Kiran Shah appeared in both The Dark Crystal, and Lord of the Rings Trilogy. He's made quite a remarkable career for himself in films and television, both in acting and in stunt work. (I hope he writes a book about his experiences some day.)
Sean Bean, who was Boromir in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, was in two episodes of The Storyteller series. He portrayed a prince on both occasions.
Stephen Garlick, who voiced the character Jen in The Dark Crystal, was also heard as the young "Hans" in The Storyteller episode, "Hans My Hedgehog."
Gary Kurtz was involved with both Star Wars, and The Dark Crystal.
Jim Henson was approached about the Yoda character, which was eventually performed by Frank Oz.
The planet "Koozebane" referred to in the Muppet Show may have gotten its name from a curious coincidence.
The town of Coos Bay, Oregon had a car dealer at one time named Jim Henson (no relation, and I believe he has since retired).
It's likely that Jim Henson heard about the other Jim Henson, and let's face it, Coos Bay is an unusual sounding name.
It's not too big a stretch to go from Coos Bay to Koozebane.
In researching for this website, I found that there is a wealth of suppliers of puppetry items, and of unusual eyes in myriad colors.
A recent search of 'puppet + supplies' yielded 9,550,000 results, and one on 'puppet + eyes' had over 9 million results. It's clear the level of interest in puppets has increased dramatically since the 1980's!
Jim Henson's characters seem to appear in the most unusual places and forms. I encountered a website that shows an incredible variety of cakes, from the ridiculous to the sublime. In perusing the over 700 pages of culinary catastrophes and triumphs (a great stress reliever, as it's hard not to laugh at some of them and the comments that go with them), I found several pages with wonderful cake-renditions of Henson-related-characters done for clients by different bakers.
A really nice tribute to the Muppets with a good Kermit cake at the end
A heartfelt re-creation of the main Muppet Show cast
Some delightful cake-re-creations of Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and even Labyrinth
A nice rendition of Kermit The Frog
(The Web author of cakewrecks.com, Jen -- and I'm not making this up, it really is her name -- has bemoaned the fact that there is little in cake form on The Dark Crystal!)
The Jim Henson Company has recently initiated a website devoted to The Dark Crystal, which encourages fans to comment on the film in a moderated forum. They also are sponsoring a contest for fan fiction based on The Dark Crystal.
I recently went to Hollywood, California, and took pictures of the facade of the new The Henson Company facilities.
The studio was once the Charlie Chaplin Studio. He made many of his most famous silent films there.
The Henson Company has done a tribute to Chaplin. It's a painting of Chaplin as the Little Tramp (the role for which he is best known), emerging from a doorway at street level.
There is also a commemorative plaque in his honor.
On top of the tower is a larger-than-life sized statue of Kermit the Frog, dressed in imitation of the Little Tramp character.
(Note: this is a working studio, and they do not offer regular tours for tourists, though you may stop by to take pictures of Kermit and Charlie Chaplin, which are on the facade facing the street).
If you'd like to tour a working Hollywood studio, try one that actively advertises tours. There are several. (Just do a search for "Hollywood + studio + tours" and do some research). You'll find something to fit your schedule, your interests (theme park experience or audience for a show that's filming, geared toward kids, adults, or the elderly, if they have handicapped accommodations, availability of refreshments, etc).
Check well in advance of your visit to find out what's available, whether advance tickets are required, and what the costs might be. Some shows with live audiences require very early arrival, and separate people who are in groups to minimize talking during filming. Some will not allow children under a certain age. Ask first, rather than be disappointed.
After the convention, I had enough "Fizzgig materials" left over to make a baby Fizzgig to give to a friend. She had just finished a lengthy tour of duty overseas, and wasn't able to attend the convention at which we presented the project. The little Fizzgig was made the same way the larger one was made, just sized down. I gave it blue eyes, as many animals start out with eye colors different than the parent.
It's possible to make just about any animal shape using the techniques I described. I used a paper pattern first, to determine the shape, and then cut the foam. The use of faux fur would be less problematic, and now there are many places to get it in various shades and lengths to resemble any type of fur (unlike 1982-1984, when the available faux furs really looked phony, and were mostly in shorter fur lengths for trims on ladies' apparel).
Using the technique I described on the "Jen" page for footwear, it's possible to make many kinds of moccasins, soft boots, or even more intricate footwear if one attaches a sole. This could be a valuable technique in making science fiction or fantasy shoes or boots, as well as some historical ones.