GOMA’s Magical New Exhibition Is Set To Be Peak Childhood Nostalgia

Founded in 1955 by Jim and Jane Henson with little more than curiosity, craft and a camera, The Jim Henson Company has become deeply ingrained in global culture. Responsible for some of the most recognisable and cherished characters in screen history, the studio has continually redefined the art of puppetry. From The Muppets and Labyrinth to Bear in the Big Blue House, entire childhoods have been shaped by its worlds.

Seventy years on, its universe of characters remains woven into the fabric of pop culture. At GOMA, that legacy unfolds as a living, breathing world.

What to expect from Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company

Immense in scale and ambition, Make, Believe, Magic charts the evolution of puppetry from hand-stitched beginnings to today’s animatronic and digital marvels. It is a rare behind-the-scenes look at the alchemy of storytelling, where foam rubber becomes philosophy and creature design becomes high art.

Across multiple galleries, visitors will encounter hundreds of objects: practical puppets, animatronic creatures, intricate props, costumes, original concept drawings and moving image clips that reveal the painstaking craft behind the magic. Expect to come face-to-face with iconic characters from The Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth – each one a testament to the studio’s ability to create entire mythologies from fabric and imagination.

Production still from Labyrinth 1986 / Director: Jim Henson / ™ & © The Jim Henson Company / Labyrinth Enterprises. All Rights Reserved / Image courtesy: The Jim Henson Company

The exhibition doesn’t shy away from technical innovation either. It explores the company’s pioneering work in on-screen puppeteering, animatronics, and digital integration, showing how the tactile artistry of early television evolved into the sophisticated creature-building of contemporary cinema.

And then there’s the centrepiece: in a world-first, GOMA will house the Great Hall set from the Emmy Award-winning Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. More than a display piece, it is an invitation into a working puppeteer’s film set — an immersive glimpse at the choreography and collaboration required to bring these beloved characters to life. It is rare to see the scaffolding behind the fantasy; rarer still to stand within it.

Consider this your cue to embrace the magic – and perhaps, just perhaps, to believe in it a little more boldly.