Hi Ho Jim the Henson Here

It was on this day back in 1936 that one Jim Henson came into this world. Henson, as we all (should) know, was the genius puppet-maker and puppeteer behind the creation and voicing of many of the "Muppets" that appeared on TV's Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. 

Henson was best known for creating and voicing Kermit the Frog, that world-famous, lovable, singing and dancing little amphibian. When the young and ambitious Jim joined the crew at Sesame Street in 1969, he began a career co-building with Frank Oz (and others) a huge cast of colourful and fun characters. He voiced Ernie (Bert's easy-going room-mate), Guy Smiley, Herry Monster, and dozens of others. 

I still have fond memories of watching the early episodes of Sesame Street. Hey, I was there when the first episode aired! The baker who tries to carry increasingly large quantifies of food down the stairs, and always falls and gets covered in goop - a hard lesson in counting to ten. Or Grover the waiter serving incomplete alphabet soup. The Martians who discover the telephone on Earth. Ernie and Bert arguing over how bananas keep alligators away. 

A lot of musical memories from Sesame Street, too: the Mahna Mahna song. Johnny Cash singing Nasty Dan for Oscar the Grouch. Singers Stevie Wonder and James Taylor visited the 'hood, too. The Muppets sang Yellow Submarine and All Together Now (both Beatles songs)... the first time I ever heard those tunes! 

In the 70's, Henson put his magical touch on the highly successful The Muppet Show, where he voiced another wacky cast: Kermit (again), the Swedish chef, Link Hogthrob, Dr. Teeth, Uncle Waldorf, and Rowlf the Dog.

A string of Muppet movies were produced over four decades, and they are still as popular as ever. Sadly, Jim Henson passed away in 1990, but his legacy lives on. We all need Muppets in our lives, and the good people associated with the Muppet empire care enough to carry the torch on into this century. The merchandising is off the scale.... I still see kids and adults wearing T-shirts of Miss Piggy and Animal. And what little kid doesn't have an Elmo doll?

Probably EVERY kid's favourite book

(author: Jon Stone)

When I was young. one of my favourite books was The Monster at the End of this Book, Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover. This 1971 story by Jon Stone became the bestselling Sesame Street book of all time, and is to this day considered one of the top children's books around. Well-deserved high praise. Alternately funny and gently scary, this Golden Book is a classic, and the child-like Grover played no small part in the equation. Great fun.... I even read the book with my daughter when she was little, and it played a role in her reading development.

Between the various TV series and specials, movies, toys and books and clothing lines, the Henson empire has become second to none.... even Disney, since the Muppets are now part of that domain. Henson had a hand in (pun intended) developing characters that are known the world over, even decades after their inception. Even when he wasn't the creator, it was under his reign that many more popular characters came about. Think about it. Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Ernie and Bert, Elmo, Grover, Cookie Monster, The Count, Gonzo, Beaker, Animal, and Fozzie Bear.

Jim Henson touched so many lives, so many generations. We should never forget how he and his Muppets amused and educated us in our formative years. And how we were entertained as adults by the spin-off shows and movies. And how we shared our own childhood shows and characters with our own children. Sort of magical, isn't it?