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the birth of Jim
• Jim Henson was born James Maury Henson on September 24, 1936, in Greenville, Mississippi -
Jim Henson got a show
By his freshman year at the University of Maryland, in 1955, Henson had scored a bi-weekly bit on a local NBC affiliate, Sam and Friends. -
Jim henson got his first award
Sam and friends scored a local Emmy Award in 1958 -
the start of his first company
jim henson founded the jim henson company -
rowlf got some exposure
The first Muppet to gain national exposure, Rowlf the Dog, he went from making appearances in Purina commercials to playing a sidekick on The Jimmy Dean Show in 1963 -
Jim henson began creating films
Henson began experimenting with short films, including 1965's Academy Award-nominated Time Piece -
Sesame street was born
in 1969, Henson teamed up with Children’s Television Workshop to produce the now-classic children's show on PBS, Sesame Street -
The Muppet Show was born
Henson's even bigger claim to TV fame came in the 1970s, with the debut of The Muppet Show. Surprisingly, Henson had a challenging time getting the show financed in the United States, but eventually found the support needed with London-based TV producer Lord Lew Grade. -
the rest of the muppets were created
In 1975, at Grade's ATV Studios, Henson and his crew created Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal, Gonzo, Scooter and the rest of The Muppet Show ensemble -
quotes by Jim Henson
"When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better for having been there." "My hope still is to leave the world a bit better than when I got here" -
the muppet show premeires
The hit series, with Kermit as the host, premiered in 1976. -
Jim Henson was still creating
The Muppet Show also led to feature films for Henson, including The Muppet Movie in 1979, and an animated TV spin-off, Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies, that garnered four consecutive Emmys (outstanding animated program). -
Jim Henson moves on from the muppets
Henson didn’t limit his TV puppetry to his original Muppets. In the 1980s, he developed the TV series Fraggle Rock, The Jim Henson Hour and Jim Henson's The Storyteller -
Jim Henson started making movies
Mr. Henson started making movies, including 1982’s The Dark Crystal, a groundbreaking film mixing puppetry and animatronics, and 1986’s Labyrinth, which was produced by George Lucas and starred David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly -
Jim Henson passed away
on May 16, 1990, following a brief and unexpected bout of streptococcus pneumonia, Henson died at the age of 53. His moving yet celebratory funeral included a musical puppet performance. Big Bird himself walked in to pay his respect and sing, "It’s Not Easy Being Green."
