"Take what you've got and fly with it."

Great advice from the late, great Jim Henson, the man behind The Muppets.

Jim Henson on Making Muppets 1969
In this clip from 1969, made before Sesame Street revolutionized children's television with its premiere on November 10, 1969, Henson shows some of simple ways that puppets can be made from ordinary objects.



The following clip, featuring Henson, Frank Oz, and Michael Frith, is a 10-minute master class in the art of puppetry. Henson demonstrates how he breathes life into Kermit the Frog.




Frank Oz at work
Get a good under-the-desk look at the use of technology and the challenges of bringing the Muppets to life. Frank Oz was Miss Piggy to Henson's Kermit, Bert to Henson's Ernie.




My Life as a Furry Red Monster
Author and puppeteer Kevin Clash discusses his book, My Life as a Furry Red Monster, on Elmo's book talk.




The Muppets: A Tribute To Jim Henson (1990)
The Muppets remember Jim Henson, thanks to the gentle support and reassurance of Kermit the Frog.




"Just One Person" X 2
How moving to see all of the faces behind the Muppets. The company sings at Henson's Memorial Service at St. John the Divine, held on May 21, 1990 in New York City.




At the memorial service, Richard Hunt, the puppeteer who brought Scooter, Beaker, Janice, Placido Flamingo and a host of other characters to life, shared Jim Henson's last words.

"Please watch out for each other. Love everyone, and forgive everyone, including yourself. Forgive your anger, forgive your guilt, your shame, your sadness. Embrace and open up your love, your joy, your truth, and, most especially, your heart. Let us all have mercy on each and every one of us. And every day, we will open up like a cocoon and turn into beautiful butterflies... and live this moment... and the next... and the next... and the next."




Hunt, who passed away two years after Henson's death, is celebrated in this panel from the AIDS memorial quilt from the NAMES project, created by his friends in The Muppet Workshop.