Few people have left a legacy like Jim Henson. I wonder if I would have been a teacher without knowing at a young age that it was possible to have fun while learning. At every age, there was a special fondness for Muppets. When my parents bought a color console tv, I was thrilled that I would get to see Big Bird - BIG and in color! I attribute much of my early learning to catchy Sesame Street tunes.
While "too old" to see Follow That Bird I recall the excitement of my big sister taking me to the movie theater and I'm pretty sure I was her excuse to go. The Labyrinth was by far the coolest movie I watched as a teenager. While dating my now husband (who taught me that the Goblin king actually had other material), there was a lot of Fraggle Rock watching. I think I fell in love discussing the finer points of the Minstrels.
Then, we got married and had a baby who had this poster in her room since before she was born.
and her first plate was mine as a child. She used to point to the letters of her name in the alphabet around the rim. I thought it was funny that I could find it in this old photo.
When Nora was a young child, there was always an internal struggle with my desire to keep her media-free and my desire to share the Muppets with her. Ultimately, the Muppets won and the first television that she ever watched was The Muppet Family Christmas just after we had decorated our tree.
She didn't watch Sesame Street until the Old School DVDs came out and we've nearly wore a hole in them. She still doesn't watch much television... lately, there's been only The Andy Griffith Show and The Muppet Show. She loves Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem Orchestra. Just this afternoon, she was rocking out to Can You Picture That? Oh Yeahhhhhhh!
..and mama has a blog *Snoodle* A word I learned from Jim Henson's The Storyteller (Hans My Hedgehog).
The mother in the tale says,
"I want a baby to wrap in a bundle and sing to and snoodle with and hug to bits"
Later Hans says,
"I want you for my princess of sweetness and cherry pie. I want to catch you up and sing to you and snoodle you and hug you to bits."
Here's the whole episode:
As Nora describes it: "A snoodle is an important kind of cuddle."
It's important and cuddly to those who need it - from a baby to an adult. We all could use a little snoodle now and again. Thanks, Jim, for inspiring so many snoodles, so many happy memories, so many lives from the young to the old.
Happy 75th Birthday, Jim.
From,
The lovers, the dreamers, and me.
