Hollywood, CA (September 26, 2022) – The Jim Henson Company, an established leader in innovation and family entertainment, and GoldieBlox, the girl power media and toy company, are partnering to develop Gizmo Girls, a new animated STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts & design, and math) series for older preschoolers featuring 11-minute episodes that inspire fun and imaginative problem-solving.
Created by Anne-Marie Asner (Founder, Matzah Ball Books; Co-Founder, Animation Israel), Gizmo Girls stars three brave best friends, Cedar, Lacy and Sage, who use their hands-on skills, heartfelt humor and super-sized doses of Wowww! to come to their town’s rescue. When structures are shredded or designs are demolished, everyone – from peers to parents – knows to call on the Gizmo Girls. This tool-toting trio, poised with skills, synergy, and a plan, is suited up to save the day, whether creating an assembly line snack-making machine, growing a giant prize-winning pumpkin, or crocheting a wall-climbing ladder!
“We’re thrilled to be partnering up with GoldieBlox, an innovative brand that empowers girls to achieve their dreams through STEAM. The Gizmo Girls, our DIY superheroes, will respond to the challenges in their world and inspire our audience to design, invent, and build anything they can imagine,” said Halle Stanford, President of Television for The Jim Henson Company.
“Gizmo Girls aligns perfectly with GoldieBlox’s mission to close the gender gap in STEM and we couldn’t be prouder to partner with the legendary Jim Henson Company to help bring this project to life. Anne-Marie’s empowering trio of maker characters are great role models for girls and boys alike and we look forward to collaborating with this amazing team on a series that will have such a positive impact on the next generation,” said Debbie Sterling, Founder & CEO of GoldieBlox.
Gizmo Girls is a Jim Henson Company production. The series is created by Anne-Marie Asner and executive produced by The Jim Henson Company’s Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford, and GoldieBlox’s Melissa Schneider and Debbie Sterling. Henson’s Sidney Clifton, Senior Vice President, Animation & Mixed Media, will shepherd the project.
ABOUT THE JIM HENSON COMPANY
The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 60 years and is recognized as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics, and digital animation. The Company is currently in production on Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio for Netflix and the feature film The Portable Door. Henson’s most recent television credits include Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, Harriet the Spy and Fraggle Rock: Rock On!, all for Apple TV+, Word Party Presents: Math! for Netflix, Duff’s Happy Fun Bake Time for discovery+, Earth to Ned for Disney+, and the Emmy®-winning Netflix Original series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Other TV productions include Word Party (Netflix), Dinosaur Train (PBS), Splash and Bubbles (PBS), Sid the Science Kid (PBS), and Julie’s Greenroom (Netflix), as well as Fraggle Rock, The Storyteller, and the sci-fi series Farscape. Feature film credits include The Star (Sony Pictures Animation), Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Disney), and the groundbreaking fantasy classics The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth.
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 post-production facilities. The Company is home to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television, theme park 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 credits include The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell (Netflix), the feature film The Happytime Murders, and the popular live puppet improvisational show Puppet-Up! – Uncensored.
ABOUT GOLDIEBLOX
GoldieBlox is a children’s multimedia company on a mission to make Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fun and accessible for all kids, especially girls, who have been underrepresented in STEM fields. Founded by Stanford engineer Debbie Sterling, GoldieBlox is known for “disrupting the pink aisle” and challenging gender stereotypes with the world’s first girl engineer and coder characters in children’s toys. For the past decade, GoldieBlox has inspired millions of girls around the world with videos, animation, books, apps, curriculum, toys, and merchandise; the tools that empower girls to build their confidence, dreams and ultimately, their futures.
GoldieBlox has been recognized as a disruptive leader in children’s entertainment and has reached billions of consumers through TV, radio and digital as the first startup company to win a free Super Bowl commercial and have a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. GoldieBlox and its founder, Debbie Sterling, have won numerous awards, including the Toy Industry’s Educational Toy of the Year Award, Fast Company’s list of Most Innovative Companies, Fortune’s 40 Under 40, President Obama’s Ambassadorship for Global Entrepreneurship, and the National Women’s History Museum’s “Living Legacy” award for inspiring girls around the world.
Contact
Nicole Goldman
The Jim Henson Company
ngoldman@henson.com
323.802.1608