Jim Henson Died 22 Years Ago Today

Today is the anniversary of Jim Henson’s death. As odd as it sounds, its one of those childhood events that I still remember very clearly. I came home from the second grade and my mother told me; the news devastated me. To this day, I still find it upsetting. For today’s post, I’m going to share some interesting things about Henson and his legacy.

1. One of the most interesting parts of Henson’s legacy is the “Red Book”, a journal that he recorded single-line entries about his life from 1965 through 1988. The Jim Henson Company regularly shares entries that give a glimpse into that area where his personal and professional life intersected.
2. The Walt Disney Company announced on February 17, 2004 that it was buying the Muppets from JHC, but did you know that in the early 1980s there were reports that Henson was investigating purchasing WDC? I’ve read several mentions of this in books about Disney. It’s amazing to consider what direction that company would have went under Henson’s control.
3. Kermit may be synonymous with the Muppets, but it was actually Rowlf the Dog who was the first Muppet, debuting on the September 19, 1963 episode of the Jimmy Dean Show.
4. Henson made several training films/videos for companies over the years. Cookie Monster debuted in this clip that was made specifically for an IBM presentation.
5. Have you ever wondered what kind of stationary Jim Henson used? Letterheady has collected the various letterheads that Henson used over the years.
6. The television show Dinosaurs came from an idea that Henson had worked on and off over the years.

New York Comic Con 2011 Sketch Book: Uncle Travelling Matt by Katie Cook

One of the best parts of going to any comic comic book show is the chance to get sketches or original art. I was lucky to get this awesome picture of Uncle Travelling Matt from Fraggle Rock at the New York Comic Con 2011!

It’s by Katie Cook, who we’ve mentioned before. I thought it was awesome that she had this for sale in her portfolio, since we all know I’ve been on a bit of an Uncle Travelling Matt kick now and again.

Matt’s sitting down–excitably–to a pizza. Under normal situations, I’d be happy for pizza. I would be doubley excited to see him hanging around a pizza parlor.

What kind of soda do you think he’s drinking? I think I would assume that he would be a big drinker of ginger ale. It fits his character very well.

I don’t remember him eating pizza on the show, but this clip does the trick. He’s so right about barbecue gender politics, with the ladies on one side and dudes on the other.