Few creators have left behind a world quite as joyful, strange, and instantly recognizable as Jim Henson. From Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy to the many unforgettable characters connected to Sesame Street, his creations became part of childhood for generations of viewers.
According to Moving Image, Henson was born on September 24, 1936, which means 2026 marks what would have been his 90th birthday. To celebrate the milestone, New York’s Museum of the Moving Image is hosting four days of screenings, puppetry, music, and fan events from September 24 through September 27.
Jim Henson’s 90th Birthday Celebration Is Packed With Muppet Memories
The museum’s birthday weekend offers considerably more than a traditional retrospective. Visitors can watch favorite episodes of The Muppet Show, attend puppetry workshops, browse a collectibles marketplace, join a costume contest, and enjoy live music. Heather Henson is also participating in a special sing-along and walking tour connected to her parents’ years in New York City.
One Saturday event will mark 60 years of Henson’s experimental short time piece, while other programs include a frog choir, fan art displays, and conversations about the creative legacy he inspired. The celebration even extends beyond the museum with fan meet-ups, karaoke, and a puppetry open mic. Some programs are free, while others require museum admission, advance reservations, or separate tickets.
His Characters Still Bring Generations Together
At the heart of the weekend is The Jim Henson Exhibition, featuring 50 characters from The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, the Muppet movies, and other productions. The exhibition also explores how Henson transformed puppetry and popular culture. That lasting appeal helps explain why his 90th-birthday celebration continues to attract fans across generations.
The festivities also feel appropriately playful for a creator whose work could move effortlessly between silliness and sincerity. There are screenings and serious discussions about craft, but there are also puppet tea parties, sing-alongs, costumes, and a marketplace jokingly called the “Swa(m)p Meet.” Decades after his characters first appeared, Jim Henson remains tied to a rare kind of entertainment that could make children laugh without talking down to them and give adults plenty to enjoy alongside them. His 90th birthday celebration is not simply a look backward. It shows just how alive that imaginative world still feels.
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