Jim Henson

A bronze statue of him seated on a granite bench and talking with Kermit the Frog resides at his alma mater, the University of Maryland. As a college student, created Kermit using his mother's old green coat and a ping-pong ball cut in half for the eyes. Rowlf the Dog, not Kermit, was the first Muppet to gain national attention through TV appearances in the early 1960s. Coined the word Muppet to describe the combination of marionette and foam-rubber puppet. Was inducted into the Television Academy… Show more Hall of Fame in 1987. As per his wishes, no one wore black at his 1990 funeral; Harry Belafonte sang "Turn the World Around," a song he had performed on The Muppet Show . Was honored posthumously in 1991 with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1992, he posthumously received the Children's Peace Award from the Peace Abby for his work for children that encouraged tolerance, interracial values, equality and fair play. Henson earned such honors because he lived out this philosophy: "When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better for having been there." His work continues through the Jim Henson Company and the Jim Henson Foundation. ~ Rovi

Show less