Works Cited Primary Sources "40 Years and Counting." SesameWorkshop.org. Sesame Workshop. Web. 19 Feb 2013. <http://www.sesameworkshop.org/about­us/40­years.html>. This is Sesame Workshop's official timeline for Sesame Street. It provides information on the show's conception, its international co­productions, and Kevin Clash. I also quote Barack Obama from this timeline. "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs." AFI.com. The American Film Institute, 22 Jun 2004. Web. 19 Feb 2013. <http://www.afi.com/100years/songs.aspx>. This is the list of AFI's top 100 songs from American movies. "The Rainbow Connection" is number 74 on the list. This exemplifies the timelessness of some of the great Muppet songs that have been written. Bailey, Joseph A. Memoirs of a Muppet Writer. New York: Walnut Press, 2012. Print. This book was written by one of the writers for Sesame Street. He has worked with many of the people behind its creation. He also wrote for The Muppet Show. He recalls what it was like to work on the show, and the show's success. I quote the book on Sesame's creation, and the Muppet Show's popularity. Baciocco, Grant, perf. "Basic Puppeteering ­ Using a Monitor." The Henson.com Podcast. The Jim Henson Company, 27 2010. Web. 2 Dec 2012. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hBfb1MtZ9s>. This is an episode of the Jim Henson Company's official podcast. In it, Henson Company employee Grant Baciocco shows how the puppeteers at the company use monitors to watch their performance. This is basic puppeteering training. It uses the techniques that Jim Henson created for the Muppets. It also tells viewers that most of the employees at the Jim Henson Company have professional puppeteering experience prior to joining the company. Clash, Kevin, perf. Sesame Street ­ Behind the Street (part 3). 2009. Web. 31 Mar 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY5YoTmDNXg>. This is a video of Kevin Clash explaining the history of Elmo. It starts with Elmo being built, and ends with Elmo being given to Kevin. I use and quote some of this information in the "1980s­1990s" page. Cokliss, Harley, dir. Of Muppets and Men: The Making of the Muppet Show. Dir. Peter Berry, and Prod. David Lazer. 1981. Film. 30 Nov 2012. This documentary shows behind the scenes footage from The Muppet Show. It explains parts of the process of making an episode, and informs viewers about the puppeteers. It also features interviews with Jim Henson and Frank Oz. It takes viewers into the puppet room, into the writers' room, and under the sets. There is no other documentary that shows the way that episodes of The Muppet Show are made to the degree that this documentary does. Falk, Karen. Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2012. Print. This book, written by the Jim Henson Company archivist, is an adaptation of Jim Henson's private journal. It goes through the history of the Muppets using Jim's own documentations. It is also filled with pictures of the things Jim worked on. Many of these pictures are Jim's drawings and illustrations. Information about Jim's family life is provided too. Frog, Kermit the. Before You Leap: A Frog's­Eye View of Life's Greatest Lessons. 1st ed. Meredith Books, 2006. Print. This book tells the story of Kermit the Frog and the Muppets from Kermit's own point of view. (It is a secondary source because, while it is officially licensed by Muppets Studio, it was written by a ghost writer who has worked for the Muppets many times.) I quote Kermit on The Muppet Movie from this book. Finch, Christopher. Jim Henson: The Works. 1st ed. New York and Toronto: Random House, 1993. Print. Christopher Finch's first Muppet book was Of Muppets and Men, but this book focuses on Jim Henson's career as a puppeteer and filmmaker. Jim Henson had spoken to Finch about making this book in the 1980s, but it was finished in the 1990s, and thus includes more history. It includes a small section (with pictures) on his childhood. It shows the Muppets' success (with a section on all of the Muppet merchandise that people collect.) Unlike other Muppet/Henson biographies, this one goes beyond Jim's life­span and has a few pages devoted to The Muppet Christmas Carol, the first Muppet movie made after Jim's death. Finch, Christopher. Of Muppets and Men: The Making of the Muppet Show. 1st ed. New York and Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf, Incorporated, 1981. Print. Much like the documentary of the same name, this book goes behind the scenes of The Muppet Show. This book has several photos taken on the set by the author. It describes the way that the show's puppets were built, lists the guest stars, introduces readers to the Muppeteers, and explains the history of how the show came to be. There are many nice quotes about the individual puppeteers. It even describes the read­through, band call, pre­record, special effects, and waiting around. Henson, Jim, and Cheryl Henson. It's Not Easy Being Green and Other Things to Consider. New York, NY: Hyperion, 2005. Print. This book is filled with quotes from Jim Henson. It also includes quotes from his family, his fellow puppeteers, Muppet characters, Muppet songwriters, and a few others. These quotes are all related to the works of Jim Henson and the Muppets. They reveal a lot about the Muppets' purpose, and Jim's personality. There is a short biography of Jim Henson at the end. Henson, Jim, and Karen Falk. Jim Henson's Red Book. The Jim Henson Company, n. d. Web. Web. 30 Jan. 2013. <http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/>. This website is sort of both a blog and a database. Before there was Twitter, Jim Henson was noting in a small number of words what he was doing at the time. Because he included dates, readers of this website have access to the exact dates when Muppet productions were being made or Jim was working on a project. Many articles are curated by the Jim Henson Company Archivist. Using all of the information and documents available in the Henson Archives, Karen Falk expands on what Jim was doing. She provides many photographs, and rare documents, such as business letters. Henson, Jim. Interview by Judy Harris. Cinefantastique. Fred Clarke. 1983. Web. 2 Dec 2012. http://users.bestweb.net/~foosie/henson.htm. In this interview, Jim Henson talks about puppetry, his early work, the creation of the term "Muppet," and his entire career. He was interviewed by a fan, so the interviewer knows all about Jim's early work. This means that rather than describing what he did, he talks more about how he did it and how he feels about it. This interview took place after Jim Henson had recently been successful with The Muppet Show, but was also around the time when his film The Dark Crystal was unsuccessful. Our Mission. N.d. Video. SesameWorkshop.org. Web. 30 Jan 2013. <http://www.sesameworkshop.org/about­us/our­mission.html>. This video comes from Sesame Workshop, which owns Sesame Street. It features video footage of Sesame Street's pitch reel, and the first episode. More importantly, it gives Sesame's purpose, giving children the basics of education. It explains that research and evidence shows how children gain from it. This is important because it means that Sesame is still making a big difference and will continue to. According to the video, different versions of Sesame Street are on television in some 150 countries and are designed to meet the specific needs of children in their local areas. Sesame Place Park Map. 2011. Sesame Place. Web. 31 Oct 2012. <http://sesameplace.com/sesame2/userfiles/tinymce/files/2011_Park_Map.pdf>. This is a map of Sesame Place. Sesame Place is the first and only amusement park to have been based upon Muppet characters. It was the first amusement park designed to be educational for children, and the map shows the various attractions, some of which are educational, other are just for fun. It shows where families can watch shows, ride rides, dine, etc. "Sesame Street." Henson.com. The Jim Henson Company. Web. 19 Feb 2013. <http://henson.com/sesamestreet.php>. This is the Henson Company's official page on Sesame Street. It explains that the characters were sold to Sesame Workshop in 2001. This information is used on the "2000­Today" page. Shane, Phillip, dir. Being Elmo: A Puppeteer. Dir. Constance Marks, and Perf. Kevin Clash. 2011. Film. 2 Dec 2012. This tells the story of Kevin Clash, who was the puppeteer of Elmo for most of Elmo's time on Sesame Street. It leads up to the success and incredible cultural impact that Elmo has had, including being made into the hottest toy on the market in its day ­ "Tickle Me Elmo." The creator of this documentary spent years working with Kevin Clash to get the story right, and to record many of the things he does. Kevin tells much of the story himself, but it also has many interviews with his co­workers and family. Spinney, Caroll. The Wisdom of Big Bird (And the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers. New York: Villard, 2003. Print. Caroll Spinney, better known as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, writes about his experience as American icon Big Bird in this great book. He discusses how he got hired, the creation of Big Bird and Oscar, and the creation of Elmo.