The semi-namesake of this blog – Jim Henson’s Muppets – are making the move to Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts.

NY Times article
AJC article

This is incredible news and a great victory for those of us who want to actually see some of the history of these pop culture icons preserved. No longer relegated to a warehouse, the public will now be able to see many more of the original puppets and props used to make the Muppets come to life.

Sure, you can see some puppets/muppets in the International concourse of the airport and the Center for Puppetry Arts had a few examples, but this is huge.

Ms. Henson, Jim Henson’s second-oldest daughter, and Jane Henson, her mother and Mr. Henson’s first performing partner, expected to be in Atlanta on Wednesday to announce the gift: 500 to 700 puppets, including some of the first Muppets built; props; scenic elements; posters; sketches; and drawings that Mr. Henson created for shows like “The Muppet Show,” “Sesame Street,” “Fraggle Rock” and “Sam and Friends” (where the Muppets first appeared). Cheryl Henson has also pledged $1 million of her own money to the center.

There are some Muppets at the Smithsonian, but this is HUGE. I only wish I could skip work and go see them today!

And the Center really is wonderful. Having attended a performance with my daughter just a month or so again (and missing the museum portion), I’d gladly go again and again.

Kudos to the Henson family and the Jim Henson Foundation for making this generous gift.

This makes me all the more excited about the supposed re-working of the original Muppet Show that the Jim Henson Company is rumored to be undertaking.

Plus, Disney has made more Muppet plans and one of my employing networks, TBS, is still showing Puppet Up! via broadband.

Viva La Muppets!

UPDATE: Video and photos of the press conference! [Thanks to Andrew and Josh Phillipson, respecitively]