Kermit the Frog creator Jim Henson honored in New York

World
Europe

Jim Henson, the creator of "The Muppet Show," is getting a permanent tribute in New York, almost 30 years after his death.

On Saturday, the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens will open a permanent exhibition exploring Henson's work and challenging visitors to look beyond his most famous creations at the astonishing breadth of his career.

Kermit the Frog waves from his position at The Jim Henson Exhibition July 18, 2017 at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. /VCG Photo‍‍

Although rarely seen on camera himself, Henson lived and breathed television. He hooked adult Americans on puppets with the long-running "Muppet Show" which made Kermit, Miss Piggy and Gonzo household names.

Not only did he create "The Muppet Show" and several of Kermit's contemporaries, his imagination gave birth to Elmo, Big Bird and Bert and Ernie of "Sesame Street" fame, "Fraggle Rock" and fantasy movies such as "The Dark Crystal" (1982) and "Labyrinth" (1986).

Big Bird (L), Cookie Monster (2nd L), Elmo (3rd L), and Prairie Dawn Muppet are displayed at The Jim Henson Exhibition July 18, 2017 at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. /VCG P

Henson came to see puppetry as a serious art form, inspired partly by a trip to Europe in 1958. Puppets at that time in America were for children, said Barbara Miller, curator of "The Jim Henson Exhibition."

"The work and the projects that he developed – they were always fighting against this notion that puppets are just for kids," she said.

Big Bird in China

In addition to his work on American television, Henson also toured China to spread his ideas further.

One of his most iconic creations, Big Bird, appeared on TV screens in China in 1982. The program, called "Big Bird in China", was co-produced with China Central Television (CCTV).

The cover of Big Bird in China cassette. This is the best-quality image we can find. /Web Photo

It tells the story of Big Bird's travels to China looking for Feng Huang, the Chinese phoenix.

A number of Chinese web users on the video reviewing website douban.com fondly remember the scene in which Big Bird walks on the Great Wall.

Several stage shows and TV programs were made in China in the following years, meaning that Henson's legacy stretches far beyond his native America.

Big Bird sings and dances with CCTV staff in a televised show in 2013. /CCTV Screenshot

(Source: AFP)