Jim Henson's The Storyteller - 30 Years Later
Share classic stories with your child
with this timeless series from Jim Henson that celebrates Fables, Fantasy, and Imagination
On the living room couch, curled up with a book. Throughout my childhood, this is where I could be found after dinner on a week night. While my parents did parent things—watching the news, paying the bills—my older siblings would retreat upstairs to homework. And I would stay sitting, enthralled by some story.
In those moments, though I may have been safely in my parents house, in my mind I had been whisked away on the backs of mythical creatures to dramatic landscapes to face epic travails and live the lives of legends. I would feel the mist on my face as I soared through the clouds, smell the dust from traveling long, harrowing passages, and vividly picture the faces, clothes and details of all the people and creatures from my reading adventures. Hardly anything could compete with an evening spent with my nose in a book.
January 22, 1988 was one such notable exception: the third episode of Jim Henson’s Storyteller entitled “A Story Short” was airing on NBC. My whole family gathered together to watch. I distinctly remember that each week I would be the first one to find a spot on the couch, anxious that we might miss the beginning. Only this television show could capture the thrill of reading so well.
An anthology series, each episode brought a beloved tale to life, featuring brilliant actors, amazing creatures, lush sets, and elaborate costumes. The Storyteller made the pages of books jump magically to life right before my eyes, with creatures from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, and innovative ways to tell well-known stories, myths and folktales. (You can read the Jim’s Red Book journal entry with more information about “A Story Short.”)
As enduring as the art of storytelling itself, The Storyteller continues to charm its viewers thirty years later. In the years since, I have watched The Storyteller many times over with friends and family. We’ve compared favorite episodes and characters, and noted the careers of the acclaimed actors who made appearances in this series. And fans, especially teachers, have continued to reach out to us about their own favorite moments, creatures and characters.
Lisa Henson, our CEO and Jim’s eldest daughter, was part of the creative team behind this series and she works to continue the timeless world of The Storyteller. The classic, original episodes of The Storyteller and The Storyteller - Greek Myths are available on STARZ (online at starz.com, in the STARZ app, and the STARZ Amazon Channel). The novelization is available in hardcover from booksellers online. And all new comics are being published by Boom! Studios.
Jim Henson's The Storyteller television show delighted fans for generations, and we're honored to be able to collect new stories in the spirit of the beloved series. We've collected the four tales of wonder and witchcraft from Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Witches in a beautiful hardcover that will delight fans of all ages. What It Is: Inspired by folklore from around the world and all told in the spirit of Jim Henson's beloved beloved television series, this hardcover collects the watercolor story of 'The Magic Swan Goose and the Lord of the Forest' from S.M. Vidaurri (Iron: Or, the War After), Spera artist Kyla Vanderklugt's haunting tale of the snow witch, Matthew Dow Smith's tale of a man shipwrecked on an island of witches, and the unproduced The Storyteller teleplay from The Jim Henson Company Archives, adapted by Jeff Stokely (Six-Gun Gorilla). Features an all new cover illustration by Sonny Liew (The Shadow Hero) and the neverbeforeseen, unproduced The Storyteller teleplay from The Jim Henson Company Arc.
The critically acclaimed Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Giants includes four mythic tales of when giants roamed the Earth, inspired by folklore from around the world and told in the spirit of Jim Henson's beloved television series. Includes exclusive behind-the-scenes art and more! Collects the complete limited series.
Following Witches, this is our second in a themed series of Jim Henson's The Storyteller tales, this time centered around dragons. Includes four tales of dragons, inspired by folklore from around the world and told in the spirit of Jim Henson's beloved television series. Collects the complete limited series and also includes an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the process and care taken in adapting each of these timeless legends.
