The Jim Henson Museum

The rainbow connection is here.

The Skirball Cultural Center has announced the June 1 opening of The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited, a dynamic new visitor experience exploring the legacy of Jim Henson (1936–1990). 

Featuring more than 100 objects drawn from the beloved worlds of Sesame Street, The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and much more, the traveling exhibition highlights Henson’s groundbreaking work for film and television and his transformative impact on popular culture. It reveals how Henson—together with his team of builders, performers, and writers—created an unparalleled body of work that continues to delight and inspire people of all ages.

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited begins with a brief look at Henson’s early life through images of Henson as a young man and reproductions of some of his early drawings and sketches. It then follows the steady rise of his career—from early works and experiments to the famed worldwide brands of Sesame Street, The Muppets, and beyond. 

Highlights include:

Kermit the Frog puppet from 1978

Handwritten scripts from Henson’s first television series, Sam and Friends (1955–1961)

A clip from Henson’s Academy Award–nominated experimental short film Time Piece (1965)

Puppets from Sesame Street (1969– ), including Grover, Ernie and Bert, and Count von Count

Section on The Muppet Show (1976–1981), including puppets of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, and Scooter, as well as material from the Muppets’ transition to the big screen, such as set models and storyboards

Jen and Kira puppets from The Dark Crystal (1982)

Red Fraggle from Fraggle Rock (1983–1987), which celebrates its thirty-fifth anniversary this year

Jareth’s and Sarah’s ballroom costumes from Labyrinth (1986)

Weirdly there is no mention of the muppets from Saturday Night Live. (Look it up)

Jim Henson and the muppets...we ❤️you!!!