---

Staff post about: Jim Henson Become an Author

Tweet

---

---

“When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world,” said Jim Henson. Henson would fulfill his youthful ambition by not only becoming the most famous puppeteer in modern history, but by changing the nature of puppetry itself and inspiring the minds of millions of children worldwide.

Born on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, Mississippi, Henson was the second son of Paul Ransom and Elizabeth Marcella Henson. While his mother stayed at home with the children and entertained them with her active imagination, Henson’s father worked as an agronomist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Names of crops his father was working with would later inspire numerous Muppet characters’ names.

His childhood was a happy one, as he spent countless hours exploring the shorelines of Deer Creek. One of his most significant relationships early on was with a young friend, Kermit, who would later inspire one of his most celebrated Muppets. Henson also developed a close relationship with his maternal grandmother, who was an artist herself and occupied her time painting, quilting and doing needlework. She was the main motivating force behind Henson’s efforts, constantly cheering on his artistic talents and encouraging him to put his creative imagination to good use.

When he was in fifth grade, Henson moved with his family to Maryland, where he began to focus more seriously on the arts. His parents finally gave in to his years of pleas for a television and from that point on Henson knew he wanted to work in the television industry. “I loved the idea that what you saw was taking place somewhere else at the same time,” he said. Thus, in 1954, while he was still attending Northwestern High School, he began creating puppets for a Saturday morning children’s show on WTOP-TV. “It was interesting and kind of fun to do – but I wasn’t really interested in puppetry then,” recalled Henson. “It was just a means to an end.” The next year, Henson enrolled in the University of Maryland and continued pursuing his passion for TV.

As a freshman, he was given the chance to perform puppets on a twice daily, five-minute show on WRC-TV. He created Sam and Friends with fellow student Jane Nebel, whom he later married in 1959. The show ran for six years, while Henson continued to pursue his degree in art and theatre design. Sam and Friends was the testing ground for numerous Muppet characters that would later become instantaneously recognizable, including Henson’s signature character, Kermit the Frog. It also allowed him to experiment with new techniques that would allow for the puppets to appear more lifelike, such as using special framing to allow the puppeteer to work off-camera.

Called ‘Muppets’ for their combination of puppet and marionette features, the success of Sam and Friends allowed Henson’s Muppets to gain popularity. They soon began appearing on numerous talk shows and commercials nationwide. Henson and his wife moved to New York City in 1963, where Muppets, Inc. was formed. Henson had officially entered the world of TV and it would not be long before he became a household name.

Related Articles

  Lesson #1: Embrace Your Inner Child
  Pulling The Right Strings: How Henson Achieved Success
  Lesson #2: Be Positive
  Lesson #5: Drive Yourself Hard
  Lesson #3: Believe In Yourself
  Young At Heart: Henson’s Career Takes Off
  Lesson #4: Be A Pioneer
  Why not me?
  Persistence: Playing a Poor Hand Well
  How Fear Tricks You into Seeing the Tree Branch as a Python
  Change
  Article #28 Looking For A Business That Works Fast In As Little As Six Months?
  Happiness
  How to write journal entries – The 3 must-ask questions
  Do You Have What It Takes to Lead?
  The Three Stars of I Ching Astrology
  Keeping your priorities Straight
  I can’t help but wonder if I were born in any other time…
  Uncovering Your Passions
  Lesson #3: Create the Illusion

Related Forum Posts

Re: Quote of the Day - "Life's like a movie, write your own endi
Greetings fellow entrepreneurs
Why Rebrand Your Business?
Re: History of Women in Business in the United States
Julia Hartz of Eventbrite.com

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Share this post and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet