“I’d rather go alone than miss it all together.”
That was how it was decided that I’d go spend time by myself at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia. Truffles wasn’t well while we were in Atlanta and we missed five days worth of activities, so Stephen suggested that I go to the Jim Henson Collection at the Center for Puppetry Arts on my own rather than miss it altogether. Of course, I’d rather have gone together but I had a nice day – here’s what I got up to.
The Center for Puppetry Arts used to be a school and the original building is still part of the Center.
I was mostly at the Center of Puppetry Arts to see the Jim Henson Collection. As you enter, you’re greeted by the amazing image in the photo below which leads you to all the exhibits. I couldn’t resist snapping a few of this amazing photographic mural.
The Collection has many pieces that are rotated through so they don’t get too much light on them, wearing them out and making them spoiled for future generations. Most of the exhibits are generous donations from the Henson Family.
Kermit didn’t actually start as a frog, but as a lizard. He made his debut on Sam and Friends.
Rolf was the first Muppet you saw as you entered the exhibit, carrying a sheet of music with him. I KNEW THE SONG! Lydia the Tattooed Lady is from an obscure cassette tape I had as a kid and I hummed it as I walked through to the next exhibit.
Below is a replica of Jim Henson’s desk. Some things were originals like the Kermit Lamp and the Emmys. The red Muppets notebook was a replica of the original that held all the specs for every Muppet Jim created.
As you move through you get to see the design process for creating puppets and Muppets. The red fur you see in the photo below at the top of the pile of fabrics is real Elmo fur!
Then… you enter a space that everyone knows. And you see a shadow across the wall that everyone knows.
It’s BIG BIRD! He’s made of hundreds of colored turkey feathers.
Sesame Street started in 1969 and Elmo, Cookie Monster, a Muppet I didn’t recognize, and Hoots make up the display.
From here you move through to other Muppets and puppets. This included my two favorites, Fraggles and The Tale of the Bunny Picnic.
I took the Jim Henson Collection Tour for an extra fee and the woman who sold me my ticket suggested trying to take this shot below. When taken correctly, it looks like Kermit is waving to Jim while Jim is operating Kermit in a picture across the room. They also have this as a postcard which I picked up as my souvenir.
Finally – Fraggle Rock!!! I was sad not to see Red in person but Gobo and Mokey were amazing and then… SPROCKET!!
When I was a kid there was a movie that aired on TV called The Tale Of The Bunny Picnic which we’d taped on VHS. It had an intro by Jim Henson explaining that one day he and his daughter were out for a walk in a park. While there, they saw a bunch of rabbits looking like they were together for a convention when a dog ran through scattering the bunnies everywhere.
I’ve always remembered that story. We had the VHS tape FOREVER. I watched it each Easter and it began to get worn out. When we got married, Stephen and I went on the hunt to find a newer copy. We found two copies on VHS on Ebay and purchased both (one for me and one for my mom).
All I wanted was it on DVD so I could keep it into the future as VHS became obsolete. In the end, Stephen surprised me a few years ago by having it transferred from VHS to DVD for personal use. You can also watch it on YouTube.
So when I saw these puppets, I shouted (quietly… ish…) “It’s the STORYTELLER!” and “Great great great great grandmother’s house!”, both which are lines from the film. I’d have loved to have seen Bean Bunny since he was my favorite, but this was still really exciting!
It’s possible that the quote below made me choke up. Jim Henson seems like he was just the kindest, most good-hearted man. I’m so sad he died at such a young age, but I’m grateful he left all these wonderful characters for us to enjoy.
There are other parts to the Center for Puppetry Arts. They have Puppets from Around the World as well as a traveling display from India.
I also went to see the Rainforest Adventures puppet show. It was… interesting. I’m really glad I went as there were some parts of it that were amazing. They used other puppets to create a ‘zoom in’ effect to see caterpillars turn into butterflies.
They also used it to explain that piranhas ate the tapir puppet (that part was a little unexpected). There was also an anaconda and alligator battle that was very dramatic. I loved it overall, and the neon and black light made it feel very realistic. My ticket included the chance to make my own puppet so I made a pink dolphin from the show.
Just before I left I saw one more little surprise – one of the Tiny Doors that can be found across Atlanta. I loved that this one had a teeny tiny Kermit sign.
Final Thoughts
I had a great time at The Center for Puppetry Arts and it’s a great way to spend an afternoon in Atlanta. They were welcoming, knowledgeable and the Rainforest Adventures show was worth seeing. I’d highly recommend going to see the Jim Henson Collection and taking the Jim Henson Tour.
So excited that you saw my old elementary school (K-7) and my father’s school for 1st grade. I rode either my bike or the city bus to get there from Ansley Park. Could you still tell it was a school from the hallways? I haven’t visited since the Olympics in 1996. I’ll have to go the next time I visit Daddy to see the Henson display!
Thanks for your comment Clifford! Sadly not, it was really very modern inside, at least where I was. When I went upstairs to make the puppet I guess it was a little more ‘classroom’ like but overall I couldn’t really tell anymore.
I love that center. I go there all the time. Most of the people I know did not like the Henson display, but it was a blast for me because I saw most of the stuff I saw as a kid growing up. I hope you enjoyed the center that my mom used to be my moms school.