Jim Henson
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By John Stokes |
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John DenverJohn Denver is a name synonymous with Colorado; his music greatly inspired by ..... When our kids see a flashy humanesque pig, dressed like a starlet and acting all self-important and histrionic, especially when it comes to her true love, we are reminded of Jim Henson. When we hear the famous line, “It’s not easy being green,” we are reminded of Jim Henson. When we witness the children’s fascination with the antics of Bert and Ernie, the snarls of Oscar the Grouch, or the gangly and goofy but well intended lessons of Big Bird or the silly obsessions of the Cookie Monster, we again remember Jim Henson, the mastermind behind (or below) the Muppets and one of the pioneers behind Sesame Street.
Jim Henson’s puppets, or Muppets, have taught children, have performed with a line-up of Hollywood stars, have made their own movies, and have even co-hosted the Academy Awards. They have made jokes only kids appreciate, have poked fun that adults can’t help but guffaw over, and have, as one writer says, gotten away with behavior and actions no human actor can pass off.
Jim Henson’s style, innovation, and entertainment techniques and skills extend beyond his puppeteer skills and puppet design: to films (The Dark Crystal and The Labyrinth), other children’s shows and programs in addition to the long-running Sesame Street (such as Fraggle Rock and Muppet Babies), and to other puppetry and armature.
Absurdly, Jim Henson died young. At fifty-three, he contracted bacterial pneumonia, and left millions of viewers and fans mourning the loss of this unique and gentle genius. But Jim Henson’s love of television, his belief in and creative employment of puppets (when puppets were all but passé), and his world-popular offerings have been kept alive. Son Brian and daughter Lisa head the Jim Henson Company; daughter Cheryl is president of the Jim Henson Foundation; and in London and Hollywood, expert puppeteers and craftspersons maintain Jim Henson’s Creature Shop—which continues to introduce magical, mystical, silly, and serious actors of the non-human sort. As well, Jim Henson lovers and enthusiasts showcase and memorialize the great man in statues, in song, and on television—where Jim Henson was most at home..with his original and unique “actors” Mz. Piggy, Kermit, Oscar, Big Bird, Ernie, and Burt and the ever-strange but ever-loveable Cookie Monster.
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