ASTORIA, Queens — Jim Henson’s birthday has become an annual highlight at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens. This year, the museum expanded the celebration into a four-day tribute.
The festivities honored what would have been Henson’s 90th birthday on Sept. 24, 2026. The museum is home to The Jim Henson Exhibition, a rare permanent collection tracing the legendary creator’s career through his puppets, television and film work, cultural influence and lasting impact on pop culture.
For MoMI Executive Director Aziz Isham, the museum is a natural setting for celebrating Henson’s legacy.
“It really allows us to be a community hub for people who are fans of the Muppets, fans of ‘Fraggle Rock,’ fans of ‘Sesame Street.’ ‘Sesame Street’ is filmed right across the street from us, too,” Isham said.
Puppeteers Kate Gaynor and Richard Gomez first crossed paths at an earlier Jim Henson birthday event. Gaynor says Henson’s work continues to resonate because it centers on “finding yourself and acceptance in kind of a big scary world and knowing there’s a place for you among all the little, weird creatures.”
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Matt Bingel joined the puppet tea party with members of his neurodiverse organization, The Drama of Works Puppet Club. He said the gathering offered “a lot of great people and a lot of great fans of puppetry.”
The Jim Henson Company also presented a screening of “Time Piece,” Henson’s Oscar-nominated 1965 short film, which was produced and shot throughout the Tri-State area. Archives Director Karen Falk offered an extensive introduction, sharing behind-the-scenes details and production photos from recognizable local settings.
“He really grew his company in New York. New York is the home of many of his creative partnerships. He gathered his team here. With the success of ‘The Muppet Show,’ he bought what we think of as the Muppet Mansion on East 69th Street, which was the headquarters for many years, of the company.” Henson’s creature shop, the New York-based workshop responsible for creating iconic puppets and characters, remains part of that legacy.
Rachel Hunt’s brother, Richard, was among Jim Henson’s early puppeteers and creative collaborators.
She attends the celebration to honor her late brother and reconnect with the Muppet community, which she describes as “just the most incredible group of loving people who come together with so much love and feel like they’re so accepted in this environment.”