THE POP EXPOSE – A look Back at The Legend Jim Henson!
Story by Mitchell Smith
Hello everybody. Today I’m taking a look at Jim Henson born September 24th 1936 in Greenville Mississippi. Henson sadly passed away do to toxic shock syndrome at the age of 53. Henson started developing puppets in high school and in 1969 would join Sesame Street and soon after The Muppet Show was born.
“It’s time to put on makeup, it’s time to dress up right”, the familiar tune that whisks me back to a 4 year old. We played outside all day, came in for dinner, a bath, and settled in for The Muppet Show. Carol Burnett came on after that, in the summer we got to stay up late and watch that if we could make it that far without falling asleep. Henson also created so many other characters from Fraggle Rock to The Dark Chrystal, and who doesn’t love his Christmas classic Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas.
Henson who was so talented as a director, producer, screenwriter, and actor was taken to soon, but his legacy will live on in the many Characters he has created. Animal and the Swedish Chef are my 2 favorite Muppets but I think everyone loves Gonzo. Henson was approached by Lucas to be the puppeteer for Yoda in the Empire Strikes Back, being so busy at the time he offered up his partner in crime Frank Oz and the rest is history. Overall Henson has touched many generations and his works live on especially with several Muppet movies that have been made after his death. He was a true gem, gone but not forgotten. Are you a big fan of the Muppets and Jim Henson’s work? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and let us know! Have a great week everybody.
