No Strings traces its origins to a puppet called Seamus, a simple, quirky-looking but loveable character who accompanied Johnie McGlade in his work in various parts of the world - seen here drawing crowds in Herat, Afghanistan. 

It was in what was then southern Sudan that Johnie realised how Seamus might be more than a bit of fun to pass the time. Struggling to share information with people arriving at an emergency camp in dreadful conditions, Johnie took Seamus to work one day. 

The puppet was so unexpected that it stopped people in their tracks. In all its oddness it seemed to embody a fragment of comfort and familiarity, disarming crowds not just of children but adults too, who took on board information about the camp’s layout and routines and so forth. 

When Seamus fell apart in Johnie’s washing machine back in London months later, his flatmate told him that her aunt and uncle were two of Jim Henson’s core team on the original Muppet Show with amazing credits to their names. Johnie flew to New York and an intrigued Kathy Mullen and Michael Frith, and No Strings was born.