Henson Day 2025

Specific Location: Henson Garden is located to the right of the front entrance of the Student Union.

Time: 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Activity: Cookie Giveaway and Raffle - Visit the Jim Henson & Kermit Statue outside of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union. Take a seat next to Jim and Kermit to find some inspiration and enjoy a free cookie. Snap a photo with Jim and swipe your UMD ID to enter the raffle for a chance to win Henson goodies!

Specific Location: Studio A

Time: 12:00pm - 3:00pm

Activity: Puppet Pop-Up or Mascot Magnet - Join Studio A and Terps After Dark in crafting a felt magnet puppet or mascot to celebrate Henson Day!

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Location: University Book Center located near the food court.

Time: 9:00am - 7:00pm

Activity: Visit the University Book Center in person or online if you are interested in picking up Henson-related offerings. On Henson Day, show your UMD ID card and get a 10% discount on all Henson-related merchandise.

Location: First floor of the Iribe Center

Time: 12:00pm to 3:00pm

Activity: Computing Catalyst x IMD: Pixel Puppeteering - Visitors will interact with motion-influenced art pieces in a tool called Touch Designer. IMD students and professors will provide pre-existing pieces, as well as generate some new, Henson-themed work which will be on display. They will dispersed and then the main piece will be a plain wall that will project "Henson-fetti" which will include faces of Henson-inspired characters, a title that says "Henson Day '25" and have a prompt for people to answer and put a sticky note onto, turning an ordinary prompt wall into an interactive art piece.

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Location: Immersive Media Design (IMD) Lab

Time: 2:30-5:30 PM

Activity: IMD Interactive Photo Booth - Thumbs up, throw a peace sign, and wave to take a photo! This interactive photo booth encourages playful interaction with technology and friends. Explore the possibilities and keep a copy of your memory! 

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Location: Immersive Media Design (IMD) Lab

Time: 3:00-4:30 PM

Activity: Caricature Sketches - UMD IMD and Information Science student Arielle Bruce will be offering free caricature sketches for anyone who would like!  Stop by solo or with a friend and participate in the fun.  

Specific Location: Lobby of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

Timing: All Day

Activity: Henson Puppetry Showcase Retrospective - The School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) presents a video retrospective of the Henson Puppetry Showcases. These student performances were made possible by the Jim and Jane Henson Foundation. The retrospective also includes footage of the National Puppetry Festival at UMD in 2023.

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Specific Location: Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library

Timing: 10:00am - 5:00pm

Activity: Special Collections in Performing Arts on Jim Henson - Check out this collection on Jim Henson which contains clippings, ephemera, video and audio recordings, digital files, and publications involving Henson’s life and intellectual property. It also includes materials pertaining to Henson’s legacy, like the Jim Henson Artist-in-Residence Program at UMD. In addition, you can watch 68 digital videos spanning 35 years of Henson’s groundbreaking work in television and film contained within the The Jim Henson Video Collection. These full-length videos are only available for viewing at public computer stations within the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library. 

Read a Special Edition of Terrapin Tales on Researching Jim Henson published for his birthday.

Location: Edward St. John Learning & Teaching Center Room 2101 "The Loft"

Time: Two Sessions. 9:30am – 10:30am and 3:30pm – 4:30pm. Both sessions will be offering the same activities, so swing by during a time that works best for you!

Activity: Hands-on Making, Henson Style! - Embrace the Henson spirit of playful making and try your hand at a variety of crafty activities, including making patches, buttons, and more! Join the Academy for Innovation & Entrepreneurship for drop-in making time, open to all. Come for five minutes or stay the whole time. Either way, you’ll leave with something fun you made yourself! No experience needed—just bring your imagination.

Specific Location: Hornbake Library basement, INFO Commons

Time: Throughout the week of September 17th-24th

Activity: There’s an 'M' in Teamwork! -  Organizational Teams & Technology Society (OTTRS) Interest Group will be leading an activity for anyone to learn about Muppet Theory as it relates to organizational teams and technology (and their group projects!) and decide whether they fall under the category of "Order" or "Chaos" Muppets. A data visualization board will be up in the Hornbake iSchool Commons for students to vote with stickers.

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Specific Location: Hornbake Library basement, INFO Commons

Time: September 24th from 3:00pm-5:00pm

Activity: M is for Metadata! - This activity is part information organization and part arts & crafts! Participants will learn how to describe their favorite characters (or themselves or a friend) using metadata, making them searchable in an information system system. Once a schema has been created, participants will get crafty and design their own human-readable metadata record of that character - bonus points for matching fabulous UI design to a properly encoded metadata schema!

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Specific Location: Hornbake Library Lobby and the Maryland Room

Time: September 24th from 10:30am-2:30pm

Activity: Sneak Peak on upcoming Sesame Street Exhibit - Join English Professor Chad Infante and Outreach and Engagement Librarian in Special Collections Jenny Schollaert for a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming The UMD Sesame Street Archival Showcase coming to campus starting October 1st. 

Make sure to stop by as the Hornbake Library Letterpress Studio's tabletop Kelsey press will be making Henson-themed buttons and there will also be woodblock prints with a specially carved Roosevelt Franklin woodblock, to celebrate that we have the original Roosevelt Franklin puppet on display in the Maryland Room. 

Location: Startup Shell, first floor of the E.A. Fernandez IDEA Factory

Time: Grind Night from 5:00pm - 6:30pm and Shell Open House from 6:30 - 7:30pm

Activities:  Grind Night & Shell Open House - Stop by the Startup Shell to get inspired by fellow Terps who will be watching some Henson-inspired content while building the next creative thing just like Jim and Jane Henson. Find more information online about these events.

Location: Legacy Plaza and Moxley Gardens of the Riggs Alumni Center

Date: Sunday, September 21st

Time: 12:00pm-3:00pm

Activity: Terrapin Fest - This event will bring together 50+ vendors and activities. Attendees will get to enjoy:

• Ledo Pizza, Vigilante Coffee and Maryland Dairy ice cream
• Craft beer and spirits in Moxley Garden
• Raffles and giveaways
• Caricature artists, temporary tattoos, and a photobooth
• Ballroom dancing expo and lessons

Location: South Dining Hall across from the back side of Lefrak Hall.

Time: 12:00pm-4:00pm

Activity: In the spirit of Jim and Jane Henson: The Neurodiversity & Autism Transition Services Supports Neurodiverse Ways of Being - A large carnival wheel will be spun and will stop on labels with a question, true/false statement, or fill in the blank prompt that promotes allyship, knowledge about, or a Universal Design strategy to educate about neurodiversity. Prizes will be given away for correct answers and brochures related to neurodiversity will be available.

Specific Location: St. Mary's Hall Multipurpose Room

Time: 5:00pm

Activity: Kinema Series - Opera Aoi - Attend a screening of Opera Aoi (in Japanese with English subtitles). Opera Aoi adapts a section of The Tale of Genji, the world's first novel, with bunraku puppets and Vocaloids. The film will be introduced by Dr. Browne and followed by a short Q&A.

Location: Front lobby (facing M Circle) of Symons Hall

Time: All Day

Activity: “How Do You Henson?” - College of Agriculture & Natural Resources (AGNR) is inviting students to share their passions, talents, and unique ways of expressing themselves! Stop by our “How Do You Henson?” board, and write your answer on a Post-it note—whether it’s through art, music, science, community, or something entirely your own—and add it to the board. Let’s celebrate the many ways Terps bring creativity and curiosity to life!

Specific Location: Tawes Hall Room 2115

Time: 12:00pm-12:50pm

Activity: Time Piece and Jim Henson as an Experimental Filmmaker - Attendees will visit Paul Cote’s class, “CINE319Z/ENGL329Z: The Henson Family as Filmmakers” to watch scenes from the short film Time Piece, followed by a discussion on the film and some comparisons both to Henson's own work and the experimental cinema that influenced him.

Location: Thurgood Marshall Hall Do Good Plaza

Time: All Day

Activity: Take the #HensonDayChallenge with the Do Good Institute! - Jim Henson believed in leaving “the world a little better for having been there.” As part of the #HensonDayChallenge, stop by Do Good Plaza and be inspired by watching powerful student stories at the Students Change the World exhibit.

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Location: Do Good Rings outside of Thurgood Marshall Hall

Time: All Day

Activity: Take the #HensonDayChallenge with the Do Good Institute! - As part of the #HensonDayChallenge, walk through the interactive Do Good Rings installation for inspiration on how you can make “the world a little better for having been there.” 

Location: Plasma screens throughout Van Munching Hall

Time: All Day

Activity: Creativity Meets Business: Honoring Jim Henson - Read the many ways that business and creativity intersect. 

Location: College Park Aviation Museum, 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive College Park, MD

Time: September 23rd through September 26th from 10am-4pm in person (Only open from 10am-12pm on 9/26)

Admission Cost: Open to the Public with normal Museum admission ($5 adult; $4 senior; $2 student; FREE children under 2 and Field of Firsts members.)

Activities: 

1. The Science of Bird Flight Pop-Up Exhibit - Jim and Jane Henson created many iconic bird characters, but not many of them could actually fly. This pop-up exhibit celebrates curiosity and imagination while exploring the science of bird flight. Learn about the forces that keep birds aloft, the formations they use when flying together, and the mysteries of migration. This engaging experience invites visitors of all ages to wonder at the natural world and see science take flight.
2. Design Your Own Super Cape - Unleash your inner hero by creating a cape that’s uniquely yours! In this Henson-inspired activity, participants will decorate and personalize their very own superhero capes using colorful materials and plenty of imagination. From bold lightning bolts to soaring stars, this hands-on experience invites children (and children at heart) to dream up their superpowers and take home a one-of-a-kind creation.

Specific Location: WeWork 1st Floor Common Space

Time: 12:00pm-3:00pm

Activity: Henson Day: The Imagination Station - The event will feature a hands-on Henson-inspired puppet-making workshop where attendees can design and build their own unique characters from various craft materials. Alongside the workshop, we will have a screening of classic films that celebrate Henson's art of puppetry and storytelling.

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Specific Location: WeWork Lobby

Time: 9:00am-5:00pm

Activity: Quantum Vision - Sunglasses with polarized lenses limit the amount of light passing through to get to our eyes. We are using polarizers to demonstrate the quantum principle of superposition. The addition and change in position of polarizers can affect how light or photons travel through barriers. We will be lining up polarized sunglasses and shining a direct light through them, that should limit the light. However, the addition and positioning of a third polarizers will allow us to manipulate how photons are able to pass through. Come check us out to see how this works, and get a pair of Quantum Startup Foundry (QSF) sunglasses to duplicate this experiment on your own! 

Online Location: https://luma.com/kh0b1js5 (Register to attend)

Date: September 25th

Time: 3:00 pm-4:00 pm 

Chesapeake Bay Green Entrepreneur Roundtable: Henson Day Edition - Please join us on Zoom to hear from several entrepreneurs addressing ecological and collective health in communities across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This online space is intended to highlight environmental and social entrepreneurs, helping to connect them to resources, build awareness of their work, and amplify their current needs (including funding, partnership-building, customer introductions, team-building, and more).

Online Location: Instagram @umdreslife (Available anytime)

"The Magic of Friendship and Community" - Watch this Department of Resident Life video celebrating Jim Henson on his birthday.

Online Location: Available beginning the week of September 22nd at Facebook, Instagram, and X.

Get Career Advice from Kerpie - Watch videos of Kerpie, Testudo’s wacky cousin who works at the University Career Center & The President's Promise, sharing career tips and professional advice.

Online Location: Insta@TerrapinWorks

Also, see the video reposted on Linkedin@DiscoveryDistrict

Supported by the Discovery District Partnership

3D Printing of the Henson Statue - Today we celebrate creativity, imagination, and collaboration across the University of Maryland community. As part of this first-ever campus-wide Henson Day, University of Maryland, Terrapin Works created 3D-printed replicas of the Jim and Kermit statue on campus — a tribute to the enduring legacy of Jim ‘60 and Jane ‘55 Henson and their spirit of innovation and imagination. 💚💛

Online Location: The Muppets take on IP! (Available anytime)

UM Ventures Celebrates Social Innovation - UM Ventures celebrates innovative research at University of Maryland, College Park each year. For this year's program, we celebrated and recognized UMD's Inventions of the Year from 2024 and researchers who have made significant contributions to UMD's Innovation ecosystem. UM Ventures celebrates researchers in Information Sciences, Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences. Social Innovation has had a profound impact across campus, and the goal of the UM Ventures office is to ensure that the Intellectual Property is protected, which can include patents, trademarks, or copyrights. 

Jim Henson's iconic creations are protected by these forms of IP as can be found in this article The Muppets take on IP!, meaning no one else can claim ownership of his designs or can make or sell any of his unique characters and creations. Intellectual Property lays the groundwork and the incentive to create and think outside the box, contributing to the growing UMD's EnTERPreneurship & Innovation Community. 

Location: Hornbake Library Lobby

Date: October 1st

Time: 12:30pm-4:00pm

Activity: "The UMD Sesame Street Archival Showcase" Opening Ceremony - Join the Jim Henson Working Group, the Children's Media Working Group, the Hornbake Library, The Center for Archival Futures, and the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Library for a celebration of UMD's long standing archival relationship to Sesame Street and Jim Henson. Susie Tofte, Archivist for The Jim Henson Company Archivist, will speak at 2pm.

The Diamondback article on the exhibit: New Hornbake Library exhibit honors Sesame Street’s cultural pioneering

Location: Hornbake Library Lobby

Dates: October 1st through December 20th

The Diamondback article on the exhibit: New Hornbake Library exhibit honors Sesame Street’s cultural pioneering

Exhibit: Visit the UMD Archival Showcase featuring Henson creations from Sesame Street. Learn more online. Open until December 20th, The Sesame Street Archival Showcase, under the broader exhibit Unboxing Innovation at UMD, will focus on the archival material that demonstrates the “hidden curriculum” of Sesame Street to educate underrepresented communities across urban and rural areas in the United States. This exhibit involves highlighting the importance of African American culture, celebrity and context to the creation and success of Sesame Street. The exhibit will host the be-bopping, jive talking puppet Roosevelt Franklin, created by Jim Henson, discuss his success as a character, the political outcry in response, and his eventual discontinuation. The showcase aims to demonstrate the strength of the UMD archives in Radio, Television, and Public Media. These growing archives provide an untapped resource for creative teaching practices here at UMD in the humanities, the social sciences, and education. 

Location: Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library

Date: October 21st

Time: 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Activity: Just How Dark Can We Make this Crystal? Horror, Puppetry, and Tonal Revision in The Dark Crystal - Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal is famous for its breathtaking feats of puppetry and hand-crafted world-building — lavish intricacies which have long rendered it nightmare fuel for small children. And yet, early versions of the film pushed some of its most horrific qualities even further than the version released to theaters. In this talk, we’ll examine script drafts and other materials from the film held in Maryland’s Special Collections for the Performing Arts, and we’ll follow the film’s development as Henson and his team tested just how far they could push audiences who were expecting a whimsical family puppet fantasy.

Following the talk, stick around to check out Dark Crystal materials from the Special Collections in Performing Arts (SCPA). Interested in learning more about Jim Henson? Check out the SCPA Collection on Jim Henson and the Polly Smith Collection on Jim Henson

Dr. Paul Cote is a Senior Lecturer in the English and CINE departments at the University of Maryland. His research and teaching focuses on fantasy cinema, children’s media, animation, film music, and the works of the Henson family. 

This event is a part of the "Library of the Macabre: Researching Horror in Popular Culture" programming for Fall 2025's Scholarship as Conversation series.

Registration required: register online.