Fans of Muppet creator Jim Henson celebrated what would have been the groundbreaking puppeteer and director’s 86th birthday. Of course, Henson passed away over three decades ago in 1990 at the age of just 53, leaving behind a legacy that has continued to evolve into another generation with no signs of stopping. However, it was a birthday tribute by The Muppets' official Twitter account that really saw some emotional reactions from fans.
The video shared by the account featured Rowlf, one of the original Muppets built and performed by Henson many years before The Muppet Show revolutionized puppets on TV and film forever, who invited everyone to join in a rendition of Happy Birthday in celebration of the beloved puppet master. The video was captioned, "Today we celebrate our friend Jim Henson, who was born September 24, 1936. Sing along with Rowlf and join all of us Muppets as we wish Jim a very happy birthday!" Check out the video below.
The video instigated a wave of love for the Muppets’ creator, who was also responsible for movies such as Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, the original animatronics used in 1990’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and its sequels, as well as the long-running kids TV show Sesame Street. This included messages from fans, other projects of Henson’s and more, who also shared some of his most famous quotes. Check out some of the messages below.
The Muppets Have Started Finding Their Feet Again In Recent Years.
When Jim Henson died in 1990, the Muppets were just getting started. While they had a successful run as the titular characters in The Muppet Show, which brought with it more guest stars than many other variety shows of the time. Arguably their greatest movie venture came two years later in A Muppet Christmas Carol, a unique take on the Charles Dicken’s classic that this year is finally being released uncut for the first time on Disney+, and while the Jim Henson Company have been behind some of the biggest shows and movies of the last thirty years, The Muppets have only just started coming into their own again.
After some low-level movies and guest appearances, ABC’s series The Muppets failed to get a second season after attempting to modernize the franchise with a The Office-style series that didn’t quite capture the anarchic magic that made the characters so popular. However, since the pandemic, The Muppets Now created a series of short episodes that were fun and irreverent, and this was followed with Muppet’s Haunted Mansion last year. Now, amongst other projects, The Muppets’ resident band The Electric Mayhem will be getting their own series on Disney+, and it is clear that perhaps Disney have finally managed to “get” what the zany characters are all about.
For those who want to relive the glory days of The Muppet Show, the entire series is available on Disney+, along with a number of other Muppet projects.