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See Kermit, Bert, Ernie, and more at The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited

See Kermit, Bert, Ernie, and more at The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited

By Maureen Lee Lenker

May 31, 2018 at 05:29 PM EDT

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Enter the mind of Jim Henson

Credit: John E. Barrett/The Jim Henson Company/MoMI

Los Angeles' Skirball Cultural Center is now home to a wide assortment of monsters, talking frogs, and other entertaining puppets as it welcomes the traveling exhibition The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited. From June 1 through Sept. 2, the Skirball will feature more than 100 objects and 25 historic puppets from the Jim Henson collection, highlighting his contributions to media and the moving image. Click through for a sneak peek of the items on display.

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It's not easy being green

Credit: Timothy Norris

Organized by the Museum of the Moving Image in collaboration with The Jim Henson Company, the exhibit pays tribute to beloved properties like The Muppet Show, the Muppets movies, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth. Fans can peruse character sketches, storyboards, scripts, photographs, costumes, film and television clips, and behind-the-scenes footage, and also design their own puppets and give puppeteering a go.

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Kermit the Frog here

Credit: Timothy Norris

The exhibit welcomes everyone's favorite frog, the most beloved Muppet, Kermit himself. Henson used numerous puppets over the years, and it's to get a glimpse of Ker-mee in all his green glory.

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Count von Count

Credit: Timothy Norris

Refresh your numeric skills with Sesame Street’s Count von Count, whose Bela Lugosi-like countenance and vocal cadence teach kids to start counting at "vone." Ah ha ha ha.

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Bert and Ernie

Credit: Timothy Norris

There are plenty of Sesame Street favorites to encounter at the exhibition, including the Odd Couple-esque roommates Bert and Ernie. Ernie's even got his beloved rubber ducky on hand.

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Grover

Credit: Timothy Norris

It's the cutest monster that ever lived, Sesame Street’s Grover, in one of his classic overly excited stances.

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Beaker and Dr. Bunsen

Credit: Timothy Norris

Meep! It's our favorite scientific duo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his long-suffering, anxious assistant, Beaker.

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Muppet babies

Credit: Timothy Norris

This baby Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear were used in a dream sequence in Muppets Take Manhattan, which came to inspire the Muppet Babies animated series.

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'Beautiful Day' puppet

Credit: Timothy Norris

This puppet was created in 1966 for an unaired General Mills commercial and later appeared in a 1969 sketch on The Ed Sullivan Show, where it attempted to ruin a young girl's "beautiful day." It was remade with modifications in 1976 for The Muppet Show.

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The Dark Crystal

Credit: Timothy Norris

Jen and Kira, the two heroes of The Dark Crystal, one of the Henson properties with a strong cult following, are on display for the most devoted of Henson fans.

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Skeksis

Credit: Timothy Norris

It's not all good guys in Henson land: Also on display are the malevolent Skeksis from The Dark Crystal, who feed off the power of the titular crystal to maintain their life force.

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Become a puppeteer

Credit: Timothy Norris

A young museum guest tries her hand at puppeteering in one of the exhibition's interactive components.

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Make your own puppet

Credit: Timothy Norris

If you think you can replicate the magic of the Henson Company, try your hand at designing a puppet.

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A Henson creation

Credit: Timothy Norris

A museum guest poses with a puppet of her own design.

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Meet Kermit

Credit: Timothy Norris

Fans take in Kermit in the froggy green section of the museum.

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Meeeeep!

Credit: Timothy Norris

A guest takes a closer look at Beaker and Dr. Bunsen.

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Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?

Credit: Timothy Norris

A portion of the exhibition is dedicated to the enduring childhood favorite Sesame Street and the many beloved characters Henson and his company created for the series.

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It's time to light the lights

Credit: Timothy Norris

Colorful, photo-heavy walls break up the exhibition and provide guests with an in-depth history of Jim Henson and his company's creations.

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Featured speakers welcome guests to the exhibit

Credit: Timothy Norris

Carl Goodman, executive director, Museum of Moving Image; Barbara Miller, senior curator of collections and exhibitions, Museum of Moving Image; Lisa Henson, CEO and president, the Jim Henson Company; Bethany Montagano, curator, Skirball Cultural Center; and Robert Kirschner, museum director, Skirball Cultural Center; attend the opening of the exhibition in Los Angeles.

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Lisa Henson

Credit: Timothy Norris

Henson is Jim Henson's daughter and currently oversees the Jim Henson Company as president and CEO.

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By Maureen Lee Lenker @themaureenlee

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See Kermit, Bert, Ernie, and more at The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited

1 of 20

Enter the mind of Jim Henson

1 of 20

2 of 20

It's not easy being green

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Kermit the Frog here

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Count von Count

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Bert and Ernie

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Grover

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Beaker and Dr. Bunsen

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Muppet babies

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'Beautiful Day' puppet

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The Dark Crystal

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Skeksis

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Become a puppeteer

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Make your own puppet

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A Henson creation

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Meet Kermit

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Meeeeep!

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Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?

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It's time to light the lights

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Featured speakers welcome guests to the exhibit

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Lisa Henson

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