The Jim Henson Company Celebrates the Official Launch of Its Online Retail Store at www.Henson.com With Exclusives and Limited Edition Products

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., June 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Fans of The Jim Henson Company's well-known brands like Fraggle Rock and Farscape, as well as fans of the Company's new hit pre-school properties, including Sid the Science Kid and Dinosaur Train, now have an online retail destination to shop for all of their favorite merchandise at the Company's official e-commerce website at www.henson.com.  

The Jim Henson Company's official online store, powered by e-commerce solution leader MashON, is the only e-commerce website solely dedicated to all the products from The Jim Henson Company's extensive library of new and classic kids, family, fantasy and sci-fi brands. The online store offers distinct storefronts for the Company's hit properties including Fraggle Rock, Dinosaur Train, Sid the Science Kid, The Dark Crystal™, Farscape, Labyrinth™, Skatelab, Jim Henson Designs and Stuffed and Unstrung™.  Each storefront offers brand specific merchandise, such as t-shirts, iPhone skins, greeting cards, notebooks, and posters with additional merchandise categories including toys, DVDs, and books. Pajanimals™ and The String Doll Gang® storefronts will go live July 1.  The site also will be updated regularly with licensed product as it becomes available.

In addition to purchasing product on-line consumers will have the ability to create their own products using licensed art for each brand, as well as search and browse for products by their favorite character or product type by using key words and phrases. Consumer designed products manufactured "on-demand," include apparel, device skins, posters, invitations, and greeting cards with many more to be delivered over the next few months.

To mark the launch of the store, fans will find limited edition and special edition product for some of the Company's most popular brands.  Special product offered for the launch of the site includes:

• FRAGGLE ROCK:  Limited edition "11x17" ultra hip and groovy Dr.Romanelli/Fraggle Rock art print poster created by the infamous Los Angeles designer Dr.Romanelli.  Available for 10 days only.  $25.00  
• FARSCAPE:  "11X17" super cool poster like magnets featuring vivid imagery of Moya and Crichton's memorable line "This is Your Playground."  Available for 10 days only.  $11.99
• STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG:  Show poster "11x14" from the off-Broadway stage show hand-signed by Brian Henson.  Limited quantity.  $35.00  
• DINOSAUR TRAIN:  The first 50 Buddy InterAction Figures available in the U.S., featuring Smart Talk Technology.  InterAction Buddy says over 40 sounds and phrases.  Pre-order now with product shipping out on June 10th.  $14.99

"We and our colleagues on the digital side at Henson have been working together for some time toward a cutting edge e-commerce solution, and now through our partnership with MashON, we can offer Henson fans the quality and creativity they expect on a wide range of product through a user-friendly purchasing platform," said Melissa Segal, SVP of Global Consumer Products for The Jim Henson Company.

"Henson's new and nostalgic titles have wonderful appeal to kids, parents and fans of all ages," said Philippe Benoliel, CEO of MashON, "We're very excited to be working with Henson to deliver a world-class shopping experience and top quality products which showcase the beautiful artistry of these various brands."

ABOUT THE BRANDS

• Travel back in time to the faraway planet of Thra where the peace-loving Mystics are fighting to overthrow the evil Skeksis and take back control of their planet. Jen, a member of the Mystics, sets out to find the missing shard of THE DARK CRYSTAL that will restore balance to the planet. From the brilliant imagination of Jim Henson, this fantasy masterpiece recounts the timeless tale of good vs. evil and has become a cult favorite of children and grown-ups alike.
• DINOSAUR TRAIN stars Buddy, a T-Rex who goes for adventures on the Dinosaur Train to meet all kinds of dinosaurs and learn fascinating new facts about these incredible creatures.  DINOSAUR TRAIN airs on PBS KIDS® and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains. Each episode includes two animated segments and live-action sequences featuring paleontologist Dr. Scott, who brings to life the show's natural science and natural history curriculum.
• When a freak accident during an experimental space mission catapulted Astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) across a thousand galaxies to an alien battlefield, a cult classic was born with the epic, adventure-filled TV series FARSCAPE. The award-winning fan favorite show was named by TV Guide as one of television's best cult shows ever and continues to enjoy a devoted following worldwide.
• With five international Emmy Awards, the wonderfully inventive FRAGGLE ROCK is a global fan favorite and as popular today as when it premiered more than 25 years ago.  The Jim Henson Company has recently spearheaded a resurgence of FRAGGLE ROCK licensing programs including the FRAGGLE ROCK™ FOREVER merchandise collection featuring apparel, plush toys and even designer jewelry.
• JIM HENSON DESIGNS is a highly-artistic and innovative merchandise collection inspired by the rarely-seen works of the legendary puppeteer and filmmaker. For the first time ever, fans and newcomers alike have an opportunity to get to know and love Henson's earlier and most precious art creations that exposes the more intimate and personal side of Henson's genius.
• Recognized as groundbreaking and wildly ahead of its time, the Jim Henson-directed fantasy classic LABYRINTH is the story of Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), who must save her baby stepbrother by traveling into a fantastical world to rescue him from the Goblin King (David Bowie). Guarding his castle is the labyrinth itself, populated with outrageous characters from Jim Henson's Creature Shop.  This mesmerizing fantasy classic has maintained a dedicated fan base that has only grown over the years.
• Developed to inspire a lifelong curiosity and love for learning in young children, SID THE SCIENCE KID appeals to preschoolers' instinctive quest to figure out how things work, using humor and music as key teaching tools. Sid, the show's energetic and inquisitive "star," starts each episode with a new question and embarks on a fun-filled day of finding answers, inspiring preschoolers at home to think about how to find answers to their own questions.
• SKATELAB is a global lifestyle brand based on the Simi Valley, California skatepark termed by those who skate as the "Holy Grail" of skate parks, and home to the "best skate shop" in the country as coined by Sports Illustrated for Kids and Fox News.  It is also the home of the first skate-boarding museum in the country, "The Skateboarding Hall of Fame." SKATELAB has been extended beyond its Southern California iconic location to be an authentic graphic driven lifestyle skate brand for boys.
• STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG is a live uncensored show that lets loose the perilous and provocative elements of comedic improvisation on stage with a bunch of puppets. Featuring The Jim Henson Company's renowned puppeteers, this one-of-a-kind comedy is currently in performances at the Union Square Theatre in New York City.

About The Jim Henson Company

The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include the Emmy® nominated "Sid the Science Kid," "Dinosaur Train," "Wilson & Ditch: Digging America" and "Pajanimals."  Features include "The Dark Crystal," "Labyrinth," "MirrorMask," and "Unstable Fables." Television productions include "Fraggle Rock" and the sci-fi cult series "Farscape."

With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities. Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson's Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry's top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of-the-art and vintage equipment.

The Company's Henson Alternative brand recently launched the New York run of "Stuffed and Unstrung," a live puppet improvisational show at the Union Square Theatre. http://www.henson.com

About MashON:

MashON (www.mashon.com), a dba of Planetwide Games Inc, is a leading provider of web based creative, promotional applications and turnkey e-commerce  solutions for premium entertainment properties such as MGM, TIME Inc., EA, NFL, 4Kids TV, Moonscoop and TNA Wrestling. Leveraging its patented web based creative platform, MashON redefined on-line shopping for branded merchandise by combining traditional licensed products with user created merchandise under a single cohesive, branded and entertaining web store, providing a deeply immersive and consolidated shopping experience.

MashON has deployed its comprehensive technology platform, including e-commerce applications, promotional and social widgets, SEO and advertising campaign management and interactive advertising solutions to maximize the exposure and profitability of entertainment brands and content

SOURCE The Jim Henson Company