I just watched Jim Henson, Idea Man on Disney+. I feel like he needs no introduction, but if don’t know who he is, you can certainly read about him or watch the documentary. To me, Jim Henson has been my Patron Saint and idol since I was a child.
I first experienced Jim’s creations on Sesame Street when I was a little boy. To me at that age, a puppet is indistinguishable from a person. I, like others, anthropomorphize everything; it’s just part of our nature. Bert and Ernie was as real to me as Abbot and Costello. I could not conceive of Big Bird or Snuffleupagusbeing as people inside a costume.
Fun Fact: The word Muppets is a combination of Marionettes and Puppets. I did a similar thing in 2007 by squishing Miniature Urchin (Google Analytics was called Urchin at the time) and calling it Munchkin – this became the JavaScript that Marketo put on every client website.
Jim Henson, to me, is the physical representation of creativity, craftsmanship, and leadership. How can a person be all three of these things at the same time? It is certainly rare that a leader is even just creative. Usually they are sober, professional, analytical types. People like Jim were clearly leaders, but they were creative down to the bone.
The Muppet Show and the Muppet Movie (the first one, the good one) were probably my favorite things in the world until I got to high school. The whole idea of the Muppet Show was brilliant and I loved every second of it. I made sure my kids experienced it growing up too.
One of the best things about them was the music. Here are two of my favorites. The theme song to the Muppets and the best road trip song ever, Movin Right Along.
Jim’s other movies The Dark Crystal and The Labyrinth are classic movies with incredible technical achievements. I loved the way they looked and the way story. It transported me to a new world. Although I could do less with David Bowie’s package in tights. 😳
I think the thing that mesmerized me the most about Jim Henson was that his attention to detail and sense of quality. When he hired someone, he made sure they were great and fit into the culture he created. He didn’t do it for the money. He wanted to create something special. I grew up wanting to achieve that kind of success.
I don’t want to go into too much detail on every thing he made, but suffice to say that Jim is one of my top 5 heroes and inspirations. Do you have a person that you aspire to be? Is there someone who is your “patron saint”? I’d love to know who. Comment below.
Whatya think?