Gobblin.net

A decade ago I had the pleasure of seeing many Henson props from Labyrinth, Muppets and other properties in an exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image in London. I was half-expecting the props to shatter my childhood memories by looking more like plush toys than personalities - on the contrary, seeing the props up close showcased just how amazingly detailed the work is at the Jim Henson Creature Shop. Unfortunately, not all of the Creature Shop creations received the same archival treatment. Thankfully, prop restoration folks like Tom Spina are saving these fragile treasures before they are lost to decay. Most recently, they saved everyone’s favorite chivalrous terrier - Sir Didymus:

The approach on this was to keep the piece as “original” as possible… as always keeping the repairs visually consistent with the unrepaired areas and the overall age and “feel” of the piece.

For instance, the nose was somewhat flattened over time. It had gotten very hard and one side had collapsed. Rather than remove it and create a new one (which would’ve made for a more accurate finish), we balanced it out, building up the collapsed side to better match the “good” one, making it much more visually appealing, but still very much original. (the 3/4 and profile shots on my site better show the final result on that)

Additionally, the lips were rebuilt, matching the existing bits, and the eyelids rebuilt, again, keeping as much of what was originally there intact as possible. The snout repair was the most challenging because of the flocking but that turned out quite well. Additionally, some internal repairs were made, and crumbling (and mushy!) reticulated foam was all removed and a custom insert made to support it for display. (Posted on the Muppet Central Forums)

For more before/after pics, check out Tom Spina Designs.