After 35 Years, Henson's Muppet Magic Lives On

When Jim Henson died on May 16, the world wept...and also wondered. What would become of the beloved Muppet characters he created? After all, when this authentic American genius left, there would be no one who could do Kermit the Frog, or Ernie, Bert's pal on Sesame Street, or Rowlf the shaggy dog, or the crazed Swedish Chef, as masterfully as the original puppeteer himself could.
At the memorial service for Henson in Manhatten last May 21, Big Bird (performed by Caroll Spinney) sang Kermit's theme song, "Bein' Green," then looked heavenward and said, "Thank you, Kermit." Since the troubador frog had always been seen as the gentle Henson's alter ego, it seemed likely that Kermit and the rest of Henson's characters would not outlive their creator.
Muppet fans though, quickly made it clear they didn't want that to happen. Letters poured in from around the world. "We found the kids really wanted to keep Kermit going," says Henson's daughter Cheryl, 29, who has worked as an art director and puppet designer on several Muppet projects. "It was a very touchy thing. They were sorry Jim had died and wanted to know if the Muppets could die. We thought that the Muppets were characters, not people, and that it was much better to say that they don't die."
Jerry Juhl, Henson's head writer since 1961, agrees. "As we gathered in New York for the memorial service, it was a unanimous feeling that the Muppets had to go on and the work had to continue."
Which is why, on the one-hour CBS special, Kermit the Frog, will be back in action-probably animated by the arms and voice of another longtime Henson puppeteer.
"When Jim was alive," says Henson's widow, Jane, "he said if anything happened to him, Kermit must go on right away. Because of Kermit's significant place, Jim had essentially chosen who he thought could do it. But we don't want to say who it is before the show. The performer needs time. Kermit won't come back so strong at first. Then little by little, he will get his whole personality back."
Henson's death also raised questions about his proposed deal, reportedly for $150 million, to sell Henson Associates, Inc., to The Walt Disney Company (for the rights to all Muppet creations except the core Sesame Street characters). Would that deal fall through without the dynamic contributions of Henson? Late last month, Disney chairman Michael D. Eisner said he was optimistic that the deal would go forward and that projects in the works would continue.
And continuing they are. Among them:

One of the first new Henson/Disney TV projects will be Dinosaurs, a half-hour comedy series featuring conplex, human-sized dinosaur characters operated by animatronics; it's scheduled as a 1991 midseason replacement series for ABC.

Several other TV projects are in development. One of them, "Gulliver's Travels," a four-hour combination of live action and puppetry, will be seen on NBC.

A recently finished half-hour weekly series, Jim Henson's Mother Goose Stories, premiered on The Disney Channel in August.

Four episodes of The Greek Myths, an anthology based on classic tales from Greek legend, have been completed; no US outlet has been chosen yet.

Several movies and specials are in development, though executives say it's too early to give titles or details.

For some, the greatest promise for keeping the Henson dreams alive live in his five children. Besides Cheryl, there's Brian Henson, 27, who started his career at 17 working on "The Great Muppet Caper." Most recently he served as second unit director for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." "Brian really has many of the directorial skills my dad did," says Cheryl Henson. "And more than anyone else, he shares my dad's fascination with high-tech stuff."
Lisa Henson, 30, who was president of the Harvard Lampoon, is now senior vice-president at Warner Bros. She has been associated with such projects as "Batman" and the "Lethal Weapon" movies, and is expected to play a mojor role in the company after the Disney deal is finalized. The youngest children are John, 25, an experimental film maker, and Heather, 19, a student at Rhode Island School of Design.
Whoever ultimately takes the helm, the Henson company will have to evolve, says Jane Henson. "Jim was the visionary and loved having all these creative people together," she says. "What is different is that everyone once related to Jim and not they have to relate to each other. Our children have all gone in their own directions, and haven't yet pictured what it means to work together. But they will have to. It is not easy being Henson at the moment.
Not easy. Yet th hearty list of projects in active development-and the love and support of millions of fans-carry a comforting message: through the Muppetmaster is gone, his whimsical, mischievous, lovable creations could hardly be more alive.

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