Bonnie Erickson

Bonnie Erickson is a designer and builder for both puppets and costumes, best known for being part of the original team in the Muppet Workshop. She started working with Jim Henson's team as a costume designer for The Frog Prince, later became the head of the workshop and continued to be a part of the Muppets team for years. Bonnie is credited for designing and/or building numerous Muppets for many productions, such as Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and others for The Muppet Show. Erickson has also made Sesame Street costumes for their appearances on Ice Follies in 1977, and even made two characters for two international co-productions of Sesame Street. Later in her Muppet career, she became the Creative Director of the Product Division of the Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop). After being design consultant for Fraggle Rock, The Tale of the Bunny Picnic, and The Christmas Toy, she left the Muppets do pursue her own career. Even though Bonnie Erickson doesn't work with Muppets anymore, she still remembers doing their projects as seen in interviews. I saw that in one interview, she mentioned being in-suit as one of the villains on The Muppet Musicians of Bremen, for wide shots only that is. Now she has her own design and marketing company known as Harrison/Erickson Inc., where she makes characters for television, theatre, and mascot programs for major league sport teams. Bonnie got to work with many other Muppet designers such as Don Sahlin, Caroly Wilcox, Kermit Love, and Faz Fazakas, to name a few. Erickson's best-known mascots from her company are the Phillie Phanatic and Youppi while her advertising work includes McDonald's and Applesauce. She's still working with her company today and it will keep going, until she retires that is. None of the Muppet characters could have gone on to make appearances if she never designed and/or built them to start. Bonnie Erickson, I should say you've been a huge part of the Muppets team. And your company does great with all of the mascots and characters being produced. Keep working until retirement and always remember there'd be no famous Muppets made if it wasn't for you. Excellent creations Bonnie. Be glamorous Erickson!