Jim Henson

Jim Henson with Kermit the Frog (Unknown (Unknown))

What is a hero? A hero is usually depicted as someone who risks their lives for others, sacrifices everything for the ones they love and being strong and brave. But heroes come in many different shapes and sizes. Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets never gave up anything or risked his life but he did bring joy and laughter to the world. He was a hero in his own way by creating the Muppets and bringing happiness to many people. Henson was born in Greenville, Mississippi and the youngest child. When he was still a child, he and is his family moved from Mississippi to Hyattsville, Maryland in the 1940s. He would later remember the arrival of the family's first television as the "biggest event of his adolescence" (Henson).

In his show, Henson began experimenting on his puppets to give them more life and personality, believing "puppets should have more life and sensitivity"(Henson).  Instead of making his puppets out of wood, like many were at the time, Henson made his puppets from flexible, foam rubber covered in fabric, giving them a wider range of expressions and emotions. He also used rods to move the puppet's arms instead of string and moved to puppet's mouth more precisely to the dialogue to give the puppets more creative ways of speaking and more expressions. When Henson worked on Sam and Friends, he asked freshman Jane Nebel, who would eventually become his wife, to assist him. Both Henson and Nebel worked hard on the show and saw that their hard work would pay off. The show was a success. But after graduating from college, Jim began to have doubts about going into a career as a puppeteer. He was later inspired by European puppeteers who look on their work as an art form. After Henson's return to the United States, he and Jane began dating. They married and had five children. Including a son who would continue Henson's legacy.

Jim Henson (Unknown (Unknown))

But despite the success of Sam and Friends, which ran for six years, Henson said he "Spent much of the next two decades working in commercials, talk shows, and children's projects before being able to realize his dream of the Muppets as entertainment for everybody" (Henson). Henson would later go on to create the Jim Henson Company and Jim Henson's Creature Shop, both of which helped in the making of the Muppets and also created puppets for other companies. He would even create the puppets for Sesame Street and direct shows and films such as Fraggle Rock, Farscape, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth.

Jim Henson with The Muppets (Unknown (unknown))

Henson was not only a legend but he was kind, brave and full of heart. He only wanted to make people happy and see them smile, which I consider a trait for any hero. He only wanted to help others and put others first instead of himself. Even when he was sick he refused to go to the hospital as he did not want to be a bother. To only want to bring love and kindness into the hearts of others is an honorable thing and because of that I believe Jim Henson should be honored as a hero.

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