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

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"

fairy tales.[9]

She studied art and music at the

ceramics. She graduated with a BFA in Fine Arts[3][11] in 1976.[12]

Career

After graduating, Froud moved to

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

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

In 2001, she and her husband were awarded 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

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

Film

Television

References

  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. ^
    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. Newspapers.com
    .
  7. 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. 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. Newspapers.com
    .
  13. ^ "Wendy Midener Froud". DarkCrystal.com. The Jim Henson Company. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  14. 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. 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. ^
    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. ISBN 978-1-4532-7324-1
    .
  25. ISBN 978-1-101-15550-9
    .
  26. ^ Inkpot Award. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  27. 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. 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. Locus Online
    . July 27, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  34. Tor.com
    . Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  35. 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. 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.

External links

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