Muppet Love

Over the past few weeks there have been numerous articles online about The Muppets and their creator, Jim Henson. As a huge Muppets and Henson fan, this makes me super excited, with each article or blog post reminding me why I have so much love for Henson and his merry, furry band of puppets. One thing in particular that I have enjoyed is all the photos of Henson at work. Here are a few of my favorites.

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Fraggle Rock is one of my all-time favorites shows. I was so in love with the Fraggles, I wanted to be one. Red, to be exact. Oh, how I longed for a Fraggle tail and Fraggle pigtails, and Fraggle pebbles and Fraggle everything, basically. So naturally I love this photo of Henson with The Fraggles. Let the music play...

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One thing that I love about The Muppets is how real they are, and not just because they reside in the physical realm, unlike say, a CGI Nemo or Buzz Lightyear. Their lively personalities make it to forget they are essentially felt puppets, and this is a testament to the talent of the puppeteers and artists behind them. What I love about this picture is that Bert and Ernie feel separate from their puppeteers and yet still extensions of them. And I forgot how physical puppeteering could be! Frank Oz, Jim, and the other puppeteer are all arms and squished together, so much so that the third guy is (hilariously) right in Henson's armpit. That's dedication.

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There's something about this photo that feels very intimate, as if the viewer is sneaking a peak at a quiet moment between Bert and Jim. What is Bert telling Jim that has his undivided attention? Could it be about the elegance of the pigeon? But just as you're contemplating the conversation, you remember Bert is a Muppet, and the image becomes an intimate glimpse of the artist engrossed with his work. And I just love the composition of this photo: the black and white, the full profile view of Henson with his legs pulled up and Bert on his arm, how the lighting creates an outline or a merge suggestion of Bert and Henson, the framing from the window behind them. Really beautiful.