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Wendy Froud

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Wendy Froud
Froud at the 2014 Rencontres de l’imaginaire de Brocéliande
Born1954 (age 69–70)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Known forDoll-making, sculpting, puppetry, and writing
Spouse
​
(m. 1980)​
ChildrenToby Froud
Awards

Wendy Froud (née Midener; born 1954) is an American doll-artist, sculptor, puppet-maker, and writer. She is best known for her work fabricating Yoda for the 1980 film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, for which she has been called "the mother of Yoda",[1] and creatures for the Jim Henson films The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.[2]

Early life

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Froud was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1954[3] to painter and 3D-collage artist Margaret "Peggy" (née Mackenzie; 1925–2016) and sculptor and artist Walter Midener (1912–1998).[4][5] Her father was a German expatriate[4] and her mother was from Detroit.[6][7]

Froud began making her own dolls from the age of five based on her favorite stories, including "lots of fauns, satyrs, centaurs and things with wings"[8] from Greek mythology and fairy tales.[9]

She studied art and music at the Interlochen Center for the Arts.[10] She attended the College of Art and Design at the Center for Creative Studies, focused on fabric design and ceramics. She graduated with a BFA in Fine Arts[3][11] in 1976.[12]

Career

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After graduating, Froud moved to New York City, where The Muppets art director Michael Frith attended a gallery show of her dolls and bought several as a Christmas presents for Jim Henson in 1978.[8] Impressed by Froud's work, Henson recruited her to build puppets for his film The Dark Crystal.[13][11] Froud designed and sculpted the film's two main protagonists, gelflings Jen and Kira.[14][15] She went on to work on several other Henson projects including The Muppet Show, The Muppet Movie, and Labyrinth.[3][16]

While working closely with Jim Henson and Frank Oz on various projects at the Henson Studios, Froud was asked by the pair to join the team responsible for developing and building the character Yoda for the 1980 Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back.[16] Her contribution included sculpting the prototype puppet for Yoda.[17] Nick Maley, who worked on Yoda with Froud under Stuart Freeborn, recalled that "Wendy’s contribution creating the character was second only to Stuart who was overseeing all the creatures. She single handedly formed the body out of 1 inch sheet foam. She constructed the puppet armature from wooden dowel which gave structure to Yoda’s arms and legs. If I remember correctly, she modeled Yoda’s hands and feet and single handedly fabricated the 'stand-in Yoda', made entirely from cut foam, which was used to line up shots during camera setup. I do remember her spending some time working on the clay model of Yoda's head too."[18] Froud later became referred to as "the mother of Yoda".[1] She assisted in Yoda's puppeteering,[19] controlling the pointed ears.[citation needed]

Wendy Froud worked on the 2009 animated documentary Mythic Journeys, sculpting and fabricating puppets based on designs by her husband Brian Froud.[20]

Froud served as a concept, character, and costume designer for the 2019 Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.[21][22]

Books

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Froud's artwork is featured in three books for children, paired with stories by fantasy author Terri Windling: A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale (1999), The Winter Child (2001), and The Faeries of Spring Cottage (2003).[10] Her first solo art book, The Art of Wendy Froud, was published in 2006 by Imaginosis.[23]

She is a writer of short fiction and poetry, published in two anthologies: Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers (1998)[24] and Troll's-Eye View (2009).[25][3] She collaborated as writer, with her husband Brian Froud as illustrator, on two books, The Heart of Faerie (2010) and Trolls (2012), both published by Abrams Books.[20]

Awards and nominations

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In 2001, she and her husband were awarded the Inkpot Award by Comic-Con International.[26] She has been nominated for the Chesley Award for Best Three-Dimensional Art twice: in 2001 for her piece, "Goth Faery",[27] and in 2002 for "Narnia's Friend".[28] She has won 4th place in the Locus Award for Best Artbook with her husband twice: for Trolls in 2013,[29] and for Brian Froud's Faeries' Tales in 2015.[30]

Froud received a Lifetime Achievement award at the Portland Film Festival in 2015.[31][32] She was a finalist for the 2020 World Fantasy Award for Best Artist.[33][34]

Personal life

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Wendy Froud with her husband, Brian Froud, at the New York Comic Con

Froud lives and works in Devon with her husband Brian Froud, whom she met in 1978 while working on The Dark Crystal, for which he was the conceptual designer.[35][20] They married in 1980 in Chagford.[36][37] Their son Toby is a visual artist, performance artist, and filmmaker.[38] He starred in Labyrinth at the age of one, playing Sarah's baby brother Toby.[39] Through her son, Froud has one grandson, Sebastian.[5]

Filmography

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Film

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Television

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Designing the creatures for Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal". Little White Lies. August 30, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  2. ^ "Brian and Wendy Froud on Faeries". Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry. University of Connecticut. October 6, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "Wendy Froud". The Fernie Brae.
  4. ^ a b Abraham, Molly (October 6, 1998). "Walter Midener: War hero became president of art school". Obituaries. Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. p. 4B. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "Obituary for Margaret Peggy Midener". Penzien Funeral Homes, Inc. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  6. ^ Bader, Betty (August 21, 1972). "Different Style is Shown On Artist's Wall This Week". Petoskey News-Review. Petoskey, Michigan. p. 2. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Piehl, Beth Anne (April 30, 1999). "Local artist juror of upcoming show". Petoskey News-Review. Petoskey, Michigan. p. A6. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b "Lookout". People. Vol. 17, no. 3. January 25, 1982. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  9. ^ Collins, Audrey (May 27, 1983). "Profile: Wendy Midener Froud". Petoskey News-Review. Petoskey, Michigan. p. 3. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b Wendy & Brian Froud bio page on the Endicott Studio website[usurped]
  11. ^ a b "Brian & Wendy Froud to attend Avalon Faery Fayre". Faemagazine.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  12. ^ "Alumni Advance". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. September 22, 1982. p. 9D. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Wendy Midener Froud". DarkCrystal.com. The Jim Henson Company. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  14. ^ Anthony Goldsmith (producer), Jim Henson (writer) (1983). The World of 'The Dark Crystal' (Televised Documentary). USA: Jim Henson Television.
  15. ^ Jones, Alan (April–May 1983). Clarke, Frederick S. (ed.). "The Dark Crystal". Cinefantastique. Vol. 13, no. 4. p. 38.
  16. ^ a b "Wendy Froud". College for Creative Studies.
  17. ^ Collins, Audrey (October 7, 1983). "Puppet Makers Bring Fantasy to Life". Petoskey News-Review. Petoskey, Michigan. p. 14. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Wendy Midener Froud". thoseYodaGuys.com.
  19. ^ Lambie, Ryan (November 25, 2015). "Yoda: The Empire Strikes Back's Big Gamble". Den of Geek. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  20. ^ a b c "Brian Froud". DarkCrystal.com. The Jim Henson Company. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Wendy Midener Froud". DarkCrystal.com. The Jim Henson Company. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  22. ^ a b Randell Lobb (director) (2019). The Crystal Calls – Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Documentary). USA: Definitive Film.
  23. ^ "World of Froud". www.worldoffroud.com. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  24. ^ Froud, Wendy (2012) [1998]. "Persephone or, Why the Winters Seem to Be Getting Longer". In Datlow, Ellen; Windling, Terry (eds.). Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers: Magical Tales of Love and Seduction. Open Road Media. ISBN 978-1-4532-7324-1.
  25. ^ Froud, Wendy (2009). "Faery Tales". In Datlow, Ellen; Windling, Terry (eds.). Troll's-Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales. Penguin Young Readers Group. ISBN 978-1-101-15550-9.
  26. ^ Inkpot Award. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  27. ^ "Chesley Awards 2001". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on August 30, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  28. ^ "Chesley Awards 2002". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on August 30, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  29. ^ "Locus Awards 2013". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  30. ^ "Locus Awards 2015". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  31. ^ Baker, Jeff (August 27, 2015). "Wendy Froud, designer of Yoda, honored at Portland Film Festival Sept. 2". Oregon Live. Oregonian Media Group. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  32. ^ DeNies, Ramona (August 27, 2015). "Out Is Very In At The Portland Film Festival". Portland Monthly. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  33. ^ "2020 World Fantasy Awards Finalists". Locus Online. July 27, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  34. ^ Templeton, Molly (November 2, 2020). "Announcing the 2020 World Fantasy Award Winners". Tor.com. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  35. ^ "Talented family's art on display". Petoskey News-Review. Petoskey, Michigan. December 19, 1989. p. 6. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ Henson, Jim (May 31, 1980). "5/31/1980 – 'Wendy marries Brian Froud in Chagford.'". Jim Henson's Red Book. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  37. ^ "The Dark Crystal - The Making Of..." DarkCrystal.com. The Jim Henson Company.
  38. ^ Bio page of Toby Froud on the Endicott Studio website[usurped]
  39. ^ "Family displays art at McCune". Petoskey News-Review. Petoskey, Michigan. December 5, 1989. p. 6. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ James Frawley (director) (1979). The Muppet Movie (Film). The Jim Henson Company.
  41. ^ Irvin Kershner (director) (1980). The Empire Strikes Back (Film). Lucasfilm.
  42. ^ Jim Henson (director) (1982). The Dark Crystal (Film). The Jim Henson Company.
  43. ^ Jim Henson (director) (1986). Labyrinth (Film). The Jim Henson Company.
  44. ^ Toby Froud (director) (2014). Lessons Learned (Short Film). Stripey Pajama Productions.
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