If the name Jim Henson rings any bells in your head, it’s likely that his face isn’t what initially comes to mind. Instead, their faces are likely to:
Many of these puppets, muppets, creatures, and more sprang from the imagination of Jim Henson. His creations are what have filled countless childhoods with laughter, wonder, and imagination.
According to Jim Henson’s Wiki page, Henson began to create puppets during his high school years. During his college years, he created a show known as Sam and Friends with Jane Nebel, his then future wife. Upon graduation, Jim and Jane continued to create puppets and worked to develop coffee commercials and more experimental projects.
It wasn’t until 1958 when Jim co-founded Muppets Inc. with Jane, which later became more famously known as The Jim Henson Company. From there, many of these familiar felt faces began to grace our televisions. From The Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, and more. Henson had a long list of accredited and praised projects under his belt until he passed on May 16th, 1990.
Depending on what generation you’re from or what kind of entertainment you were exposed to growing up, your familiarity with these characters might vary. It’s safe to say that your level of comfort when it comes to puppets also might contribute to your level of familiarity.
So why do I want to talk about Jim Henson in the first place? What is about a man who liked to hang with puppets that’s so noteworthy? Well, even though the world has lost Jim Henson, his creations and his company are continuing to leave lasting impacts within multiple lives. The impact that puppets are able to leave might seem small to some, but I find it truly remarkable how much these puppets, these characters made for entertainment, continue to make a positive impact on the lives that they touch.
All of us should be at least a little familiar with Sesame Street. The purpose behind the show was to educate young audience members so that they could be better prepared for school. According to the Educational goal of Sesame Street wiki, those behind the show especially wanted to provide a resource that could help educate children from low-income families. And that’s exactly what they did and have continued to do.
The show taught basic yet crucial lessons such as numbers, letters, and colors. Sesame Street has even taken the initiative to tackle more mature topics and lessons in their show to help children better understand these more complex subjects. The website Geeks noted that some episodes have discussed topics such as racism, death and grief, divorce, HIV, having incarcerated parents, adoption and more. And the show has also continued to strive to be inclusive. Some residents that they’ve introduced on Sesame Street are on neurodivergent spectrums, have disabilities, vary in terms of race and ethnicity, etc. This show has never shied away from encouraging children to learn both academic lessons and life lessons. Children, although small and young, are capable of understanding many things. Sesame Street has continued to give kids the tools they need to understand and learn to the best extent. If there is one thing that this show has made clear, it is that everyone is welcomed on Sesame Street, no matter their differences.
The Muppets might seem a bit eccentric at first glance. I mean, a banjo playing frog, a glamorous pig, a joke making bear, and… well whatever Gonzo is. It’s undeniable that this is an odd bunch of characters. But this odd bunch has always made it a point to leave audience members laughing with kooky sketches such as “Pigs in Space”, “Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem”, etc. In addition to laughs, The Muppets always wanted to leave viewers with wise and uplifting words. It might be strange to know that some truly inspiring and comforting words can come from the mouths of puppets, but the Muppets have most definitely proved that it is possible. Here are just a few quotes that I feel anyone can enjoy:
- “It’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice.” — Kermit the Frog
- “Never worry about failure. It’s gonna happen. But that’s OK: Go ahead, take chances… and you might just find that what feels like failure isn’t failure at all, it’s what inspires you to dream even bigger.” — Kermit the Frog
- “I don’t care what you think of me, unless you think I’m awesome. In which case you are right.” — Miss Piggy
(10 Pearls of Wisdom From the Muppets | Inspiring Quotes)
I like to think it’s the littlest of things that can have the greatest of impacts. I like to think that goofy puppets that come across our television screens can leave us with the brightest of smiles, the most comforting of words, or the deepest of laughs. Simple things like that I feel are precious.
I’d also like to think that Jim Henson would agree with me. None of this magic could have happened without the man behind the puppets himself. It was him and who he was a person that breathed life into these loveable characters so that we could continue to enjoy them till this day.
With all this said, I’ll leave you with this quote from Jim Henson himself:
“When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better for having been there.” — Jim Henson
References:
Educational goals of Sesame Street – Wikipedia
The 10 Most Important Topics Covered By ‘Sesame Street’ | Geeks (vocal.media)
Official Website of Texas Lutheran University's Student Media 