Faz Fazakas

Franz "Faz" Fazakas (April 5, 1918 – September 28, 2013) was an American puppeteer, engineer, and special effects designer, best known for his work with The Muppets.[1][2] He is the namesake for Fozzie Bear for whom he created the puppet's ear-wiggling effects.[3] Fazakas was the director of electronic and mechanical design for the television show Fraggle Rock.[4]

Faz Fazakas
BornApril 5, 1918
Essex County, New Jersey
DiedSeptember 28, 2013(2013-09-28) (aged 95)
Olivebridge, New York
OccupationPuppeteer

Muppet technology

He helped design a radio control system to move the Muppets so they would not all have to be manipulated by hand.[1] This control system was used on movies such as Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. This system, called the Henson Performance Control System, won the 1992 Scientific and Engineering Academy Award.[5] Versions of this system were what allowed Kermit the Frog to ride a bike and Emmet Otter to row a boat.[6][7] Jim Henson called Fazakas “one of the true geniuses of the world.”[6] His mechanical work on the eyes and facial movements of longtime Muppets such as Big Bird and Sweetums gave both characters more emotional range.[8]

Early life

Fazakas was born in 1918 to Arpard and Donelda Fazakas.[9] He did not complete high school. He was a Private in the Army during World War II.[10] He worked as an organ builder in Orange, New Jersey before joining Berkeley Marionettes in New York, occasionally performing on Broadway.[11] He joined up with Jim Henson to work with the Muppets in 1972.[4] He was married to Eleanor Louise Jewett and the couple had two children. He is the great uncle of musician Tanya Donelly.[12]

References
  1. Epstein, Sonia Shechet (2017-06-30). "Sloan Science & Film". Sloan Science & Film. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  2. "Franz Fazakas". FamilySearch. United States Social Security Death Index. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  3. Hogan, Michael (2014-04-25). "The 10 best fictional bears". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  4. Hicks, Wessley (May 28, 1983). "No Doozer Makes a Move Without Faz Fazakas". The Gazette. Montréal, QC. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  5. "The Henson Board of Directors". The Jim Henson Company. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  6. "Faz Fazakas – The Dark Crystal". The Dark Crystal – The Official Home of The Dark Crystal from The Jim Henson Company. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  7. "Visit - Calendar - Emmet Otter and Tribute to "Faz" Fazakas and Diana Birkenfield". Museum of the Moving Image. 2013-12-08. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  8. Jones, B.J. (2015). Jim Henson: The Biography. Ballantine Books. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-345-52612-0. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  9. "United States Census", United States census, 1920; East Orange Ward 1, Essex, New Jersey; roll 1029, page 26, line 57, enumeration district 28, National Archives film number T625. Retrieved on 2020-07-03.
  10. Franz Fazakas. "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records". FamilySearch. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  11. "Franz Fazakas". Playbill. 1963-04-11. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  12. Donelly, Tanya. "Tanya Donelly on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
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