10 Things You Didn’t Know About Labyrinth

So many people love Jim Henson’s Labyrinth that they tend to forget that it was a box office flop, raking in less than $13 million back from its $25 million budget. The cult classic is certainly still a success in the hearts of the many fans who love it, and it has an incredible amount of merchandise to prove it.

Fans may not know many strange and interesting facts behind the movie, though, like how the Hoggle costume was lost at the airport, how over 48 puppets were needed for that dance sequence, and these other fun tidbits of information.

10 Two People Were Needed To Operate Ludo

He was a hefty beast, though, weighing 100 pounds before Henson asked for alterations to shave off some of the weight in order to make the costume more manageable to carry around. After the alterations, he still weighed 75 pounds and required two people to manage. That’s a lot of heavy monster movement to handle.

9 It’s Full Of Easter Eggs

There are also faces of Jareth all around the labyrinth, indicating that he’s always watching as Sarah makes her way to the castle. They can be found in various mazes, on stones, on the ground and even the wall of the Bog of Eternal Stench.

8 Toby Was Jim Henson’s First Baby In A Movie

Toby Froud, who played Toby Williams in the movie, was Henson’s first baby in a movie, though. It’s understandable given how difficult it can be to work with a baby. Thankfully Toby’s tears on the set weren’t fearful, but the baby was tired and hungry, which made him cry.

7 Managing Toby Was Difficult

Toby also didn’t make enough gurgling noises, apparently. Bowie was dissatisfied with how the baby’s noises turned out, opting to record them himself in order to make them sound better. When you listen to “Magic Dance,” it’s Bowie you hear gurgling like a baby, not Toby!

6 CGI Owl

Henson also got to see the movie become popular on home video before he passed away in 1990, so at least he knew that it was well-loved among his fans. Still, his son said that it did cause him to fall into a deep depression. If only he could see the cosplays that his work has inspired since then. Jim Henson would have had an amazing Pinterest page.

5 There Are A Bunch Of Stars On The Soundtrack

Additional voice talents can be found throughout the film, such as Danny John-Jules of the BBC sci-fi comedy program Red Dwarf, who lends his voice to some of of the Fireys.

4 Sarah Could Have Been Quite Different

Connelly, who revealed that the bog of stench really had no smell at all, later went on to become an Oscar-winning actress. Of course, in another meta adventure, Miss Piggy also played the role of the questing teen on an episode of Muppet Babies.

3 Labyrinth Is Everywhere

The Labyrinth manga published by Tokyopop consisted of four volumes. Dubbed Return to Labyrinth, it served as a sequel to the film. There is also countless fan merch made every year, appearing everywhere from science and geek conventions to Etsy shops.

2 The Movie Had 25 Treatments

One big change that Jones made was to show the Goblin King in his inner sanctum throughout the movie, speaking to his minions. Originally the plan was to reveal it at the end, but with Bowie starring the team decided to feature the musician much more prominently.

1 Michael And Mick Wanted To Be The Goblin King

Henson himself had looked at Sting as a possibility for the role, but his kids told their dad that David Bowie was all the rage and should be considered instead. We’re glad that he listened to his kids for this role, even if any of these talented performers could have brought something new to it.

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