Henson and friends (www.arcadovelho.com.br/ Mupts/Muppets.htm)

Jim Henson, recognized as the most profound puppeteer known to man, began his life on September 24, 1936, in a small town called Greenville in Mississippi. From there, his father took a job in Washington, D.C., allowing the whole family to move to the suburbs in Maryland. It was here in Maryland where Henson realized his fate.

After catching word of some much needed help at the local television station as a puppeteer, Henson gathered together his handmade puppet (Pierre the French Rat) in hopes of receiving the job. And just like that, he was hired.

The job didn't last long, but within a few months, Henson was back on TV, puppeteering for another station, the local NBC affiliate. Working for NBC allowed Henson to have his own five-minute program, airing two times a day, called Sam and Friends. While still in college at the University of Maryland where he studied art and theater design, Henson produced Sam and Friends for six years. It was here on Sam and Friends where a certain lovable green frog was born. This green piece of stitched cloth, of course, was named Kermit the Frog.

Jim and Kermit (umterps.collegesports.com/.../ md-school-bio.html)

The beauty of the Muppets, on both Sesame Street and their own show, was that they were sweet, but not to “unrealistic." They were sly-witted, but had a lovable quality about them. They had Bert and Ernie argue over every little thing possible, Miss Piggy behaving improperly, trying to woo her “apparent” boyfriend, Kermit, and Kermit being somewhat “put-out” and depressed because of the color of his skin. But by adding just enough bitterness to their overall “sugar-coated” spirit, Henson was able to create a kind of innocence that was understandable to our modern imagination.

Those who worked for/with Henson say he literally never raised his voice. Frank Oz, the puppeteer behind Bert, Miss Piggy and many others, was Henson's partner for 27 years. "Jim was not perfect," he says. "But I'll tell you something…he was as close to how you're supposed to behave toward other people as anyone I've ever known."

Jim Henson statue (www.umd.edu/features/ hensonhonored.html)

Sadly, in 1990, Henson died after catching an extremely aggressive form of pneumonia. He was only 53. But the creations that Henson “brought to life” touched all of our souls in a pleasurable way, leaving his legacy to carry on in our hearts and his characters for generations to come. This, my friend, is what ultimately qualifies Henson as a hero.