A Conversation with Craig Shemin

You know that feeling when you refuse a cup of Wilkin’s Coffee and things blow up in your face? (POOF!) In this episode of Cookies for Breakfast, I trip over my own feet by mispronouncing my guest’s last name right off the bat! Thankfully, he didn’t blast me with a cannon. In fact, with grace, thoughtfulness and an abundance of experience as a creative collaborator, Craig Shemin kept us on track and pulled the story together at the end. Writers are good at that! 

Our conversation starts off in the early days of television. Specifically, a few key moments as a young Jim and Jane Henson change the game with Sam and Friends, a puppet series that aired nearly 15 years before another game-changer called Sesame Street! Craig explores this period in his book, Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson’s First Television Show. The book's foreword was written by Jim Henson's longtime collaborator and esteemed film director, Frank Oz. Order your copy here.

___

From his website: Craig Shemin began his writing career with the Muppets and when not creating scripts for television and other media, he is a Henson historian and serves as President of The Jim Henson Legacy, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and celebrating Jim Henson's artistry. He is the author of The Muppets Character Encyclopedia, and produced and directed an award-winning documentary about the making of Henson's Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas.

___

Craig has also had so many other experiences in the world of children’s media! He and I discuss the ongoing struggles of creatives from yesterday, today and, most probably, in the near future, as they find ways to financially sustain their work through the art of compromise.

We also talk about certain lines that we shouldn’t cross when creating for children. We take the time to honor the memories of other pioneers in children’s television, including Bob McGrath and Fred Rogers, by sharing personal stories featuring their deep and authentic goodness that was consistent on and off the TV screen. 

Finally, we share an exciting announcement about our mutual connection to the Maryland Center for History and Culture, which will host The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited starting on May 26th, 2023. Craig and I will both attend the Henson Homecoming for The Jim Henson Exhibition Opening Festival on Saturday, June 3rd. Craig will present on Jim and Jane Henson’s early Washington, D.C. work, including a screening of surviving footage from the early Henson series Sam and Friends, as well as newly restored transfers of Henson’s Wilkins Coffee commercials. A newly uncovered Sam and Friends episode, hidden from public view for more than 60 years, is included. This will be followed by a book signing of Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson’s First Television Show. 

As part of the Henson Homecoming Festival, I will have the honor, as Maryland’s current local kids’ show creator, puppeteer and host, of performing two live Danny Joe’s Tree House episodes earlier that day and throughout the run of the exhibition. More information on the events at MCHC here! We hope to see you there as we all celebrate the legacy of Jim Henson!

___

Cookies for Breakfast and Danny Joe’s Tree House supports the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. It takes a lot of hard work to make dreams into reality. The human beings that do that work should be acknowledged with respect, protected and fairly compensated.