September 17, 2010

Father and Son

Logically speaking, I understand that Kermit and the rest of the muppets are made of cloth and foam and plastic, voiced and controlled by very talented puppeteers. But after a lifetime of watching those characters sing, talk, act, fall in love, teach, bitch, build, and deliver the news, well, it's pretty hard to deep down convince myself that this is anything but a photo of Jim and Kermit having a conversation. Maybe about his motivation for the next scene? Seeing the wires does not, in this case, seem to destroy the illusion for me.

Jim Henson on set
1970s

11 comments:

screamish said...

lovely...

Ms. Moon said...

I love the delicate way Henson's hand is holding those wires at the bottom. I think he probably WAS having a conversation with Kermit here. What a beautiful picture.

Steph(anie) said...

love this

That Hank said...

It's almost Jim Henson's birthday. What a loss to humanity.

May said...

I love what you wrote, and it's so true. The Muppets are so much more real to me than any CGI characters have been. I still want to go to Sesame Street, I do.

That Hank said...

You know, it may well be muppets who ruined CGI for me.

m said...

I love the muppets and this photo is so perfect. There is a real intimacy between the two of them. Oh, and I didn't even see the wires at first! Had to look for them after you mentioned them. Just a lovely picture.

That Hank said...

It certainly caught my eye. And thanks for commenting!

m said...

My pleasure! I love your blog so much and lurk much more often than I comment. Thanks for keeping it going.

That Hank said...

I mostly do it because the comments are fun, so, you know, feel free to have your say.

Sarcastic Bastard said...

What an endearing photo. Love it.