Toby Froud Was Cast as the Baby in “Labyrinth ”Thanks to His Famous Parents, Says Making Art Was 'Always Meant to Be' (Exclusive)
- - Toby Froud Was Cast as the Baby in “Labyrinth ”Thanks to His Famous Parents, Says Making Art Was 'Always Meant to Be' (Exclusive)
Tereza ShkurtajJanuary 11, 2026 at 4:00 AM
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The Jim Henson Company
Brian, Toby and Wendy Froud. -
Toby Froud made his first unforgettable impression on audiences as baby Toby in Jim Henson’s Labyrinth
Apart from his iconic role in the 1986 fantasy film, Froud is also known as the son of visionary artists Brian and Wendy Froud
Now the 41-year-old, who is an artist in his own right, is opening up to PEOPLE about what it’s like collaborating with his parents and carrying forward the family legacy
From the moment he was born, Toby Froud was immersed in a world of imagination, craftsmanship and storytelling.
As the son of visionary artists Brian and Wendy Froud, magic was woven into every fiber of his childhood. Creatures weren’t confined to movie screens or storybooks; they surrounded him every day.
At just 18 months old, he was cast as baby Toby in Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, after the filmmaker asked the Frouds, who were already working on the film, if their infant could step into the role.
The Jim Henson Company
Toby Froud.
Now, 40 years later, Toby reflects on growing up surrounded by magic and how working alongside his parents over the years has shaped both his life and career.
Growing up in a household where making art was second nature shaped Toby's sense of direction early on, he shares.
Understandable considering his father, Brian, 79, created the distinctive fantasy artwork behind films like The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, while his mother, Wendy, 70, was a sculptor and puppeteer who worked on Yoda for the ‘80s film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
Dario Cantatore/Getty
Toby Froud.
“Making art and creating characters and worlds… it was always meant to be my life,” Toby, 41, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Being an accountant was never a part of what I was going to do.”
Instead, young Toby gravitated toward working with his hands, continuing the creative dialogue his parents had begun long before him.
Today, that collaboration is literal. “We work as a family together now… and then I also work in my own right,” he explains, describing a balance between honoring legacy and forging his own creative identity.
Growing up surrounded by Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, the Muppets, and the broader special effects industry of the ’80s and ’90s left a lasting impression on Toby.
“I was only sad that I wasn't old enough to be on the set of Labyrinth and experience it the other way… of actually building and creating at the same time,” he admits.
That longing eventually came full circle years later when he worked alongside his parents on The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, fulfilling a dream he’d carried since childhood.
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The Jim Henson Company
Toby Froud in 'Labyrinth.'
Despite working so closely with his parents, Toby says they always encouraged him to develop his own voice. “They always supported me,” he shares. “They taught me everything that they could, and showed me that anything's possible.”
The most important lesson his parents passed down went beyond technique, teaching him to “be brave" and that "it's okay to fail and carry on."
Above all, they taught him to create with empathy. “Whenever you create something… create it with love and kindness, even if you're creating a villain.”
That philosophy — rooted in connection rather than spectacle — has become central to his own approach.
Dario Cantatore/Getty
Toby, Wendy, and Brian Froud.
Today, Toby continues to carry the unmistakable “Froudian” sensibility into everything he does, having happily worked in stop-motion animation for the past 15 years.
“I love that medium because you get to literally create the world from the ground up,” Toby explains, praising its handmade quality and emotional resonance. No matter where his work takes him, that foundation always feels like home.
As Labyrinth returned to theaters from Jan. 8 to Jan. 11 for its 40th anniversary, Toby says he sees the rerelease presented by Fathom Entertainment as not just a nostalgic milestone, but a part of a living legacy for both his family and The Jim Henson Company.
It’s a reminder of the world that raised him, the family that shaped him and the magic he continues to help carry forward – one carefully crafted puppet at a time.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
