"The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited" coming to Peoria!

The Peoria Riverfront Museum will be the next stop for "The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited."

This stop will be the multimedia exhibitions last American appearance before embarking on a European tour.

"The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited" spotlights the career of the late puppeteer and filmmaker, who developed the Muppets for Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, and directed Labyrinth.

The exhibition features Muppets, puppets, photographs, TV and film clips, behind-the-scenes footage and interactive puppeteering experiences, the museum said in a news release.

Peoria Riverfront Museum will host "The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited"
Sept. 28 - January 5, 2025.

Muppet Stuff Video: The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited at the Maryland Center for History and Culture!

Join Krazy Joe and I as we head to the Maryland Center for History and Culture in Baltimore for The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited's final stop (for now).

Be sure to check out more videos on our Youtube Channel.

The Muppets Take Maryland: Jim Henson Exhibit Comes to Maryland!

Since staring in 2017 at Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture, Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI)'s travailing exhibit "The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited" is finally making a stop on the east coast.

The 10th stop on the tour will take it to the Maryland Center for History and Culture near where Henson was a student at the University of Maryland. 

The exhibit will run May 26 through December 2023 which is the longest the exhibit has stayed at any of it's stops thus far. 

Maryland Center for History and Culture 5,000-square-foot, Muppet-filled multimedia exhibition is full of hundreds of objects, including puppets, character sketches, storyboards, scripts, costumes, and film and television clips.

About the exhibit:

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited explores Jim Henson’s groundbreaking work for film and television and his transformative impact on popular culture. This comprehensive exhibition reveals how Henson and his team of builders, performers, and writers brought to life the enduringly popular worlds of The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and much more. The exhibition features a broad range of artifacts related to Henson’s unparalleled career, including more than 20 puppets, character sketches, storyboards, scripts, photographs, film and television clips, behind-the-scenes footage, iconic costumes, and interactive experiences that allow visitors to try their hand at puppeteering on camera and designing a puppet.

About Maryland Center for History and Culture's exhibit:

Bringing Henson Home to Maryland

With his gently subversive humor, restless curiosity, and innovative approach to puppetry, Henson built the Muppets into an enduring international brand, contributed beloved puppet characters to Sesame Street, and made movies that applied his vivid imagination to stories for the big screen. This exhibition explores Henson’s unique contributions to the moving image, and how he and a talented team of designers, performers, and writers created an unparalleled body of work that continues to delight and inspire people of all ages.

MCHC is proud to call Jim Henson a Marylander, and we are proud to help bring Jim Henson home to Maryland.

Tickets go on sale April 24 for members and May 15 for non-members here. 

Jim Henson Exhibition: "Imagination Unlimited” Comes to Michigan!

After stops in Seattle, Los Angeles, Mississippi, Ohio, Albuquerque, and Omaha, the Museum of Moving Image's traveling Henson exhibit is about to open in it's next stop - Dearborn, Michigan.

“The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited” will open at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn this Saturday, June 5 through September 6.

For more information and tickets click on the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation link. 

Omaha Welcomes "The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited"!

It’s time for Omaha to play the music and to light the lights. It’s time for the citizens of Nebraska to meet the Muppets at the Durham Museum. 

“The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited” will make it's 5th stop when the Durham Museum opens the exhibit Oct. 3.

The Museum of the Moving Image's (MoMI) traveling exhibit will be there through Jan. 10.

The Durham Museum,
801 S. 10th St.
Omaha, Nebraska

Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Closed Monday and major holidays. Last timed entry is at 2:30 p.m.

Special programming:

Creating Characters: Behind the Scenes and On the Screen, Nov. 10, 6:30-7:30 p.m. A virtual panel presentation with a puppeteer, a puppet designer and builder, and a costumer who have been with The Jim Henson Company since the 1970s. Free; registration required.

Puppets at The Platform, Fridays in November and December, 10 a.m. to noon. This activity, which is included with museum admission, involves a story and a craft related to The Jim Henson Exhibition. Registration is not required. Simply head for The Platform on the lower level of the museum.

Remote Learner and Home School Days, Oct. 14, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9; 10 a.m. to noon. Hands-on experiences within the exhibition, plus additional crafts and activities for school-age kids and their families. Registration: $5 per person.


To safely accommodate all guests, access to the museum will be by timed entry. Tickets, available on a first-come, first-served basis, are available up to five days in advance at DurhamMuseum.org. The Jim Henson Exhibition is included with regular museum admission.

Tickets and information: durhammuseum.org; 402-444-5071.

Adorkable Rachel Visits The Jim Henson Exhibit at the Skirball Center!

Last week The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited opened at the Skirball Center in L.A. Thanks to The Muppet Mindset, our good friend Rachel was lucky enough to attend the pre-opening press event.

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited will be at L.A.'s Skirball Center
until September 2nd. Tickets and information are available at the Skirball center's website. 

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited Comes to LA!

MOMI's traveling The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited is now open at it's second location, L.A.' s Skirball Cultural Center.

To celebrate the opening, the Skirball is offering late night hours tonight, a DJ set by Timothy Nordwind of OK Go, roving puppeteers, and more.*

* Update: we've been informed advance tickets are sold out for this evening.

Here's a bit about the exhibit:

Immerse yourself in the imaginative world of Jim Henson (1936–1990) and discover his groundbreaking approach to puppetry and transformative impact on contemporary culture.

Featuring more than 100 objects and twenty-five historic puppets—including Kermit the Frog, Rowlf, Ernie and Bert, Grover, and other popular favorites—The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited illuminates Henson’s unique contributions to the moving image. Along with a talented team of designers, performers, and writers, Henson created an unparalleled body of work that continues to delight and inspire people of all ages to create a kinder and gentler world. 

Explore Henson’s enduringly popular productions—from The Muppet Show, the Muppet movies, and Sesame Street to Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth—through character sketches, storyboards, scripts, photographs, costumes, film and television clips, and behind-the-scenes footage. Then design your own puppet and try your hand at puppeteering in this highly interactive exhibition.

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited is a traveling exhibition organized by Museum of the Moving Image (Astoria, New York) in cooperation with The Jim Henson Company, The Muppets Studio, and Sesame Workshop, and toured worldwide by Flying Fish. The exhibition features puppets and other objects donated to the Museum by the family of Jim Henson, plus works on loan from The Jim Henson Company archives as well as from private lenders.

Before opening to the public, LA Weekly LA Magazine, and EW took a stroll through the exhibit. So if you can't make it, check out their reviews and pictures.

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited will be at Skirball Center in L.A.
June 1–September 2, 2018. Tickets and information are available at the Skirball center's website. 

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited Headed to L.A.!

After taking Seattle by "storm", The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited, the Museum of the Moving Image's travelling exhibition, will next set up shop at L.A.'s Skirball Museum.

The Skirball Cultural Center has announced the June 1 opening of The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited, a dynamic new visitor experience exploring the legacy of Jim Henson (1936–1990). Featuring more than 100 objects drawn from the beloved worlds of Sesame Street, The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and much more, the traveling exhibition highlights Henson’s groundbreaking work for film and television and his transformative impact on popular culture. It reveals how Henson—together with his team of builders, performers, and writers—created an unparalleled body of work that continues to delight and inspire people of all ages.

Organized by the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI), New York, The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited will be at the Skirball through September 2. This traveling exhibition is a version of MoMI’s ongoing The Jim Henson Exhibition, which is on view at its home in New York City.

At the Skirball, visitors will have the opportunity to view a broad range of artifacts, including more than twenty puppets, character sketches, storyboards, scripts, photographs, film and television clips, behind-the-scenes footage, and costumes. Interactive stations will invite visitors to try their hand at puppeteering on camera and designing a puppet.

In keeping with its mission, the Skirball will delve into the social impact of Henson’s work, illuminating his vision to forge human connections. In particular, the Skirball will highlight how Henson’s characters and stories represent individuals and communities of diverse backgrounds and abilities, inspiring the public to look beyond differences and cultivate a more compassionate, inclusive world.

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited begins with a brief look at Henson’s early life through images of Henson as a young man and reproductions of some of his early drawings and sketches. It then follows the steady rise of his career—from early works and experiments to the famed worldwide brands of Sesame Street, The Muppets, and beyond. Highlights include:

• Kermit the Frog puppet from 1978
• Handwritten scripts from Henson’s first television series, Sam and Friends (1955–1961)
• A clip from Henson’s Academy Award–nominated experimental short film Time Piece (1965)
• Puppets from Sesame Street (1969– ), including Grover, Ernie and Bert, and Count von Count
• Section on The Muppet Show (1976–1981), including puppets of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, and Scooter, as well as material from the Muppets’ transition to the big screen, such as set models and storyboards
• Jen and Kira puppets from The Dark Crystal (1982)
• Red Fraggle from Fraggle Rock (1983–1987), which celebrates its thirty-fifth anniversary this year
• Jareth’s and Sarah’s ballroom costumes from Labyrinth (1986)

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited is a traveling exhibition organized by Museum of the Moving Image (Astoria, NY) in cooperation with The Jim Henson Company, The Muppets Studio, and Sesame Workshop, and toured worldwide by Flying Fish. The exhibition features puppets and other objects donated to MoMI by the family of Jim Henson, plus works on loan from The Jim Henson Company’s archives.

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited made its world premiere at the Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle, May 2017–February 2018, in advance of the July 2017 debut of MoMI’s permanent gallery dedicated to Henson.

Opening Night Late Hours and Summertime Film Screenings

On Friday, June 1, the Museum will be open for rare evening Museum hours. The public is welcome to enjoy the exhibition on opening night, as well as food trucks, a cash bar, DJ sets, and more TBA. Over the summer, the Skirball’s annual Outdoor Film Screenings will feature The Muppet Movie (Friday, June 29, 8:30 p.m.) and Labyrinth (Friday, July 13, 8:30 p.m.). Tickets for these exhibition-related programs will be available for purchase in mid-April on skirball.org.

Another Traveling Henson Exhibit on The Way!

A new Henson traveling exhibit may be coming to a town near you in the coming years.

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited will open May 20 at Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture.

From MoPOP: The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) is excited to announce The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited. Organized by the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI), the traveling exhibition will make its world premiere at MoPOP on May 20, 2017 and remain on view through January 3, 2018. The traveling exhibition will open in advance of MoMI’s permanent gallery dedicated to the renowned puppeteer, director, and producer, which will debut this year.

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited is a dynamic new visitor experience exploring Jim Henson’s groundbreaking work for film and television, and his transformative impact on popular culture. This comprehensive exhibition reveals how Henson and his team of builders, performers, and writers brought to life the enduringly popular worlds of The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and much more.

The exhibition features a broad range of artifacts related to Henson’s unparalleled career, including more than 20 puppets, character sketches, storyboards, scripts, photographs, film and television clips, behind-the-scenes footage, iconic costumes, and interactive experiences that allow visitors to try their hand at puppeteering on camera and designing a puppet.

Imagination Unlimited begins with a brief look at Henson’s early life through images of Henson as a young man and reproductions of some of his early drawings and sketches, and then follows his steady rise and immense contributions to the art and industry of the moving image. Highlights include a Kermit the Frog puppet from 1978; handwritten scripts from Henson’s first television series, Sam and Friends (1955–1961); a clip from his Academy Award-nominated experimental film Time Piece (1965); Jen and Kira puppets from The Dark Crystal (1982);familiar Sesame Street puppets including Grover, Ernie and Bert, and Count von Count; plus Jareth and Sarah’s ballroom costumes from Labyrinth (1986).

The exhibition prominently features an exploration of The Muppet Show from a concept Henson first developed in the early 1960s to an internationally beloved series. This section features iconic puppets that helped define this world-wide brand, including Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, and Scooter, as well as material from the Muppets’ transition to the big screen, with set models and storyboards illustrating how sets were designed to accommodate puppets and performers.

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited is a traveling exhibition organized by Museum of the Moving Image (Astoria, New York) in cooperation with The Jim Henson Company, The Muppets Studio LLC, and Sesame Workshop. The exhibition features puppets and other objects donated to the Museum by the family of Jim Henson, plus works on loan from The Henson Company’s archives. Later this year, the Museum will open The Jim Henson Exhibition, a permanent gallery and exhibition dedicated to the life and work of Henson, at its home in New York.

In addition to the exhibit, the museum will alo host a "Campout Cinema" screening of The Muppet Movie on May 21. 

"Bring the outdoor movie experience indoors with MoPOP’s Campout Cinema series, featuring film screenings on MoPOP’s mammoth Sky Church screen alongside cinematically-inspired fun. At Campout Cinema, MoPOP invites you to get comfy and relax under LED stars on blankets, pillows, cushions, and sleeping bags from home (no chairs please). With photo ops and drink specials before the screening and during intermission—as well as trivia, giveaways, and other surprises—every Campout Cinema event offers a unique and super themed movie-going experience."

More info and tickets can be found here. 

For more details about the museum, visit MoPOP.org.