Jim Henson’s Muppets and More at Atlanta’s Puppetry Museum

The Worlds of Puppetry Museum at the Center for Puppetry Arts

Visit this puppetry museum to explore Jim Henson’s Muppet Collection, a second gallery highlighting the history of puppetry around the world, and a seasonal puppetry pop up exhibit. One of Atlanta’s hidden gems is the Worlds of Puppetry Museum at the Center for Puppetry Arts. Most Atlanteans are surely familiar with the puppet shows available at the Center. However, everyone may not be aware that the museum itself is a destination.  Although puppet shows typically appeal to the younger crowd, the museum appeals to all age groups.

The museum highlights three collections.  The first collection that you encounter is a small rotating exhibit before you enter the museum itself.  The formal museum displays two galleries.  The first gallery displays the Jim Henson Collection.  Here children of all ages will find the Muppets that that they know and love.  After Jim Henson’s death, the Henson Foundation donated their Muppet collection to the Center. The museum preserves the Muppet collection and shares them with their audience.  The exhibit walks through Jim Henson’s career, his creative process, and the evolution of Muppets. 

Lastly, the second gallery houses the Global Collection, which unlocks the history of puppetry across the world.  Before Jim Henson and the Muppets arrived on the scene, years of puppetry tradition laid the path for them.  This gallery walks through different types of puppets and the stories that they told across the world and over time. 

For information on current Worlds of Puppetry Museum exhibits, hours, pricing, and tickets see the Center for Puppetry Arts.

Special Pop-Up Exhibits

Upon entering the main space, rotating puppetry exhibits are on display in the Love Family Atrium.  Your ticket to the museum includes these pop up exhibits. When we attended, the “Found It! Pop-Up Exhibition” featuring puppets made from everyday objects was the displayed.  Tom Servo and Crow T Robot from the Netflix series Mystery Science Theater 3000 greeted us.  During the holidays, “Festive Features” are on display.  You may find the puppets from the original 1964 stop motion television production of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” featured.  You may also see Jim Henson’s reindeer from The Ed Sullivan Show.  Coinciding with its release on Disney Plus, the puppets from Dark Crystal were on display as the rotating exhibit.

Special Exhibit for 2024!

Right now the special rotating exhibit is, Down in Fraggle Rock! This exhibit will be on display until October 27, 2024.

The Jim Henson Collection: Muppets and More

Jim Henson and his Muppets: a trip down memory lane for all ages!

All Muppets are puppets but not all puppets are Muppets.  Muppets are Jim Henson’s special kind of puppet, born of his imagination.  Muppets have the unique ability to entertain both adults and children.  My parents fondly remember rushing home to watch the Muppet Show on prime time.  I grew up watching Sesame Street and the Muppet Movies.  I remember desperately wanting to watch Fraggle Rock, but we did not have HBO. 

Whether you remember the Muppets from Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, the Muppet movies, the Dark Crystal, or Labyrinth – you can find them all here.  The Muppet Collection is vast. The Center is unable to display the entire collection at one time, so the characters rotate.  Each time you return, expect to see a few different faces on display. 

Visiting Muppet Gallery

As an architect, I consider myself a creative professional.  The first time I visited the Jim Henson collection, I went with my young children. We looked at the Muppets and played with the Muppets available in the play area. This time, I allowed the exhibit to bring back the nostalgia of my youth and reveled in how my children enjoyed the exhibit. 

The second time I visited the gallery, I spent more time looking at the workshop area. I studied Jim Henson’s sketches and notebooks.  The construction of the Muppets is fascinating. Be sure to check out the tools and materials used to piece them together.  I loved the note that the eyes were the most important feature of every Muppet. Jim Henson approved the eye placement personally on each character. One note reads, “The Magic Triangle: careful placement of the eyes in relation to the nose and mouth is critical!” While you are in this gallery, I recommend that you look at the sketches and notes.  See how they relate to the Muppets on display. 

Walking through the Jim Henson Collection

Jim Henson was an avid supporter for the Center for Puppetry Arts from day one.  Henson and Kermit

cut the ribbon when the Center opened.  His family donated his collection of Muppets and supporting materials to the Center for Puppetry Arts following Henson’s death.  The Jim Henson Collection chronologically follows Jim’s career and the evolution of his Muppet characters.  

Jim Henson’s Early Career

We first meet Jim Henson as a high school student from Hyattsville, MD. At this point, he auditioned for the role of a young puppeteer at the local DC metro area CBS affiliate.  After winning the position, he shared his own puppet characters as part of a variety show on Saturday mornings.  In due time, the local NBC affiliate noticed him. They gave him the opportunity to perform his Muppet characters on a couple of variety programs. 

Later, as a freshman at the University of Maryland, the NBC affiliate gave him a five-minute show. Henson called the show “Sam and Friends.”  The show aired twice a day for five-minutes.  To make the show a success, Henson partnered with his University of Maryland classmate and future wife, Jane Nebel.  A lizard like creature named Kermit made his first appearance on Sam and Friends.  The success of this small show opened the gates of opportunity.  Under those circumstances, Jim and Jane met many talented puppeteers and craftspeople developing life-long professional relationships.  The Muppets initially appeared in television commercials before we saw them on television shows and the big screen.

The exhibit begins with Sam and Friends.  Following up on this initial success, Jim Henson and his crew began making commercials and promotional material for workplaces.  As the Muppets popularity grew, Jim appeared on national network shows such as “The Steve Allen Show” and “Today.”  

The Muppets Find National Success

He moved his family to New York in 1963 to make it easier to keep up with his busy schedule.  The first nationally know Muppet was Rowlf the Dog.  This Muppet made regular appearances on “The Jimmy Dean Show” in addition to commercials. 

Next, walk through Jim’s New York office to see where he worked. Note the special items with which he surrounded himself.  Jim’s Red Book sits on his desk.  He began keeping the Red Book in 1965. In particular, he documented work projects, family milestones, start dates of collaborations with puppeteers, and other notable events in this book.  Learn more about Jim’s Red Book at Jim Henson Company.

The Muppet Workshop

Next, walk through the workshop.  At this point note the sketches and patterns and the vast supply of materials here.  Early Muppet designers tried many different materials and techniques to ultimately determine the best ones to use for each puppet.  The creative process made it challenging for designers to capture the exact essence of a puppet when they needed a duplicate.  The original Muppet Workshop was in London.  The current version, Jim Henson’s Creature Shops are now located in Los Angeles and New York.    

The Muppets on Sesame Street

The television producer, Joan Ganz Cooney, embarked on creating a ground-breaking educational children’s television program for PBS.  In 1966, she requested that Jim Henson and his team create the cast characters who would populate this world.  The next stop in the exhibit is “Sesame Street”.  The show made its debut in 1969 and is still on the air today delighting and educating young children and simultaneously entertaining the parents who watch with them. 

Find your old pals here including Ernie, Bert, 6-year-old Big Bird (who is 8’-2” tall), Oscar the Grouch, Franklin, Grover, Elmo, and Cookie Monster.  Little ones have the opportunity to operate their own Muppet. In addition, they can perform their own puppet show. Screens also display the show in real time.  My family spent quite a bit of time here.  In addition to being their own Muppeteers, there is a reading corner, where children can sit and enjoy books about their favorite Sesame Street Characters.

The Muppet Show

The next gallery features “The Muppet Show” and the Muppet Movies.  Jim Henson believed that his characters could appeal to adults as well as children.  At this point, Lord Lew Grade, gave Henson the backing he needed to produce the Muppet Show in London.  In this gallery, Kermit, who hosted “The Muppet Show,” greets you from his director’s chair. 

The Center for Puppetry Arts houses the world’s largest collection of Jim Henson artifacts. Since there are too many objects in the collection to be displayed at one time, the cast of characters in the galleries rotates.  I visited multiple times and I can confirm that undoubtedly there was a new mix of Muppets to see each time.  “The Muppet Show” characters who you may see in this gallery include Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Gonzo, Scooter, and Rizzo the Rat. 

The Muppets in Fraggle Rock

The group from “Fraggle Rock“ sits adjacent to the gang from the Muppet Show and Movies.  The Fraggle, Uncle Traveling Matt was there to greet visitors. The Doozers were hard at work.  Sprocket stood playfully nearby.  There is also an exhibit highlighting the work of Faz Fazakas, who was a talented puppeteer and special effects designer.  It was Fazakas’s inventions that allowed the Muppets to ride bikes and row boats.  He invented animatronics that controlled the expressions on the faces of full-bodied characters such as the Gorgs on Fraggle Rock.

Jim Henson’s Fantasy Films: Dark Crystal & Labyrinth

In the 1980s, Jim collaborated with Brian Froud, who is a British illustrator, to create two incredible fantasy movies.  Firstly, they worked together on “The Dark Crystal,” which took five-years to complete.  They spent that time pushing the boundaries of puppetry and animatronics to develop new kinds of characters.  Jim Henson’s Creature Shop is the creative team behind these efforts.  Subsequently, this team collaborated again on the film, “Labyrinth.”   The film starred David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly.  George Lucas produced the film.

More Muppets

Around the corner, you will find the characters from “Dog City.” The villain, Bugsy Them, is on display along with characters from the film, “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band-Christmas.”  Finally, the exhibit wrapped up with characters created for the “Shun the Ho Hum” Krystal advertisements. 

Although initially the Muppets were Jim Henson’s creation, the Muppets that the world knows today are so much more. The Muppets would have never grown and evolved without the talented group of performers and craftsmen who worked together to create the cast of characters that we’ve grown to know and love.

To learn more about Jim Henson, visit the Jim Henson Company.

To learn more about anything Muppet related, visit Muppet Wiki.

The Global Collection

Puppetry in North and South America

The Global Collection highlights the history of puppetry across the world from native American, European, African, and Asian puppet traditions.  Initially, the front of the gallery features the North and South American puppts.  The exhibit focused on native American cultures – particularly those in the Pacific Northwest that paired puppetry and masks.  Puppet designs aligned closely to clan’s totem. Through puppets, Native Americans made requests for bountiful hunting, harvests, and good weather.  Puppets also told stories for entertainment. 

As Europeans migrated to North and South America, they brought new customs with them including their own forms of puppetry.  Subsequently, immigrants from around the world came to the Americas, bringing puppetry traditions with them, all their traditions mixed creating new types of puppets and new styles of performance. 

Stop Motion Puppetry

Stop motion puppetry or animation is one of those innovations.  Gumby, Wallace & Gromit, and The Nightmare Before Christmas are all examples of this presentation style.  Motion pictures are created by placing a puppet and moving it slightly between each take.  Thereupon, flipping through the photos creates the appearance of movement.  The most famous, early American character, Gumby as well as Tim Burton’s characters Victor Von Dort and the Corpse Bride are on display in the Global Collection.

Interactive Marionette Theater

Further into the gallery, an interactive marionette theater invites visitors to put on their own puppet show.  This activity was my certainly children’s favorite part of this gallery.  Happily, there is a bench in front for spectators to enjoy the show.  Puppets controlled from above with wires or strings are called marionettes. 

The Lion King on Broadway

“The Lion King,” the musical made its debut on Broadway in 1997. The director, Julie Taymor, created the prototypes of the masks of Scar and Mufasa on display in the museum. The actors portrayed their animal characters in a style called “the double event.”  The actors wore masks positioned above their faces to present both the animal and human sides of the story. The Scar and Mufasa masks could cover the actor’s face, allowing the human to transform completely to an animal.

Pulcinella or Punch, the Puppet

Pulcinella was originally an Italian marionette who was based on a character from the Italian Commedia dell’Arte.  Italians migrated to other parts of Europe in the late 1600s. They brought the Pulcinella character with them, and consequently Punch began to appear in English puppet theater.  In the 1800s, Punch transformed from a marionette to a hand or glove puppet.  Punch’s wife, Judy, eventually joined him on stage.  He regularly got into fights with the Devil in the 1600-1700s.  Later, the Devil evolved into a crocodile. 

Punch and Judy shows employ slapstick comedy.  Punch was popular because he encountered the same troubles as common people.  However, as a puppet, Punch was able to beat up police officers, crocodiles, and the devil himself.  The phrase, “Pleased as Punch” is based on this character.  Satisfied with all of his accomplishments, Punch was quite proud of himself.  The glove puppets displayed near Punch reminded me of the puppets who lived in Mr. Roger’s Land of Make-Believe – particularly Lady Elaine Fairchilde. 

Vietnamese Water Puppetry

Water puppetry originated in the 11th century Vietnam in villages along the Red River Delta.  A screen hides the performers while they stand in waist deep water.  The puppeteers control their characters with submerged rods, cords, and chains.  Generally, the theme of performances is Vietnamese folklore and scenes from daily life.  There are often stories of the harvest, fishing, and festivals. Indoor performances can be found in Saigon and Hanoi.  Presently, they use specially built pools with pagodas and are popular with tourists.

Chinese Shadow Puppets

Chinese shadow puppet figures are made from leather or paper.  Accordingly, puppeteers use rods to create the appearance of movement through a translucent backlit cloth screen.  Such puppet shows are accompanied by music and singing.  Generally, performances accompany religious rituals, weddings, funerals, and other special occasions.  Their plots pass on cultural history, oral traditions and local customs – all while entertaining. 

Indian Puppetry Tradition

In the Indian tradition, a puppet depicting King Ravana of Lanka and his 10-heads is on display.  The Hindu festival of Diwali commemorates Prince Rama of Ayodhya’s return home.  This ancient Sanskrit epic tells the story of how Ravana abducted Prince Rama’s beautiful wife, Princess Sita.  Eventually, Rama organized an army of bears and monkeys to kill Ravana and rescue his wife. 

Ravana has 10 heads and 20 arms.  In his quest for power, his 10 heads of knowledge represent 10 negative qualities of those attached to power: lust, anger, delusion, greed, pride, envy, intellect, mind, will, and ego.  Hindu tradition sees Ravana as a complex person.  In conclusion, no one is all good or all evil.  Nevertheless, Ravana allowed vice to take over his life.  While in this story, good trumps evil, knowledge over ignorance, and spiritual light over darkness. 

Visiting the Puppetry Museum

How much time do I need?

Adults will need 1.5 to 2-hours to go through both galleries.  Although I recommend spending 1-hour if you are visiting with young children.  The children will spend most of their time in the interactive exhibits and breeze through the rest of them.  As you enter the museum, note that there is a scavenger hunt available for young children.  Children who complete the scavenger hunt win a small prize. If you are a true puppet aficionado, it is be possible to spend up to 3-hours absorbing each exhibit.  If you have the opportunity to take a guided tour, you will get even more out of the museum.

Check the museum’s website for current hours and pricing. Please note that the Center for Puppetry Arts is typically closed on Mondays.

How to get there

The Worlds of Puppetry Museum at the Center for Puppetry Arts is in midtown Atlanta and can be accessed by car or via MARTA.  The closest train station in the Arts Center MARTA Station.  The Center is approximately a 10 to 15-minute walk from there.  Free parking is available around the rear of the Center, where the main entrance is located.  There is additional parking past the building if the initial lot that you see is full.  

I recommend that you check showtimes to make sure that you are not arriving as a show is starting if you are only planning to visit the museum.  The parking lot often fills up at showtime.  When you enter the lobby, the ticket windows are to the left and on the right, Big Bird’s nest is waiting for you to jump in for a photo opportunity.  The Worlds of Puppetry Museum awaits just beyond the Love Family Atrium.

How to visit the Worlds of Puppetry Museum for Free

Become a member of the Center for Puppetry Arts

Members of the Center for Puppetry Arts receive free admission to the Worlds of Puppetry Museum. Every ticket to a puppet show includes admission to the museum. So be sure to come a little early to check out the museum!

Georgia Public Library Discount Program

The Georgia Public Library Service Partners with the Center for Puppetry Arts to offer a Family Pass that can be checked out for a 7-day period.  Benefits include admission for four people to the Worlds of Puppetry Museum OR a 25% discount on an All-Inclusive Ticket.  Library patrons can pre-purchase tickets online in advance using the code LIBRARY.  The All-Inclusive ticket includes a Family Series Performance, a Create-a-Puppet Workshop, and admission to the museum.  Please visit the Georgia Public Library website for the most up to date information. To see where and when the pass is available, search the library catalog for: “Georgia Public Libraries Passport to Puppetry.”

Free Fulton County Saturdays

The Center for Puppetry Arts partners with Fulton County to offer residents free passes to the Worlds of Puppetry Museum. Four Saturdays in January, April, July, and October are typically scheduled each year.  Please visit the Center for Puppetry Art’s website for more about the benefits of this program.  Please note that you must print out the form on the Center’s website. Bring the completed form and your Fulton Country ID to the box office on Fulton County Saturday. 

Sketchbook Saturdays

The first Saturday of every month, museum visitors can participate in an organized sketching event called Sketchbook Saturdays.  The museum supplies materials including clipboards. However, you are welcome to bring your own sketching supplies – note that pencils/graphite are the only mediums permitted in the galleries. 

Puppets and Pints

Visit the Worlds of Puppetry Museum after hours with an adults only (18 and older) crowd. Puppets and Pints is a special event features a cash bar and light bites. Visit the Center for Puppetry Arts website to see when the next event is scheduled.

Have you visited the Worlds of Puppetry Museum? Are you planning to go? Let me know what you are most excited about in the comments!

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