Jim Henson

 Earliest Known Appearance: Episode 0001  Jim Henson  ( September 24 th, 1936 - May 16 th , 1990 ) was the creator of the Muppets. He was also the performer  behind many of the troupe 's most famous characters, including Kermit the Frog , Ernie , Rowlf the Dog , Dr. Teeth , Mahna Mahna , Waldorf , Link Hogthrob , Thomas Twiddlebug , The Swedish Chef , The Newsman , Guy Smiley , Convincing John & Cantus the Minstrel.

Early Years
 James Maury Henson  was born in Green ville, Mississippi on September 24 th , 1936 , the younger of 2 boys , the older being his brother Paul Jr. . His parents were Betty Marcella ( née Brown ) & Paul Ransom Henson, an agronomist for the U S Department of Agriculture. 10 years later, in 1946 , Paul Sr. moved the family to Hyattsville , Maryland , a suburb near Washington , [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Washington D. C. ] . Henson, while growing up , loved watching Disney films & movies with comic legends like Bob Hope & George Burns. & enjoyed listening to such radio acts as Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy. He would grow up to pay tribute to & work w/ many of these same legends. Henson graduated as a member of the National Honor Society from Northwestern Senior High School in Hyattsville, Maryland , on June 14 th , 1954.

Sam & Friends
Henson made his earliest foray into TV puppetry friend & 1 st puppeteering partner, Russell Wall in the summer of 1954. The 2 created & performed the puppets Pierre the French Rat & Longhorn & Shorthorn for The Junior Morning Show on local station WTOP. Although the show lasted only 3 weeks before being canceled, Henson quickly landed a puppeteer ing job on the show  After noon  at N B C affiliate WRC - TV.

In 1955, while a college student at the University of Mary land , WRC - TV offered Henson his own show , resulting in the creation of Sam & Friends. The 5 - minute shows aired live twice a day after the news, & often involved the puppets lip - synching to a comedy or novelty record. Henson ' s co - puppeteer was the woman who would later become his wife, Jane Nebel. They wed on May 28 th, 1959. Of the cast of characters created for this series, only Kermit the Frog would remain as a major figure with Jim Henson for later productions.

Jim Henson made several important innovations in terms of how puppets were used on TV. The 1 st is that he did away with tiny 1 - hand puppets whose heads only bobbed when they talked, preferring instead to use puppets with moving mouths & often real hands. The 2 nd innovation was to get rid of the stage that all puppets on TV hid behind, just as they did in conventional theater. He wisely realized that the TV screen itself is the stage. Freeing the puppets from the simple constrictions of the past, Henson found that the characters were able to move around their environment in a much more imaginative & exciting way.

Beginning in the late 1950 s, while still producing Sam & Friends , Henson kept his fledging company a float by using his puppets in the early T V commercials. Several new Early forays included Wilkins & Wontkins & other characters for local companies, under the name " Muppets Inc . " , formed in 1958. But not too before then, most unfortunately , his brother Paul was killed in a car crash in 1956 when Jim was 19 years of age. By the 1960s, the burgeoning [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Jim_Henson_Company Muppets Inc. ] had expanded to national campaigns, & 1 of the characters created for these commercials was Rowlf the Dog. Rowlf helped Henson get nationwide attention for the 1 st time by appearing in regular comedy bits on The Jimmy Dean Show. This led to increased appearances by the Muppets on variety shows & talk shows, including Today & The Ed Sullivan Show.

During this same time, Jim Henson both met & hired 2 more people who would become  enormously   important  to his work : Frank Oz  , who had once been referred to by Jim as " absolutely the greatest puppeteer in the world " , who , sooner or later , become Jim ' s  best friend  in the world , & Jerry Juhl , who would have a hand in writing nearly every Muppet production for 35 years. In 1962, Don Sahlin also joined the Muppets , building Rowlf the Dog & laying the foundations for the Muppet Workshop. Apart from puppetry, Henson also experimented as an animator & filmmaker , with such films as the 1965 Academy Award nominated short Time Piece ( which Jim had also wrote , directed , & starred in ) , several comedic industrial films ( paving the way for the Muppet Meeting Films ) , the documentary Youth ' 68 , & the hour - long experimental drama The Cube in 1969.

Sesame Street
In 1969, Joan Ganz Cooney & the newly - formed Chil dren ' s Television Workshop approached Henson about possibly creating & performing puppets on a new show aimed at pre - schoolers. The show would become Sesame Street, & soon it introduced viewers to such memorable characters as Big Bird ,  Oscar the Grouch  , Count von Count , Ernie & Bert , Cookie Monster , Grover , & eventually Elmo as well.

Jim Henson was initially reluctant to use his characters on an educational ki ds ' series, for fear of being typecast as a chil dren ' s entertainer. However, Joan Ganz Cooney , once remarked that while the show ' s creative team had a collective brilliance , Henson was the only " individ ual genius . " : " He was ou r era ' s Charlie Chaplin , Mae West , W . C . Fields & Marx Brothers , " Cooney said , " & indeed he drew from all of them to create a new art form that influenced popular culture around the world . "

By the late 1970 s / early 1980s, Henson became more involved w / other projects & he mainly just voiced his characters in inserts rather than in main street plots. But he was still involved in related productions, voicing his characters in the 1 st Sesame Street movie , Follow That Bird , performing his characters ' voices in various Sesame Street Live shows , & also performing in Christ mas Eve on Sesame Street , Big Bird in China , Don't Eat the Pictures , The Sesame Street Special , & Sesame Street: 20 & Still Counting. In the last production mentioned, Henson also appeared as himself in 2 scenes. He was also interviewed on The Sesame Street Experiment & ''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Sing!_Sesame_Street_Remembers_Joe_Raposo_and_His_Music Sing! Sesame Street Remembers Joe Raposo & His Music Sing ! ]''.

Jim Henson ' s last segments for the show were taped on November 21 st, 1989. His later performances include a Sesame Street News Flash segment in which Kermit interviews a bird whose par ent s live in different tr ees, Kermit ' s song " I Wonder ' Bout the World Above Up There " , & Ernie ' s song " Don't Throw That Trash on the Ground ".

The Muppet Show
Jim Henson always felt puppetry should be for all ages, including adu lts , & he was frustrated that Sesame Street , even w/ its appeal to adu lts , was still chil dren 's programming. The Muppets were labeled " kid die entertainment " by network executives. His agent Bernie Brillstein got him as an act on season 1 of the groundbreaking S N L w / the Land of Gorch, but w / the content not written by his staff & w/ certain cast members annoyed of sharing the show w / puppets , Henson just never felt right there. Fortunately, he received another break when Lord Lew Grade invited him to produce a proposed half - hour show in England. The resulting Muppet Show became 1 of the greatest, most successful TV shows of all. &, in addition to Kermit the Frog as the host , the show featured characters that would quickly become household names , such as Miss Piggy , Fozzie Bear , Gonzo the Great , Rizzo the Rat ,  Statler  &  Waldorf  , Dr. Bunsen Honeydew & Beaker, & Dr. Teeth & the Elec tric May hem.

Performer s  who eventually joined Henson ' s ever - growing te am during this period include  Dave Goelz ,  Steve Whitmire  , Jim Henson 's right - hand man performing some of his own Muppet characters , ( as well as , following Henson ' s unfortunate very tragic death , Henson ' s eventual successor for Ernie , The Muppet Newsman , Kermit the Frog & Link Hogthrob ) &  Louise Gold.

Henson created another innovation starting w/ The Muppet Show : from now on, all productions would be platformed up , so that hum ans could move about freely & interact convincingly w/ the Muppet characters , while the Muppeteer s  could remain easily hidden , & move about  the ir  environment w / even greater fluidity than before.

In 1979, Jerry Juhl described Henson ' s unique work ing style in an article about the making of " The Muppets Go Hollywood special : " The [ production assistants ] are running around screaming , ' How are w e ever going to do all this ? ' & Jim is wandering around in the middle of it all, perfectly calm , perfectly content. You go to him & ask, ' How ' s it going ? ' & he says, ' Oh , fine. There were hardly any airplanes overhead when w e filmed Miss Piggy by the pool. ' He ' s just like Kermit - - if The Muppet Show had a basketball team, the score would always be Frog 99 , Chaos 98. "

The Muppet Show was so successful that it spawned 3 movies during Henson ' s lifetime ( & more since ) : The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper , & The Muppets Take Manhattan. Each film provided him w / further opportunities to break technological barriers, including letting Kermit ride a bike.

Fraggle Rock
In 1983, Henson introduced a new show for children called Fraggle Rock. The show was concerned w/ promoting understanding across cultures & around the world, a subject that was very important to him. Henson was the guiding force in developing the concept for the series, which began with his own notes for " The Woozle World " scribbled on a small pad. Later, in collaboration w / such team members as Jerry Juhl & Jocelyn Stevenson , this extended to specific personality details coining & character names ( with Boober named after a cow encountered by Henson ' s daughters ). As Henson defined the series ' purpose in that 1 st draft, " What the show is really about is peo ple getting along with other peo ple , & understanding the delicate balance of the natural world . These are topics that can be dealt with in a symbolic way , which is what puppets basically do all the time . " From the beginning , Henson also insisted that the show be tailored for different countries , so that the message about brotherhood & understanding conflicting cultures could be spread to as many nations as possible. This led to co - productions, with involvements ranging from completely new frame sequences tailored to each nation to unique Uncle Traveling Matt post card inserts , to simple dialogue dubs.

Although very much involved in the series as the creator, & serving as a director on several episodes , by this point Jim Henson was becoming increasingly " hands - off " as a performer & beginning to look at ambitious " realistic " puppet projects , instead assigning the regular roles to The Muppet Show veterans as well as up - & - comers & Cana dian talent. However, his very occasional appearances on Fraggle Rock showcased 2 scene - stealing characters , the enigmatic , " implacably calm " Cantus the Minstrel , who represented Henson ' s Zen - like beliefs & musical interests , & the flamboyant , fast - talking Convincing John , representing Henson ' s more frenetic , show man qualities.

Fantasy Films
Never 1 to rest on his laurels, Henson moved on to an even more ambitious project. With the help of fantasy illustrator Brian Froud, he created a Tolkien - like world for the film The Dark Crystal. This production was entirely populated by extremely detailed, realistic - looking puppets - - a major breakthrough & change from the ( intended ) cartoony look of the earlier Muppets. Though an initial box - office failure, The Dark Crystal later developed a following as a widely respected cult film.

Based on what he & his te am learned from the ir experiences on The Dark Crystal, Jim Henson founded the Creature Shop to create new characters both for Henson movies & for outside productions. In - house productions during his lifetime included Labyrinth & The StoryTeller, while outside productions included Dream child , The Bear , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , & The Witches.

Henson & Oz ' s friendship
After working together for so many years, every 1 of Henson ' s fellow Muppeteers  eventually grew very close to him in no time at all. However, the Muppeteer  it is clear he was always closest w/ was  Frank Oz  cause of the incredible partnership & friendship that th  ey  shared. There have been countless occasions where Henson ' s characters were paired up w / Oz  ' s characters. While it was actually Richard Hunt  who voiced Statler to Jim Henson ' s Waldorf, ( the famous hecklers from The Muppet Show ) , the friendship that Henson &  Oz  shared was the  best  in the whole Muppet business. At his Memorial Service, 5 short days after Jim ' s death , Frank  speaks of a Christ mas gift Jim had personally given  him  , which he had apparently named " Bert in Self - Contemplation ". He starts to cry but manages to say "  I  think that ' s when  I  knew, he loved  me  &  I  loved him , which then makes  Oz  to start crying .  Muppeteer  veteran  Steve Whitmire  can been seen taking Henson ' s place in these 8 pairings Henson originally shared with  Oz  before his death :


 * Ernie / Bert
 * Ernie / Cookie Monster
 * Ernie / Grover
 * Kermit the Frog / Miss Piggy
 * Kermit the Frog / Fozzie Bear
 * Kermit the Frog / Grover
 * Kermit the Frog / Sam the Eagle
 * The Swedish Chef / Fozzie Bear ( I Love Lucy Movie Mania Screen Test )

 See also : 
 * Jim Henson &amp; Frank Oz
 * Jim Henson / Frank Oz Muppet Pairings

The Jim Henson Hour
Jim Henson continued to innovate with the creation of the computer - generated puppet character [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Waldo_C._Graphic Waldo C. Graphic ] for The Jim Henson Hour in 1989. Years before the widespread use of CGI & the rise of Pixar Animation Studios, Henson had a computerized character interacting with Muppets on a weekly TV show. A Muppeteer  could perform the character in real time with the other Muppets, thanks to the Henson Performance Control System. Waldo would later have a prominent role in Muppet * Vision 3D.

On The Jim Henson Hour, Jim Henson appeared as himself in introductions & closings for the show. He hosted Jim Henson Hour pitch tape & The Secrets of the Muppets. Jim Henson also won an Emmy for directing 1 special featured in this series, Dog City. Even though most of his major characters from The Muppet Show made at least 1 appearance on The Jim Henson Hour, Jim didn ' t perform any new recurring characters in the series.

Henson ' s Death & Legacy
In late 1989, Jim Henson made a radical change in his career. Wanting to become less of a business man & focus more on the creative side of the production, he entered into talks w / Michael Eisner to sell his company & characters ( minus Sesame Street ) to the Walt Disney Company. Negotiations went awry after Henson 's sudden & untimely death, & Disney didn't acquire the Muppets till February 2004 , which it now controls through the wholly owned subsidiary The Muppets Studio.

Jim became infected w / a very rare bacterium called Group A streptococcus in May 1990 that was, very tragically , discovered too late for him to actually receive all the proper treatment. The most horrible tragedy of the Muppet World actually happened. The  Great  James Maury Henson tragically passed away at 1 : 21 a. m. on Wednesday, May 16 th , 1990 , approximately 20 hours & 23 minutes after checking himself into the emergency room at New York Hospital , not realizing just how sick he was. Henson ' s right hand man, Steve Whitmire  then took over for Kermit the Frog , only months after Jim passed away , then  he  took over for Ernie in 1993 to  Frank Oz  ' s Bert on Sesame Street. Waldorf, in 1992 , had been taken over by Dave Goelz. Starting in 1991 the role of '''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Teeth Dr. Teeth ]''' had been officially taken over by John Kennedy. However, the character only had made brief appearances with very little dialogue. However, following his death , Rowlf the Dog was kept completely silent until episode 2 of Muppets Tonight , on which he broke that silence thanks to the vocal help of Bill Barretta  , who now performs The Swedish Chef , Mahna Mahna & '''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Teeth Dr. Teeth ], as of 2005 , as well as Rowlf the Dog' , primarily ever since 1996 on Muppets Tonight''. Guy Smiley, startin in 2005 , has been taken over by Eric Jacobson  , who happens to be  Frank Oz  ' s primary successor. Most of Henson ' s main Muppet Show characters have been inherited by both Steve Whitmire  &  Bill Barretta  in recent productions, including 2011 ' s The Muppets.

According to various sources, Henson was cremated , & his ashes were then scattered at his ranch outside Santa Fe , New Mexico.

Jim Henson ' s legacy is carried on in different forms today. Sesame Workshop ( once the Chil dren ' s Television Workshop ) owns all the Sesame Street characters & continues to experiment with its format. How ever, in 2001 , they lost the rights to Kermit the Frog since he is mainly part of the Muppet gang. As noted, the Walt Disney Company owns the Muppet characters & continues to use them in new productions. Fortunately, the Jim Henson Company itself , under the guidance of Henson ' s children : Lisa , & Cheryl , Brian , John , & Heather , continues to release new material , including Creature Shop films & original content.

Muppeteer Credits

 *  Henson  ' s  primary  Muppet characters :


 * Kermit the Frog : Sam & Friends ( 1955 ) - The Muppets at Walt Disney World ( 1990 ) ( taken from u s on Wednesday, May 16 th , 1990 )


 *  Steve Whitmire  : The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson ( 1990 ) - present
 * Rowlf the Dog : Prina Dog Commercials ( 1962 ) - The Muppets at Walt Disney World ( 1990 ) ( taken from u s on Wednesday, May 16 th , 1990 )


 *  Bill Barretta  : Muppets Tonight episode 2 ( 1996 ) - present
 * Ernie : Sesame Street Episode 1 ( 1969 ) - Season 21 ( 1990 ) ( taken from u s on Wednesday, May 16 th , 1990 )


 *  Steve Whitmire  : Sesame Street Stays Up Late ! ( 1993 ) ; Episode 3199 ( 1994 ) ; Season 25 ( 1993 - present )
 * Guy Smiley : Sesame Street Season 1 ( 1969 ) - Season 21 ( 1990 ) ( taken from u s on Wednesday, May 16 th , 1990 ) )


 * Eric Jacobson : Sesame Street Presents : The Bo dy ( 2005 ) - present )
 * Dr . Teeth : The Muppet Show : Sex & Violence ( 1975 ) - The Muppets at Walt Disney World ( 1990 ) ( taken from u s on Wednesday, May 16 th , 1990 )


 *  John Kennedy  : Muppets on Location : Days of Swine & Roses ( 1991 ), Muppet Treasure Island video game ( 1996 ) , Muppets from Space ( 1999 ) , Muppet Race Mania video game ( 2000 ) , W e Are Fam ily music video ( 2002 ) , Muppet Party Cruise video game ( 2003 )
 *  Bill Barretta  : The Muppets ' Wizard of Oz ( 2005 ) - present
 * Waldorf : The Muppet Show : Sex & Violence ( 1975 ) - The Muppets at Walt Disney World ( 1990 ) ( taken from u s on Wednesday, May 16 th , 1990 )


 * Dave Goelz : The Muppet Christ mas Carol ( 1992 ) - present
 * The Swedish Chef : The Muppet Show : Sex & Violence ( 1975 ) - The Muppets at Walt Disney World ) ( taken from u s on Wednesday, May 16 th , 1990 )


 *  Bill Barretta  : Muppet Treasure Island ( 1996 ) - present
 * The Newsman : The Muppet Show ( 1976 ) - The Jim Henson Hour ( 1989 ) ; 1990 ) ( taken from u s on Wednesday, May 16 th , 1990 )


 *  Steve Whitmire  : Muppets . com ( 2008 ) - present
 * Link Hogthrob : The Muppet Show ( 1977 ) - The Muppets at Walt Disney World ( 1990 ) ( taken from u s on Wednesday, May 16 th , 1990 )


 *  Steve Whitmire  : Muppet RaceMania ( 2000 ) - present
 * Mahna Mahna : The Ed Sullivan Show ( 1969 ) - The Muppet Show ( 1976 ) ( taken from u s on Wednesday, May 16 th , 1990 )


 *  Bill Barretta  : The Muppet Show Live ( 2001 ) - present
 * Sam & Friends : Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ), Sam , Professor Madcliffe , Harry the Hipster , Omar , Pierre the French Rat , Yorick , many others
 * Commercials : Clown - Grabber, Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ) , Rowlf the Dog ( 1962 - 1990 ) , Scoop & Skip , Wilkins & Wontkins , Mack , Baskerville the Hound , Delbert the La Choy Dragon ( voice ) , Mert , Sir Linit , The Southern Colonel , Arnold , Fred , Nutty Bird , Sour Bird , Kenner Gooner Bird , Boy Twin , Tommy & Fred , Sneegle
 * Tales of the Tinkerdee : Charlie the Ogre
 * TV Appearances: The Floating Face
 * The Ed Sullivan Show : Amanda, Beautiful Day Monster , Talking Machine , Business Business Creatures ( Blue Monster , Orange Creature ) , Conrad Love , Dasher , Donner , The Glutton , Thudge , proto - Cookie Monster.
 * The Wizard of Id : The Wizard, The Spook
 * The Great San ta Cla us Switch : Fred the Elf, Lothar
 * Sesame Street : Anything Muppets, an apple from " Bilingual Fruit Song " , As I Was Going to St. Ives boy , Baby Monster ( 1969 ) , Bad Bart , Barry Rhymie , Beautiful Day Monster , Beginning , Ben , Betty Lou ( occasionally ) , Big Jeffy ( in a sketch where he demonstrates scatting ) , Billy Monster , Bip Bippadotta , Captain Vegetable , Charlie ( occasionally ) , Dan , Ernie ( 1969 - 1990 ) , Father , Fenwick , Flakey , Freddy Smith , The Geefle , The Genie ( 1973 ) , George Washington ( " The American Revolution " ) , Grandmother Happy , Grover ( 1970 " Near & Far " sketch ) , Guy Smiley ( 1969 - 1990 ) , Harold Happy , Harvey Monster ( occasionally ) , Henry , Herman the Hoppity - Hop , Herry Monster ( 1970 ) , Hippie ( 1969 ) , J Friend Singer , Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ) , The King , King Gerry the Generous , King Peter the Persnickety , Lance , Lavender " Fat Cat " performer , Librarian , Little Bird ( 1969 ) , Little Chrissy ( Muppetry  ) , Lost & Found Clerk , Marshal McClean , Marvin , Maurice , Maurice , Maurice Monster ( occasionally ) , Mr . Essex , Mr . Johnson ( early segments ) , Mr . Nose , Old King Cole ' s Band Fat Blue fiddler & Pumpkin bass player , Pat Playjacks , Pokey , Salvador Dada , Sam , Sammy the Snake ( in 1986 paired up with Carol Channing )    , Scudge ( 1969 ) , Showered Rosell , Sinister Sam , Sneaky , 1 of the Singing Dentists (  Muppetry  ) , Spaceship Surprise Captain , Stan ( police officer ) , Thomas Twiddlebug , 1 of the Three Little Pigs , Tony , The Two - Headed Monster ' s Mother Warren Wolf , Witch , Yellow Submarine Fat Blue train engineer , Yip Yip Martians , Zizzy Zoomer
 * Tales from Muppetland


 * The Frog Prince ( 1971 ) : Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ), Garth , King Rupert the Second
 * Hey Cinderella ! : King Goshposh, Mean Floyd , Rufus & Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 )
 * Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass : Gonzo the Great ( non - speaking ), & Hoggie Marsh
 * Muppet Meeting Films : Leo, Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ) ( 1975 appearance )
 * The Muppet Show : Sex & Violence : George Washington, Hudson, Nigel , Waldorf ( 1975 - 1990 ) , Dr . Teeth ( 1975 - 1990 ) , & Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 )
 * The Muppet Show characters : Accordion Player, Balloon - Head Conductor , Beaver (episode 217 : Julie Andrews) , Black Rooster ( episode 303 : Roy Clark ) , Blue Frackle ( episode 203 : Milton Berle ) , Brown Bear , 1 of the Bun - Bun Brothers , Butch ( episode 416 : Jonathan Winters ) , Dancers , Doglion ( episode 224 : Cloris Leachman ) , Droop ( episode 115 : Candice Bergen ) , Dr . Teeth ( 1975 - 1990 ) , The Eel ( episode 124 : Mummenschanz ) , Flower - Eating Monster , Fazoob , Frogs ( Muppetry  ) , Fuzz Brother , Gills Brother , Green Heap , Green Frackle ( occasionally in season 1 ) , Hillbilly Singer , Jim , Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ) , Kermit the Protozoa , Lenny the Lizard ( episode 204 : Rich Little ) , Link Hogthrob ( 1977 - 1990 ) , Lefty , Mahna Mahna , Mary Louise ( episode 121 : Twiggy ) , Mean Mama ( episode 203 : Milton Berle ) , Miss Kitty ( episode 113) , 1 of the Muppaphone , The Newsman ( 1976 - 1990 ) , The Newspig , Nigel ( 1975 - 1976 ) , Penguins ( episode 423 : Carol Channing ) , Pigs , Prairie Dogs , Robot Kermit , Rover Joe ( occasionally ) , Rowlf the Dog ( 1962 - 1990 ) , The Scientist , Silver Beak , Slim Wilson ( episode 413 : Dizzy Gillespie ) , The Swedish Chef ( 1975 - 1990 ) , Timmy Monster ( occasionally ) , Waldorf ( 1975 - 1990 ) , Wally , Wally Whoopie , Whatnots , Zeke ( 1977 - 1978 , 1983 )
 * S N L : King Ploobis
 * Emmet Otter 's Jug Band Christ mas : Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ), Harrison Fox , Harvey Beaver , Howard Snake
 * Fraggle Rock : Cantus the Minstrel & Convincing John
 * The Dark Crystal: SkekZok ( Muppetry ), Jen (  Muppetry ) , SkekSo (  Muppetry  )
 * Christ mas Eve on Sesame Street : Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ) & Ernie ( 1969 - 1990 )
 * The Muppet Movie : Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ), Ernie ( 1969 - 1990 ) , Dr. Teeth ( 1975 - 1990 ) , Rowlf the Dog ( 1962 - 1990 ) , Waldorf ( 1975 - 1990 ) , & The Swedish Chef ( 1975 - 1990 )
 * The Great Muppet Caper : Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ), Dr . Teeth ( 1975 - 1990 ) , Rowlf the Dog ( 1962 - 1990 ) , Waldorf ( 1975 - 1990 ) , The Swedish Chef ( 1975 - 1990 ) , & The Newsman ( 1976 - 1990 )
 * The Muppets Take Manhattan : Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ), Ernie ( 1969 - 1990 ) , Dr . Teeth ( 1975 - 1990 ) , Rowlf the Dog ( 1962 - 1990 ) , Waldorf ( 1975 - 1990 ) , The Swedish Chef ( 1975 - 1990 ) , The Newsman (1976 - 1990) , Baby Kermit , Baby Rowlf , Penguins
 * Follow That  Bird  : ( Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ), Ernie ( 1969 - 1990 )
 * Playhouse Video : Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ), Dr . Teeth ( 1975 - 1990 ) , Rowlf the Dog ( 1962 - 1990 ) , Waldorf ( 1975 - 1990 ) & The Swedish Chef ( 1975 - 1990 )
 * The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years : Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ), Dr . Teeth ( 1975 - 1990 ) , Rowlf the Dog ( 1962 - 1990 ) , Ernie ( 1969 - 1990 ) , Waldorf ( 1975 - 1990 ) , The Swedish Chef ( 1975 - 1990 )
 * The Christ mas Toy : Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ) & Jack - in - the - Box ( Uncredited )
 * Labyrinth : 1 of the Goblins ( Muppetry  )
 * The Tale of the Bunny Picnic : Dog
 * A Muppet Family Christ mas : Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ), Ernie ( 1969 - 1990 ) , Dr . Teeth ( 1975 - 1990 ) , Rowlf the Dog ( 1962 - 1990 ) , Waldorf ( 1975 - 1990 ) , The Swedish Chef ( 1975 - 1990 ) , The Newsman ( 1976 - 1990 ) , Guy Smiley ( 1969 - 1990 ) , & a penguin
 * Down at Fraggle Rock : Behind the Scenes : Doozer ( demonstration )
 * The Jim Henson Hour : Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ), Dr . Teeth ( 1975 - 1990 ) , Link Hogthrob ( 1977 - 1990 ) , The Swedish Chef ( 1975 - 1990 ) , Timecaster , Teddy Bear , Garbage  Bags , Timrek the Gorf , Screaming No - No s , various demonstrations in " Secrets of the Muppets "
 * Dog City : Bugsy Them
 * The Muppets at Walt Disney World : Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ), Dr . Teeth ( 1975 - 1990 ) , Rowlf the Dog ( 1962 - 1990 ) , Waldorf ( 1975 - 1990 ) , Link Hogthrob ( 1977 - 1990 ) & The Swedish Chef ( 1975 - 1990 )
 * Sing Your self Silly ! : Ernie ( 1969 - 1990 ), Kermit the Frog ( 1955 - 1990 ) ,  Lead Singer  from One Banana

Directing Credits



 * Time Piece ( 1965 ) ( also wrote & starred as " The Man " )
 * The Cube ( 1969 )
 * Hey Cinderella ! ( 1969 )
 * Sesame Street ( 1969 - present )


 * Number Song Series ( 1969 )
 * Doll House ( 1970 )
 * 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 ! ( 1975 )
 * King of 8 ( 1970 )
 * Queen of 6 ( 1971 )
 * Eleven Cheer ( 1973 )
 * Number Twelve Rocks ( 1971 )
 * The Frog Prince ( 1971 )
 * The Muppet Musicians of Bremen ( 1972 )
 * The Muppets Valen tine Show ( 1974 )
 * Muppet Meeting Films ( select episodes )
 * Emmet Otter ' s Jug Band Christ mas ( 1977 )
 * The Great Muppet Caper ( 1981 )
 * The Dark Crystal ( 1982 ) ( co - director with Frank Oz  )
 * Rocky Mountain Holiday ( 1983 )
 * Fraggle Rock ( 1983 )


 * Episode 101 ( 1983 )
 * Episode 102 ( 1983 )
 * Episode 106 ( 1983 )
 * Episode 111 ( 1983 )
 * Episode 113 ( 1983 )
 * Episode 118 ( 1983 )
 * Episode 122 ( 1983 )
 * Episode 208 ( 1984 )
 * Episode 210 ( 1984 )
 * Episode 219 ( 1984 )
 * Episode 303 ( 1985 )
 * Labyrinth ( 1986 )
 * The Tale of the Bunny Picnic ( 1986 )
 * The Storyteller ( 1987 )


 * Episode 105 ( 1989 )
 * Episode 106 ( 1989 )
 * The Jim Henson Hour ( 1989 ) ( select episodes )


 * Dog City ( 1989 )
 * The Song of the Cloud For est (1989 )
 * The Ear th Day Special ( 1990 ) ( Kermit segment )
 * Muppet* Vision 3D ( 1991 ) ''

Writing Credits

 * Sam & Friends ( 1955 - 1961 )
 * Tales of the Tinkerdee ( 1962 )
 * Time Piece ( 1965 )
 * Sesame Street ( uncredited ) ( 1969 - present )
 * The Muppet Show ( 1976 - 1981 )

Songwriting Credits

 * " Number Song Series " ( 1970 )
 * "Queen of Six " ( 1971 )
 * "King of 8 " ( 1970 )
 * " Number Three Ball Film " ( 1970 )
 * The Muppet Show " Theme Song " ( 1976 )

Producer Credits

 * Sam & Friends ( 1955 - 1961 )
 * Time Piece ( 1965 )
 * The Muppet Show ( 1976 - 1981 )
 * The Muppet Movie ( 1979 )

Executive Producer Credits

 * Fraggle Rock ( 1983 )
 * The Muppets Take Manhattan ( 1984 )
 * The Witches ( 1990 )

Trivia

 * Henson was right - handed.
 * Henson shares the same birthday ( September 2 4 th ) with Steve Whitmire ,  a fellow  Muppeteer  who took over both Kermit the Frog & Ernie after Henson ' s death.
 * In 1991, an album  that focused exclusively on songs sung by Henson ' s characters , Jim Henson : A Sesame Street Celebration , was released.
 * A young Jim Henson was also portrayed in Kermit 's Swamp Years by Christian Kebbel . Kebbel, ironically , was born in 1990 the same year Henson died.
 * Jim Henson, in the 1960 s , wrote & illustrated an unreleased chil dren ' s book called Watermellon ' s I Don ' t Know.
 * Henson drew the tattoos seen on Lydia, the pig who performed in " Lydia the Tattooed Lady " in episode 102 of The Muppet Show.
 * According to 4 Ki ds Entertainment, in publicity materials for the upcoming Jim Henson Designs product line , Henson ' s name " achieves 95% awareness among consumers surveyed , & a 98 % favorability rating among these same consumers ".
 * Henson shares his birthday with the death date of Dr . Seuss & Sesame Street writer Jeff Moss.
 * Henson ' s final on - screen appearance was a guest appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show on May 4 th 1990.
 * Jim made a cameo in Into the Night talking to his agent Bernie on the phone before he was asked to leave.
 * Jim ' s image can be spotted on a banner in The Muppets, right outside The Muppet Theater . His birth date is shown on the curtain rail system above the stage, depicting the date of installation.
 * Characters of Jim Henson 's Muppeteer  Veteran  Steve Whitmire  has performed once or consistently are :
 * Kermit the Frog ( The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson ( 1990 ) - present )
 * Ernie ( Sesame Street Stays Up Late ! (1993 ) - present )
 * The Newsman ( Muppets.com ( 2008 ) - present )
 * Link Hogthrob ( Muppet RaceMania ( 2000 ) - present )
 * Rowlf the Dog ( occasionally on The Muppet Show ; right hand only )
 * Dr . Teeth ( The Muppet Show Live ( 2001 ) ( assistant to John Kennedy  ;  Muppetry  only ; Hands of Dr . Teeth ( assistant to  Bill Barretta  ; ca . 2005 - present ) )
 * Guy Smiley ( Sesame Street season 32 ) ( 2001 )
 * The Swedish Chef ( I Love Lucy Movie Mania Screen Test ) ( 1999 )
 * Zeke ( 1979 - ca . 1980s )
 * Leo ( The Muppet Show Episode 403 ) ( 1979 )
 * Waldorf ( Parts of LittleBigPlanet 2 ( 2011 ) )


 * Characters of Jim Henson 's Muppeteer  Veteran  Bill Barretta  has voiced once or consistently are :
 * Rowlf the Dog ( Muppets Tonight Episode 102 ( 1996 ) - present )
 * The Swedish Chef ( Muppet Treasure Island ( 1996 ) - present )
 * Mahna Mahna ( The Muppet Show Live ( 2001 ) - present )
 * Dr . Teeth ( The Muppets ' Wizard of Oz ( 2005 ) - present )
 * Bip Bippadotta ( Sesame Street Episode 4203 ( 2009 ) ; Sesame Street Episode 4299 ( 2012 ) )