Muppet magic makes the world a better place
The Jim Henson Company has made us smile for 70 years and his creations are celebrated in an exclusive exhibition now showing at GOMA in Brisbane.
He’s small and he’s green and he makes me smile. His name is Kermit. He’s a frog. You may remember him. He’s my favourite Muppet and he has an important place in the Jim Henson universe.
And, of course, he features in the exhibition Make, Believe, Magic: The World of The Jim Henson Company, which is now showing exclusively at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), an exhibition that is part of this year’s Brisbane Festival and one that celebrates the 70-year legacy of the Jim Henson Company’s characters and worlds.
Kermit the Frog was created in 1955 and originally performed by Jim Henson himself. He’s an anthropomorphic green frog, the pragmatic everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably as the host of the television series The Muppet Show. He had a featured role on Sesame Street.
Kermit has appeared in other television series, feature films, specials and public service announcements through the years and also served as a mascot of The Jim Henson Company. He appeared in various Henson projects until 2004 when his character was acquired by The Walt Disney Company.
Kermit performed the hit singles It’s not easy Bein’ Green in 1970 for Sesame Street and Rainbow Connection in 1979 for The Muppet Movie. Sit yourself down in front of this little banjo plucking green frog and watch the Rainbow Connection film clip in the exhibition (and below). It will brighten your day. Miss Piggy makes a special appearance.
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Sometimes when I’m asked how I’m feeling, if it’s not such a great day I will answer, “It’s not easy being green”, which just goes to show that Kermit has permeated my consciousness.
So have The Muppets when it comes to that. Here’s an example. I was in Moscow in 2019 on assignment to interview the Bolshoi Ballet. No really, I was. After a lunchtime performance of the ballet Spartacus the theatre emptied, and I was taken out onto the empty stage to view the ornate theatre from that vantage point. I looked out and said the first thing that came to mind: “It’s just like the Muppet Theatre!” I got some puzzled looks, but there you have it.
As QAGOMA director Chris Saines says, “the genius of The Jim Henson Company transcends age, culture and geography, and this exhibition will captivate audiences with moment after moment that taps into the enduring affection that its creations have earned with generations of audiences.”
He got that right. The morning I walked through the exhibition the gallery was packed with everyone from toddlers to older folk (not me!). I was amused to see a two-year-old running around shouting “Cookie Monster!” The legend lives, obviously.
Visitors can see famous friends built by the company, like Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Mr Snuffelupagus, Bert and Ernie, the aforementioned Cookie Monster and Elmo. Then wander down to the company production Fraggle Rock with Gobo, Red, Mokey, Wembley and Boober; before entering the fantasy realms of the Goblin King (Labyrinth), Dominar Rygel XVI (Farscape); and the Gelfling and Skeksis (The Dark Crystal).
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I stopped for a while to watch some footage of David Bowie singing as the Goblin King in Labyrinth. Amazing stuff.
And to walk among the sets from Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock is quite the experience. They shipped the whole set here.
Across three awe-inspiring chapters spanning the entire ground floor of GOMA, Make, Believe, Magic takes visitors on a journey through pivotal moments that have defined The Jim Henson Company’s evolution as it transformed the art of puppetry.
It’s fascinating to see early drawings and other material showing the evolution of the company and its creations. And to stand in front of Big Bird and Mr Snuffelupagus is awe inspiring. And the Dark Crystral exhibit is stunning.
Curator Amanda Slack-Smith has done a brilliant job, and the exhibition features more than 500 objects including handcrafted puppets, animatronic creatures, large scale sets, iconic props, costumes, those original drawings, film clips (there’s also an accompanying film program) and digital puppetry.
To say Jim Henson was a genius is an understatement. Sadly, he died young but his family and the company he founded has kept his magical world going. And what a wonderful world it is – a world that puts a smile on your dial.
Be careful when you get to the end, though, because they have a killer gift shop, which is bound to do a roaring trade. I’m thinking of going back and getting myself one of those Labyrinth T-shirts featuring David Bowie. Why not?
Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company continues on show at GOMA until April 18, 2027. Timed entry tickets $22 to $42.
qagoma.qld.gov.au/exhibition/make-believe-magic-the-worlds-of-the-jim-henson-company
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