London honors Muppets creator Jim Henson with blue plaque

LONDON (AP) — Kermit the Frog. Miss Piggy. Animal. Statler and Waldorf. The Swedish Chef. The list goes on and on.

Everyone has their favorite Muppet. And everyone owes a debt of gratitude to one man for bringing them to life: Jim Henson.

The American creator of The Muppets was honored Tuesday in Britain with a blue plaque at his former home in north London, which he bought after ‘The Muppet Show’ was commissioned for British television — 50 Downshire Hill in Hampstead.

It’s a very simple message: “Jim Henson 1936-1990 cre- ator of The Muppets lived here.“

Henson, who lived in London from 1979 until his death in 1990 at just 53, was also known for his work on “Sesame Street” and “Fraggle Rock” and as the director of the 1980s movies “The Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth.”

Dr. Rebecca Preston, blue plaques historian at English Heritage, which has been running the program since 1986, said Henson deserved his latest honor.