Jim Henson Statue and Memorial Garden

In Washington, DC, where people from across the country come to make a name for themselves (primarily in the field of politics), the reverse scenario of DC area natives who leave here for the national spotlight is a much less frequent and common occurrence.
However, Jim Henson, the famed puppeteer, was one such uncommon case. Growing up in suburban Hyattsville, Maryland, Henson studied and honed his craft locally before he landed on the national and international scenes.
After graduating from Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, where he had been a member of the puppetry club, Henson enrolled at the University of Maryland at College Park in 1954 (graduating in 1960). It was during his time at the university, where he studied studio art, that Henson created his earliest marionette-​puppets (which he called, «Muppets»).
Beginning in his freshman year, Henson starred on «Sam and Friends,» a show that aired on WRC-​TV (Channel 4), the NBC affiliate in DC. It was on this show that The Muppets were first introduced. The titular «Sam» was a homely humanoid character; and, he was ably supported by a cast of early Muppets (one of whom was «Kermit,» who, interestingly, was not a frog in his original incarnation). Airing locally in the DC market from 1955 until 1961, «Sam and Friends» importantly provided Henson with a springboard to bigger and better things.
As the 60s wore on, Henson and The Muppets made appearances in TV commercials and were featured regularly on such national programs as The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and The Ed Sullivan Show.
With The Muppets’ inclusion on the children’s program Sesame Street, which debuted in 1969, Henson and The Muppets became household names. New Muppets such as Oscar the Grouch, Burt and Ernie, The Cookie Monster, and Big Bird joined Kermit (now a frog) in the ever growing Muppet lineup.

By the mid-​1970s and into the 1980s, The Muppets had secured their own primetime variety show on TV (the eponymous «Muppet Show») and starred in several feature-​length movies (1979’s «The Muppet Movie,» 1981’s «The Great Muppet Caper,» and 1984’s «The Muppets Take Manhattan»). Through these new ventures, Henson introduced the public to even more enigmatic and lovable characters (including The Swedish Chef, Statler & Waldorf, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, and, of course, the iconic Miss Piggy).
Jim Henson, surprisingly and suddenly, died of a streptococcal infection in 1990 when he was just 53 years old (at a time when he was still finding new opportunities to showcase his Muppets).

The University of Maryland commissioned and, in 2003, unveiled a memorial to Henson (which features a life-​like statue of Henson sitting with Kermit the Frog, his most enduring creation). Dedicated by Jane, his widow, the statue sits on the lawn outside of the Adele H. Stamp Union in a grove of flowers and trees called, «The Jim Henson Memorial Garden.»
The statue captures a moment (perhaps, a frequent one) between Henson and Kermit (both smiling at each other and engaged in conversation). Surely, it is the way that his fans would have wanted to remember him (not necessarily behind the scenes but, prominently, out in the full light of day for all to see).

With Kermit the Frog perched close by (as he and Henson both sit together on an immoveable granite bench), the memorial statue joyously and symbolically reminds us all that something as seemingly lighthearted and inconsequential as a man and the fictitious characters that he brought to life through the use of rubber, fabric, and metal rods can rise out from an innocuous domain relegated to children to indelibly impact the broader world beyond it.
Here’s a clip from an episode of Sam and Friends: