Designers

Tom McLaughlin, an expert in rubber and foam puppets, was latex foam supervisor on The Dark Crystal. Having studied sculpture and rubber technology, McLaughlin oversaw the innovative use of latex foam for the film’s characters as well as on other Henson projects like The Muppet Movie and Great Muppet Caper. He worked with many of his Dark Crystal colleagues on Return to Oz, and was part of the Academy Award-winning visual effects team from the Henson Creature Shop that created photo-realistic animatronic animals for Babe.  Other film credits include Return of the Jedi, The Empire Strikes Back, Disney’s The Muppets and upcoming Muppets Most Wanted. His rubber formulations have graced needy amputees and actors alike. McLaughlin recently created a palette of HD silicone colors for the brand Silicone Art Materials. Author of instructional book, Silicone Art, Tom composes music, paints in acrylic and silicone, and continues to consult for The Jim Henson Company and more widely in the film and television industry.