Jim Henson is one of my heroes. He has done more to build bridges across communities, more to help people understand that there are all kinds of people living in this world. A real honest to goodness tolerance advocate. When I was little I wrote him a letter. I think I was eight. I watched the Muppet Show religiously. I watched Sesame Street all the time. I had to let him know that I appreciated his shows. I pulled out a piece of notebook paper and began writing as intelligably as I could:
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Dear Mr. Henson-
My name is Jay. I have the same initials as you!
I love the Muppet Show and Sesame Street. I have
a Cookie Monster puppet, and Animal. I also have
Ernie and Bert. Animal is my favorite. On the
Muppet Show I really like Beaker. Gonzo is also cool.
Could you please send me your autograph?
Thank you,
Jay H.
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He replied! It was a handwritten letter that came on
nice stationary. It said "JH - Jim Henson Associates".
The handwriting was nice and it seemed to match the
autographs I received. I am reasonably sure that it
was actually written by Jim Henson. It said:
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Dear Jay-
Yes, we do have the same initials, how neat! I am very
glad to hear that you enjoy the shows. Maybe one day
you'll become a puppeteer and work on the Muppet Show?
Please find the enclosed autographs. Keep practicing with
those puppets!
Sincerely,
Jim Henson
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I was walking on air for weeks. I wish I still had those letters because there's no chance of replacing them now that Henson is passed away, and mine were destroyed in a flood. I got glossy black and white photos of Jim Henson with Kermit, one of Ernie and Bert, one of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, One of Animal and one of the entire cast. They were all autographed in real ink! The signatures matched Henson's handwriting, but each had their own style. Miss Piggy's autograph had little hearts drawn over the letter-i.
It is so cool that someone like Jim Henson who had received many awards for his work in Children's Television, and whose shows always got awesome ratings would take the time to write to a little kid. He seems like someone who had a great deal of sensitivity. I think that he sort of talked to me like a little adult, he didn't "talk down" to me. I still wonder who this man was because there hadn't been all of the media attention and documentaries that Fred Rogers got when he died. Maybe there's a book about him or something, I'm going to see if I can find one. People like Henson march to a different drummer. From my experience it seems as though one of his most unique attributes is that he was a "grown up" who seemed to understand children. Probably he was very child-like himself.
Anyway, I was just thinking about how much Sesame Street helped me learn as a little kid. And I was thinking about how much his show reinforces the fact that there are all kinds of people, of every ethnicity, sexual orientation and temperament... And that they are all worthy of love and special consideration.
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