I recently convinced my tween son to watch the Muppet movies and other Jim Henson projects. He is to the point that he gets the puns and some of the other humor that passes over the heads of younger kids who enjoy the shows on a simpler level.
Jim Henson was an incredible, gifted storyteller, able to appeal to an audience of all ages. Among the many "celebrity" news reports, the announcement of his death 18 years ago is one of the few I still vividly remember. He was aptly included in Time magazines top 100 Artist & Entertainers of the 21st century (http://www.time.com/time/time100/artists/profile/henson.html)
Henson left an incredible and creative legacy from Sesame Street (1969+), to The Muppet Show (1976-1981) and Fraggle Rock (1983-1987), as well as other TV programs and various movies. His The Storyteller (1988) remains one of my favorite TV shows ever. In it Henson combined various forms of puppetry and some animation to tell Greek myths and lesser-known European fairy tales.
In addition to exposing my children to Jim Henson's magic, I stumbled across news about this travelling exhibit that is going to be at the Smithsonian for another month: http://www.sites.si.edu/henson/index.html. I wish I was going to be in the DC area - or any of the cities it will eventually be in. If you have a chance, I understand it is well worth going to. If you can't make it (like myself), maybe put on your own Henson Movie/TV Show Marathon.
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