Happy Birthday Jim Henson.

[puppetmaker]

Today would have been Jim Henson's 70th birthday.

So in honor of that, tell me your favorite moment of Muppets or Henson's work in general.

I am grateful that I got to meet Jim Henson

Comments

[fufaraw]

Skred and the Grand Phabog on the first few shows of first season SNL. So out of the box it just wasn't grokkable for mainstream America. I remember the puppets fondly, though. And later that season, Skred got to duet with Lily Tomlin. I think Skred was probably the prototype for the Skeses in The Dark Crystal.

[(Anonymous)]

When I was a kid, I was enthralled by Miss Piggy. I remember turning to my mother and grandmother once during a scene of her in a swimming pool and saying, "Isn't she lovely?" They got a kick out of that.

[fufaraw]

Ooh! And one more--the Emmy show where puppets from Fraggle Rock, Sesame Street and The Muppet Show all showed up together in the green room. So amazing. The kids were on muppet overload, and frankly, so was I.

[heartnut.livejournal.com]

Well, I was never a big fan of Sesame Street, but I *loved* Fraggle Rock like no other show until Rainbow Brite came out, so... I liked the bard character that Jim Henson actually played himself in one of those FR episodes. I'm a musician today probably because of that character and Ariel, the Little Mermaid. So, Jim Henson will always be special to me--and I can't wait to have kids and have them watch Fraggles.

[wonderbink.livejournal.com]

I remember when Jim Henson (and Kermit) cut the ribbon at the newly-opened Center for Puppetry Arts.

[darkravenette.livejournal.com]

My first Christmas movie that I watched religiously every year was A Muppet Family Christmas. I watched it so much that the tape wore out and broke in our VCR one year. Christmas hasn't been the same since then.

[nightwolfwriter.livejournal.com]

I've always been a huge Animal fan.

Used to have an Animal muppet back in college. Used to take it to the student union and practice coordinating the moveable eyes, the hands on the sticks and the mouth (not as easy as it looks on TV, let me tell you.)

Also, got a number of dates thanks to Animal. "Sorry, It's not my fault. I just can't control him around a pretty woman. . . ;)"

[bevlovesbooks.livejournal.com]

I wish I had gotten to meet him. My favorite Muppet memory was at D*Con a few years ago. Ken Plume had gotten his hands on some old footage, and we aired it in the YA Lit room. At the end, it has a snippet from Jim's funeral where the puppeteers and their Muppets sing "Rainbow Connection." There was not a dry eye in the house. We passed around a roll of toilet paper.

[samanthadelayed.livejournal.com]

Miss Piggy and Elton John singing "Don't go Breaking my heart" Is one of my all time favorite Muppets moments."Eat your heart out Kiki!"

Happy Birthday Jim! Thanks for all the great memories!

[jenny_evergreen]

That special they did where all the Muppets sang to Jim...gets me every time.

[zessa]

I love the Dark Crystal. As a kid it hit all the right chords, and I still remember the wonder I got from it.

My mother would walk around imitating the Frank Oz's Skeksis character's whimper...used to freak me out.

I also loved the old school Muppet show when it would re-run on Nickelodeon.

But the Dark Crystal influenced my future taste for fantasy, and let me know as a young kid it was ok to be crazy and imaginative.

[starbucking.livejournal.com]

Fozzie was always my favorite muppet. Can't recall anu specific moment, but the show was like Magic.

[paigemom.livejournal.com]

I can't choose between two:

The viking pigs (and the ship)singing "In The Navy." I still roll on the floor with laughter every time I see that.

The entire "Muppet Christmas Carol," but especially the lines: "You're a little absent-minded, Spirit." "No, I'm a LARGE absent-minded spirit!"

My brother-of-spirit's mother went to high school with Jim.

[readinggeek451]

I only get one?

("Bear left." "Right, frog!")

[vampry.livejournal.com]

My favorite Muppet's memory is Animal and the Leo Sayer episode. "He ate my sheet music. " "Last week, he ate the drummer."

My favorite Henson memory is at Worldcon in Chicago many moons ago; Larry Propp was interviewing Henson on stage when in the back came someone costumed as Beaker. Everybody applauded and Henson said it was nice to see Beaker getting the respect he deserved.

It seems like only yesterday.

[papillon-enrage.livejournal.com]

"Ahhh, a bear in his natural habitat: a Studebaker!"

Actually, there's no way I can choose. Sesame Street was, in some ways, my corruption. I grew up in an excessively conservative household. I remember looking out into the back yard on day, I was no more than three, and exclaiming "Gosh, what a big dog is in our backyard". Well, gosh was a forbidden word in our household. My mom immediately began asking where I had heard the word. I remember being frantic when I thought she was going to cut off Sesame Street.

I'm so grateful for the whimsy and clever humor that infused everything Jim Henson touched.

[popfiend.livejournal.com]

It's Not Easy Being Green - still makes me cry.

[imrygels-ho.livejournal.com]

i have no favorite, i love all muppet and creature shop stuff so much...


i still cannot watch the tribure - i weep throughout but when it gets to reading children's letters, i bawl like crazy.

jim was the most noble and wonderful and creative force this world has ever seen. we lost a lot of love and humanity the day he died.

okay, getting weepy...