On May 16, 1990, the world lost an absolute legend.
James Maury Henson was a man who legitimately made the world a better place through his positivity, innovation, imagination, and sense of humor. A visionary entertainer, and a warm, kind human to match.
Starting in the 50s, and continuing on for decades, he -- along with his family and colleagues he recruited along the way -- mastered puppetry, and used it to create a legion of iconic characters that remain popular to this very day. The Muppets, I believe you could argue with a straight face, may be the most successful entertainment troupe of modern history, having delighted multiple generations, educated millions of children, amused just as many adults, and achieved a level of notoriety that makes something like Kermit the Frog almost feel like an actual, living, breathing celebrity.
Over the life of Jim Henson, there was also a real genuineness to the Muppets. A sense that humor did not need to be something you tried to hard to achieve, nor did it have to be edgy, it just had to be sincere. And also squeezing your fist with a face wrapped around it was just a funny look all on its own. Sesame Street and The Muppet Show -- among other things -- have been described as attempting to change the world through storytelling, and they did it with more heart than almost any other famous brand could ever show.
The Muppet Show brought honest, timeless humor in a variety show format that managed somehow to not be cheesy. Sesame Street educated generations of children, while also keeping their parents from being bored. Kermit the Frog is not far from a sock puppet with ping pong ball eyes, and yet shows more emotion and character than most actors. His Creature Shop has created iconic characters for tons of popular works of fiction, from Star Wars to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Darker films like Labyrinth have a cult following that are absolutely to be reckoned with. Fraggle Rock had a catchy theme song, but as the first HBO original series, it had goals no less lofty than literally trying to create world piece through story telling. This is the work of a genius, but was all done with kindness and compassion for the people around him, a collaborative and trusting work leadership ethos, and a real interest in doing good while being funny.
In the book Jim Henson: The Works, The Art, The Magic, The Imagination, the man himself said:
At some point in my life I decided, rightly or wrongly, that there are many situations in this life that I can't do much about—acts of terrorism, feelings of nationalistic prejudice, cold war, etc.—so what I should do is concentrate on the situations that my energy can affect ... I believe that we can use television and film to be an influence for good; that we can help to shape the thoughts of children and adults in a positive way. As it has turned out, I'm very proud of some of the work we've done, and I think we can do many more good things.
A more positive figure in popular entertainment may have never existed.
You probably know where I'm going with this.
When Jim contracted a bacterial infection in his lungs, he was more concerned with not being a burden to his estranged wife than going to the hospital for medicine. That -- even misguided -- concern for another's comfort even in the face of death cost us one of the greats of television and film at an age when he still had so much to create. Jim would only be 85 today! Certainly an advanced age, but what magic could he have created if we were just now, more than three decades later, talking about him being old, rather than having gone too soon.
That loss had massive ramifications -- and personally was the first celebrity death I can remember knowing and caring about -- and one such was immediately making a soon-to-open attraction in a young theme park far more significant than it was intended to be.
In 1990, Jim directed his last film, a 3D show meant for Disney-MGM Studios. It featured the extreme wit, and impossible absurdity of The Muppet Show, condensed into a theme park show. It utilized 3D -- constantly lamp shaded by the Muppets on screen -- coupled with elements like water spray, bubbles, and fans to enhance the effects.
All the stars were there. Kermit hosted. Miss Piggy sang an unpleasant number. Statler and Waldorf -- in theater as Audio Animatronics, along with a penguin orchestra -- mocked the show. The Swedish Chef manned the projector. Sam took things too seriously. Sweetums actually came into the theater. It was hilarious, it was iconic, and it was also a really neat way of using 3D gimmicks while simultaneously making fun of 3D gimmicks. Even the pre-show -- just a time-filler while you wait for the previous show to run -- is an attraction in its own right, and remains one of the funniest things anywhere in a Disney park.
And it opened one year to the day after we lost Jim Henson. To be absolutely clear, Muppet*Vision is an incredibly entertaining attraction on its own. It's impossibly quotable, charming, hilarious, and probably the best 3D show on property as is, featuring an incredible stable of characters. It would be on this list even if Jim was still occasionally showing up at the Oscars and delivering a trophy as Kermit. I speak of it in past terms, but it remains open today, and still one of the best attractions in a park that has added a lot of great attractions in the past 30 years.
However, the show's importance came from being surrounded by unfortunate tragedy. Muppet*Vision represents the last work of a beloved genius. It was the final release of Jim performing the voice for Swedish Chef (probably my favorite) and, more importantly, Kermit the Frog. This is the last time you got to see Jim Henson hosting something as his legendary friend and mascot, and you get to still see it any day of the week. In full disclosure, I'm writing these words and it's hitting me more than ever: this attraction cannot ever close.
In a 2017 TIME Magazine article titled Why Heroes Matter, Brad Metzler said, "when I was five years old, [Jim Henson] taught me that you could use creativity to entertain people—and also to bring out the good in them. I still owe him for that."
Jim, thank you for so many things. For some of my favorite characters. For feeling like a friend I'd never met any time I saw you on TV. For a timeless variety show long before I was born that still holds up. For a cartoon that made my afternoons as a child. For the best song to ride Rip Ride Rock It to. For inspiring Frank Oz. For a street in New York that taught all of us everything. For The Dark Crystal and the Thought Lion and John Henson and eyes made out of ping pong balls and unintelligible cooking shows and Waldorf and a cool beard and so much else that has brought us so much happiness.
And on that list of things, Thank you for Muppet*Vision 3D, the absolute pinnacle of theme park comedy.
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