Celebrity Invention: Jim Henson’s Proto-Muppet
It’s a very adorable googly-eyed puppet. Patented in 1959, this puppet was pre-Muppets era — Henson created the doll while studying applied arts at the University of Maryland. Unlike many puppets created during the time, Henson used foam rubber covered in fabric.The flexibility allowed the characters to express more emotion than conventional wood creations.
Wilkins Coffee asked Henson to produce their local ads. Henson created two puppet characters to star in the commercials: The cheerful Wilkins who liked the coffee and the grouchy Wontkins (!) who did not like it. Henson produced 179 short spots, like these, for the company.
Read more at The Atlantic