Whirlwind Road Trip to Washington
I hope everyone is having a lovely day. I’m feeling a little rough around the edges. I spent most of yesterday driving 483 miles roundtrip to see an old cloth coat and a cut up ping pong ball.
While that may sound stupid, I have to explain…I’m a huge fan of Jim Henson and the Muppets. He made his mother’s old coat and the ping pong ball into the first Kermit the Frog.
Okay, it STILL sounds stupid, I know....but I have wanted to go to the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History for the last couple of months since they put in the Muppet exhibit.
Normally I would not make the round trip to Washington all in one day, but there was a sense of urgency this time.
It was just announced the Museum is closing for two years on September 5. So I felt like it was now or never, or at least not for two years….
The Smithsonian has had the original Kermit for a while, but it has not been on display. Now they have added many of the characters from Henson’s first show, “Sam & Friends,” “The Muppet Show,” and “The Dark Crystal.”
(Notice in the picture that Kermit looks a little different, that's because he wasn't a "frog" yet. His flippers weren't added until years later. You can click on the pictures for a larger version.)
It was easily the most crowded area in the already crowded museum yesterday. It’s interesting getting a close look at the Muppets and seeing the detail work that went into them.
( When I got started in radio, MANY years ago, someone came up and told me I sounded just like Kermit the Frog. I must have looked insulted, because he quickly added, "I meant that as a complement." I still didn't take it that way, but that's okay...I wasn't a very good D-J anyway.)
Anyway, Jim Henson was truly a creative genius. Even 16 years after his death, we still haven’t found anyone to replace him. It was just nice to see some of his handiworks up close and in person. It was worth seven hours in a car.
The above clip is from 1974's "What's My Line?'
The above clip is from Jim Henson's 1955 Washington DC show
"Sam & Friends."
Below is "The Rainbow Connection" from the Muppet Movie.
While that may sound stupid, I have to explain…I’m a huge fan of Jim Henson and the Muppets. He made his mother’s old coat and the ping pong ball into the first Kermit the Frog.
Okay, it STILL sounds stupid, I know....but I have wanted to go to the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History for the last couple of months since they put in the Muppet exhibit. Normally I would not make the round trip to Washington all in one day, but there was a sense of urgency this time.
It was just announced the Museum is closing for two years on September 5. So I felt like it was now or never, or at least not for two years….
The Smithsonian has had the original Kermit for a while, but it has not been on display. Now they have added many of the characters from Henson’s first show, “Sam & Friends,” “The Muppet Show,” and “The Dark Crystal.”(Notice in the picture that Kermit looks a little different, that's because he wasn't a "frog" yet. His flippers weren't added until years later. You can click on the pictures for a larger version.)
It was easily the most crowded area in the already crowded museum yesterday. It’s interesting getting a close look at the Muppets and seeing the detail work that went into them.
( When I got started in radio, MANY years ago, someone came up and told me I sounded just like Kermit the Frog. I must have looked insulted, because he quickly added, "I meant that as a complement." I still didn't take it that way, but that's okay...I wasn't a very good D-J anyway.)
Anyway, Jim Henson was truly a creative genius. Even 16 years after his death, we still haven’t found anyone to replace him. It was just nice to see some of his handiworks up close and in person. It was worth seven hours in a car.
The above clip is from 1974's "What's My Line?'
The above clip is from Jim Henson's 1955 Washington DC show
"Sam & Friends."
Below is "The Rainbow Connection" from the Muppet Movie.
posted by Mr. Monkeyboy at
10:18 AM
4 Comments:
It's not easy...bein' green.
Kermit convinced me to paive over my lawn.
That takes care of the green!
Oh wow the Smithsonian is closing for a while. I really liked that museum when I visited it during my day trip to Washington. It's a really nice area too. Thanks for posting this Monkeyboy :)
Yeah, the American History Museum is closing. The rest are staying open, but with the exception of the Hope Diamond, all the good stuff will disappear for two years.
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