Jim Henson’s Legacy Honored by Family for 85th Birthday Celebration

The late, great Jim Henson was honored by his children and The Jim Henson Company as part of their Jim Henson 85th birthday celebration. In honor of Jim, The Jim Henson Company hosted a live Twitter Party to celebrate, encouraging fans to join in with the Henson family in sharing memories and tribute messages. In one video posted by the company, Jim’s daughter Cheryl touched on her father’s legacy.

“Hi, I’m Cheryl Henson, and I celebrate Jim Henson’s legacy by appreciating and supporting puppet artists who create in their own unique styles,” Cheryl says in the video, going on to promote a new production. “I’m here today at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, where Federico Restrepo and Loco 7 are completing their production of Lunch with Sonia, a new show that will open the Le MaMa puppet series on September 29th. We’re here to say: thank you, happy 85th birthday, Jim Henson!”

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Lisa Henson sits at her father’s old work desk in another video posted to The Jim Henson Company’s Twitter page. Also highlighting Jim’s art, she says in the clip, “Hi, I’m Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company. I’m so privileged to be continuing my father’s legacy here, and literally right here, I am sitting at my father’s desk from 227 East 67th Street, New York. I also have a really cool piece of artwork that he did in the early ’60s, so you get a sense of my dad’s very cool taste. It’s my father’s 85th birthday today, so, happy 85th birthday, Jim Henson.”

Meanwhile, Heather Henson celebrated her father’s memory with a crane in her garden. We can only imagine that Jim, who’d involve his children with his projects, would have been proud.

Of course, there are others getting in on the celebration. Warrick Brownlow-Pike, a puppeteer who performs Gonger on Sesame Street, posted an image of the Muppet on Jim’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star. He included a message that read, “Jim Henson would have been 85 today! Happy Birthday Jim! His creations still delight and inspire to this very day. Thank you for the inspiration, it puts my creative mind into hyper speed!”

Fans have been celebrating Jim Henson’s work all month, which includes the 45th anniversary of The Muppet Show. Meanwhile, quotes from Henson himself are also getting shared, continuing the messages that he taught even though he’s been gone for more than three decades. As Henson himself said, “My hope still is to leave the world a bit better than when I got here… Watch out for each other. Love everyone/forgive everyone, including yourself. Embrace & open up your love, your joy, your truth, most especially your heart.”

Jim Henson’s legacy has certainly endured since his death. The Muppets is still going strong, as Disney+ reintroduced Kermit the Frog and pals to a new generation with last year’s reboot Muppets Now. The classic episodes of The Muppet Show, followed by all of the Muppets movies, also still hold up for the longtime fans who prefer to stick with the classics. In any case, the Muppets, along with Henson’s many other creative endeavors, have brought so much joy to so many people over the years.

On the official Twitter page for The Jim Henson Company, different special guests took part in Q&A sessions as a part of the live Twitter party. Cheryl Henson, Lisa Henson, and Brian Henson each answered sets of questions, as did Fraggle Rock puppeteer Karen Prell. You can check out all of those questions and answers on the official Twitter page for The Jim Henson Company. You can also see many more tribute messages on Twitter. Meanwhile, fans can also look forward to the upcoming Jim Henson biopic Muppet Man.

Topics: The Muppets