It’s a sad day for Muppet fans (that’s all of you, right? At least casually? Tell me it’s all of you): Jane Nebel Henson, former wife of the late Jim Henson, passed away following a lengthy battle with cancer.

Jane was much, much more than Jim’s wife, though. She was his creative partner, collaborating with him from the very beginning of his career. Writes Tough Pigs, “While Jim was quietly revolutionizing TV puppetry and advertising [with Sam and Friends and his famous Wilkins Coffee ads], Jane was right there beside him. She was history’s second-ever Muppeteer.”

Excuse me, I just have something in my eye…

The talented Holly Conrad and Jessica Merizan have their own show on The Nerdist channel where they usually teach cosplay tips or other DIY projects. This time around they had the opportunity to learn how to make puppets from Julie Zobel of the Jim Henson Creature Shop. No fair!! But really, it’s pretty awesome and I’m super jealous and they’re hilarious.

Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?

Just hearing the names Jim Henson and Frank Oz together in the same sentence makes me giddy so you can imagine my excitement upon finding this video. The appearance was made at the Puppeteers of America national festival at MIT in Boston in 1989 and an introduction tagged on by Oz a few years after Henson’s death. In their informal conversation they cover everything from Sesame Street to The Dark Crystal to Little Shop of Horrors. It’s a long video but certainly worth the watch if you’re a fan of either of these talented men.

(via Forces of Geek)

Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?

Before watching this video, bear in mind it could take David Bowie down a level of coolness for you. Who are we kidding, Bowie is on the Mount Everest of cool already, this shouldn’t make too much difference. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at one particular aspect of his role as Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth – his crystal balls. Listen as Jim Henson and Bowie discuss the real man behind the magic, a juggler named Michael Moschen.

(via io9)

Don’t worry. This isn’t going to be one of those posts where we show you the most heartwrenching muppets videos we can find. That’s for the anniversary of Jim Henson‘s untimely death at the age of fifty-three. Today, lets just watch him explain how to make puppets, showcasing the magic moment when some bits of wood and cloth become real living things.

And then follow us behind the jump Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody. Because you know you need no excuse to watch that video.

Check out Hillary Clinton’s sweet cat eye sunglasses she wore while swearing in Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Michael Hammer. (via New York Magazine.)

If I am remembering my obscure entertainment stories correctly, one day Jim Henson sat down with his fellow writers and muppeteers and said something like “I want to make a show that brings about world peace,” and after the rest of the room had stopped laughing and realized he wasn’t joking, they created Fraggle Rock. In its five seasons it, more than any other Henson production to date, focused exclusively on exploring social issues like prejudice, care of the environment, spirituality, identity, conflict and tolerance. It was also a huge hit, airing internationally in Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany.

A Fraggle Rock movie has been in various states of preproduction since 2005. In 2008, the Weinstein Company entered into a deal to distribute it, which expired last year even as it was announced that the Scissor Sisters were down to write the show’s music… without much else to show that a movie really was being made. But! New developments indicate that the adaptation might not be as dead as all that.

Today marks 22 years since Jim Henson passed away, and despite his exit from this earthly stage, the Muppets have endured. We posted the video above last year to mark the occasion and we’re posting it again, because 1. we love it and it’s unbelievably sweet, and 2. we like to clean out our tear ducts once in a while. It’s healthy. And after watching this video, clean tear ducts are a promise from us to you.

And any day we can talk about the Muppets is a good one, even if the circumstances are less cheerful, but still hopeful.

(via YouTube)

Previously in Muppets

Not a fresh and shiny and new video, but making the rounds today is what’s being called the original pitch to CBS for The Muppet Show. If anything, it’s a wonderful example of Muppet humor, not to mention a look into how Jim Henson wanted to sell his show. And wouldn’t you know it, just in time for the holidays, it get downright biblical!

(via Neatorama)

Previously in Muppets

This piece, worn by Eric, an IT director, is an all-encompassing celebration of pride, equality, and tolerance — displayed in the nerdiest maner possible: binary. That portion reads as follows: “All men and women are created equal.” (via Fashionably Geek)