"People who grew up with troubled childhoods and they latched onto the Muppets as a way to get through a lot of this stuff. It’s a responsibility I never knew we had."
Happy Birthday, Steve Whitmire!
ALT Steve Whitmire, wearing a green collared shirt, smiles. (Image courtesy of Muppet Wiki)
"When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better for having been there."
#HappyBirthdayJim
ALT Jim Henson, wearing a white button-down shirt and a gray checkered jacket, smiles as he embraces Kermit the Frog while holding him up. (Image courtesy of Muppet Wiki)
"The attitude you have as a parent is what your kids will learn from more than what you tell them. They don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are."
#HappyBirthdayJim
ALT Jim Henson, with daughter Heather on his shoulders, stands outside behind his family (from left), Cheryl, Jane, Brian, John, and Lisa. (Image courtesy of Muppet Wiki)
"Follow your enthusiasm. It's something I've always believed in. Find those parts of your life you enjoy the most. Do what you enjoy doing."
#HappyBirthdayJim
ALT Jim Henson, wearing a tuxedo, smiles as he is surrounded by dozens of Muppets on the set of "The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years." (Image courtesy of Muppet Wiki)
"Certainly I’ve lived my whole life through my imagination. But the world of imagination is there for all of us – a sense of play, of pretending, of wonder. It’s there with us as we live."
#HappyBirthdayJim
ALT Jim Henson looks down upon Ernie, whom he holds in his hands. (Image courtesy of Muppet Wiki)
KERMIT: Thank you, thank you, thank you. And welcome to The Muppet Show. And what a show we got. We have music, comedy, 225 dancing elephants — who, unfortunately, left their costumes at home because they forgot to pack their trunks.
"I think the subliminal message of ["The Magic Store"] is that you’re special and you can do all the things that we’ve done. I think that was Jim’s message. I think Jim’s message was not that I’m special, but that you’re special."
Happy Birthday, Paul Williams!
ALT Paul Williams, wearing a teal turtleneck and dark red jacket, talks to Kermit the Frog on the set of "The Muppet Show." (Image courtesy of Muppet Wiki)
"I was a Muppet fan before I worked for the company. I was ten when The Muppet Show first came on the air, so I remember watching it every week, and I grew up with Sesame Street... so I look at things through the eyes of a fan..."
Happy Birthday, Craig Shemin!
ALT Craig Shemin, wearing a navy blue short-sleeved shirt with a floral print, smiles as he points to Fozzie Bear standing next to him. (Image courtesy of Muppet Wiki)
GONZO: I'm a bird. Yeah, I'm a... I'm a turkey.
GUARD: You're not a real turkey.
GONZO: Are you kidding? Have you seen my act?
GUARD: Hey, Lee, I got this real turkey to see you.
"Instead of going for my final year of college, I started on Sesame Street, which was an education in itself.... And at that time, this was pretty much like the puppet show on television, especially here in New York. So that was quite an education."
Happy Birthday, Noel MacNeal!
ALT Noel MacNeal, wearing a black t-shirt, embraces Bear, who stands behind him on the set of "Bear in the Big Blue House." (Image courtesy of Muppet Wiki)