University Libraries Digital Collections

Jim Henson at UM

Jim Henson’s legacy is one of imagination and creativity. Many remember him for creative works for television, such as Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and The Muppets. In 1954, Henson entered the University of Maryland as a major in studio art. His earliest endeavors into television were immediately before and during his time as an undergraduate. While a student in a puppetry class, he met fellow UM student Jane Nebel, an early partner in his television shows, who would later become his wife.

Following a short-lived morning puppet show on a local Washington station, he was hired in 1955 by WRC-TV to create a nightly five-minute puppet show, Sam and Friends and earned his first Emmy in 1958 – two years before his graduation. For Sam and Friends, Henson would introduce an early Kermit as a lizard-like creature. Henson would also begin to hone and develop innovative puppetry skills that would affect the way puppetry would be performed for television and films.

The Jim Henson Collection includes viewing copies of important Henson works, such as compilations of early works including commercials and Sam and Friends segments, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and the Muppet Babies, as well as other numerous television specials. The collection is accessible through an online digital project known as The Jim Henson Works at the University of Maryland.

His legacy of imagination, humor, and creativity is a gift to both young and old alike. In Jim Henson’s own words, “I believe in taking a positive attitude toward the world, toward people, and toward my work. I think I’m here for a purpose. I think it’s likely that we all are, but I’m only sure about myself.”