Jim Henson was an exceptional artist and visionary who created distinctive worlds and characters that still resonate with vibrancy, originality, and freshness today. As a trailblazer in television, a pioneer in puppetry, technology, and visual arts, and a talented performer who breathed life into some of the most iconic characters ever – including the beloved Kermit the frog – Jim Henson’s influence on entertainment, education, and culture endures to the present day.
Born on September 24, 1936, at King’s Daughters Hospital in Greenville, Mississippi, Jim was the second son of Paul and Betty Henson. As a child, he spent his early years in Leland, Mississippi, where his father worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Throughout his youth, Jim developed a strong interest in art and, later, television. He was particularly close to his maternal grandmother, an avid painter, quilter, and needleworker, and would often visit her. She was incredibly supportive of Jim’s artistic pursuits, encouraging him to use his imagination and find joy in the world around him.
In 1954, while still in high school, Jim began his television career performing puppets on a local Washington, D.C. Saturday morning program on WTOP-TV. The following year, as a freshman at the University of Maryland, he was given his own twice-daily, five-minute show, “Sam and Friends,” on the local NBC affiliate, WRC-TV.
On this program, Jim and his assistant, fellow University of Maryland student and future wife Jane Nebel, introduced many fun aspects that fans came to love about the Muppets, including music, snarky humor, and innovative technical tricks like eliminating the puppet stage and using the television itself as the proscenium. Most memorably, the show featured an early version of Kermit the Frog, who would go on to become the face of the Muppets.
After a series of projects, mostly national television appearances and humorous commercials, Henson was approached by public television producer Joan Ganz Cooney in 1966 to help with the creation of a groundbreaking new kid’s show called “Sesame Street.” Cooney recognized Henson’s amazingly, unique talent and enlisted Henson to help create a cast of beloved characters for this new show. Characters like Big Bird, Bert and Ernie and Oscar the Grouch all sprung from the wide and wonderful imagination of Jim Henson.
Working closely with the Children’s Television Workshop (now known as Sesame Workshop) on Sesame Street, Jim also had the chance to further experiment with various film techniques. Alongside his talented team, Jim produced more than two dozen live-action and animated shorts that still teach children essential skills like counting, the alphabet, and other educational concepts.
Sesame Street showed the world the undeniable appeal of Henson’s creations and Henson wanted to create a show that would appeal to the whole family. He tried for years to sell the concept of The Muppet Show but it wasn’t until 1975 that the show would start to become a reality.
In 1975, production began at Grade’s ATV Studios, introducing the world to an unforgettable family of Muppet characters. This included fan favorites like Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Animal (performed by Frank Oz), as well as The Great Gonzo (Dave Goelz), Scooter (Richard Hunt), Lew Zealand (Jerry Nelson), and Rizzo the Rat (Steve Whitmire).
Hosted by Kermit the Frog and accompanied by the musical talents of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem Band, the Muppets welcomed a pantheon of great guest stars each week – from Gene Kelly to Steve Martin and John Cleese.
The Muppet Show’s immense success soon led to Hollywood, where the beloved characters starred in six feature films: The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, and Muppets From Space.
His two other movies Dark Crystal and Labyrinth left an indelible mark on the world of fantasy cinema. In The Dark Crystal Henson and his team of skilled craftspeople constructed an intricate, visually stunning universe, populated by a diverse array of fantastical creatures. The film’s central narrative, which follows the journey of a young Gelfling named Jen as he seeks to restore the shattered Dark Crystal and restore balance to his world, is imbued with a sense of epic grandeur and mythic resonance.
Henson’s other landmark work, Labyrinth, showcased his ability to blend the whimsical and the profound. Featuring a memorable cast of fantastical characters, including the iconic Goblin King, portrayed with magnetic charisma by David Bowie, “Labyrinth” blended elements of fairy tale, coming-of-age drama, and musical fantasy to create a truly unique and captivating cinematic experience. Henson’s masterful puppetry and special effects work, combined with the film’s rich thematic underpinnings, have cemented “Labyrinth” as a beloved cult classic and a testament to the boundless creative vision of its legendary creator.
Henson went on to create other such memorable works as Fraggle Rock, Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller, and Jim Henson’s Greek Myths. Before his death in 1990, he was able to complete his last project, MuppetVision 3*D. The film, which he directed, currently runs at custom-made theaters located within Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, as well as at Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim, California. Jim Henson is remembered as a cultural icon in the world of fantasy. His innovative vision and boundless creativity shaping the way audiences experienced whimsical storytelling for generations. Henson breathed life into a menagerie of vibrant, endearing characters that effortlessly transcended the traditional boundaries of puppetry. With his uncanny ability to imbue even the most fantastical creatures with genuine emotion and personality, Henson pioneered a new medium that seamlessly blended the handcrafted charm of puppetry with the cinematic magic of film and television.
