Создатель Мисс Пигги о 50-летии кукол и вечной славе дивы

The Muppets turn 50. Miss Piggy's creator reflects on the diva's enduring legacy Erickson says she didn't expect Miss Piggy to become a phenomenon For more than five decades, Bonnie Erickson has created lovable characters from felt and foam like beloved Montreal Canadiens mascot Youppi. But perhaps none of her work is more famous than Miss Piggy. Hosting several TV shows and specials, Miss Piggy is also the author of books like The Diva Code: Miss Piggy on Life, Love, and the 10,000 Idiotic Things Men Do. Miss Piggy is one of the permanent cast members of The Muppet Show, the traditional vaudeville children’s show created by Jim Henson, featuring a cast of colourful puppets. Erickson was the head of the Muppet Workshop, where a group of designers made and built puppets, in the early days of the show. Erickson built the very first version of the iconic character, and says she’s pleased with the legacy she’s created. Erickson also created the grumpy old duo of Statler and Waldorf. This year, The Muppets are celebrating its 50th anniversary and fittingly, Miss Piggy has been the star. She’s teamed up with celebrities like Maya Rudolph and Sabrina Carpenter for an anniversary special. She even performed at the FIFA World Cup final halftime show with fellow diva Madonna. Erickson says Miss Piggy has transformed from a side character into a feminist role model. She tells Day 6 host Brent Bambury why she's proud of her time working on The Muppet Show and the influence her characters have had on generations of fans. When people find out that you designed Miss Piggy, how do they react? They’re always, I think, impressed. But I must say, when they call me the mother of Miss Piggy, I’m not always so flattered. What is it about that that you have trepidation for? I don’t know, she just has an attitude and I don’t know that being the progenitor of that kind of personality is a great thing. When you were first approached, what was it that you were asked to create? Jim said, “We're doing a bit and I need three pigs.” I made sketches for three different pigs and the first one was Miss Piggy. When she started out, she was quite sweet, but I think a lot of the performing she did went to her head and she learned to be sassy. It’s fine, part of the reason why we love her is because her ego is so gigantic. I know, it’s uncontrollable. Costume design was where your career began, how did you shift to puppets and how difficult was that? I did it because of Jim. I didn’t really think of the puppets, that’s not what interested me. His humour, his sense of performance, his incredible visions for these characters and the thing that really attracted me initially was the very funny things he did on all the variety shows before The Muppet Show, where he had these characters do the most incredible things. And I have to say, The Muppet Show was a bunch of crazy people, Jim was the head of the group, and we had the most wonderful time working together. Do you think that Jim Henson had any inkling that The Muppets would become the global phenomenon that they became? I do. I think he was prescient about all that kind of stuff. He had a great sense of place and who he was and he knew what he was doing. I think the fact that he knew playing was being productive and that people needed more of it was one of the things that let him know that this was going to be a success. You worked with him for many years. What do you most remember about working with him? Jim was kind, smart, funny, generous. I can’t say enough good things about him. All of us that worked together on that show enjoyed the whole relationship we had with each other, and that’s all thanks to him. You worked on Fraggle Rock, which brought you to Toronto. By then, the expectation for Jim Henson productions was so high, was there any anxiety around creating a brand new show? I think there always is because people had an expectation for what they’d be seeing. They’d spent a long time looking at Muppets but when Fraggle Rock came out, I think it was instantly recognized as a real-life scene for people, and the whole dynamic of that world was very appealing. I think he was pretty sure that this was going to be a success, he was very self-confident. He knew who he was and I think he had real confidence in what he was doing. The Muppets turn 50 in September. How does it feel to you to know how much influence and how much joy they’ve brought generations of children. First of all, I’m always surprised. But secondly, how great is that? How lucky am I to have been with a group of people who created that kind of situation for people to enjoy. The fact that they continue to follow these characters. I’ve done a couple of comicons and the generosity of the audience who’ve come to say how much they enjoyed The Muppet Show or Jim Henson’s work is really gratifying. I’m just very happy to have been so lucky to be part of it. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Interview produced by Laurie Allan.