Jim Henson’s Muppets actually began with the Sam and Friends show in 1955 when Henson and his then future wife, Jane Nebel, created the show as a lead-in sketch series for The Tonight Show. During his time on Sam and Friends, Henson founded Muppets, Inc., which would eventually become The Jim Henson Company. They did not want the Muppets to become pigeonholed into children’s entertainment, so in 1975 Henson and his puppeteering partner, Frank Oz, created sketches for the first season of Saturday Night Live and began pitching The Muppet Show. American networks rejected The Muppet Show because they thought it would only appeal to children, however, the show was picked up in the United Kingdom in 1976 and was broadcast in over 100 countries by 1977.
The Gilbert-Sadler Research Collection in JCKL’s Special Collections holds several collectibles and books featuring Jim Henson’s characters including the Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and more. Our copy of The Reader’s Digest Children’s Songbook includes music from The Muppets, such as “The Muppet Show Theme” and “It’s Not Easy Being Green.”
Many of the collection’s Muppet books are illustrated storybooks that were published in the 1980s. Some were inspired by classic tales and history, such as Robin Hood and Kermit & Cleopigtra, while others featured new stories for children, such as The Muppets Go Camping. There is even a Muppet gamebook in the style of a “Choose Your Own Adventure.”
To learn more about Jim Henson and The Muppets check out the display in the first floor Read and Relax area through June. To view Muppet items in our collection, please contact Special Collections using this form.
Post contributed by Liz Riggs.
0 Comments.