This tribute is the property of Worth Remembering Publishing
© 2006
More Than A Puppeteer
Jim Henson
1936 - 1990
On the eve of a memorial to Jim Henson, Kermit the Frog said. "I don't know who Jim Henson is, but I've heard he has his hand in a lot of things around here." It was an attempt at humor from a puppet that had just lost his voice. Jim Henson was more than Kermit's creator. He was Kermit’s voice from the moment Jim and his future wife Jane threw together a bit of wire, green fabric and two ping pong balls.
Jim became a puppeteer by default.
He was entranced by a new technology called Television and wanted to be a part of it. He decided to create his first puppet family, Sam and Friends using sewing skills his grandmother had taught him. He pitched his new act to a local television show and was rewarded with a three-minute piece.
Jane and Jim went on to create Muppets Inc. They hired only the best, most creative people to work along side them. Jim had innovative ideas from the beginning. He had watched other puppeteers who stood behind standard backdrops and
knew that there was another way it could be done. He felt that if they could keep the camera on the puppet alone, it would seem more real to children. He used soft pliable fabric and rods to make his characters move. They were capable of facial expression. He called them Muppets. It is said that the name was derived from the words Puppet and Marionette.
Jim and Jane were often booked on the Today show and other programs, but they wanted to reach more children. When Jim was approached to create a family of puppets for a new show called Sesame Street to be aired on public television, he jumped at the chance. Big Bird and his friends were created. They became an immediate hit with parents who wanted more than cartoons for their children’s viewing.
Despite his success and reputation as an innovative puppet master and filmmaker, he struggled for years to find a production company who would buy his idea of a show based on his Muppets. No one in America ever did. A London based company finally bought his ideas and The Muppet Show hit the air. It was 1975. He had been trying for ten years.
As the Muppets Show and Sesame Street grew in popularity, agents and stars noticed. They lobbied to be included in the program. This was unheard of at the time. Stars didn’t regularly appear on children’s programming. They avoided them. The Muppets and Sesame Street changed that. It was amazing to see Lucille Ball conversing with Oscar, or Christopher Reeve reciting the alphabet with Elmo. Something about Jim Henson’s loveable Muppets brought out the child in hundreds of stars and political figures alike.
Jim and Jane had five children of their own while working and improving their unique band of sassy characters. Jim was a wonderful Father. His children would reflect later and admit that their only complaint was the time he had to spend away from them. He was intent on creating new technology each day, yet he also knew how to live. His colleagues are the first to say he knew the importance of family and friends. He often took his children along to work assignments to spend more time with them. He showered friends with trips and activities.
Jane and Jim separated late in his life. It was an event that devastated everyone who knew them. They were never able to divorce each other and remained best friends until he died. She was the only woman he ever loved.
I wasn't a young child when Jim Henson's Sesame Street became a worldwide phenomenon. I watched as my own children were taught the basics of life. From the alphabet to morals, they learned and enjoyed every moment. As parents, we knew Jim Henson could be trusted with our children. We were grateful for the help. We often laughed with them.
While some characters were gruff or down right rude, children were never afraid. When Oscar insulted someone from his famous trashcan, children knew that he was just a naughty grouch and learned that they should never be like him. Jim innately knew what children would respond to and created those characters for them.
As Kermit, Miss Piggy and their friends engaged in frantic yet educational antics, children and adults were brought together to laugh. 
The Muppets wit was a gentle mix of appropriate humor for children, yet with enough of an adult edge to appeal to us as well. It was easy to forget that we were watching a puppet.
His friends and colleagues say he was an infinitely patient man. He never raised his voice in anger. When he grew irritated with a film crew for goofing off, he would simply clear his throat or shuffle his foot. They knew it meant that they should get back to work. Yet he was also just as apt to be the instigator of the same behavior. He knew how to have fun, but work was always foremost on his mind.
His dreams of taking the technology he created to new heights were realized. Yet he continued to work diligently to create new visual effects and animatronics. His work revolutionized the industry. Through it all he remained a genuinely kind man. People that knew him well would describe him as having great strength. His strength of character and his strength of will inspired those who worked with him and the people he loved.
Frank Oz, his partner and the voice of Miss Piggy throughout the history of the Muppets, said of Jim, “He wasn’t perfect, but he is as close to it as a man can get.” He touched the people who were fortunate enough to meet him. He was a larger than life man who displayed immense compassion for children, adults and the world as a whole.
He never complained of being tired. Perhaps in the end this inability to recognize his own human frailties is what led to the illness that took him from us. In the years since his death, his children have taken over the reigns of his company. Each displays the same energy as their Father. They continue to live the dreams he had for animatronics. They are as dedicated to educating children as their Father was.
Sesame Street has been on the air for thirty-seven years. The Muppets fame is beyond measure. You would be hard pressed to find a person anywhere in the world who does not recognize Kermit, Miss Piggy or Elmo. All of his creations are American icons.
It all started as a simple dream by a young man to be on television. His makeshift puppet evolved into the most successful television programming for children ever produced. His legacy lives on as we feel the gentle nature of Elmo and watch Miss Piggy chase after Kermit one more time. We must give thanks for what he gave to us all.
“Follow your enthusiasm. It's something I've always believed in. Find those parts of your life you enjoy the most. Do what you enjoy doing." -Jim Henson
Annie Thomas-Burke
