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The exhibition features hundreds of objects from Henson’s career: sketches, storyboards and early versions of now beloved characters. A 1969 sketch of Oscar the Grouch shows the same eyes as the finished character, and some of the early puppets on display resemble future Muppets. One part of the exhibit shows how Henson innovated the primitive technique of puppeteering. For instance, he used cloth instead of wood, which made it easier to manipulate the puppet’s eyes, nose and mouth into human expressions. Covering 5,000 square feet, the exhibition is immersive and interactive. Screens, scripts, sketches and prototypes show what went on behind the scenes. A life-sized replica of The Muppet Show’s
PHOTO BY JOHN E. BARRETT. KERMIT THE FROG © DISNEY/MUPPETS. COURTESY THE JIM HENSON COMPANY/MOMI
A puppet innovator
JUNE 2023
More than 125,000 readers throughout Greater Baltimore
Recalling a beloved puppeteer By Tina Collins “As children, we all live in a world of imagination, of fantasy, and for some of us, that world of make-believe continues into adulthood.” These words by the late puppeteer Jim Henson set the stage for an immersive museum experience into his enduring entertainment legacy. Henson’s remarkable contributions to pop culture will be showcased at “The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited” — an exhibit that runs from May 26 to December 30 at the Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) in downtown Baltimore. Marylanders consider Henson a native son, though he was born in Mississippi. In the late 1940s, his family moved to University Park, Maryland, where Henson, who attended Northwestern High School, first began entertaining friends and family with puppet shows. When Henson was a student at the University of Maryland, in the early 1950s, he created his first Muppet — a hybrid marionette and puppet. His first show, Sam and Friends, aired on local television, and a career was born. The traveling exhibition celebrates his creations, which span four decades and include The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal and other beloved works.
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This photo of the late Jim Henson, snuggling his iconic creation Kermit the Frog, shows him in front of a mural of his other puppet characters painted by Coulter Watt. An interactive exhibition on Henson’s life is on display now through December at the Maryland Museum of History and Culture.
famous arches provides a fun photo opportunity for museum visitors. Visitors can also see a different side of Henson in ventures he explored outside of children’s entertainment. For instance, in the 1960s, Henson worked as an experimental filmmaker on commercials, documentaries and short films, one of which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1965. As a television pioneer, Henson maintained the eye of a filmmaker, emphasizing consistency of character and message.
Admirers worldwide Though Henson’s life was tragically cut short at age 53 (he died of pneumonia in
1990), what he created connects us all: Bert and Ernie, Big Bird, Kermit the Frog. After all, images we come to love in childhood, uncrowded by other memories, often become the best-remembered lessons and emotional experiences. With its global reach, Henson’s work may be one of the things much of the world has in common. One display reveals what Henson scribbled on a script for the 1980s television series Fraggle Rock: “What the show is really about is people getting along with other people, and understanding the delicate balances of the natural world.” See JIM HENSON, page 20
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