Muppet Pioneer Dies

Muppet pioneer Jerry Juhl has died. SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Jerry Juhl, who was the head writer for "The Muppet Show" before he co-created "Fraggle Rock," has died. He was 67. Juhl, who died at a San Francisco hospital on September 27, became the first full-time employee of Jim Henson Co. in 1961 after meeting Henson at a puppeteer's convention. The company coined the term "Muppet," a combination of the words marionette and puppet, and created a series of short skits parodying television newspeople. Juhl worked on Henson's first television show, "Sam and Friends," as a puppeteer and later spent six years writing for "Sesame Street" after its 1969 premiere. He created scripts for the Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, Elmo, Bert, Ernie and The Count. He also created Super Grover, a superhero version of Grover, and received two Emmy Awards for his work. Juhl served as head writer for "The Muppet Show" from 1977-1981. He also was the writer and creative producer of "Fraggle Rock," which featured his wife as a writer and script editor. The show was met with critical acclaim when it appeared on HBO in 1983 and lasted four years. (via CNN)