Full Breakdown
Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Opens First Public Tours in Queens
5/25/2026, 8:45:50 PM
Public Tours Open at the Legendary Workshop
In 2024 the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in Queens, New York, began offering 80-minute tours for $150 per person on Saturdays. Visitors can meet a puppet builder, watch a live puppetry demonstration and photograph a display room featuring Oscar the Grouch, a black throne from *The Dark Crystal* and a full-size Junior Gorg puppet.
History and Scale of the Facility
Founded by Jim Henson in Manhattan in the 1960s, the shop moved to its Queens warehouse in 2009. A sister workshop in Los Angeles does not offer tours. The New York shop builds the Muppets, Sesame Street figures, Fraggle Rock characters and has contributed to *Five Nights at Freddy’s*, *Where the Wild Things Are* and *Dinosaurs*. Its inventory holds colored furs, textured fabrics, synthetic fleeces and animatronic structures; staff include industrial designers, engineers and sculptors.
Official Ownership Statements
Corporate filings show Disney now owns *The Muppets* franchise, while Sesame Workshop retains rights to Sesame Street characters such as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. The Queens shop focuses on those properties; the Los Angeles workshop handles film work.
Criticism of the Commercial Model
Industry commentary notes that charging $150 for a behind-the-scenes experience reflects a trend of monetizing heritage franchises as premium attractions. Critics argue the price makes the tour a luxury offering, limiting fan access.
Artisans’ Perspectives Inside the Shop
Sierra Schoening described the role as a “pie-in-the-sky” dream job, noting she had long wanted to understand how the illusions were made and now feels she knows the “secret sauce” of puppet construction. Director Melissa Creighton emphasized that every piece is custom and bespoke. Staff are preparing costumes for a *Fraggle Rock* musical opening near Times Square later this month.
Why the Tours Matter
The tours generate revenue that supports preservation of hand-crafted puppetry while CGI dominates visual effects. Public exposure to manual artistry reinforces the cultural and educational value of practical effects.
Conflicting Reports and Gaps
All sources agree on tour pricing, schedule, location and ownership; no contradictory information was identified.
Verbatim Quotes
- “There is a level of expertise here that we’re sharing. It’s not just going to a pop-up store or something like that,” — Jason Weber, Creative Supervisor, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop
- “Everything we do is custom. Everything we do is bespoke.” — Melissa Creighton, Director, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop
- “I just really always wanted to know how those illusions were made,” — Sierra Schoening, Senior Puppet Builder, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop
- “I know all the secret sauce, and I’m making the secret sauce now.” — Sierra Schoening, Senior Puppet Builder, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop
Upcoming Projects and Future Tours
The shop will continue Saturday tours while finalizing costumes for the upcoming *Fraggle Rock* musical. Additional behind-the-scenes events are planned as the shop expands its public-engagement program.
