The Muppets

“We have a really long relationship with the Henson family — we were the first museum to ever put Muppets on display back in the ’80s. Jim worked with us. Some of the puppets, especially the ones we have from ‘Sesame Street,’ are originals that were made for the show, and he gave them to us. We’ve had this collection for a long time, and then a huge donation of the most historic puppets came in the 2010s, when Jane Henson and the family decided that they were going to give us some of those, especially the ones from ‘Sam and Friends,’ the first show Jim Henson did for the local NBC affiliate in Washington, D.C. The original Kermit that we have on display right now came in with that.

“But with the Muppets in general, we try to keep one on display at all times. There are so many stories you can tell with the Muppets: These simple puppets became such quintessential American characters, and they’re these sort of oddballs that all follow their dreams, but they support each other, and they accept each other.”

MICHAEL Tweed/ap “Muppets” creator Jim Henson poses with Kermit in 1986 in Los Angeles.

JACLYN NASH/NATIONAL Museum of AMERICAN History The original Kermit, a creation of Jim Henson, used in “Sam and Friends.”