Wilkins Puppet
date: label: date made
content: 1957
name: label: performer
content: Henson, Jim
label: maker
content: Henson, Jim
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>Wilkins was part of a duo known as Wilkins and Wontkins, which were some of the earliest creations by Jim Henson and his wife and partner Jane Nebel Henson. He is made of soft brown wool flannel with dangling limbs, button eyes, and a painted upturned mouth. This is the original Wilkins puppet created in 1956.</p>
label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>In 1956 a local Washington, D.C., company, Wilkins Coffee, contacted Jim Henson to produce a short television commercial, and Wilkins and Wontkins were born. Wilkins, the serious, cheerful one who loved coffee, regularly tortured the loveable Wontkins, who did not like coffee, and much to the dismay of Wilkins, refused to even try a cup.</p>
label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>Wilkins, with his somewhat serious and endearing demeanor, bears a striking resemblance to one of Henson’s most enduring creations, the beloved Kermit the Frog. Wontkins, on the other hand, fashioned in a simple triangular or pyramid shape with button eyes and a large protruding nose, wore a distinct frown that suggested his grumpy personality. Henson created over 200 8-second shorts that ran on local television stations promoting the benefits of Wilkins Coffee and expanded into advertising for other products across the country.</p>
topic: label: Subject
content: Television
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Jim Henson
label: Exhibition
content: Entertainment Nation
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of the Family of Jim Henson: Lisa Henson, Cheryl Henson, Brian Henson, John Henson and Heather Henson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2013.0101.03
label: accession number
content: 2013.0101
label: catalog number
content: 2013.0101.03
objectType: label: Object Name
content: puppet
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: felt (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 12 1/2 in x 6 in x 7 in; 31.75 cm x 15.24 cm x 17.78 cm