AmericaJR’s Gloria and Jerome Rzucidlo recently visited The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation to check out the new “The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited.” Throughout a singular career spanning four decades, Jim Henson created iconic puppet characters and stories for film and television that left an indelible mark on popular culture. With his gently subversive humor, restless curiosity, and innovative approach to puppetry, Henson built the Muppets into an enduring international brand, contributed beloved puppet characters to Sesame Street, and made movies that applied his vivid imagination to stories for the big screen. This exhibition explores Henson’s unique contributions to the moving image, and how he and a talented team of designers, performers, and writers created an unparalleled body of work that continues to delight and inspire people of all ages.
Wriggling Brothers circus set and worn puppets, 1996 
Grover puppet, early 1970s 
Count von Count puppet, early 1970s 
Beaker puppet, 1977 and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew puppet, 1976 
Page from proposal for The Muppet Show (1976-1981) 
Scooter puppet, 1975 
Jim Henson on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” Sept. 14, 1976 
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) comic book 
Poster for The Muppet Movie (1979) 
The Jim Henson, “Secrets of the Muppets” 1989 
Dolls from Sarah’s room in Labyrinth (1986) 
Poster for Labyrinth (1986) 
Red Fraggle puppet, 1983 and Wembley Fraggle puppet, 1983 
Kira puppet, 1981 and Jen puppet, 1981 
Props from “The Dark Crystal” (1982) 
“Waldo” puppet control mechanisms, 1990 
The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited is free for members or included with museum admission. For more info, go to https://www.thehenryford.org/current-events/calendar/the-jim-henson-exhibition-imagination-unlimited