Jim Henson

Jim Henson, an extraordinary artist and visionary, invented unique worlds and characters that remain just as vivid, original and fresh today as when they were created. A television pioneer, an innovator in puppetry, technology and visual arts, and a performer who literally brought to life some of the most memorable characters ever-including the world’s most famous frog, Kermit™ – Jim Henson’s impact on entertainment, education and culture continues to this day.

Born September 24, 1936 at King’s Daughters Hospital in Greenville, Mississippi, Jim was the second son of Paul and Betty Henson. Throughout his youth, Jim had an interest in art and, later, television. He was particularly close to his maternal grandmother, who was supportive of Jim’s artistic efforts and encouraged him to use his imagination and to take delight in the world around him.

After the Henson family moved to Maryland, Jim, often with his older brother Paul, experimented with a variety of artistic techniques- experiments which eventually led Jim to the very latest visual media, television. In 1954, Jim began his television career performing puppets on a local Washington, DC Saturday morning program. The following year, he was given his own twice-daily, five-minute show, Sam and Friends, on the local NBC affiliate. Jim along with his assistant and future wife, Jane Nebel, introduced many Muppet mainstays-music, snarky humor and innovative technical tricks. Perhaps most memorably, the show featured an early version of Kermit the Frog™.

The success of Sam and Friends led to guest appearances on such national network programs as The Steve Allen Show, The Jack Paar Show and Today. Jim also began making hundreds of humorous commercials for sponsors throughout the country. In 1961, as Muppets, Inc. grew, Jim and Jane brought on puppeteer and writer Jerry Juhl, who would become one of Jim’s major collaborators. With weekly appearances on Today and an ever-growing list of commercial clients, Jim sought out the talents of master puppet builders and young puppeteers. Together, they helped develop the Muppets’ first nationally known character, Rowlf the Dog, who appeared regularly on The Jimmy Dean Show from 1963 to 1966. Between 1964 and 1969, Jim produced several experimental films including the award-winning Time Piece, Youth ’68, and The Cube. These projects expanded Jim’s knowledge of film techniques, leading to greater innovations with the Muppets.

In 1966, a public television producer began work on a ground-breaking educational children’s television show called Sesame Street. Jim was asked to create a family of characters to populate Sesame Street. These characters-Ernie and Bert, Oscar the Grouch, Grover, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird-continue to entertain and educate today. Working with Children’s Television Workshop, Jim also had the opportunity to continue experimenting with film techniques and with his team produced more than two dozen live action and animated educational shorts.

Sesame Street demonstrated the Muppets’ undeniable appeal to children, but Jim strongly believed these characters could entertain a much wider family audience. After years of trying to sell the idea for The Muppet Show™ in the U.S., Jim finally received backing from a London-based television producer. In 1975 production began at Grade’s ATV Studios, and soon the world was introduced to a new family of unforgettable characters, such as Miss Piggy™, Fozzie Bear™, Animal™, The Great Gonzo™, Scooter™, Lew Zealand™, and Rizzo the Rat™. Hosted by Kermit the Frog, accompanied by the musical meanderings of Doctor Teeth™ and the Electric Mayhem Band™, the Muppets were joined each week by an international pantheon of great guest stars, from Gene Kelly and Rudolph Nureyev to Steve Martin and John Cleese. The success of The Muppet Show naturally led to Hollywood, where the Muppets starred in six feature films: The Muppet Movie™, The Great Muppet Caper™, The Muppets Take Manhattan™, The Muppet Christmas Carol™, Muppet Treasure Island™, and most recently Muppets From Space™.

During the 1980s, in addition to making Muppet movies, Jim brought two remarkably original fantasy films to the big screen, The Dark Crystal™ and Labyrinth™. Inspired by the exquisite and intricate artwork of British illustrator Brian Froud, these films challenged Jim to create new kinds of three-dimensional characters with advanced movement abilities. In development for five years, The Dark Crystal utilized the talents of scores of designers, builders, technicians, and performers from across the globe. The result: a phenomenal showcase of puppetry and animatronics. Jim and Brian Froud collaborated again on the feature film, Labyrinth, which was produced by George Lucas, and starred David Bowie and future Oscar®-winner Jennifer Connelly. Like The Dark Crystal before it, Labyrinth gave Jim a unique opportunity to take animatronics and performance to a new level. The multi-talented staff that helped create these two films formed the basis for what is now known as Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™. Founded in 1979, with offices in London as well as Los Angeles, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop continues to set industry standards in animatronics, performance and performance technology.

Throughout the 1980’s, Jim also created memorable television series and specials, including: Fraggle Rock™, Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies™, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller™, and Jim Henson’s Greek Myths™. Fraggle Rock was one of the world’s first multi-nation international television co-production and Muppet Babies was awarded four consecutive Emmys® for “Outstanding Animated Program”.