212;Deer Creek” (St. Pierre 15). One of his childhood friends, nicknamed “Kermit,” would later become the name of Henson's most celebrated creation. When he was in fifth grade, his family moved to Maryland. At the age of fourteen, Jim’s life was changed forever after the Henson’s got their first television. He was fascinated. He once said, “I loved the idea that what you saw was taking place somewhere else at the same time" (qtd. in Collins). Jim loved puppet shows like Kukula, Fran, & Ollie. Every day he would rush home from school to watch ventriloquist Edgar Bergen. He loved TV so much all he wanted to do was work at a station. “By listening to the radio and watching TV Jim had learned a lot about storytelling, comedy, and performing” (St. Pierre 23). Only three years after getting their television Jim got his first chance at fame. He got word that a Washington D.C. station, WTOP-TV, was looking for a puppeteer for a Saturday morning children’s show. Although he had very little experience with puppets, he decided to audition. Jim and a friend made a couple of hand puppets and got the job. The show was called The Junior Good Morning Show. Jim was only seventeen years old when the show began. The show was cancelled after three weeks on the air (St. Pierre 22-29).After the show was cancelled, Jim began college. He attended the University of Maryland. He took studio art classes because he wanted to be a commercial artist. One of the classes he took was a puppetry class. The class taught Jim many skills that he used to create of his characters. He excelled in the class and began helping many classmates with their work (Andres).Jim was not deterred after The Junior Good Morning Show was canceled. He remained persistent and soon got a job at the local NBC affiliate, WRC-TV, on another Saturday morning children’s show. He worked hard and the owners of the stati...
