Henson not only revolutionized children’s television around the world, but with his pioneering technology, he also brought puppetry to a higher level. His success came from being able to devise a new way to approach an ancient art form. Henson set what would become the new standard in the industry with his imaginative ability to think outside the box.
Before Henson arrived on the scene, puppetry was limited; puppets typically only had hard faces and were moved by marionette strings, both of which inhibited their ability to be truly expressive and life-like. Henson wanted to change all of that. He wanted to create an art form that was real and that people could relate to and feel. And so, Henson went about changing how things were done.
As early as high school, Henson was focusing his attention on creating new ways to portray puppets. He was fascinated by television and the possibilities it presented over the traditional mediums through which puppetry was exposed, particularly the stage. In one class, Henson showed that by focusing solely on the upper body of a puppet, television cameras could be angled so as to allow for greater freedom of movement.
In addition to the advantages that television provided to him, Henson took it upon himself to create a unique design of puppet, which would subsequently be termed a ‘Muppet’. A unique hybrid of marionettes and puppets, Muppets were constructed with softer material than other puppets, which allowed them to display greater degrees of expressiveness. Next, Henson had to think up a way to make his Muppets more mobile in order to take full advantage of their new subtle features. Whereas strings controlled traditional puppets, Henson decided to use rods instead to navigate and control his Muppets’ limbs. This allowed for increased precision and variety of movements and gestures.
These two factors combined created a revolutionary design for the time; Muppets were more realistic together in appearance and motion. Both seamless and stringless, Muppets appeared to move on their own, providing a realness to audiences worldwide that made them readily accepted and loved. Henson had managed to create puppets so real that both adults and children alike forgot they were actually puppets. While their appearances were often foreign – no one quite knew what species Gonzo belonged to – their personalities were all too familiar.
Henson’s innovative ways did not stop there. In addition to the pioneering technology that he developed for his Muppets, his participation in the groundbreaking television show Sesame Street was what really propelled him to success. The show combined children’s entertainment with pre-school education in a way that had never been done before. Henson’s Muppets led Sesame Street to international popularity, winning over 50 Emmy Awards and being seen in over 130 countries.
It was Henson’s innovative and pioneering spirit that served as major drivers of his success. He refused to settle for the status quo and insisted on creating something new, fresh and fun. It was a risk, but one that eventually paid off; Muppets had leapt off the television screens and become part of families around the world.
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