The CJM

Tickets

This event is free with Museum admission. This is an in-person program at The CJM; please review our health and safety protocols before your visit. Click below to book your tickets.

About the Speaker

Karen Leigh Prell is an American puppeteer and animator. Born in Florida, she first worked with Jim Henson in 1979 in small roles on Sesame Street. She subsequently worked on the final season of The Muppet Show, assisting and playing various bit parts (such as the title character in "Rockin' Robin"). She also performed Deena and others on Sesame Street in the early 1980s, but made her greatest contribution performing Red Fraggle on Fraggle Rock. Prell also performed in the Creature Shop films Dreamchild and Labyrinth.

Demonstrating that her affection for the Muppets has not waned, Prell attended MuppetFest in 2001 in a homemade Red Fraggle cap, and also participated in Fraggle Rock DVD box set bonus features. In 2005, she reprised her role of Red Fraggle, in voiceover, as the host of "Fraggle Challenge," a bonus feature on the Doin' Things That Doozers Do and Down in Fraggle Rock DVD's.

About the Exhibition

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited celebrates the legacy of Jim Henson (1936–1990), trailblazing puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker. Featuring more than 150 objects drawn from the beloved worlds of Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and more, the exhibition highlights Henson’s groundbreaking work for film and television, his indelible mark on popular culture, and the profound social impact of his work. It also includes material from Henson’s experimental film projects and his early work, presenting him as a restlessly creative performer and technical innovator. Discover how Henson and his team of builders, performers, and writers created an unparalleled body of work, sharing characters and stories that represent diverse backgrounds and abilities. These stories continue to delight audiences and inspire people of all ages to look beyond differences and cultivate a more compassionate, inclusive world.

Supporters

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited is a traveling exhibition organized by Museum of the Moving Image (Astoria, New York) in cooperation with The Jim Henson Company, The Muppets Studio, and Sesame Workshop.

Major support for The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited is generously provided by The Jane Henson Foundation.

Public Programs at The CJM are made possible thanks to generous support from Grants for the Arts and the Walter & Elise Haas Fund.

Image Credits

Header image: Jim Henson, David Bowie, and Jennifer Connelly on the set of Labyrinth (1986). Photo by John Brown. © The Jim Henson Company. Courtesy The Jim Henson Company/Museum of the Moving Image.

Exhibition image: Jim Henson and his iconic creation Kermit the Frog, in front of a mural by Coulter Watt. Kermit the Frog © Disney/Muppets. Courtesy The Jim Henson Company/Museum of the Moving Image. Photo: John E. Barrett.

Labyrinth: Film Screening and Talk with Karen Prell

Image Credits