| 1955–61 |
Sam and Friends WRC-TV, Washington
Five minutes long, twice a night, done live. The first Kermit. I've only seen a few old clips at a puppetry festival. Still hunting. |
| 1963–66 |
The Jimmy Dean Show ABC
Rowlf the dog at the piano, trading jokes with Jimmy Dean every week. He was the first Muppet to be a regular on network TV. My favorite. Of course. |
| 1969– |
Sesame Street public television (o)(o)
Premiered November 10, 1969, and it's still on. Jim did Kermit and Ernie. Frank Oz did Bert, Grover and Cookie Monster. Caroll Spinney did Big Bird and Oscar. I learned to count from the Count, and so did you. |
| 1976–81 |
The Muppet Show made in England, syndicated here (o)(o)
The American networks passed on it, so Jim made it in England, and it ended up being seen all over the world. Five seasons, a famous guest star every week, and the most backstage chaos ever put on TV. See the cast list below. |
| 1979 |
The Muppet Movie (o)(o)
Kermit leaves the swamp for Hollywood and picks up the whole gang on the way. Early on he sits on a log with his banjo and sings "Rainbow Connection," which was nominated for an Oscar. Also, a frog rides a bicycle. How did they DO that? |
| 1981 |
The Great Muppet Caper (o)
Jim directed this one. Kermit and Fozzie as reporters, and the running gag is that they're identical twins. A frog and a bear. Miss Piggy's big water ballet. |
| 1982 |
The Dark Crystal (o)(o)
Directed by Jim and Frank Oz. No Muppets at all, and not one human being on screen. A whole world of creatures, the gentle Mystics and the awful Skeksis, and two Gelflings trying to heal the crystal. It scared me to death when I was eight. I watch it every year now. |
| 1983–87 |
Fraggle Rock HBO (o)(o)
Gobo, Mokey, Red, Wembley and Boober, the tiny construction-worker Doozers, and the giant Gorgs. Underneath all the songs it was about getting along with people who aren't like you. We didn't have HBO. My cousins did. I spent a LOT of time at my cousins'. |
| 1984 |
The Muppets Take Manhattan (o)
The gang tries to get their show on Broadway. Directed by Frank Oz. It's also where the Muppet Babies first showed up, in a daydream of Piggy's, and they got their own Saturday morning cartoon that fall. |
| 1986 |
Labyrinth (o)
Jim directed. Jennifer Connelly has to get her baby brother back from David Bowie, the Goblin King, in thirteen hours. (The baby's name is Toby. I have heard every joke there is.) Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus. The movie didn't do well when it came out, but everybody I know has worn out the tape. |
| 1987–88 |
The Storyteller (o)(o)
John Hurt by a fire, with a talking dog, telling old European folk tales. Dark and beautiful. It won an Emmy. Hardly anybody saw it. If you ever get the chance, take it. |
| 1989 |
The Jim Henson Hour NBC (o)
Jim himself as the host, mixing Muppet stuff and stories. Only lasted a few months. I taped every one and I still have them. |
| 1990 |
Muppet*Vision 3D
The 3-D movie at the Disney-MGM Studios park in Florida, one of the last things Jim worked on. It opened the year after he died. I finally got to see it on our family trip in 1996 and I ducked about six times, and I'm not ashamed. |
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