When I was a young child the work of the Henson company brought laughter to my life. In an otherwise painful household I learnt from them that laughter was an escape from all the things that can hurt a child and that the fantasy world I had created to escape to was real to more people than just myself.

When I first saw Jim Henson's Storyteller series as a teenager I was struck by the quality of the imagery and the puppets, the fantasy world in those stories was exactly the way I had imagined, with no concessions when something might have been difficult to achieve or create. I was totally lost in their world, and still am every time I watch it. I learnt from this that there is value in doing your best, and that the joy of creating something is evident in the finished product.

I cried when Jim passed away, as many people did, I'm sure. I would have liked to thank him for making a painful childhood not only bearable, but joyful on those occasions when I watched his creations and was lost in them. I would have liked to thank him for showing me that there is honour in making beautiful things and in loving doing so. And I would have loved for him to be able to see that his son is now making shows like Gulliver's Travels in which I am sure he would have been very proud.

 Sarah Bradberry, October 28, 1997