Countless people across the world owe a significant part of their entertainment and education in childhood and beyond to the wonderful art of Jim Henson. For one more week (closing on August 16th) the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum facility at Seattle Center is hosting a special exhibit, Jim Henson's Fantastic World. It is an extensive collection of original muppets, sketches, hard-to-find videos and other elements of the famous imagination man's long and varied career.

While the local snob in me wants to call the EMP/SFM a pure tourist attraction, the Jim Henson exhibit is rather impressive. Patrons are greeted at the entrance by none other than one of the first versions of the Kermit muppet, his green felt worn and matted like a family couch and his ping pong ball eyes still intact after so many years. From there the exhibit branches off into several discreet sections covering every major application of Henson's art.

By now several generations have grown up with the imaginative, adventurous work of the Jim Henson company, but a lot of us don't know just how embedded in our culture he really is. The EMP/SFM exhibit contains an entire room of Henson's early developments, from the proto-muppets of his small theater excursions to his popular TV commercial creations in the 1960's and early 1970's. A loop of the commercials plays on a small screen surrounded by storyboards, concept art and original puppets.

It was pretty stunning to watch the fun, educational bits from the 60's running on screens throughout the exhibit. While I certainly grew up watching Kermit and the ever-expanding cast of Henson's traveling multimedia show, it's likely that my father saw these early B&W segments from Sam and Friends in his own childhood.

One of the most endearing highlights of the exhibit is the original Mahna Mahna muppet (including his two pink backup singers). Just like the Rowlf muppet, Beaker and Dr. Bunson, and members of the Frog Prince cast, it's interesting to see the evolution of the characters from doodle to final product.

Alongside the Sesame Street collection there is an overview of Jim Henson's non-puppet work, including a screening of the short film Time Piece and a wall segment gathering bits and pieces of the inspiration for and response to his documentary Youth 68: Everything's Changing... Or Maybe It Isn't.

While Labyrinth fans will be disappointed to find no trace of Ludo or one of David Bowie's costumes, the Dark Crystal room more than makes up for it. While Henson and his company specialized in making vivid, fantastic worlds, it takes a close-up experience to appreciate just how much detail went into those beloved projects. From the exquisite muppet dress to fine alien silverwear and thorough maps of Henson's fictional world, it truly shows that The Dark Crystal was a labor of love.

Jim Henson's Fantastic World is worth the price of entry alone, but visitors will also be able to tour the full Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum on a single ticket. The Henson exhibit will be at Seattle Center for just a few more days, so if you're in town it's a great all-ages outing.