Never meet your heroes… Apart from Jim Henson

I’m so grateful that Jim Henson kept his world of make-believe very much alive and thriving into adulthood. His imagination brought us so much joy in the form of The Muppets, Sesame Street, Labyrinth, one of my absolute favourite Christmas films, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, and so much more.

People say never meet your heroes, but Jim Henson is surely an exception. I don’t think he’d have let me down if I’d had the chance to meet him. Not only was he incredibly talented, but he also seemed to have been genuinely kind and encouraging too, like his lovable, caring characters. For example, when a concerned child wrote to him worrying that by the time he grew up, there might be no Muppets for him to be able to fulfil his dream of working with them, Henson kindly took the time to send a thoughtful reply. The kind of reply that would motivate you for years to come. In Henson’s letter he said:

“you draw very well. Keep at it – you sound serious about your art work and your pictures are skilful and funny. When you’ve grown up and feel you’re ready, get in touch with us. We’re always pleased to meet talented artists and of course it’s nice to hear that you’re interested in us. Thanks again for writing. I’ll keep working hard, you do the same, and I look forward to meeting you somewhere down the line.”

Henson’s inspiring creations and words stayed with this child, Jay Fosgitt, who went on to become a popular illustrator and comic book artist. Fosgitt worked for Disney, Marvel, and even created licensed Jim Henson Company comic books, including Fraggle Rock, Labyrinth, and The Dark Crystal.

Of course, beloved puppet creations like Sesame Street, The Muppets, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal are not down to Henson alone. A whole team of talented people were part of bringing their magic to life, including his wife Jane Nebel, Jerry Juhl, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Bonnie Erickson, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt and many more.

However, I am filled with awe when I think of Henson and people like him, who don’t just have creative ideas for wonderful characters like Kermit the Frog, but also have the artistic skills to bring these ideas to the page and then the crafting innovation and ability to make Kermit in puppet form. Henson resourcefully created the original Kermit out of his mother’s old coat and halved ping pong balls for eyes. Not only that, he was an incredible performer too, as he performed the voice of Kermit and lots of other puppets. Henson was also a brilliant writer to add to his list of talents, with a fantastic humour that has captivated audiences from the beginning, right up until today when we still have countless screenings of his films. Henson was also a talented director and filmmaker; although he’s most well-known for his puppet films, he also enjoyed making experimental shorts. Time Piece (1965), a short film that he wrote, directed, and starred in, was nominated for an Academy Award.

Henson’s relatively simple, yet impactful, design for Kermit and other puppets revolutionised puppetry. Using soft materials unlike the wooden marionettes ventriloquists often used allowed for much more nuance in the emotions and expressions Henson’s puppets were able to convey. Henson also brought his puppets, especially The Muppets, out into the real world, taking on unprecedented filming challenges – even having the Muppets parachute out of a plane.

Sadly, in 1990, Jim Henson died at just 53, which makes me even more impressed by all that he achieved in the years he had. He was so loved that over 1000 people attended his memorial service in New York. This short piece is just a brief nod to the things I found most interesting about him, but you can learn lots more from Henson’s own ‘Red Book’ journal, where he noted down ideas and activities from his own life.

You can enjoy some of Henson's highlights, The Dark Crystal and Follow That Bird as part of our No Strings On Me: Cinema’s Living Puppet season. We’re also showing the brilliant Muppet Treasure Island from 1996, one of the films Jim Henson’s Company created to continue his legacy.