MUPPET MASTER

• By LISA TRAMONTANA
• Advocate News Features staff
• Published: Mar 23, 2008 - UPDATED: 03.23.08

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For a child of the ’70s, is there any song that can tug at the heartstrings more sweetly than Kermit the Frog’s rendition of The Rainbow Connection?

The lyrics, the tune, and the image of the lovable green Muppet combine to form a powerful childhood image — one of many created by the genius of Jim Henson.

Kermit is just one example of the emotional connection Henson made with the public during a remarkable career that produced Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock and fantasy films like Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal.

Now, his work as an artist, puppeteer, writer and innovator will be on display when Jim Henson’s Fantastic World opens at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum Saturday, March 29. The collection boasts 100 drawings, storyboards and photographs that illustrate Henson’s gifts as a storyteller who combined songs, animation, humor and clever dialogue.

“This collection focuses on Jim’s creative thinking,” said Karen Falk, exhibit curator and board member of The Jim Henson Legacy. “As a person, Jim was open-minded and interested in all types of art, music and self-expression. He looked at things from a different point of view. He was a visionary in his field.

“We want to show how his work developed over the years and we want to give inspiration to other artists and writers to go out and create their own works,” she said.

Henson’s characters often evolved from doodles to cartoons to puppets to films. As a student at University of Maryland in the late 1950s, Henson performed a nightly puppet show called Sam and Friends. He stood out from other puppeteers of the time for good reason. Rather than hide behind a structure, he performed out in the open maneuvering his puppets (while keeping himself out of camera range).

Henson was decidedly different. He was an innovator.

His work in the TV industry led to the groundbreaking Sesame Street, which introduced Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Bert & Ernie, and a host of other captivating characters to an audience of preschool children in 1969. The show quickly became a favorite of adults as well, and many celebrities happily appeared on the show to share lessons about faith, friendship and love.

The Muppet Show followed in the late ’70s and early ’80s, bringing fame to Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Gonzo, who followed their Sesame Street friends to become part of the popular culture. The vaudeville-style variety show attracted a new celebrity element, including Elton John, Diana Ross, Steve Martin, Paul Simon and many others.

Henson’s next foray was into the fantasy film world. There seemed no limit to what he might achieve next. But his creative voice was suddenly silenced.

Henson died unexpectedly in 1990 at the age of 53. Several newspapers and magazines published editorial cartoons of his characters consoling each other over the loss of their creator. One featured a tearful Kermit sighing, “I’ve lost my voice.”

Within a few years, Henson’s wife Jane established the Jim Henson Legacy, which continues to preserve his works today. The couple’s five children are involved in several aspects of the family business, which includes special-effects puppeteering, film production and computer-generated animation.