Jim Henson exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image will open in July

On the heels of a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign, the Museum of the Moving Image has announced that its permanent exhibition exploring the work of Jim Henson and his artistic legacy will officially open on July 22.

The Jim Henson Exhibition will put on display 47 original puppets including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Rowlf, The Swedish Big Bird, Elmo, and Cantus Fraggle; puppet prototypes; original character sketches; and rare behind-the-scenes footage and photographs from the visionary Henson. Many of the items that will be on display came from a 2013 donation to the museum from the Henson family.

The exhibition will also explore artist’s impact on pop culture—the Museum of the Moving Image’s Executive Director, Carl Goodman, says the museum will take a “more holistic view” of Henson’s contributions to film and television.

The permanent exhibition was first announced more than three years ago with plans to open in 2014, but the museum wasn’t able to gather the funding needed to propel the project forward. The Museum of the Moving Image launched a Kickstarter campaign in early April calling Muppets lovers, film fans, and all others to donate towards a $40,000 goal.

The campaign well exceeded that expectation, drawing in $144,230 from 2,072 backers. The campaign, which closed on May 11, met its original goal in just two days.

• Kickstarter campaign seeks to make Jim Henson exhibition a reality in Queens [Curbed]
• Jim Henson Exhibition [MoMI]