Category Archives: Jim Henson

Wait! There’s More!

Posted on October 7, 2026 | Leave a comment

The Jim Henson event I’m co-presenting with Henson Company Archivist Karen Falk on October 23 at the Smithsonian has apparently sold out. But wait! We’ll be moving to a larger venue, which should free up some additional tickets for the event. So if you tried to get tickets and found none available, please try again. We’ll be presenting at the same time (Friday, October 23 at noon), but in the much larger Warner Bros. Theatre at the National Museum of American History.

I’m glad we were able to accommodate the demand for seats. My thanks to everyone for making this a high-demand event! It’s gonna be fun, I promise.

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Happy Henson Week! (Almost)

Posted on September 16, 2026 | Leave a comment

Next Thursday, September 24, is Jim Henson’s 90th (yup, you heard that right, ninetieth, nine oh) birthday–and as part of the celebration, Jim and Jane Henson’s alma mater, The University of Maryland, is sponsoring Henson Week, a weeklong series of events exploring Jim and Jane Henson’s legacies through educational, creative, and artistic events inspired by their lives and work.

I’m thrilled to be asked to participate in one of the sessions, a Tuesday evening “fireside chat” with writer and Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House director Ross Angelella, called “Misfits & Trailblazers,” where we’ll discuss creativity, storytelling, and the people who refuse to fit neatly into the expected mold.

Here’s the official promo:

We’ll be talking live on Zoom on Tuesday, September 22, at 6 p.m. ET. The event is free and open to the public–all you have to do is register here, then tune in on Tuesday to listen to Ross and me. And if you miss it . . . the University of Maryland will make it available later on their Startup UMD YouTube Channel.

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Celebrating 50 Years of The Muppet Show

Posted on September 6, 2026 | Leave a comment

Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ellen Wexler, a fine writer for Smithsonian magazine, who was putting together a piece on the 50th anniversary of The Muppet Show. For the detail-minded Muppet fans out there (and I’m one of you), she was very careful to point out that she was writing about The Muppet Show in the U.K., where the first episode debuted on September 5, 1976–a little more than two weeks before the show premiered in the United States.

You can read her entire piece here.

Ellen talked to LOTS of people for this one–including Muppet performer Dave Goelz and Henson Company archivist Karen Falk–and I might even be quoted in it once, twice, or thrice.* It’s a lot of fun, and a good look at the behind-the-scenes (and front-of-the-scenes) work that got The Muppet Show on the air five decades ago. Have fun.

(It’s actually six times.)

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Taking The Capitol (and Jim Henson) to the Capital

Posted on August 10, 2026 | Leave a comment

I’m excited to finally be bringing The Capitol to Washington, D.C. for a weekend in October. But first, let me tell you about another event I’ll be doing that same weekend. It involves this guy:

This has been in the works for a while–and now that it’s finally been posted, I’m excited I can officially tell you about it: on Friday, October 23, I’ll be appearing with Jim Henson Company Archives Director Karen Falk at the Smithsonian Museum of American History for a conversation about the life and work of Jim Henson, told through six objects in the Smithsonian’s collection. Our moderator and guide will be Ryan Lintelman, entertainment curator in the Smithsonian’s Division of Culture and the Arts. Here’s the official description from Smithsonian Associates:

Jim Henson’s boundless imagination and enduring legacy are best revealed through his creations. From inventing beloved characters such as Kermit the Frog and Rowlf and crafting fantastical worlds in The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth to creating television for the whole family in The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock, Henson’s creative genius was unparalleled.

The Jim Henson Company Archives Director Karen Falk and biographer Brian Jay Jones explore six extraordinary objects donated by Henson’s family to the National Museum of American History. Each offers a unique window into Henson’s creativity, artistic evolution, and long-lasting cultural impact. Ranging from early experiments to iconic creations, these artifacts reveal how Henson blended artistry, technology, and storytelling to reshape modern entertainment. Guided by Ryan Lintelman, entertainment curator in the Smithsonian’s Division of Culture and the Arts, the discussion weaves together biography, behind-the-scenes insights, and historical context.

Following the program, attendees have the rare opportunity to see objects from the National Museum of American History’s collection that are not on public display.

Which six objects will we be discussing? You’ll have to find out–but as you can see, it’s six objects that are presently not on display in any of the Smithsonian’s museums. And as Karen and I went down the list of the six, divvying up who would discuss what, I am giddily excited about one object in particular that I get to talk about.

You can find more information about the event here at the Smithsonian’s website–and while our event is at noon on a Friday, if you’re going to be in Washington that day, I hope you’ll register and come see us. It’ll be a blast, I promise.

The very next day, at 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, I’ll be discussing The Capitol at Politics and Prose with the help of ace biographer, historian, lawyer, and novelist David O. Stewart. David’s latest book is The Democracy We Must Keep: Seven Founders, Nine Documents and the Ideas that Shaped America, so between the two of us, we’ll have plenty to say about the hard work that goes into building a nation, and what our founding documents and infrastructure tell us about who we are as Americans. The event is free, but get there early to grab a seat.

Oh, and we’ll be at the flagship P&P on Connecticut Avenue, so don’t head for the one at the Wharf or at Union Market or you’ll miss us. And we’ll miss you.

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Posted in book talks, Jim Henson, Smithsonian, The Capitol

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Arthur Novell (1936-2026)

Posted on February 21, 2026 | 2 comments
Arthur Novell

I was sad to hear the news this week of the passing of Arthur Novell, who served as Jim Henson’s publicist for almost two decades. Arthur was not only a publicist, but a confidante and one of Jim’s reliable “fixers”–as many inside the organization warmly described him to me–who could be counted on to solve problems quickly and quietly. No matter what time of day it was, or where in the world Arthur might have been, he could almost always make things better with a phone call, taking care of the business of business and letting Jim Henson be Jim Henson.

After Jim’s death in 1990, Arthur was chosen by Jane Henson to serve as one of the founding board members of The Jim Henson Legacy on its establishment in 1992. That’s actually where he was when I first came to know him; he was serving as president of the Legacy when I approached the organization in 2008 to talk about a biography of Jim. He was genuinely warm and encouraging–and always so patient with me–and once I got the okay to proceed with the project around 2010, Arthur was one of the book’s biggest fans and cheerleaders.

There’s a good reason I called him the spiritual father of the biography; it wouldn’t have happened without his careful attention. I loved getting his e-mails dispensing guidance on how to approach performers, giving me his perspective on Jim’s career, or calling me “just to check in.” And there were times, I’m sure, when his hand on my shoulder–or his working behind the scenes on something I’m probably not even aware of to this day–made a real difference in my conversations with the Henson family, friends, and colleagues. With Arthur on your side, you were a made man.

After the book was published, Arthur and I stayed in touch, sometimes just a line or two in an e-mail. Any time I was in New York, I would try to have dinner–usually Chinese food–with him and his husband, Eddy, lingering for hours just so I could listen to the man tell stories, whether it was of his dancing on stage in New York as a young man, taking phone calls from Jim at 2 in the morning, or ushering around guests for Muppets Tonight. One of the last times we tried to get together, my train to New York was impossibly delayed and prevented us from having dinner. But Arthur texted me well into the evening and told me he was sorry we wouldn’t be able to see each other and that he missed talking with me.

That’s how he was.

Arthur was a lovely, lovely man, a true gentleman, and I’m forever grateful to him and even luckier to have known him. Godspeed, Arthur Novell; you were one of the good ones.

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I’m a People Person

Posted on February 4, 2026 | Leave a comment

I don’t love the headline on it–and none of what’s in here will be news to anyone who’s read the bio–but still: People magazine picked up on a conversation I had last week on New York radio, where I was asked about Jim and Jane Henson’s relationship, along with a similar question about Dr. Seuss’s marriage to his wife, Helen. You can listen to the interview in its entirety here, as part of the radio show Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia. I talked with Joe not only about Jane Henson and Helen Palmer–and how important both women were in shaping the creative lives and professional careers of their spouses–but also the craft of writing both biographies, and the moments in their lives when Jim Henson and Dr. Seuss leaned into their trademark art forms.

Oh, and stick around and keep listening after my segment’s over, and you’ll also get good advice on estate planning from Mike Connors, who is not Mannix.

ETA: The same story is making the rounds with increasingly stupider spin, like this piece from The Globe, an absolute rag of a newspaper, which says breathlessly of information that was contained in the biography in 2013, “New details are emerging….” None of this is anywhere close to being new, you fetid trash mag.

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Commencement Speaker Season

Posted on March 27, 2025 | Leave a comment

Oh, you lucky Terps.

Exciting news out of the University of Maryland the other day, as they announced their commencement speaker for the ceremonies for the Spring Class of 2025. Here’s the video–and they’re gonna make you wait until the end, of course, for the big reveal:

Yup, it’s Kermit the Frog, who, I suppose, could technically be said to be an alum of UMD, since he’s the creation of a graduate of the Class of 1960, Jim Henson. (Kermit’s attendance at the University of Maryland is not yet canon, you nerds.)

(I can’t help wondering, too, who’s gonna write the speech for Kermit to deliver. Commencement speeches are famously tough to get right, and my hat is off to whoever’s been assigned the task of writing this one. Heck, maybe they’ve been lucky enough to co-opt Muppet/Henson fan Brad Meltzer, who knows a thing or two about how to do these things.)

Believe it or not, in his lifetime, Jim Henson never delivered a commencement speech–not at the University of Maryland, not anywhere. He did receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from his alma mater in 1978, and carefully instructed the university that he wanted his name to be printed as “Jim” and not “James,” which was on his 1960 diploma.

Here’s the page from the commencement program that year that featured Jim’s bio . . .

. . . and finally, here’s a fantastic picture of Jim Henson himself, all decked out in his mortarboard and robe to receive his honorary degree. Jim had been working in London on The Muppet Show almost right up to the last minute, and his assistant sent a telex to the Henson company’s New York offices with Jim’s hat size, so they could inform UMD. “Jim’s head measures 22 ½”, said the telex, “which our wardrobe says is about size 6 7/8.” They seem to have gotten everything right, because he looks terrific.

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Coming Soon: Jim Henson: Idea Man

Posted on April 11, 2024 | Leave a comment

Well, there you go. The Ron Howard helmed documentary we’ve been waiting for since . . . what, 2022? finally arrives on Disney+ on May 31, and it’s got a title: Jim Henson: Idea Man. Vanity Fair has a pretty good sneak preview you can see here, and I’m hoping we’ll get a video trailer sometime here soon.

And for those who have kindly asked: no, I had no involvement in this project, apart from clearing a smidge of audio for their use (it’s not me talking, but the voice of someone I interviewed, so you’ll get to hear their voice in the documentary, which I love. I’m just hoping they can use some of the newfangled Peter Jackson audio wizardry that they used in Get Back to clear it up a bit). Anyway, this will be as shiny and new and exciting to me as it is to you, which, as a fan, is a great feeling. May 31 can’t get here fast enough.

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A Decade of Gratitude

Posted on September 24, 2023 | 2 comments

I haven’t been at the desk much today, but I wanted to take a moment to note two things.

First, it’s Jim Henson’s 87th birthday. As I say every year, go celebrate by doing something silly. Jim Henson would want you to.

And second . . . it’s the tenth anniversary of the publication of Jim Henson: The Biography.

I’m can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am to all of you who have enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, reading the biography. I love hearing from readers who were moved or inspired by Jim’s story–and while I so appreciate the kind words, I’m just the messenger, man! It’s Jim who moved and inspired you. I think he’d love knowing that, 33 years after his death, new generations of creatives, weirdos, lovers, and dreamers have found him and love him not only for his enormous output of amazing work, but for the person he was and aspired to be.

A decade after publication of the biography, I’m constantly inspired by all of YOU, too–whether you’re fans, performers, writers, artists, musicians, puppetmakers, or just want to razz me about the word “Muppeteer” . . . know that I love ALL of you. The Muppet family is the BEST, and I’m so proud to be a part of the Muppet fan community, which, generally speaking, is one of the most positive around.

I’m also enormously grateful to the entire Muppet and Henson organization, who let me into their homes, and their hearts, to tell Jim Henson’s story. It’s a privilege to be a part of the Amphibian Alumni, no matter how peripheral, and I’m privileged (there’s that word again) to still be in touch with many of you fine folks today. Thanks for letting me in. And sometimes even feeding me.

Anyway, I’m fairly certain that the first words of my obituary will be, “Jim Henson biographer Brian Jay Jones . . .” And really, I am just SO okay with and proud of that.

Thank you again, all of you, for reading Jim’s biography, and learning, laughing, and crying along with it. I’m grateful to all of you for reading. And I wanted you to know that.

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Talking Muppets with the Great Gonzo

Posted on March 29, 2022 | Leave a comment

Well, not quite; I actually had the privilege of appearing with legendary Muppet performer Dave Goelz as we talked on San Francisco NPR with Heidi Rabben, curator at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, which is hosting the Jim Henson: Imagination Unlimited touring exhibit. Stick around for the entire conversation, and you’ll hear Dave Goelz absolutely make a young Muppet fan’s year.

You can hear our discussion in its entirety here. It runs about 51 minutes.

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