The 'Gentle Anarchy' of the Muppets

Icky Gunk. Moldy Hay. Kermit. You might recognize one of these names. Before Kermit joined Miss Piggy and Big Bird, he was kicking it with Sam and Friends — a local tv show in Washington, D.C. that launched Jim Henson's career. We journey back to 1955 to figure out how this eccentric cast of puppets built the foundation for everything Jim Henson would do afterwards, from Sesame Street, to The Muppet Show and even Labyrinth (we see you, David Bowie fans). And we venture into the conservation labs to learn what it took to revive these crumbling hunks of foam and fabric when they landed at the Smithsonian. Guests: Ryan Lintelman, curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History  Sunae Park Evans, senior costume conservator at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History  Bonnie Erickson, a director of The Jim Henson Legacy; creator of Miss Piggy  Craig Shemin, author of Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson's First Television Show

Om Podcasten

More than 154 million treasures fill the Smithsonian’s vaults, but where public view ends, Sidedoor begins. With the help of biologists, artists, historians, archaeologists, zookeepers and astrophysicists, host Lizzie Peabody sneaks listeners through Smithsonian’s side door to search for stories that can’t be found anywhere else. Check out si.edu/sidedoor and follow @SidedoorPod for more info.