Bert, Ernie and Jim Henson come to LASM

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By Jason Andreasen

For millions of people, yours truly included, there are few fictional characters that made as huge an impact on their lives as did the likes of Big Bird, Kermit the Frog and the rest of the creatures that came from the colorful and compassionate mind of Jim Henson.

Can you imagine what the world might be like if there had been no “Fraggle Rock”? If there had been no “Sesame Street,” would we all not know that we are supposed to laugh maniacally after we count to four? You do that too, right?

Starting on Saturday, Mar. 29, you can walk into the Louisiana Art & Science Museum on River Road and relive your youth, assuming your parents loved you enough to expose you to Henson’s creations. A traveling exhibition from The Smithsonian, Jim Henson’s Fantastic World is a look into the revolutionary and culturally important work of the famous puppeteer.

“The exhibition highlights the creative legacy he left behind and shows how much he valued imagination,” said Jesse Hoggard, marketing director for LASM. “One thing I love about it is that the subject matter spans so many different age ranges. You’ve got grandparents who introduced their kids to ‘Sesame Street.’ From three years old on up, they’ll find something that means something to them.”

The exhibit will feature over 130 of Henson’s works, including puppets, illustrated storyboards, movie props and photos of him and his collaborators at work. While Henson’s life was cut short at the age of 64, his legacy has ensured that his name will be remembered for generations to come.

With works like the 1986 masterpiece, “Labyrinth” (which starred David Bowie), and of course “Sesame Street,” Henson touched the lives of countless men, women and children and continues to do so almost 20 years after his passing.

Part of the fun of the exhibit is in the trivia that accompanies the familiar figures. For example, Kermit the Frog was originally made out of two halves of a ping pong ball and Henson’s mother’s spring coat. Henson also was noted as saying that Kermit was the most like him of any of his creations.

“Sesame Street,” which has earned over 100 Emmy nominations, was created in 1968 in conjunction with the Children’s Television Workshop based on research that preschool children were fascinated by advertising. Thus, the colorful and imaginative characters of the urban setting were shown in ad-like vignettes, but instead of selling toys or cars, they were selling letters and numbers.

“Henson actually got his start in advertising,” said Hoggard. “What’s neat about this exhibit is that you can look at an original storyboard for a commercial, look at an original line drawing for the puppets that were in that commercial and then watch the actual commercial. You can actually see the evolution of the character and his ideas.”

“He actually did some work for Community Coffee, and those storyboards are in the exhibit, so there’s definitely a Baton Rouge tie-in,” said Hoggard.

While LASM is the third stop on the Henson exhibit’s tour before debuting at The Smithsonian, the Baton Rouge museum is the first to offer iPod tours. They can be rented from the Admissions Desk for $3.

“It has interviews from the Henson Company archivist, family members and colleagues,” said Hoggard.

There will also be a special Exhibition Preview and Reception to be held on Thursday, Mar. 27 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The preview event will run LASM members $10 and non-members $15. It will feature special guests representing the Henson family, the Jim Henson Legacy and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Also, on April 6, at 2:15 p.m., former Henson colleague Larry Jameson will give an anecdotal tour of the exhibit.

If you’d like to find out more about the Jim Henson’s Fantastic World exhibition, visit LASM.org or call (225) 344-5272. The exhibit will run until June 22.

E-mail the author at JasonAndreasen@tigerweekly.com

Originally Published: Issue 601 - March 26, 2008

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