Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of the Jim Henson Company

Kermit, Big Bird, Elmo, the Goblin King and the creatures of The Dark Crystal have arrived in Brisbane, with the world-exclusive Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company now showing at GOMA.

Bringing together more than 500 objects spanning 70 years of puppetry, film and television, this colourful new exhibition takes visitors behind the scenes of the extraordinary worlds created by The Jim Henson Company - from beloved childhood favourites to fantastical creatures and groundbreaking productions.

Founded by Jim and Jane Henson in 1955, the Company has left an indelible mark on entertainment, education and popular culture around the world. Now, visitors can step inside its wonderfully imaginative worlds, wandering through Fraggle Rock alongside Gobo, Red, Mokey, Wembley and Boober, meeting Sesame Street favourites including Big Bird, Mr Snuffelupagus, Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster and Elmo, and venturing into the fantastical realms of Labyrinth, Farscape and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

And, of course, no Jim Henson exhibition would be complete without the world’s most famous frog - Kermit!

Across three interconnected chapters, Make, Believe, Magic explores the making, performance and evolution of Henson’s iconic puppetry, from the groundbreaking techniques developed by Jim Henson and Jane Nebel in the 1950s to the innovative blend of practical and digital puppetry used today.

One of the biggest drawcards is a world-first display of original sets from Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. Brought to Australia from the series’ Canadian filming base, Doc’s Workshop and the enormous Great Hall are presented at puppeteer height, allowing visitors to explore the sets — including rarely seen backstage corridors.

The exhibition’s grand finale then transports visitors into the mystical world of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, with Gelfling, Skeksis, a towering Landstrider and the Crystal of Truth among the spectacular displays.

Alongside the sets and characters, visitors can discover handcrafted and animatronic creatures, costumes, props, original drawings, moving-image clips and digital puppetry.

Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company is now showing exclusively at GOMA.

Good to know – The exhibition will take over all Level 1 gallery spaces in the Gallery of Modern Art, 

Need to know – For how to get to the venue, parking, accessibility and other info, go here.

QAGOMA is a valued partner of Must Do Brisbane.com

Image credits:

Image 1 - Production still from The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance 2019 / Director: Louis Leterrier / © Netflix. All Rights Reserved / Image courtesy: Netflix, The Jim Henson Company

Image 2 - Promotional image from Fraggle Rock 1983–1987 / ™ & © The Jim Henson Company. All Rights Reserved / Image courtesy: The Jim Henson Company

Image 3 - Production still from the Emmy Award-winning series on Apple TV Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock 2022–present / © Apple. All Rights Reserved / Image courtesy: Apple, The Jim Henson Company

Image 4 - Jim Henson on the set of Fraggle Rock 1983–1987 / Photograph: Bruce Macaulay /™ & © The Jim Henson Company. All Rights Reserved / Image courtesy: The Jim Henson Company

Image 5 - Jim Henson performing 'Cantus the Minstrel' on the set of Fraggle Rock 1983–1987 /™ & © The Jim Henson Company. All Rights Reserved / Image courtesy: The Jim Henson Company