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ramajmedia · 5 years

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10 Of The Most Iconic Jim Henson Creatures (That Aren't Muppets), Ranked

Most of us are familiar with the genius of Jim Henson, whether from The Muppets, Sesame Street, or any number of his films. The famous puppeteer and creator certainly had a gift for creating memorable and visually stunning characters. So much so, in fact, that an entire workshop was created dedicated to the production of some of these famous creatures.

Classic shows like The Storyteller and Fraggle Rock (and movies like Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal) owe everything to this visionary. Some of their most wonderful creations were all conceived in Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Today, we're having a creature feature as we spend some time with ten of the Jim Henson Company's greatest creature creations. Oh, and don't worry: as you can see, we haven't forgotten the Muppets; they've been ranked separately!

10 Bear in the Big Blue House

We'll start our list with a howdy from the big bear himself, Bear from Bear in the Big Blue House. One of the largest creatures created by Henson's company (along with characters like Sweetums), Bear was the warm and inviting star of his own show. It aired on the Disney Channel in the 90s.

In the mornings, Bear would welcome viewers into the titular Big Blue House for a day with all his friends, such as Treelo, Ocho, Pip and Pop Otter, Shadow, and Luna the Moon. Bear was as big and warm as his personality, and he always made his viewers feel welcome. What better way to start out our list?

9 Rankle, Rose, and Edgar

What do a reanimated cat mummy, a zombie raccoon, and a werewolf with a sweet tooth have in common? They are all friends of the quirky and charming Christine McConnell. These three are certainly some of the more adult characters the company has created, but at the same time, they are as charming as any Muppet or other creation.

RELATED: Sesame Street: 10 Best Celebrity Guest Stars Of The Last 50 Years, Ranked

Brought to us by Henson Alternative, Rankle, Rose, and Edgar are easily the highlights of the show. Rankle is snarky, sarcastic, and mildly sinister, Rose is bawdy and loud, and Edgar is a teddy bear with a horror-movie-quality exterior. What's not to love?

8 The Sinclair Family

Created in memory of the famous Muppet-maker, Dinosaurs was a sitcom that centered around the prehistoric happenings of the Sinclair family. For four seasons, viewers tuned in to the lives of Earl, Fran, Robbie, Charlene, and their hatchling, Baby Sinclair. The show was a weird but wonderful combination of creatures and comedy that had quite the following.

Despite its use of creatures, the sitcom jumped through all the genre hoops in the way of Family Matters, Full House, and Boy Meets World. It had the family-centric narrative, but also tackled some interesting issues, including a controversial season finale. It was a strange show, but certainly one we can appreciate.

7 Gelflings (2019 Version)

The Dark Crystal is arguably one of Jim Henson's greatest creations; essentially his Lord of the Rings. As much as we wanted to include Jen and Kira from the original film, the prize has to go to the newer Gelflings featured in the new Netflix series.

The Gelflings, as their name might allude, are elf-like creatures from the land of Thra. In Age of Resistance, there are even tribes of them somewhat akin to the elves of Tolkien. Rian, Brea, and Deet are three of the new Gelflings, and they could not look better. They have better puppet models, a more high-fantasy design, and their different personae are absolutely enchanting. Color us impressed.

6 Skeksis

On the other end of the Dark Crystal spectrum, we have the sinister and insidious Skeksis. This breed of nightmare fuel is quite possibly the most horrifying thing Henson ever dreamed up. With their beaks, claws, teeth, and aristocratic sense of style, there's definitely something outright evil about their persona.

From the snarling Emporer Skeksi to the creepily charming Chamberlain, the Skeksis have ruled Thra with an iron claw, bewitching and deceiving their world to their whims. They are truly as hideous on the outside as they are within, but we still love watching them. They're easily one of our favorite monsters.

5 Creatures of the Labyrinth

Though we have a soft spot for Sir Didymus, we couldn't pick just one creature for this spot. For those who haven't seen this marvelously magical film, Labyrinth is Jim Henson's collaboration with the legendary David Bowie, which resulted in one of the most iconic fantasy films of the 80s.

RELATED: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Labyrinth

Jareth, Hoggle, Ludo, and all the legions of monsters that inhabit this mystical magical world were just too many to count. Worthy of a list all their own, the creatures from the titular labyrinth could rival those of Dark Crystal fame, but we'd be lying if we said Bowie didn't give them an unfair advantage.

4 The Fraggles

Dance your cares away and let the music play, down in Fraggle Rock with these colorful creatures. The Fraggles are small, carefree critters who, along with the workaholic Doozers, live their lives and go on adventures in the caves of Fraggle Rock.

RELATED: 10 Most Underrated Jim Henson Creations

Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober, and Red are just the starring cast of Fraggle Rock, but there are legions more of the fuzzy creatures living beneath the home of Doc and his dog, Sprocket. These lovable creatures are some of Jim Henson's most memorable characters, and we can see why. Much more than Muppets, the Fraggles delighted kids for five seasons and 96 episodes.

3 Aughra

Frank Oz couldn't have put it better any other way: she's so ugly she's beautiful. Yes, we've mentioned the rest of the Dark Crystal characters already, but we can't leave out Aughra. Aughra is one of the most powerful beings in the realm of Thra, as well as one of the most uniquely-designed creatures the Creature Shop has ever created.

Born from the rocks before even the race of Gelflings, Aughra is the only one of her kind. She's a mystic, a wizard, and a cosmic being all rolled into one. As one of the most strange and mystifying creatures on our list, you can bet we applauded her return in Age of Resistance.

2 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Bringing Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michaelangelo to the big screen outside of animation was no easy feat. Enter Jim Henson's Creature Shop to bring them to life. Using a mix of puppetry and full-body effects, the turtles sprang from the sewers and onto the big screen for the very first time.

Though the characters themselves were not created by Henson or his crew, the technology to bring them to life was. This led to the creation of the Henson Performance Control System, which revolutionized puppeteering and practical effects. If it wasn't for this film, who knows where the creature shop would be.

1 Big Bird

Arguably the most famous resident of Sesame Street, Big Bird has entertained legions of children and even adults since he first appeared in 1969. The large yellow avian has represented every curious child to ever tune in to the popular PBS program, teaching them the value of imagination and an appetite for learning.

From his bright, yellow, fluffy exterior to his enormous heart, Big Bird has delighted millions of viewers the world over. Though not a product of the Creature Shop, without Big Bird there might not even be a Sesame Street. Adorable, curious, and even a trendsetter, how could we not give the big guy our number one spot?

NEXT: Sesame Street: 10 Hilarious (And Adorable) Bert And Ernie Memes

source https://screenrant.com/jim-henson-most-iconic-creatures-besides-muppets/

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ultralifehackerguru-blog · 7 years

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New Post has been published on http://www.lifehacker.guru/4-ways-to-watch-kids-shows-without-cable-tv/

4 Ways to Watch Kids Shows without Cable TV

Watching kids’ shows on an app is perfect if you don’t want to pay for cable, your child only wants to watch one show again and again, or you need to entertain your children ASAP, likely in a public setting.

Before I was a parent I told myself that my child would play with blocks and read books and I would not rely on kids’ shows to entertain them. Ha! My daughter has usurped the tablet. At this point, it’s used as toddler entertainment – something I had always judged other parents for. That being said, my daughter does love books and blocks, but sometimes mommy needs to get things done, and a kids’ show will give me at least ten minutes of uninterrupted time to (insert housework here).

Here are my tried, tested and true apps for streaming educational and entertaining kids’ shows.

1. PBS KIDS

The PBS KIDS Video App app is updated with new episodes of their top kids’ shows every week. Notable series include Sesame Street, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Curious George.

The colorful interface is easy for kids to use, with large buttons and pictures of their favorite characters. There is also a great parent resource section, which includes information about each series, and the option to stream through the TV using Chromecast.

Not only is it available for Apple and Android, you can also get it as an app for your Nook or Kindle. This makes it ideal for travel, but only within the United States.

2. Knowledge: kids go

Knowledge: kids go is the Canadian answer to PBS KIDS. It’s an app designed for kids age two to eight, with thousands of full-length videos. They regularly update their library with the latest episodes that appeared on TV that week.

The library of kids’ shows is organized by interests, like “Science Stuff” and “Robots, Aliens and Dragons”, which makes it easy to find something new your child might like. Their top shows include Paw Patrol, Wild Kratts, and Doozers (as in Fraggle Rock). The app also includes educational games.

There is a parents’ section that allows you to set a time limit, enable closed captioning, and put it into Baby Lock Mode (my favorite).

3. YouTube Kids

Many cable networks make their kids’ shows available for free on YouTube. YouTube Kids is a safe and easy way for your kids to watch these shows, but without potentially linking to questionable content in the side bar.

Parents can customize the YouTube Kids app by selecting the age level of the user (all kids, preschool, or school age), setting a timer to let children know their screen time is up, and disabling the search function. You can also stream this app to the TV.

Unlike the above apps, YouTube Kids does contain paid ads to provide the content for free.

Expert Advice: I use YT Kids in combination with a screen lock app so my daughter doesn’t accidently exit while watching.

4. Netflix Kids

I’ve written about my love for Netflix before. One of the many reasons I love it is because you can sign into a kids’ account that only links to family-friendly content, and you can choose the maturity level. You can stream to your TV, and watch it on all types of mobile devices.

Netflix has a variety of kids’ shows and films of various lengths, both old favorites and original content. Another perk is that you can stop a show part way through and continue from that point later on.

The only downside to the Netflix app is that it doesn’t have a screen lock option, and, in my experience, doesn’t work with touch lock apps.

All of these apps are child-friendly and free (barring the subscription price of Netflix). I prefer not to pay for apps, but if streaming a video keeps my child happy while we’re dining out, I’ll eat the data charges.

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