"Henson: The Felt Magician"

Having been born in the mid-1970's, I was introduced at a very early age to the eccentric, colourful Muppet characters that frequently occupied the television screen through Sesame Street (1969 - Present) and The Muppet Show (1976 - 1981). It would be safe to say that I was slightly obsessed with these elaborate sock puppets, but I also became aware at an early age of the driving force behind these endearing creations, Jim Henson. Although he used puppets simply as a way to get into the burgeoning medium of television, throughout his career he would revolutionise puppetry, innovating the performance-based art form, and developing a style that would transfer to the cinema screen in a variety of ways. He pushed himself and the medium into a formula that was fantastic, anarchic, satirical and self-reflexive, but that also radiated a wholesome and sweet outlook, with a value system that at times seems naive, but imagines a world in peace.

During the early 1950's, Henson, a shy, softly spoken young man still in high school, took up hand puppetry as a means of getting work on the local Washington DC television network. Puppetry on children's morning television was very common at the time, but largely the medium had never really been explored before on TV or in the cinema. The films of German animator/puppeteer Lotte Reiniger (The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) and the many traditional fairy tale films) used the simple silhouette puppets against lit backdrops which were some of the first puppet-oriented moving images. Before television puppets were largely seen in vaudeville in the form of ventriloquists dummy's, or on the seaside with Punch and Judy. Stage work would use walls in which the puppets perform from behind, but what Henson saw with television (and later film) was that the frame of the screen/camera could represent that wall, freeing the puppet performer. By 1955 Henson was given his own five minute slot on late-night television. He created the satirical Sam & Friends, which played with the form of television, often using the then contemporary comedic style of "sick" humour (incomparable from today's darker comedy, but nonetheless funny).

Sam & Friends ran for several years and saw the introduction of Henson's most iconic character, Kermit (the Frog was added later).  Whilst the programme gathered a cult following in the Washington DC area, Henson felt that his creations (the Muppet, Inc company was formed in 1958) could expand and appeal to larger audiences. Under the newly formed company, Henson could use his puppets for television commercials, and therefore bring in money for other, more innovative projects. During the 1960's the Muppets would make appearances on TV specials, variety shows and talk shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show, and his name and artistry started to become recognisable to the general population.  What this period fundamentally resulted in was Henson's reputation as a master craftsman. His dedication to the art form was unsurpassed, using the simple tools of foam rubber and cloth, and the subtle movements of hand and fingers, he (along with his Muppeteer colleagues) developed a style of puppeteering that gave such a range of emotions. This talent inevitably led to him being brought into a new, experimental form of television aimed at pre-schoolers.

With an idea to revolutionise young children's television, The Children's Television Workshop, with producer Joan Ganz Cooney heading, had the idea of teaching toddlers simple letters and numbers in the same format that commercials use to sell products. It was a clever idea, but the show required something else, and the decision was to use puppets. However, if they were unable to get Henson to provide the performers and his own puppet creations, they would not do it at all - this shows how significant his work was in the industry. In 1969 Sesame Street first aired and whilst the educational "adverts" were successful and memorable, it was the Muppet characters that raised the profile of the show, elevating it to international acclaim. Like so many of his creations, the Muppet characters occupying the magical, but very real urban environment of the street, are incredibly enduring. From the naive, awkward Big Bird, the miserable Oscar the Grouch, the clumsy Grover, these characters are embedded deeply into the global consciousness, instantly recognisable to practically every human on the planet. That's quite an achievement in itself. But to Henson, this format was too marginalised, too specialised. He felt that the Muppet creations could bridge the gap between young and old, and wanted to transfer puppet performance to prime-time television.

After taking his Muppet variety format to all of the American television networks who flatly rejected the idea, preferring to think that puppets were exclusively for children. Even after some sketches on the first season of the now world famous comedy show, Saturday Night Live in 1975 and '76, Henson's unique brand of comedy was not considered by executives (traditionally known as money-men as opposed to creatives). This was until British film and television producer, (Lord) Lou Grade, who supported and funded what would become the hugely successful The Muppet Show that ran for five years. It gave Kermit the Frog, Rowlf the Dog (who had been previously used in commercials and in sketches on The Jimmy Dean Show), and all the newly created Muppets (you probably know most of them: Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Scooter, Animal, et al), international recognition, and literally became household names.

The show was a brickolage of ideas and concepts. It has references to old vaudeville theatre, it is charming but anarchic. It is proper, chaotic variety, and including special guests was a clever way to keep the show fresh. The Muppet Show looked to the past, but also had a contemporary feel, the progressive, hippie-like band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, were perfect facsimiles of the extravagant rock shows of the time, with such groups as Yes or Pink Floyd. It was a perfect package that had the desired effect of working on a number of levels, much like the films of Pixar have done over the last couple of decades. The show displayed a verve for slapstick humour, but balanced this with wit, and often innuendo. Like the characters on Sesame Street, these characters are enduring, because they are so well developed, and allowed to develop their own idiosyncrasies. The relationships with the characters were so important. Without them, along with the subtle movements of the puppeteers hand movements, it would not work.

It would be impossible to write something about Jim Henson without including his working associate, Frank Oz. Working together since the early 1960's, their relationship and their own characters could be seen in the characters they played together. Some of the most memorable relationships are Henson and Oz: Ernie and Bert, Kermit and Miss Piggy. As performer and Puppet manipulator, Oz was incredible. Henson himself called Oz the best Puppeteer in the business. He brought a feminine tenacity to Miss Piggy, a naive, vulnerable charm to Fozzie, and a primal, guttural angst to the drummer based on Keith Moon, Animal. Their combined talents and ambition would lead them to transfer their puppet ingenuity to the medium of film. Their first use of film came in 1979 when they released the first film to feature The Muppets. At the time this was a bit of a gamble. The Muppets work well on television, and perform well with humans in a studio, but would the transition from the false setting of a set to real world surrounding work?

The Muppet Movie (1979) showed that puppets were a believable possibility on film. Henson made some innovations on the film also, including a wondrous technical achievement involving Kermit riding a bicycle. The nature of cinema, with its use of editing, Henson could create different mechanical puppets that could perform a particular function in a scene. These progressions in special effects continued through the following two Muppet films (The Great Muppet Caper (1981) and The Muppets Take Manhatten (1984)) that Henson was involved in. But it was a film that Frank Oz was involved in that showed that a puppet character could work in a believable, human-led film. After turning down an offer to work on The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Henson told George Lucas that he should ask Oz. Frank's Yoda puppet was thoroughly accepted, and was a successful film character, and Henson, never missing the chance to evolve his chosen art form, took on a monumental challenge. What became The Dark Crystal (1982) was the first film to use an all-puppet cast.

The fantasy film was a prevailing genre after the business changing success of Star Wars (1977), so in hindsight it was inevitable that Henson could utilise this trend and create a unique world that would illustrate his themes, philosophies and ideologies. Collaborating with British illustrator and conceptual designer, Brian Froud, The Dark Crystal was a visual feast, and no doubt a designers dream project. It was a Tolkien-esque fantasy world with the quintessential themes of mysticism and spirituality. Like all of Henson's projects, Crystal was filled with innovations in puppetry and special effects. Whilst the film was not a huge success (financially at least), Henson wanted to further explore fantasy landscapes, archetypes and characters again with the more playful, and comedic Labyrinth (1986) who's screenplay was written by ex-Python Terry Jones. Clearly enjoying the creation of other worlds, Henson would later return to fantasy on the television series The StoryTeller (1988), which again delved into mythology, fairy tales and folklore to create a lush series of episodes introduced by John Hurt.

Most famous for his Muppet creations, Henson shows further complexity in the form of two particular, non-puppet films that he produced and directed in the 1960's. The first, Time Piece (1965), which was nominated for an Oscar, was a short experimental film starring Henson as a man running from time, and the various obstacles that get in his way. More interestingly to the oeuvre of his career, and the themes that run through his work, was a tele-play for the hour-long show, Experiment in Television, The Cube (1969). The Cube was a kind of avant-garde concept, Kafka-esque in the frustration of a character trapped in a cube, having various members of society play games or invade his personal space. The film shows an acute awareness and fear or paranoia about the societal structures surrounding us. It is self-reflexive, like much of Henson's work, his characters are always aware that they do not occupy the real-world, but are in fact, in the case of The Cube, in a Tele-Play. The film is not perfect, and has faults. But in its essence, the themes are strong, and thought provoking. That's the genius of Henson. Even in the later, "fluffy" (on the surface at least) concepts, his ideas and view of the world is there.

With Henson's themes of anti-establishment, and his awareness of the political and social problems in the world, he also perpetuates his ideologies. The Muppets have strong values to communicate to the viewer. Underneath the crazy, satirical, anarchic mannerisms of puppets, is a heart that is so sweet and innocent. Henson appeared like a hippie, the bushy beard and calm exterior. When he proposed the idea for the television series Fraggle Rock (1983 - 1987), he simply said, "We should create a children's show that brings peace to the world". It's a beautiful statement; naive, but to the point. This seems to have been his way. He was creative, and understood the complexities of humanity, but he also had a pure, almost innocent side that strived to communicate a beautiful exploration on the nature of love and community. The Muppets were dysfunctional, but gathered round the driving force of Kermit (i.e. Henson). The signature song of Henson's alter-ego, Kermit, is an incredible song about race and belonging. Bein' Green speaks of Kermit's dismay at being the colour "of so many ordinary things." It is such a simple piece, but incredibly powerful - particularly in the performance Kermit had with Ray Charles.

It was a sad day in May 1990 when I heard the news of Henson's early death (he was only 53). I secretly lamented (I was fourteen and was unwilling to express myself socially). Fortunately, the characters he left behind could exist beyond him. He left behind a legacy, including companies Muppets, Inc and The Jim Henson Creature Workshop. These companies still exist. Like so many other film franchises, The Walt Disney Company owns the rights to the Muppet characters, but in 2011 the new Muppet film, The Muppets, showed that the generation that grew up with them, were willing and able to continue the characters with a similar sense of humour as their creator, certainly the film was more successful than some of the appalling films produced in the 1990's. The child inside me continues to be endeared by the Muppets, still enjoy the beauty and imagination of The Dark Crystal, and wished he'd tried to become a puppeteer. As Henson has said about his early career, he thought that using puppets in TV would combine his great loves in life which was film , television and art. The technical achievements are great, but absolute to this is the creativity and character, but also the sweetness and optimism of the work. So I'll end as The Muppet Movie did, with a song. Kermit: "Life's like a movie, write your own ending. Keep Believing. Keep pretending. We done just what we set out to do. Thanks to the lovers, the dreamers, and you."

Marc Ivamy