Jim Henson's most significant contribution to television culture was his imaginative ability. His creative talents are responsible for some of the most recognizable and beloved television characters in television history, the puppet/marionette hybrids better known as the Muppets. For more than four decades, the Muppets have entertained children and adults in myriad pop culture arenas; however, they are most associated with the television program known as Sesame Street.

     As an adolescent, Henson was fascinated with television. His desire to work for the blossoming industry was inadvertently realized through the craft he considered a mere hobby-puppetry. His first puppet creations premiered on a local television station, an NBC affiliate in Maryland, which picked up Henson's five­ minute puppet show and ran it prior to The Huntley­ Brinkley Report and The Tonight Show. This exposure proved to be a tremendous opportunity.

     Henson developed an innovative art form that was perfectly suited for television. His Muppets (some say this name is derived from a combination of the words "marionette" and "puppet") were ideal for the new medium because they perpetuated its "seamlessness." Muppets are stringless (unlike marionettes) and appear to move on their own (unlike traditional hand-puppets). This characteristic of "realness" made the Muppets readily accepted by the television audience.

     Sam and Friends, Henson's first network program, aired for several years. The Muppets amassed a loyal following by appearing in commercials and performing in popular venues such as The Ed Sullivan Show. However, it was the character of Rowlf the Dog (a regular on The Jimmy Dean Show) that propelled the popular fascination with Henson's creations.

     It was not until 1969 (and the commencement of a public television experiment called Sesame Street) that Henson and his Muppets became well known. Sesame Street was the brainchild of Joan Ganz Cooney. Frustrated by the lack of quality children's programming, Cooney proposed a television program especially for preschoolers that would incorporate the stylistic devices of advertisements (such as jingles) to "sell" learning. Although Sesame Street was designed for all preschool children, it was particularly targeted at inner­ city youths. In many ways the program symbolized the idea of a televisual panacea, an entertainment offering with an educational and pro-social agenda.

     It was Jon Stone, the first head writer for Sesame Street, who suggested Henson's Muppets for the project, and it has been suggested that if there were no Muppets, there would be no Sesame Street. The Muppets are largely responsible for the colossal success of this program. In skits, songs, and other performances, they have epitomized the social skills fundamental to Sesame Street's mission-cooperation, understanding, tolerance, and respect.

     Henson's Muppets are abstractions: most are animals, some are humans, and others a combination of both, all of different sizes, shapes, and colors. Their appearances are foreign, but their personalities are very familiar. Each member of the Sesame Street ensemble personify characteristics inherent in preschoolers. Through Ernie's whimsy, Big Bird's curiosity, Oscar's grouchiness, Grover's timidity, or the Cookie Monster's voracity, children experience an emotional camaraderie. However, Kermit the Frog (often referred to as Jim Henson's alter ego) is the Muppet most representative of the human spirit. Kermit's simple reflections often echo the philosophical complexities of everyday life.

  Jim Henson's Muppets are a global phenomenon. The internationalization of Sesame Street is indicative of their cross-cultural appeal. Sesame Street is an anomaly within the realm of American children's television, and the unique qualities of the Muppets are somewhat responsible for this distinction.

     Still, the immediate success of Sesame Street was a bitter-sweet experience for Henson. He felt stymied that the Muppets were branded "children's entertainment." He knew the wit and charm of the Muppets transcended all questions of age. In 1976, owing much to the implementation of the Financial Interest and Syndication (Fin-Sin) Rules, the syndicated variety program The Muppet Show began and offered a venue more in keeping with Henson's larger vision for his creations. The Fin-Sin Rules opened time slots in local television markets for non-network programming. Henson quickly took advantage of this need for syndicated programming with his new production. The half­ hour show featured celebrity guests who participated in the Muppet antics. The Muppet Show was hosted by Kermit the Frog, the only Sesame Street character permitted to cross genre boundaries (except for guest appearances and/or film cameos). The series spawned a new generation of characters for its predominantly adult demographic. "Animal," "Doctor Teeth," "The Swedish Chef," and "Fozzie Bear" still appealed to both children and adults, but now the Muppets were more sophisticated and less pedagogical. The romantic relationship between Kermit and a porcine diva known as "Miss Piggy" established the dramatic potential of the Muppets. Miss Piggy was inspired by Frank Oz, Henson's lifelong colleague.

     The success of The Muppet Show provoked Henson to explore the medium of film. His cinematic endeavors include The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and Treasure Island.

     The Muppets have permeated all media: television, film, animation, music, and literature. Their generative ability is notably manifest in a variety of past and present TV series, such as Fraggle Rock, The Muppet Babies, Dinosaurs, and Bear in the Big Blue House. The empire known as Jim Henson Productions has spawned numerous production companies-all infused with the imaginative potential of their creator. It is interesting to note that Henson's "Muppet-less" projects, feature films such as The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, were not widely successful. Perhaps this is because they lacked the cheerfulness that has defined most of Henson's work.

     Jim Henson died on May 16, 1990, from an untreated bacterial infection. His vision and creative spirit are immortalized by the Muppets and the future projects his legacy inspires.