Part of J.D.’s Jim Henson Birthday Series
2020 – 2021 – 2022 – 2023 – 2024
That’s right, losers. Jim Henson is over.
There’s a new Jim Henson in town. And his name is Jim Henson.
Every September, I write an article to celebrate the birthday of one Jim Henson, the man who started it all. Or so I thought! We now know that the Jim Henson we thought we knew was a lie. Who knew?
Ron Howard did.
His documentary Jim Henson Idea Man recently won a whole bunch of Emmy awards, and it would have been eligible for Oscars too if people on the internet who are wrong about how Oscars work were right about how Oscars work.
More importantly, much like the college classes that turned me into a dang hippy, Ron Howard gave us new information that has completely reformed my understanding of history. Or at least of Jim Henson’s history, which is the important bit. If only someone would list the key takeaways that define our new and improved Jim Henson?
Anyway, here’s the part where I do the thing the article is for:
#1 The Most Important Thing About Jim Is That He Was a Man Who Had Ideas
Anybody could be the performer of Kermit the Frog. Anybody. Puppetry is easy. Dead people can do it. But NOBODY has or ever had or ever will have creative ideas like Jim Henson did.
Jim Henson had the idea to make puppets for television! (Never mind that he needed help from others to do it well.) Jim Henson had the idea to make Sesame Street! (Never mind that he didn’t.) Jim Henson had the idea to get rid of the proscenium! (Never mind that the word proscenium only exists in documentaries about Jim Henson and has no function in language outside of them.) (I do stuff like this all through the article.)
His directorial prowess, performing abilities, and leadership skills are nothing to me now. Jim was an Idea Man. So I no longer celebrate the things Jim did. I celebrate that Jim thought about doing them.
#2 Jim Henson’s Most Iconic Character Is Limbo, the Organized Mind
Limbo is the face of The Muppets! Literally! After all, why would a documentary produced by a major studio and directed by an acclaimed director open with some off-putting, confusing, and alienating images and sounds unless they’re actually very familiar to audiences?
In case you forgot how prominent Limbo is in Jim’s history, here are a few places where you’ve likely seen that friendly face before:
#3 Jim’s Relationship with Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg Was Perf
If I could, I would kiss Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Eisner on the mouth – nay, in the mouth. That’s how thankful I am for their dedication to Jim.
Famously, Jim anxiously called Joan Ganz Cooney on the phone every day because he was so, so worried about the tremendous peace and tranquility he felt in his heart when he thought about his deal with these trustworthy men of virtue. So, when you sing “Happy Birthday” to Jim this year, throw in a verse or two for Eisner and Katzenberg.
Everything is fine.
#4 Jim Henson’s Life Is Really All About The Cube
Gang, this is a real victory for J.D. Hansel Nation (also known as Hanselvania). I’m doing backflips as we speak. I’m speaking sonnets as we backflip. I’m shouting from the rooftops of the Muppet Talking Houses that I was always right: The Cube is important!
You know, The Cube is easily Jim’s most pessimistic production. That poor guy just can’t get out of the cube! Ron Howard encourages us to see Jim’s many fun ideas as the tiles that made up the walls of his personal prison. He could never escape his work. He could never escape his legacy. He could never escape himself.
Does this mean we have to ditch the image we have of Jim Henson: The Ridiculous Optimist? I say we don’t. We just have to think of it as sad now. Just as Ron brought a dozen of Jim’s friends and loved ones into a room that can only be described as a castle dungeon if it was remodeled by Elon Musk, we must likewise approach Jim’s work as a source of dreary despair. It’s what the boss would have wanted.
#5 Fraggle Rock Can Go Muck & Goo Itself
I now understand that Fraggle Rock doesn’t even deserve a complete sentence from me in this article given how entirely unimportant it
Click here to wish Jim Henson a depressing birthday on the ToughPigs Discord!
by J.D. Hansel – jdhansel@toughpigs.com
