A World-First Jim Henson Exhibition Just Opened With More Than 500 Puppets, Props and More
If Kermit the Frog, Cookie Monster, and the Fraggles were a big part of your childhood, you may want to start looking at flights to Australia. A huge Jim Henson exhibition just opened at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane.
Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company welcomed its first visitors on September 12. The exhibition includes more than 500 puppets, costumes, props, drawings and other objects.
Big Bird and Mr. Snuffleupagus are there, along with items from Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal and Farscape. Visitors can even look behind the sets used to film Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock.
Unfortunately, the exhibition is only in Brisbane, but you have time to travel there, as it will remain open until April 18, 2027.
You Can See Kermit, Big Bird, the Fraggles and more
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According to QAGOMA, the exhibition takes up the entire ground floor of the museum. It covers more than 70 years of work from The Jim Henson Company.
The Sesame Street characters include Big Bird, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster and Elmo. Kermit the Frog from The Muppets is also part of the exhibition.
Fraggle Rock fans can find Gobo, Red, Mokey, Wembley, Boober and Uncle Traveling Matt. Other rooms have costumes and creatures from Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and Farscape. The exhibition will also feature original drawings, film clips and other behind-the-scenes items explaining how some of the characters were made and operated.
‘The Fraggle Rock’ Sets Came From Canada
For the first time, original sets from Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock are being displayed as part of an exhibition. Doc’s Workshop and the Great Hall were brought to Brisbane from the show’s filming location in Canada.
The sets are positioned at the same height used by the puppets. Visitors can also see the narrow backstage corridors where the puppeteers worked while filming.
During Queensland school holidays, a ticket also includes admission to The Sock Puppet Studio. Visitors can make a puppet and use it to record a short performance. However, you have to leave the puppet behind so its socks, yarn and other materials can be reused.
Timed Tickets Start at $18
Timed tickets cost between $18 and $42 in Australian dollars. A flexible ticket, which can be used at any time on the selected date, costs $56. Tickets may be sold at the door, but QAGOMA recommends buying them in advance. Entry times are offered throughout the day, with the final session beginning at 4 p.m.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Visitors can stay inside the exhibition until it closes, even if they have a timed ticket. GOMA is also showing more than 90 movies connected to Jim Henson and the history of puppetry. The screenings are free and take place on selected Wednesday and Friday nights and during the day on weekends.
Would you fly to Australia to see this?
