Five Things You Didn’t Know About Jim Henson’s Time as a Terp

On Muppet Maker’s Birthday, Take a Seat—and a Pic

By Liam Farrell Sep 24, 2018

Photo by John T. Consoli

The statue of Kermit the Frog perched on a red granite bench with creator and Maryland alumnus Jim Henson was dedicated in 2003.

The late Jim Henson ’60 would have turned 82 today, and his timeless creations are still solidly part of pop culture—and our campus.

Just take a look at last week’s viral parody of the upcoming “A Star Is Born” remake, which spliced together footage of Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest of the Muppets. Or walk by the Stamp Student Union, where the bench with a statue of the famed Muppeteer and his favorite frog is a popular place for pictures.

Take your own selfie with the bronze birthday celebrant today and post it with #HappyHensonDay, and brush up on your trivia about one of the university’s most famous graduates with some facts about his time in College Park.

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1. Henson, who graduated from Hyattsville’s Northwestern High School in 1954 and enrolled at UMD, was struggling with grief over his sick grandfather a year later when he found solace in his creative instincts. A home economics major, Henson cut up a faded, felt turquoise coat that belonged to his mother and glued two halves of a Ping-Pong ball to the top. The puppet that evolved into Kermit was born. (Photo by Philip Geraci Collection in the UMD Archives)

2. Although Henson had already performed on local television before heading to college, he assumed his career would be behind the camera. Most of his college work was focused on sets, posters and other designs, like the cover art for a 1955 performance of the play “Dark of the Moon.” (Photo by UMD Archives)

3. In Fall 1954, Henson met his future wife, Jane Nebel ’55, in a new course on puppetry. The pair went on to create “Sam and Friends,” which debuted on WRC-TV in Spring 1955. The teacher of the course, Ed Longley, received two original paper collages by Henson that are now housed in the university’s Special Collections in Performing Arts: a Christmas card for “A Joyful Yuletide,” and a series of Kermit-esque figures jumping over each other. (Photo courtesy of Special Collections in Performing Arts)

4. As his career took off, Henson took some time away from the classroom. “Sam and Friends” won an Emmy for best local entertainment program in 1958 and more than 25,000 of his characters for Wilkins and Wontkins coffee advertisement flew off the shelves at Christmas. (Image via YouTube)

5. An admirer of flashy cars, Henson arrived at his UMD graduation in a used Rolls Royce purchased for $5,000 (more than $40,000 in today’s money). (Photo courtesy of Henson Family Properties)

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