Jim Henson would have been 80 years old this Saturday (Sept. 24). The Internet is abuzz with planned celebrations from puppetry classes to free screenings of Henson's iconic Muppets movies and, of course, celebrations on Sesame Street.

I sort of "grew up" on that street. I learned my "ABCs and 123s" from Henson's characters like The Count, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch and the Two Headed Monster. I sang along with Big Bird and I loved that we could see the giant bird's wooly best friend, Mr. Snuffleupagus, even when no one else could.

Later, I'd grow to love Henson's Muppets as much as I did the characters I grew up with. Most people think that Henson created his movie puppets long after he imagined TV stars Big Bird and Cookie Monster. But did you know the first Muppet was born while Henson was in college?  His name was Kermit the Frog and he was the first of the famous Muppets to be on TV. Kermit starred in Henson's bi-weekly show that aired on a local NBC affiliate called, Sam and Friends, which won a local Emmy Award in 1958. That early show would serve as the basis for the rest of Henson's career, spawning the characters we've all come to know and love.

The world lost Jim Henson to a bout of pneumonia in 1990, but his legacy of teaching and learning and making kids of all ages laugh, learn, and think will live on in his truly timeless characters.