Jim Henson, Borehamwood - McDonald's Drive

Born 24th September 1936
Died 16th May 1990

The inscription reads
Jim Henson 1936 - 1990
Made in Elstree:
Born in the United States, Jim Henson is credited as the man who transformed the art of puppetry.
He entered the television industry in the mid-1950s but it was the long running children's TV series Sesame Street which really launched his career in 1969. By the mid-1970s he wanted to create a puppet show that would also entertain adults but the Hollywood production companies viewed puppets as 'just for kids'. Then in 1976 he found an ally when British television mogul Sir Lew Grade (later Lord Grade) who owned the ATV Elstree Centre in Borehamwood agreed to back a television series to be called The Muppet Show..
The rest as they say, is history. The series ran for 5 seasons and 120 episodes, selling throughout the world, and is cited as the most watched television show in history. The list of famous guest stars read like an A to Z of top names, including such diverse people as Vincent Price, Sylvester Stallone, Alice Cooper, Bob Hope, Sir Elton John and Gene Kelly.
Henson and his creative team made the ATV Studios their home. Across the road at Elstree Studios George Lucas persuded Henson and his creative partner Frank Oz to help on The Empire Strikes Back. Henson and his team helped make-up expert Stuart Freeborn create the model of Yoda while Oz worked and voice the model.
The success of The Muppet Show led to several spin off movies including The Great Muppet Caper, filmed at Elstree Studios in 1981. A year later Henson returned to direct The Dark Crystal and came back again to helm Labyrinth, financially less successful but now a cult movie.
Henson last returned to Borehamwood in 1987 for his nine episode television series The Storytellers starring John Hurt in the title role and shot at Elstree Studios , by then facing closure. Jim's son Brian worked on the series and helped support the 'Save our Studio' campaign.
Sadly Jim Henson died in 1990 following a short illness. As he had hoped at the time of his premature death, in 2004 the rights to the Muppet Show were purchased by the Walt Disney Company.
By creating the amazing world of The Muppet Show and making household names of lead characters Kermit and Miss Piggy, Jim Henson gave pleasure to millions and his legacy continues today. He once said he wanted his work to endure and to leave the world a little better.
He clearly achieved both aims.