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INSPIRATIONS AND INFLUENCERS (True Influencers, not the social media talentless attention seekers)

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Jim Henson  

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This month’s influencer is a man who has shaped the world I live in from my earliest years.  My love of Jim Henson’s work began with Fraggle Rock, I loved the puppets, their songs, and the subterranean world that they inhabited along with the Doozers and a plethora of fantastical creatures created by Henson.

 

Jim Henson’s most famous creation is of course The Muppets, too well known to require an introduction, which I began to watch about the same time as Fraggle Rock and watch it to this day!  My personal favourites are Statler and Waldorf who heckle the other Muppets from their seats in the gallery.

 

Jim Henson was born in 1936 in Greenville, Mississippi, and grew up in nearby Leland.  He began developing puppets in high school, and continued to do so while in college where he formed the Jim Henson Company in 1958. He joined the children’s television show Sesame Street for which he created Muppet characters, and he also appeared on Saturday Night Live before creating The Muppet Show in 1976.

 

Henson did not just work in television, he also made classic movies which are now legendary such as The Dark Crystal (1982), Labyrinth (1986) and The Witches (1990). 

 

The Dark Crysal is a dark fantasy film that came out in 1982 and although it turned a modest profit, it was not a massive hit with critical reviews and audience reception being mixed.  It was supposedly too scary for kids in contrast to The Muppets, but I disagree as after watching it I became hooked on the world of Thra and the journey of the Gelflings. The film has gained a more positive reputation in the years since it’s release and is now held in high regard.

 

In 2017 Netflix produced a prequel to The Dark Crystal called The Age of Resistance in association with the Jim Henson Company. Sadly, it wasn't a big enough hit to justify a second series which is tragic as it's so well done, and the puppetry is out of this world!

 

Labyrinth is another of his movies to acquire a cult following and not only because David Bowie was cast to play the Goblin King. The music and the storyline is a fantastical adventure and again the characters are so real and lifelike you could believe they were real. Brian Froud, who was conceptual designer and illustrator regularly attends comic cons to this day where he talks about his work on the film. 

 

I can't mention Jim Henson without mentioning The Storyteller. This is one of the most overlooked of Jim Henson works. It was a British made series that ran for two seasons between 1987 and 1989 in which John Hurt would recount myths or fairytales which were then brought to life with a full cast, magical scenery, and high-quality puppetry. Season One often features obscure European stories and Season Two was focused exclusively on Greek Mythology. It genuinely deserves all the praise it can get, and it's embracing of the darkness and drama makes it reminiscent of other dark fantasy Henson works such as The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.

 

Jim Henson sadly died in 1990 at the age of only 53. Such a short life but his memory will live on forever through his creations.