Jim Henson gained global recognition as the creator of The Muppets, an ensemble of puppet characters known for their musical and slapstick brand of comedy. A pioneering artist and performer, Henson directed films like 1982’s “The Dark Crystal” and the 1986 David Bowie-starrer “Labyrinth.” Henson is also known for creating “The Muppet Show” and “Fraggle Rock,” while his puppet characters have been featured in “Sesame Street.”
Henson’s contribution to television alone is substantial. He created the short-form comedy series, “Sam and Friends,” (which featured an early version of Kermit the Frog) and went on to co-found Muppets, Inc. (now renamed The Jim Henson Company). Henson contributed to early episodes of the still-ongoing “Saturday Night Live,” and over the years, won three Emmys for projects including “The Muppet Show” and “The Jim Henson Hour.”
Henson brought infectious optimism to his work, along with a sense of inclusivity that can still be felt, which is why he is today’s Quote of the Day.
Quote of the Day by Jim Henson
“Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It’s a good life, enjoy it.”
The above quote is from one of two letters Henson wrote to his family prior to his death on May 16, 1990 (via Letters of Note). Addressed specifically to his children, the letter urges them to take care of one another and hold no grudges. Henson also maintains that life is meant to be enjoyed in spite of setbacks.
“Life is meant to be fun, and joyous, and fulfilling,” Henson wrote. “May each of yours be that—having each of you as a child of mine has certainly been one of the good things in my life.” This deeply personal letter also reminds them of the “eternal, bottomless love” Henson has for them, which would remain “total and all-encompassing” even in his absence.
Deeper meaning of Jim Henson’s quote — enjoy the richness that life has to offer
The full context of Henson’s quote is heartbreaking, as it opens with the acknowledgement of his death. “First of all, don’t feel bad that I’m gone,” the letter states, with Henson saying how much he will miss spending time with his kids. “To each of you I send my love. If on this side of life I’m able to watch over and help you out, know that I will,” Henson continued.
Henson’s characteristic optimism carries over to what could’ve been a rather somber goodbye, but the acclaimed artist takes this opportunity to urge his kids to experience the fullness that life has to offer.
The letter addressed to his friends and family also contains similarly encouraging words. “Have a wonderful time in life, everybody; it feels strange writing this kind of thing while I’m still alive, but it wouldn’t be easy to do after I go,” Henson wrote, while putting in some requests about the kind of service he would want after he’s gone.
More quotes from Jim Henson
- “Yeah, so you know that my feeling about puppetry relates to stylization, simplicity, boiling down to — it’s a wonderful form, and I really love it — but with ‘Dark Crystal,’ instead of puppetry we’re trying to go toward a sense of realism — toward a reality of creatures that are actually alive, and we’re mixing up puppetry and all kinds of other techniques. It’s in the same bag as E.T. and Yoda, wherein you’re trying to create something that people will actually believe, but it’s not so much a symbol of the thing; you’re trying to do the thing itself.” — from a 1982 interview with Judy Harris
- “[On his SNL puppets] I don’t have any strong desire to bring them back to life. I like the characters physically; I like them very much but, as I say, I felt the thing never really jelled. When ‘The Muppet Show’ ended, we all sat around and said, ‘What kind of television show would we like to do?’ We felt the need these days are for some quality children’s programming … We thought it would be fun to try to design a show that would work well internationally and so that’s what we’re intending to do with ‘Fraggle Rock,’ and we are indeed now selling it around the world.” — from an interview with Muppet Central
- “The most sophisticated people I know—inside they’re all children. We never really lose a certain sense we had when we were kids.” — from Disney’s 2013 retrospective on Jim Henson
