Hi-ho! Emily the Human Here
A nostalgic visit to The Jim Henson Exhibition
It was a nostalgic trip down memory lane, or should I say Street, on my visit to The Jim Henson Exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI). Many childhood memories came flooding back as I meandered through the exhibit that traces the history of Henson's work from his first attempts at puppetry to Sesame Street and The Muppets. The exhibit showcases both his business side and his creative spirit with actual puppets, sketches of the Elmo puppet development, Rolf's work in IBM commercials, and fan letters including one from chemists to Beaker.
I loved and still love Sesame Street. I have fond memories of watching the show in the early 80's in our suburban basement rec room with my sister. A video at the exhibit sparked a memory that I hadn't thought about since sitting on that rec room sofa. Following an ongoing segment to teach counting skills, there would be a clip of a baker holding cakes and he falls down a flights of steps. He held the same number of cakes as the number that was being taught.
Kermit, Swedish Chef, Rowlf, Statler & Waldorf... I loved all the Muppets but my favorite was Fozzie. Watching the show as kids, my sister and I used to ask "where's Fozzie?" over and over again to our parents' rapidly diminishing patience. So when I saw there was no Fozzie Muppet at the Henson exhibit I texted my sister and said "where's Fozzie?" and she responded that I should "walka walka" right out of there!
The exhibit ended with a theater showing Muppet Show clips and I reverted to my youth while laughing at a Pigs in Space spoof. It's amazing how the popularity of Jim Henson's work has endured and can still make young and old react with so much positivity. Now I'm off to see if maybe Fozzie has shown up!