Ahead of the premiere of his new Disney+ documentary, Jim Henson Idea Man, Ron Howard revealed his favorite Muppet in honor of late puppeteer Jim Henson.
“It’s Kermit, which is kind of an easy answer,” the Academy Award-winning director told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published on May 30. “Jim related to Kermit for a set of reasons that makes me relate to Kermit — he’s a pretty regular guy just trying to get along, and yet, he’s surrounded by a bunch of high-octane, eccentric folks. He’s trying to be the reasonable one in a world that could sometimes seem kind of mad. Jim got that, and I do, too.”
Henson created some of the earliest versions of the Muppets in the ’50s. Kermit the Frog was one of his first and perhaps most popular characters early on in his career.
“The interesting thing is that Jim was an introvert, but he became an extrovert when he had a puppet to work through,” Ron added. “He became playful and more buoyant, and he could say more outrageous things. For me, being on the set and directing is when I become an extrovert. It’s when I open up and feel freer to express myself.”
The origin of Kermit was quite unique, as Henson proved to be resourceful by using materials he already had to create the famous frog figure. The Kermit prototype debuted during a 1955 episode of WRC-TV’s Sam and Friends.
“This is the origin story of all of these characters,” Ron explained. “Kermit started as his mother’s coat, the fabric from some old coat she was throwing away. They didn’t even know he was a frog for a long time. They didn’t know what he was. He just fit Jim’s hand, and Jim could create funny reactions, and the character could be an alter ego for Jim. And then, slowly but surely, they decided he was Kermit the Frog.”
Henson died in May 1990 at age 53 after a career full of contributions to the animation, puppeteering and filmmaking industries. His colorful work and life will be celebrated in Jim Henson Idea Man, premiering on May 31.
“You just could see that there was nothing to hide,” Ron told The Guardian ahead of the film’s release. “He was a really noble guy. He was a really good example of a human being walking the Earth.”
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