Jim Henson: Doing

Jim Henson was American puppeteer. Explore interesting quotes on doing.

Jim Henson: 156 quotes7 likes

“If you care about what you do and work hard at it, there isn't anything you can't do if you want to.”

Source: It's Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider

“Life's like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending. We've done just what we set out to do. Thanks to the lovers, the dreamers and you.”

“A lot of the shows relate to interrelationships and attitudes, again, always trying to do it within the context of a very entertaining show.”

Henson on the motivation behind Fraggle Rock
Interview with Associated Press (1987)

“I couldn't do ventriloquism. I don't have any interest in splitting myself in two, the way a ventriloquist does — half-himself, half the dummy on his knee.”

Interview with Copley News Service (1976)

“Puppetry's a lot harder than people realize, and it's particularly difficult doing a movie. You have this scene with all these puppets, and when something goes wrong, you've got to set the whole thing up to do it again. With people, you ask an actor to walk across the room a second or third time, and he does it. That's it.”

Interview with Associated Press (1984)

“I really began to appreciate puppetry [while doing Sam and Friends].”

Interview with Associated Press (1984)

“There are so many forms of puppets. The ones on 'Sesame Street' are probably the most simple that we do.”

Interview with Associated Press (1984)

“I do remember doing shows strictly in black and white, too.”

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Interview with Judy Harris (1982)

“I wanted to do a film where the creatures didn't look like us.”

Interview about The Dark Crystal (1982)

“With puppets, I don't think you should try to duplicate what humans do. It can cause problems.”

Interview with Associated Press (1984)

“We started off with this fairly grand concept of, if you were to tackle it at a children's level, eliminating war. What would you do?”

Henson on the motivation behind Fraggle Rock
Interview with Associated Press (1987)

“There must be a lot of shy actor in puppeteering. His work is the puppeteer's statement. It's his outlet. If I had to face the audience myself, as Jim Henson, I'm sure I'd be just a bit shy. But when it's your puppets that face the audience, it's different. That I can do very easily.”

In response to Don Freeman's question: "Is the puppeteer a shy actor?"
Interview with Copley News Service (1976)

“What do we want our children to get from Henson’s work? The same thing we learned from it. The philosophy of a gentle dreamer. The message that was encapsulated in “The Rainbow Connection” – the one about the “The lovers, the dreamers, and me.” It’s the idea that life is about making a difference, a positive change. And we’ve all heard it, even the Howard Roarks among us, calling our names.”

Elizabeth Hyde Stevens, "Millennials just don’t get it! How the Muppets created Generation X" http://www.salon.com/2014/04/06/millennials_just_dont_get_it_how_the_muppets_created_generation_x/, Salon (April 6, 2014) <br class="br">About

“With Big Bird we knew we wanted to do a large, a great big character. He should represent a child so he can make the kinds of mistakes that kids make, and talk about it and be out front about that.”

Interview with Associated Press (1986)

“What Jim wanted to do, and it was totally his vision, was to get back to the darkness of the original Grimm’s fairy tales. He thought it was fine to scare children. He didn’t think it was healthy for children to always feel safe.”

Frank Oz, as quoted in Q&A: Frank Oz on Henson, “Dark Crystal” and the Kwik Way http://blog.sfgate.com/parenting/2007/06/28/qa-frank-oz-on-henson-dark-crystal-and-the-kwik-way/, SFGate, (June 28, 2007). <br class="br">About

“Silliness, in fact, is where Henson shone. It kept the feel-/do-good-ism from ever succumbing to the piety of political correctness.”

About, "The Gospel According to Jim Henson" by David Zahl