Joe Mathieu

 Joe   Mathieu  ( Born January 2 3, 1949 ) is a freelance artist who has provide d illustration s for  SESAME STREET  book s & merchandise since 1972 , a year after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design. Mathieu r e member s : " I spent the y ear following graduation building u p my portfolio . Then I went to New York City & I was scare d to death .  SESAME STREET  was just start in g & wanted someone young & new to set the style for their boo k s, that ’ s how I ended u p at Random House  . That led t o  JIM HENSON  & t h e Muppets , & then we really got going , I couldn ’ t believe h o w fast . "

Some notable title s in clude  Cookie   Monster  & the Cookie Tr e e, The  Ernie  &  Bert  Book & The Exciting Adventure s of  Super   Grover  which was adapted into a video story book. He also provide d art work for the adaptation of  SESAME STREET  episode 1839 published as ''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/I%27ll_Miss_You,_Mr._Hooper  I  ' ll Miss You, Mr. Hooper ] & the 1978 special Christ mas Eve on  SESAME   STREET ''.

His most extensive contribution s have been to The  SESAME   STREET  Dictionary in 1980, & hundred s of feature s & cover s for  SESAME STREET  Magazine over the year s. The dictionary feature s illustration s for 1, 300 word s over the course of 250 p age s. When the book was re distribute d in volume form, Mathieu provide d additional art work for that a s well. It has been printed in a Dutch translation & was re issue d in English in 2004.

As an early illustrator for  SESAME STREET , Mathieu helped set a precedent for character style. This is evident in the 1979 Character Style Guide which was put together as a reference point for licensors on how the  SESAME STREET  Muppet s should be rendered. Around 2004, Mathieu made the transition from his traditional reflective art , to a digital medium. Most of his work for  SESAME STREET  book s after this time has been digitally rendered at some point in the creation process.

He has also illustrate d other  SESAME STREET  merchandise, such as the lyrics poster s for ''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Sing_Yourself_Silly Sing Your self Silly ! ] & [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Monster_Hits! Monster Hits ! ],  SESAME STREET  Live'' program book let s , & a 1983 collectible Christ mas plate made b y Gorham.

Other chil dren ' s boo k s have include d  The Eye Book  ( 1 998 ) &  The Tooth Book  ( 1989 ) by Theodor Geisel under the pen name Theo. Le Sieg. He also illustrated book s based on ''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Wubbulous_World_of_Dr._Seuss The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss ] : T he King ' s Beard & The Gink''. His affection for  SESAME STREET  is evident in Busy City, a non -  SESAME STREET  book written by Mathieu featuring a set visit to t he C T W production. I n  Elmo  ' s Lift - & - Peek Around the Corner Book from 1996, Mathieu drew Baby Natasha reading 1 of his book s , Big Joe ' s Trailer Truck from 1974.

Quote s

 * " JIM HENSON  was the art director — he  sat down wit h me & explained to me what  he  wanted .  He  gave me free rein to watch the show being taped, which I did a million time s . I had carte blanche to visit the Muppet morgue — literally a morgue o f o ld Muppet puppet s . I watched how personality was breathed into the puppet s b y the puppeteer s . I used to go to the show taping s , alone for the most part , & sit there & sketch . We didn ’ t have a color TV , no t ape machine s . I had to draw in real time . "
 * " Big Joe ' s Trailer Truck was my first big solo thing . I ' m an illustrator & I had an opportunity to write a book . I never wrote a book before, but I guess I was just hot because of my association to  SESAME STREET  . I didn ' t have a lot of time to make up a town , so I just drew the town I lived in . I didn ' t think everyone would recognize it , but they did . That really took off , it was translated into a dozen languages , which I never dreamed of . That was my big h it . I had so many opportunities to work with great write r  s . I even did a couple of D r . Seuss book s . "
 * " I f ought [ digital illustration ] every inch of the way . Talk about getting out of your comfort zone — I couldn ’ t even send a n e - mail . I tried everything I could to trick peo ple, but the fact of the matter i s , if it ’ s on paper , the young art director s  did n ' t want to see i t . They ’ d never seen paper art before . They wanted to do changes on finished a rt , which for years was sacred . You had to make changes in the sketch phase . There was no way an  illustrator  could compete without working in digital . The rules had changed dramatically over night . It became harder to find good paper & paint s . Paints I used since t h e ' 6 0 s , ( & ) the companies , went out o f business . I had completely embraced digital ork , I never wanted to see a bowl & brush again . I never wanted to go back to a ll t hose limitation s . "
 * " I have to be ready to do either 1 [ traditional or digital ar t ] . It ' s a different look, for certain things the traditional way is more appropriate . You can do a really beautiful book traditionally for a few that can afford i t . But the mass market is there for ki ds like we started catering to with  SESAME STREET  . I can still do my very best work digitally , & the book can be treated more casually . I like doing both . In the end , traditional style h as a certain depth , soft ness , subtle ty that ’ s not quite in t he digital world . "
 * " My name is pronounced either the American way or the French way . . . My father, who was in the 5th Marine division on Iwo Jima , would only allow t he A m e r i c a n version . I like either , but although my family always use s the A m e r i c a n pronunciation , I always quietly prefer r ed the French . I will normally use the A m e r i c a n unless I am in France or Canada . Please your self o n t his one . "

External link s

 * Official site
 * Norwich Bulletin Q&A