Saturday, September 24, 2011

Happy Birthday Jim Henson

So for those of you who don't know today would have been the 75th birthday of Jim Henson.
For those of us born before 1990 we probably have a pretty big part of our childhoods marked by this great man's influence. We were taught that sharing is good by Elmo, that it's not easy being green by Kermit. We laughed with the Fraggles or cried with Emmett Otter and his Mom. We were frightened by the Dark Crystal and Enchanted by Labyrinth. I honestly don't remember a part of my childhood that didn't have a part of Jim Henson in it.
Yet even in the next generations his presence is still felt, his vision still key in shaping so much of what we love. My son for instance could not start a day without Dinosaur Train and Sid The Science Kid, two new shows created by the Henson Company using muppets to inspire computer animation. The shows teach about science in a way kids can understand but are not bored by, in a way that teaches the whole family.
If I were to scan my DVD collection, or my Netflix account I would find movie after movie all created by or inspired by one man. I do not own many DVDs but those I do are almost exclusively his. My childhood is filled with happy memories of Yoda, Hoggle, Big Bird, Snuffy, Kermit, Fozzie, Emmet and of course Miss Piggy. So if you get a chance just think for a moment today about how happy that one man helped make your life, and wish him a Happy 75th.

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