Jim Henson was an American puppeteer, animator, and filmmaker who created the Muppets, beloved characters like Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy who have entertained audiences for decades. The very first Kermit puppet, which Henson made and voiced himself, was fashioned from one of his mother's old coats with a ping-pong ball cut in half for eyes. He also helped create Sesame Street, a children's show that used friendly puppet characters to teach kids letters, numbers, and kindness, and his warm, inventive style of puppetry changed the way the world thought about puppets and children's entertainment.