Cheryl Henson and father, Jim Henson
It wasn’t until her father’s unexpected death in 1990 that Cheryl Henson fully realized the immense impact his life and work had on the world. Jim Henson, the creator of so many iconic characters, films and TV shows, like Kermit the Frog, The Dark Crystal and The Muppets, was nothing short of an imaginative genius.
Jim Henson’s boundless curiosity and all-inclusive approach to the cast of puppet characters he created. His work continues to stand the test of time and remains at the forefront of pop culture ever since he and his wife first introduced The Muppets to the world in 1960.
The genuine nature of his creative output allowed for characters like Kermit, The Swedish Chef or Rowlf the Dog to resonate with audiences for more than 60 years and counting. Jim Henson utilized honesty to captivate and tell his stories.
“The outpouring of attention, shock and sorrow when my father died really, in many ways, took us by surprise,” Henson says. “I don’t know if we were fully aware of how close so many people, who grew up on Sesame Street and The Muppets, felt to the characters and through the characters, felt to my father.”
Henson always admired her father’s relentless creativity. It’s something she carries with her to this day in her own work helping to preserve his efforts at both The Jim Henson Company and The Jim Henson Legacy.
“My father had a very open mind when it came to creative collaboration and did not let it become confined by the assumptions of what something has to be,” Henson says. “He really believed that people are genuinely good and his sense of humor was timeless.”
Jim Bennett
Continuing the story
In order to tell the story of Jim Henson’s legacy, preserving his life’s work became the main priority of his family shortly after his death.
“My mother in particular felt a responsibility to the fans to keep his work available to the public and it was soon after his death that she set up the Jim Henson Legacy that would set the ground work,” Henson says.
One of the outcomes from this promise is the newest traveling exhibit to visit COSI this summer, Jim Henson: Imagination Unlimited, which opened on May 25. The exhibit is focused on the different creative outputs of Henson’s inventive mind and well-known characters.
Curated and inspired by the permanent installation at the Museum of Moving Image in New York City, this exhibit tells the story of Jim Henson’s work through the lens of science, technology, engineering, arts and math.
“We want to inspire people to be creative and collaborative,” Henson says. “My father had a very open mind when it came to creative collaboration and really didn’t want to be defined by the assumptions of what something has to be.”
COSI is always looking at diversity and inclusion. The footage shown throughout the exhibit did not have closed captioning, so Lohrbach and her team decided to provide the scripts for people with hearing loss.
“We try to add details to make it accessible for little kids, adults or people that may have a disability,” Lohrbach says.
Karen Falk has been the archives director for the Jim Henson Company since 1992. She has served an instrumental role in orchestrating this traveling exhibition and worked with a number of different entities that hold rights to Jim Henson’s work.
“It is fantastic how supportive each of the entities have been throughout these projects,” Falk says. “Really, it all boils down to the fact that there is so much love and respect for Jim Henson as a person, as a creator… as someone who has produced a body of work that we all share in our hearts.”
Imagination Unlimited celebrates that fact and shows audiences first-hand the groundbreaking work that went into his film, television shows and puppets.
“Jim can be an inspirational figure in so many ways and putting out this exhibit makes it accessible for people with creativity and an optimistic mindset,” Falk says. “He was incredibly persistent.”
Nat Seymour
A Big Deal
For the better part of a year, COSI worked diligently putting together the fine details to welcome Imagination Unlimited. Preparation of the room alone required 6,000 square feet of painting and 58 gallons of paint.
Upon entering the exhibit, you are greeted with Henson’s most iconic character, Kermit the Frog, with a large-scale photo of Jim in his signature headband holding the puppet.
“I like that we introduce the exhibit with that picture because I think that is exactly where the inspiration piece of our mission at COSI is,” Elyse Lohrbach project manager of experience production at COSI says. “You can’t engage or change peoples’ lives unless you get them hooked and wanting to know more.”
Lohrbach and her team worked hand-in-hand with MOMI in cooperation with The Jim Henson Company, The Muppets Studio and Sesame Workshop to set the stage for this exhibit.
Five different versions of the floor plan were detailed before deciding on the final product on display today.
Within the exhibit you will find a wide range of artifacts detailing the life and work of Jim Henson, including more than 20 puppets, character sketches, storyboards, scripts, photographs, film and television clips, behind the scenes footage, iconic costumes, and a number of interactive experiences.
The exhibit invokes creativity, curiosity and nostalgia, hoping to inspire the next generation of creative minds.
“He really pioneered a lot of different puppet technologies for media that had never been tried before,” Lohrbach says. “Jim Henson is multi-generational and that’s why we have been so excited about this exhibit. You aren’t just appealing to the kids and their parents, but their grandparents as well.”
FUN FACTS!
Nat Seymour
- Jim Henson was almost a night club owner according to his daughter. For a while, he was interested in creating an atmosphere that would take you to a different place utilizing film. Though the blueprints still exist, the real estate deal for the club fell through and Jim ultimately went on to take a job for a preschool show.
- Kermit the Frog existed 14 years prior to Sesame Street and made his first appearance in 1967 on Sam and Friends. Kermit is the character that reminds Cheryl most of her father.
- “There is definitely a connection between their personalities,” Henson says. “Kermit is a leader of a crazy group of wildly imaginative and creative people who try and support each other along the way.”
- By the numbers: 1,600 puppets were donated to various organizations and museums, Falk’s archives include more than 30,000 paper documents from artwork, scripts and notes and the film and media collection boasts 95,000 items.
Rocco Falleti is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at rfalleti@cityscenecolumbus.com
