DefunctTV: The Final Jim Henson Hour

Cody get back to work it's the end of the series boss there's no more heads I said work [Music] on May 22nd 1990 nearly 5000 friends family fans and collaborators of the late Jim Henson gathered at the Cathedral Church of st. John the Divine in New York City to celebrate his life it was the first of two memorials to be held for the creator with the second beam planned for London later that summer an organist played the Sesame Street theme and Rainbow Connection as people strolled past photos of Jim and found their way to their seats the service began with the Dirty Dozen brass band marching down the aisle leading the clergy and the choir followed by the memorial speakers and performers and finally Jayne Henson and the five Henson children after a song from the choir and a prayer Richard hunt approached the microphone welcoming the nearly full Cathedral to the two-hour memorial backstage at the Muppet Theater now repurposed into a television studio Fozzy shouted at his fellow Muppets telling them to prepare for the big production number the cast was to put on a tribute for someone although no one was quite sure who it wasn't until scooter burst into the room with a postcard from the group's leader informing them that the production number was for a man named Jim Henson although none of the Muppets could seem to remember who that was through the chaos and confusion one thing was painfully apparent Kermit was missing hello there my name is Jim Henson and I'm a puppeteer I'm called a puppeteer because I work with puppets okay you're gonna love this story greatest story in the world [Music] another Muppet Joe [Music] you [Music] on July 25th 1988 Jim Henson stepped onto the set of his brand-new TV show the Jim Henson hour to film the show's pilot Jim had pitched a very vague program to NBC in which he would host in a variety of things would happen the only comparable to the type of program Jim was describing was the wonderful world of Disney Walt Disney's anthology series that had recently been given a new host Disney CEO Michael Eisner there were many things that Jim had proposed one was led free TV a segment satirizing cable television that developed from an old pitch called inner to each episode of the show was to have a celebrity guest star that would be trapped inside of the television channel surfing from one program parody to another another thing Jim planned for the hour was technology demonstrations were behind the scenes at the Muppet workshop and Creature Shop a format taken directly from Walt Disney presents the show could also feature new Muppet segments and skits finally the Jim Henson hour would showcase episodes of the storyteller which NBC was threatening to cancel due to low ratings the disjointed pitch Jim presented to NBC would have almost certainly never been greenlit with how Henson in the Muppets reputation in the industry it seemed that the team knew this as two minutes of the 12 minute pitch reel for the Jim Henson hour was a montage of all of the things the team had done in the past Jim attempted to organize all of the show's concepts into four different types of episode with each type airing once per month one week would be an episode of the storyteller another an episode of lead free TV another would be Jim's picture book specials such as Emma daughters jug-band Christmas or the tale of the bunny picnic and the fourth week would be left open for anything and everything Jim would come up with even with the ambitious attempted organization the Jim Henson hour was random and NBC's notes would just make it worse instead of the week by week change in programming the Jim Adam vision NBC was asking the Jim combine all of the concepts into a single hour with the first half-hour dedicated to lead free TV skits behind the scenes showcases and celebrity guest stars and a second half dedicated to the storyteller or other specials it would have been simpler if NBC had chosen a single idea but their request for all of the concepts to coexist in a single hour resulted in a puzzle Jim recruited his trusted team to develop the show including writers Jerry Juhl and Jocelyn Stevenson and producer Larry Merkin they set out to put together the puzzle NBC had given them but as jewel would later admit the pieces never really fit less than two years later Jewell approached the microphone at Jim Henson's a memorial the first speaker after Hunt's introduction jewel would tell his favorite Jim story while he was riding on The Muppet Show Jewell and Jim attempted to fix a sketch that wasn't working all centered around a painful pun because I knew that if we lost that joke we'd lose the whole sketch and I'd have to take off my coat and and go back to work and I said Jim is it this central joke that bothers you and he laughed and he said oh no it's a terrible joke but it's worthy of us and that's the way I'll always remember hint Johansen just as a man who was balanced effortlessly and quite elegantly between the sacred and the silly thanks Jim as the Muppets prepared for their tribute number scooter finished reading the postcard from Kermit Kermit asked them to turn to the television to learn more about Jim Henson after seeing his face The Muppets remembered where they had seen him before they then turn back to the monitor where a montage of Henson's works began to play despite the team's anxiety concerning the format and style the show the filming of the pilot to the Jim Henson Tower as was typical with most of Jim sets was fun and warm the team that Jim had built over the past three decades had grown into a family a family of brilliant creative minds even with a questionable concept and format originality of the content was never a concern if anything the Jim Henson hour would create too many new things even excluding the show's second half the first 30 minutes would be given a new cast of Muppet characters most designed by Kirk Thatcher Jim would regularly perform Kermit Linc hogs rob and appear on-screen at the beginning and end of the show kerma would be put in charge of Muppet television a TV station run by the Muppets Dave goals would perform gonzo and a new character digit Muppet televisions robotic technical director Steve Whitmire would perform bean bunny and a new 3d animated character Waldo see graphic created to show off advancements in computer technology Kevin Clash a relatively new addition to the main group of Muppet performers who had recently established the popular Sesame Street Muppet Elmo would perform the new characters Clifford a relaxed sunglass or a muppet and Leon in inappropriate lizard performers jerry nelson fran brill Gord Robertson and others would develop side characters and longtime performers Frank Oz and Richard Hunt would make rare appearances the show's director Peter Harris who Jim had worked with on the Muppet Show suggested that in order to loosen Jim's performance up he be given a side character to interact with the thought lion the impressive lion puppet built for the true episode of the storyteller was chosen the episode began with Jim introducing the program on a virtual set before segue into the Muppet television skits these were chaotic and random cutting between TV programs with the same speed and success of a college improv showcase the pilots Muppet television segment concluded with the cast singing la Bamba the episode was originally supposed to be followed by a storyteller episode the soldier and death but due to shuffling in its schedule it would actually showcase Miss Piggy's Hollywood a new Muppets special starring Miss Piggy the show was a certified mess and it was obvious Jim attempted to ease the minds of network executives explaining he knew there were some issues and was planning to fix them in the following episodes he would continue to shoot the series into the fall of 1988 with his team of puppeteers in May of 1990 that team of puppeteers had gathered again Jerry Nelson and Louise Gould would perform when the river meets the sea the duet the paul williams had wrote over a decade prior for Emma daughters jug-band Christmas and that had been performed by Robin and John Denver in the Muppets and John Denver a Christmas together the song which in the film mourns the passing of Emmett's father took on new meaning as the performer sang the solemn ballad [Music] after their performance a Lilu curtain representing the International puppetry Association unum a-- spoke on jim's contributions to the art thanking him on behalf of all those that practice the craft she was followed by British producer Duncan Kenworthy who remembered Jim furs influence on countries throughout the world and how his work transcended borders the muffets continued to watch themselves in Jim Henson's productions trying to get a better idea of who Jim was Carol Burnett appeared on the screen discussing the family aspect to the Muppets and their performers before introducing another montage of Henson's works on April 14th 1989 the first Jim Henson hour premiered on NBC it would not be the show's pilot but instead an episode titled outer space with guest star Louie Anderson the second half would be an episode of the storyteller the Heartless giant the storyteller segment as with the rest of the series received critical acclaim on the other hand the Muppet television segments were panned by critics while many referred to them as lame or dull some flat-out despised the show's first half deeming it a gross unfunny modernization of the Muppet Show worse the ratings were atrocious and within a few weeks the Jim Henson hour would be one of the least and possibly the least watched show airing in its timeslot while certain episodes such as a May 5th episode featuring a film titled dog city would receive praise from critics the show was slowly forgotten in May NBC decided to pull the show airing the show's ninth episode entitled garbage on July 30th 1989 before canceling the Jim Henson hour the final three completed episodes including a Muppets behind-the-scenes documentary would eventually be aired on various networks and in varying forms in the coming years the failure of the Jim Henson hour was reminiscent of the rejected Muppet show pilot sex and violence both shows humor pacing and characters missed the mark the only difference is that the rejection of sex and violence resulted in Jim creating something far superior in the eyes of the audience but with no one wanting to say no to the Jim Henson hour or Jim Henson its lackluster formatting characters were dragged through multiple episodes experiencing commercial and critical failure in feature films had brought Jim back to television and his love letter to the medium had been rejected just as labyrinth had despite all the high-tech graphics and advanced puppetry the Jim Henson hour was more Jim looking back on things that he had done then looking forward as he always had the worst part in Jim's mind is the he had roped Kermit and friends into the failure showing for the first time since the Muppet shows premiere nearly fifteen years prior that the frog was not invincible all these thoughts went through the mind of the 52 year old creator who had appeared to age rapidly over the past five years his signature dark beard turned gray and he was experiencing a myriad of aches and pains that made performing more difficult the stress of running his company finding funding for his projects dealing with management issues and experiencing the recent failures had become too much Jim's mind was filled with a thousand problems but only one solution he picked up the phone and called Michael Eisner Harry Belafonte who created one of them up it shows most memorable episodes and greatest numbers had remained close dancin after the production often singing Jim's praises now at the memorial Belafonte would say a few words emphasizing the gift Jim gave to the children of the world many have no hope many mothers sin in many places holding their children desperately understanding that they will never be educated they will never have a chance at life as it should be and when they get a chance to see the smile on the faces of their children as they develop the appetite to learn because they are watching Sesame Street when they have developed the appetite to love in a loveless place because they have seen how friendly the Muppets and the creatures are to one another when they find their own humanity and the humanity of these creations then you look understood a real gift Jim Henson and his colleagues Belafonte then sang the song B he had performed on the Muppet Show all the way back in 1978 in honor of Jim's vision of hope and unity as he sang the audience waved arm rods with butterflies on the end created by the Muppet Workshop and passed out to those in attendance this results in a passionate and powerful number showcasing Jim's optimistic view of the world and humanity in the Muppet Theater Fozzie still didn't feel like he knew Jim well enough to do the tribute luckily Clifford found a biography on Jim and the Muppets gathered to watch a short retrospective on Jim's early creative works in the spring of 1989 Jim approached Disney CEO Michael Eisner to discuss the possibility of selling his company to Disney Eisner who had greenlit Jim's Muppet Show pilots when he was working at ABC in the early 70s was thrilled at the opportunity to bring Jim's now classic characters into the Walt Disney Company Eisner along with Disney president Frank Wells and Walt Disney Studios president Jeffrey Katzenberg had been hired just five years prior to save Disney from takeover Eisner had been doing his best to bring the Disney brand back into the mainstream and a hit like the Muppets would be a surefire way to do so for Jim not having to worry about management finances or even distribution all things he couldn't escape at his own company would allow him to spend more time doing the thing he loved most creating Henson and Eisner shook hands agreeing to pursue a deal in which Jim would sell his company and the Muppets excluding the Sesame Street Muppets to the Walt Disney Company with the deal Henson would also enter a 15-year exclusive contract with Disney and would develop not only television shows and movies but also theme park attractions theme parks excited Jim as much as anything else as he loved Disneyland and Walt Disney World admiring the Imagineers attention to detail in world building creating content for a company as big and as strong as Disney at the time seemed like the best-case-scenario news broke that a potential Disney Muppets deal was developing in the summer of 1989 in August Jim flew to Orlando to meet with Eisner Welles and Katzenberg and to tour the Walt Disney World Resort he stayed at the luxurious Grand Floridian that it opened just a year prior and visited disney-mgm studios which had opened a few months prior the main negotiations took place at the newly opened Portobello Yacht Club and Pleasure Island at the Disney village marketplace there they would sign an agreement that would be the start of Jim's Disney deal a few days later on August 28th 1989 Jim appeared on Good Morning America with Eisner to announce their deal to the world The Muppets were going to join The Waltons company and Jim was thrilled Frank Oz's speech at Jim Henson's New York memorial would bring another story of Jim with us describing an elaborate gift that Jim had given him for Christmas the quality of the gift and the craftsmanship it all speaks so much of Jim that gift and I think the love draws walked offstage Rainbow Connection played through the speakers as the lights dimmed spotlights shining on the large photos of Henson that had been placed throughout the Cathedral after the film of Jim's biography burned up John Denver appeared on the screen introducing a montage of Sesame Street moments and more scenes of Kermit and Friends in September of 1989 Jim visited Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale California to discuss a potential Muppet section of disney-mgm studios Jim was planning a muppet studios area with a new 3d film a live show with walk-around characters and hopefully a ride the heinous team at brainstormed the great Muppet movie ride a parody of Disney MGM signature attraction the great movie ride Jim was having a blast developing the attractions putting his creative energy in an entirely new medium was exciting and the Imagineers were the same type of creators that he valued at his own company unfortunately negotiations were getting more complicated between Henson associates and Disney Disney's lawyers were playing hardball Katzenberg was being rude and Eisner kept making casual remarks about acquiring the Sesame Street Muppets joining Disney seemed like a great idea in theory its simplicity was part of what made it attractive to Jim it was turning out to be anything but negotiations continued into the fall of 1989 with Jim moving forward with his Muppet attractions despite the deal not being complete in the end it was still about creating for Jim no matter how many meetings or phone calls about corporate logistics he was dragged into the 3d film named Muppet vision 3d would feature Kermit in the gang testing out the latest in 3d technology with a lot of gags a few skits and even Sam Eagles own a salute to all nations but mostly America a glorious three-hour finale the attraction prominently featured recent additions bean Bunny and Waldo see graphic with the return of Frank Oz's characters whose appearances with the Muppets have been sporadic as he pursued his directing career the attraction would also feature elaborate lighting effects and animatronics of bean bunny Statler and Waldorf a penguin Orchestra in the Swedish Chef a life sweetums would even run out in front of audiences the attraction was classic Muppet mayhem and Kermit and Friends would be just as entertaining as ever the film was planned to enter production in early 1990 in December 1989 Jim would perform Kermit the Frog and Disney's Christmas Day parade before celebrating the holidays with his friends and family while the season was warm 1989 was filled with stress and disappointment the failure of the Jim Henson hour and the stress of the Disney Deal had made for a difficult year on top of the fact that Jim had not been able to put a fourth Muppet feature into production jewelle wrote a script for a film entitled the cheapest Muppet movie ever made the Jim hoped to make in 1989 but he had never gotten around to it the negotiations with Disney were taking up more and more of his time frustrating considering they were intended to do the opposite producer David laser attempted to keep peace between Disney and Henson associates while Eisner attempted to make up for Katzenberg's attitude still Eisner couldn't help but ask again and again about the Sesame Street characters and Jim was growing tired of it quickly John Stone the director of Sesame Street will give a short speech on the love he had for Jim and the love that all of those that work together in his company had for each other after this a piano began to play the opening chords to be in green the hit song the kurma had first sang on Sesame Street 20 years prior then almost out of nowhere Big Bird walked onto the stage wearing a Kermit green bowtie inside the puppet Caroll Spinney performed his character singing Kermit's famous song fighting back tears it's beautiful and I think it's what I want to be [Music] Thank You Kermit Jim's longtime agent and friend Bernie Brillstein walked up to the mic emotional tension still in the air from Spinneys moving performance Jim told me never to follow the bird real steam could barely make it through a speech the memorial now over an hour in was getting more difficult for the performers and speakers after John Denver's montage Ray Charles would also sing be in green with a montage of photos from Jim's life 1990 would see the release of The Witches a film based off of a book by Roth all Anton had produced the film in a similar capacity to the way his friend George Lucas had produced labyrinth the dark fantasy film would be well received by critics but despised by Dahl due to the film changing the original ending of his novel and to would attempt to calm Dahl but the drama on the witches was nothing compared to the Disney deal that Jim was focused on as their lawyers continued to argue Jim continued to create content for Disney expecting the deal to go through soon enough even with increasing tensions Jim would shoot promos for disney-mgm studios and the new stage show here come the Muppets as well as a special the Muppets at Walt Disney World the special saw the Muppets traveling to Kermit swamp in Florida only to find that it is right next to Walt Disney World Resort The Muppets decide to explore Walt Disney World and hijinks ensue Michael Firth speech at the memorial service would be filled with love for Henson and even a few impressions of him this is Michael Firth who sort of heads up one of our sort of creative groups and and sort of does a lot of our design stuff it usually came as a kind of question and for close to a couple of decades it's been hanging there waiting for an answer after fourth Jerry Nelson would read a tribute to Jim in the voice of Electric Mayhem band member Floyd Pepper fearless leader Green flippered gentleness fill my dreams with your vision of unexplored possibilities shine on shine on eternally bright in our hearts and minds fearless leader Louise gold would return to the stage singing bring him home from lame is one of Jim's favorite musicals after this a priest read from scriptures of multiple religions Jim was fascinated with different beliefs and researched many different systems throughout his life The Muppets continued to watch the monitor a Steven Spielberg appeared speaking on Jim's contributions to filmmaking technology in the spring of 1990 Jim was flying from New York to Los Angeles to Orlando to London as casually as he always had it seemed in May that he had picked up an illness showing symptoms of a cold on May 4th 1990 in under the weather Jim traveled to Hollywood to appear with fellow performer Kevin Clash on the Arsenio Hall Show Oh Oh piece of ass kita caught you throat yes Jim was disappointed in his performance of Kermit not being able to keep up with halls wit rambling on and barely making the audience laugh Clifford's appearance went well but Jim could tell that his illness which he still believed was just a cold had affected his appearance on the show Kermit was Jim's most famous creation and he'd appeared on almost every variety show on the air for as long as America could remember and this would be the last time that he would on Jim's arm two days later on May 6 1990 the Muppets at Walt Disney World special would debut on NBC the special prominently featuring the classic Muppet Show gang was as colorful and as fun as ever the special ended with Mickey Mouse welcoming Kermit the Frog to the family even though the Disney deal was not yet complete and it would never be in its current form it would take Disney another decade to finally acquire the Muppets after the events that would occur in the next 10 days after the premiere of the Muppets Disneyworld Jim Henson was still feeling sick he had flown from Los Angeles to New York before flying to North Carolina to visit his father with his daughter Cheryl he flew back to New York on May 13th 1990 feeling tired with a sore throat his son John would visit that night and Jim went to bed feeling even weaker Jane had been informed that Jim was not feeling well and brought over a pot of soup Jim asked her to stay and Jane obliged for the first time in the memorial Jane and Jim's children spoke Jane introduced the five Hanson children before thanking many of the people that have made the memorial possible despite the frustration and the pain that had come of Jim and Janes relationship in the latter part of his life there was no doubt that Jane knew Jim better than almost anyone proving it in her impromptu speech I don't want to pretend that I know what happens after this life or the Jim really knew what would happen after this life but he had great plans and and I sure hope he somebody lets him know we're doing this down here because he's probably probably pretty busy and I know sometimes because everybody else was working I would be used for interviews and press would ask me did you ever have any idea that it would get this big and what I didn't know is that it had gotten this big I just didn't know after Jane Cheryl and Brian read notes from Jim some that they had received after his passing written years before one of the letters listed a few requests for his memorial including that those in attendance refrain from wearing black the Richard hunt would host the service that his friends might sing a few songs and that a New Orleans Jazz Band would play all requests that had been met please watch out for each other in love and forgive everybody it's a good life enjoy it this all may sound silly and over-the-top to you guys but what the hell I'm gone and who can argue with me [Music] after Spielberg Harry Belafonte would appear to tell them up it's about Jim's impact on the world followed by Frank Oz explaining Jim's effect on the careers of the people that worked with him and the effect that the characters he created had on his audience Jane stayed with Jim into the night but Jim's condition was getting worse his heart was beating fast and he was coughing up blood Jane told him he needed to go to the hospital and early on May 15th when the pain had become too much he agreed as the medical staff rushed him away he waved to Jane saying the he'd see her later through the rest of May 15th the doctors attempted to save the life of Jim Henson but they could not he would pass away early on May 16th 1990 at the age of 53 there just never was enough time for Jim there never would have been enough time and I think he knew that really early in the years that followed many would speculate whether it was Jim's Christian Science upbringing that it cost his untimely death were the failures of labyrinth and the Jim Henson hour or even the stress from the Disney Deal but the truth might be the hardest answer of all it wasn't a fear of doctors or failed projects or tough negotiations that had killed Jim Henson it was bacterial pneumonia it is more difficult to grapple with the idea that a creator that put so much meaning and purpose into his work to pass away from something so random but just because his death lacked purpose didn't mean there wasn't plenty in his great life and before the shot could even wear off those that he left behind were already making plans to celebrate that great life perhaps he had passed along some of his ridiculous optimism to those around him but in the days following his death his family was already at work using the requests that Jim had wrote in his letters jane suggested that they do the same thing that Jim had done so well for so long the thing that everyone close to him knew exactly how to do they were going to put on a show that first show at the Cathedral Church of st. John the Divine in New York City was drawing to a close in the afternoon of May 21st 1990 at the end of the memorial Richard hunt returned to the stage introducing Jim's team of puppeteers including Frank Oz Jerry Nelson Kevin Clash Dave goals and Steve Whitmire to sing some of Jim's favorite songs one of Jim's favorite times in any production was the musical pre record session we would have a great time right now we'd like to share that moment with you as some of the Muppet performers sing some of Jim's favorite songs [Music] the first song they sang was the chicken version a babyface from The Muppet Show then Clash as Elmo sang Lydia the tattooed lady Nelson was sing it's in every one of us from the John Denver specials and a Muppet family Christmas Oz and hunt using the voices of Fozzie and scooter respectively would sing a rendition of Simon Smith and his dancing bear as they had done on the Muppet Show [Music] Nelson as Robin would sing a a Milnes halfway down the stairs one of Jim's childhood favorites and the song that Nelson had popularized on the Muppet Show another one of Jim's favorite meal numbers toddle stand pie which he had performed his Ralph on the Muppet show's first season was performed by oz and the voice of Fozzie halfway through the song goals clash and wittmeyer lifted oz up in his chair helping him get through the number goals would perform Gonzo's I'm going to go back there someday the powerful number from The Muppet movie the song was given more depth as the lyrics seemed to call to their lost leader [Music] the emotional song was followed by the much more light wembling fool from Fraggle Rock performed by Nelson wittmeyer reprising their roles of gobo and Wembley respectively finally the performers all came together to sing one of Jim's absolute favorites you are my sunshine which he had performed countless times over the years each song seemed to be given a stronger weight as they all represented a different part of Jim's personality whether it be humor hope or love back at the Muppet Theater chaos returned after the Muppets finished learning of who Jim Henson was the explosive production number tribute was barely coming together as Fozzie attempted to do Kermit's job of keeping things running although he wasn't nearly as good at it it was obvious that they needed Kermit while attempting to move a table Fozzie found a folder of letters from Jim's fans reading them aloud I feel very sorry that your best friend Jim died died we were just starting to get to know him dear Kermit I hope you feel better I will miss Jim Henson too I hope this letter makes you feel better I love you Brigette Cohen PBOT in Massachusetts we will miss you Jim Henson Fozzie realizing the number wouldn't do Jim justice called it off everyone soaked away and Fozzie didn't know what to do it is easy to understand Fozzie's frustration how can you pay tribute to someone as special as Jim Henson heeeh topped the children of the world with Sesame Street entertained to the planet with the Muppet Show and instilled valuable morals and the viewers of Fraggle Rock he advanced the art of filmmaking with the Dark Crystal and labyrinth create an incredible television shows such as Sam friends with no budget and shows such as the storyteller with a huge budget generations of children grown-ups seen Kermit the Frog on Sesame Street Muppet Babies The Muppet Show in the Muppet movies to the point that the world accepted the character as a celebrity gym trained hundreds of creators with a patient attitude commanded film sets with a soft whisper and kept the world's most influential people on the edge of their seat with a mere hum Jim Henson was a brilliant creative hardworking and talented person but he was also one very important thing lucky he had the resources he had the opportunities and he had the privilege to pursue and obtain a life of creative success he had more Drive and talent than he knew what to do with his internal ticking clock forcing him to produce as much as possible but he also had a fair share of circumstance and most importantly in his eyes support Jim was quick to acknowledge how fortunate he was to have a family of people throughout his life that encouraged him but in the end Jim believed that he and everyone else only needed just one person you know this Jim Henson may be gone but maybe he's still here to inside us believing in us if just one person believes in you deep enough and strong enough believes in you all along the way Jim was surrounded by support people believing that he could succeed and encouraging him to do so whether it was from a young age with his grandmother dear in college with Jane in his career with Bernie Brillstein or Ward Lew grade or the countless others that recognized the spark of brilliance inside of him and Jim passed it on even in Frank Oz to direct even in Dave goals to perform and believe in him practically everyone he met because Jim believes that everyone had their own spark of brilliance inside of them they just needed someone to believe in them and if for a chance somewhere down the line you see a child who when you speak to him and ask him a question he says [Music] maybe hmm watch out because there's more magic to come and give three whole people [Music] and as the puppeteers were joined by even more of their fellow performers pausing the crowd to jump to their feet the power of Jim's belief was realized to his truest extent Jim Henson every performer on that stage and all their collaborators around the world had sent messages of joy optimism hope friendship and love into the homes of millions if not billions of people they had all changed the world just by wiggling some dolls as the Muppets gathered to sing the same song of joy the door to the theatre opened and in walked permit the Frog it had been decided that Steve Whitmire would take over the beloved character and after months of putting it off he finally picked up Kermit he then placed his fingers in the head and his thumb in the jaw turning it to face him what had been made by Jim over three decades prior wittmeyer and every puppeteer that would follow him would continue to give character Kermit was alive and so was Jim Henson [Music] [Applause] [Music] you [Music]

Channel: Defunctland

Views: 1,159,136

Keywords: defunctland, kevin perjurer, theme park, extinct, cancelled, tv shows, defuncttv, defuncttv jim henson, jim henson documentary, jim henson documentary series, the jim henson hour, the storyteller, muppets disney, muppets at walt disney world, muppetvision3d, fraggle rock history, muppet babies history, jim henson history, muppets history, muppets documentary series, sam and friends, sesame street, mupept show, disney mgm studios

Id: 4SfsynRHZK0

Length: 35min 58sec (2158 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 14 2019