1 Steve Deering The Power of Masks Final Paper The Many Masks of Jim Henson There are many modern performers that incorporate masks into their work. In this way, masks and the act of masking are still a very large part of our culture. Puppetry is an extension of masks and shares the general ideas and principles behind it. For example, the main idea behind a mask is for someone to change their appearance in the interest of education, entertainment, make-believe, or otherwise (Sheppard 54). A puppet would most certainly fall into this category. For this reason, it can be said that Jim Henson is an artist of masks, and arguably the most influential one of our lifetime. Jim Henson's time in the spotlight was short but bright. He was born in Mississippi in the fall of 1936, burst onto the public spotlight in 1969 with Sesame Street, and died tragically early at the age of 54 as a result of health problems in 1990 ("Jim Henson's Biography"). His legacy, however, is stronger than ever. He was most commonly known as a puppeteer and is the creator of such beloved characters like Kermit the Frog, The Muppets and the Sesame Street gang. All of these creations are performed by one or more puppeteers who are completely concealed from the audience. The focus is on the puppet and not on the performer, much like the focus is on a mask, and not the actor underneath. In fact, some of Jim Henson's characters even blur the line between puppet, performer, and mask, such as Big Bird and Snuffluffagus. 2 Characters like these help us fully illustrate the question of, "Are puppets masks?" Masks don't always have to be worn on the face. To mask something is to conceal it. A concealed performer is masked from the audience. Another common argument against puppets being masks is when you compare the antiquity of the two. People sometimes see masks as older, and therefore separate from puppetry, which is normally considered a fairly modern practice. This is not true. There is evidence that the Egyptians made marionette-like dolls to actually serve as the performers during many of their religious rituals. Aristotle and Plato even offhandedly mention puppets in some of their writings as if it were an everyday thing that the common man might understand. And there is a rich history of puppetry displayed throughout ancient China, particularly shadow puppets. The Christian Church used to spread their message using puppets, long before they became an icon of comedy during the Renaissance street fairs ("History of Puppetry). Essentially, be it religion, ritual, or entertainment, puppets and masks serve the same purpose and have been doing so for many years. Jim Henson is one of the most prolific users of masks and puppets in generations. He became a household name relatively soon after Sesame Street became a huge success. Not long after, The Muppet Show debuted in 1976 and his stardom was secure ("Jim Henson's Biography"). He now had a rich library of characters he had quite literally constructed. Even though his face became somewhat recognizable to the American public, it was nowhere near the level of recognition that his characters would receive. They had become icons that, to the audience, were living, breathing, tangible, relatable characters. Jim Henson breathed life into his creations like few animators or puppeteers do. They were meant to stand on their own as 3 characters and his ability to make you believe in them was his trademark. This is very much like the Eastern idea behind masks. It is the character who is being pursued and focused on (Sheppard 84). Not an actor seeking recognition through playing a character. In this sense, the puppets can be thought of more as masks than as actors. However, he sometimes worked with masks more directly. He was the creative brain behind the designing of characters in films like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Labyrinth, The Witches and other films that required an actual mask applied to an actor. Pursuing this interest, he founded the Jim Henson Creature Shop and created a wide variety of facial prosthetics that helped the actor become the character to a greater potential (Krull, Johnson, Fancher 37). This makes Jim Henson stand out in that not only was he a mask maker who created his own masks and performed with them, but he also created masks, sometimes quite literally, for other performers to utilize. He was integral in the realization of so many characters he played and did not play. The success of Jim Henson could not be achieved in any other form. Puppets served the function of Jim Henson's work. They assisted in his ability to suspend disbelief. Puppetry was also essential to the function of his work because of the interactivity. The Sesame Street characters, for example, interact with children to a degree that would be impossible with animation, which is another popular form of modern masking. All of these characters worked because they were so unreal and yet so familiar. Through these characters, we're able to laugh at the absurd. We're also able to laugh at ourselves. Many Muppets became representative of archetypes and stereotypes. They are commonly representative of different personality traits or quirks. 4 This is very similar to masks and is epitomized in the famous Greek comedy and tragedy masks. When looking at his creations as stereotypes, a great of this would be the grumpy old balcony dwelling men, Statler and Waldorf, who are quick to point out the flaws of others. Or The Swedish Chef, the classic bumbling fish out of water foreigner whose culinary tastes may occasionally shock us. There's also Uncle Sam, the patriotic eagle, whose monotone ranting subtly mocked those who may blindly follow ideals to a fault. I think what Jim Henson was trying to do was to blend the boundaries of reality and fantasy. That was always one of his main themes. The reason that people latched onto the creations of Jim Henson is because they were believable. They were believable because Henson expected you to believe. He believed. He constructed all of his masks to be fully realized characters. He believed in the power of masking and he tapped into that primal and childlike urge to mask and to believe in the power of masks and the power of imagination and belief. Also, the power of joy over cynicism. These are important themes in a world where it's too easy to be cynical. Henson uses the power of masking to return us to innocence and to allow us to believe in things we wouldn't believe in by ourselves. He once said " “My hope still is to leave the world a bit better than when I got here. ("Jim Henson's Biography") That was his goal. That is why the creations of Jim Henson remain important characters in today's world. They have permeated the popular culture of many different countries because they speak to our global consciousness. Every society has had a form of masking. This is just the next evolution of a process that began with ancient men using shadows 5 to describe a successful hunt to their tribe mates. Jim Henson's work touches the universal themes of imagination that we can all appreciate if we allow ourselves to. Jim Henson may have passed away in 1990 but his characters are timeless. Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big Bird, The Swedish Chef. Elmo. Bert and Ernie. They are all still around even though the masks are being worn by other performers. Most likely, this will continue. The character has become stronger than the creation. This is the sign of a great artist. Now the mask can be worn by anyone. The inventions of Jim Henson are unique in that they have found a strange place within our culture. Obviously, they serve the roles of entertainment and satire, but they also do so much more. Henson was a man of strong morals, and he passed those characteristics along to his creations (Krull, Johnson, Fancher 37). Kermit the Frog is characterized mostly by his innocence and selflessness but none can compare to the innocent morality possessed by the Sesame Street characters. They have become responsible for passing along our societal morals onto the younger generation in an almost ritualistic way. This is much like how other cultures would pass along ritualistic teachings using puppets. We gladly appoint these characters as teachers to our children and our children's children. That is an extraordinary feat to accomplish. Jim Henson is a man who knew how to entertain. He also knew how to teach. He also knew how to be a good person. The thing that made him famous was his ability to combine these three things, and he did that by employing a popular variation of mask making. Once he masked himself, he became a variety of creatures whose influence reached across all ages. These creatures have endured. They have become part of our popular culture, our morals, and the way we raise our children. This is why I believe 6 that the creations of Jim Henson are a perfect example of a modern form of masking having an impact upon our society. "Jim Henson Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com." Famous Biographies & TV Shows - Biography.com. Web. 18 Jan. 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/jim-henson-9335615>. "History of Puppetry." Sunnie BunnieZZ Storytellers A Kidsafe Activity Site Promotes Storytelling through Poetry, Puppetry, Clowning, Magic, Educational and Holiday 7 Puzzles and Activities.