiser
• Burger King
• Cadbury
• Flik Flak (Switzerland)
• H-O Oats
• La Pie qui Chante (France)
• Lysol
• McDonald's
• Nutella
• Perwoll (Germany)
• Procter & Gamble
• Sharp Corporation^[12]

Toy and product manufacturer clients

• Applause, Inc.
• Axlon
• Enesco
• Fisher-Price
• Hasbro
• Knickerbocker Toy Company
• Colorforms for Maurice Sendak
• Mattel
• Kurt S. Adler^[12]