Creativity Before becoming a puppeteer, Jim Henson was fascinated with set-design and considered becoming a professional comic illustrator.

Richard Hunt, Jim Henson, and Frank Oz. Notice how all three puppeteers are looking down in the same direction—they are watching a video of their actions. This was another Henson-innovation. Henson learned that he needed to see a video of his puppet as he was recording to get a sense for what the audience would see. All his puppetry was performed with the puppeteers watching their movements on a screen.

In 1965 a 28-year-old Jim Henson began keeping a diary. It is called the Red Book because it is red. In this article Jillian Hess explores this book, as well as another called the Sketc-hbook, in which the artist sketched his ideas as they were developed. She blends these artifacts with fascinating stories. "Kermit made his debut in 1955 and has the distinction of being one of Jim’s very first puppets. Henson made the first version of Kermit out of his mother’s old turquoise spring coat and ping pong balls (cut in half) for the eyes. He wasn’t a frog yet because, according to Jim, 'all the characters were abstract in those days.' Henson crafted abstract puppets because he thought they offered a more interesting experience." Article: Jim Henson's Red Notebook