Miss Piggy & the Gang at AMNH

Opening nights for new museum exhibits can range from moderately exciting to downright boring. More often than not, the press has been invited, and a few cameramen choose to attend to take a few token photos of the new displays. The scholars behind the show are typically in attendance, and they mingle about and answer a few questions. Most scholars, however, fail to achieve celebrity status outside of their discipline. While the opening of new contemporary art galleries might offer an exception to this rule, it is a relatively small percentage of people that can recognize the faces of significant contemporary artists. A few exhibits, however, feel more like movie premiers than exhibit openings. The opening of a new National Museum of American History Exhibit honoring the 50th anniversary of the Muppets must have felt like one of the more exciting exhibit openings.

While famed archaeologists or historians might be hard to recognize, most everyone will remember the features of Kermit and the gang. In the Washington Post article (registration required) covering the exhibits opening, museum director Brent D. Glass described how excited he was to have the Henson artifacts on display this summer, when large crowds are expected to attend.

Many of Henson's relatives as well as those who worked with the puppeteer in his many projects were in attendance. Those at the event spoke about the impact that the projects had on them as well as Henson's broader impact on American culture.

Those who grew up watching the Muppet Family and other Henson creations in all of their wild and creative incarnations will no doubt be excited to see the exhibit and there is little argument that Jim Henson's creations have played a significant role in entertaining generations of Americans.