Jim Henson founded an entertainment company.
James Maury `` Jim '' Henson ( September 24 , 1936 -- May 16 , 1990 ) was an American puppeteer , artist , cartoonist , inventor , screenwriter , film director and producer who achieved international fame as the creator of the Muppets . The Jim Henson Company ( also known at various times as Muppets , LLC. , Henson Associates , Ltd. , and Jim Henson Productions , Inc. ) is an American entertainment company , a leading producer of children 's and family entertainment ( despite some of the company 's works containing mature content ) , and best known as the creators of the renowned Muppets characters . The Muppets are an ensemble cast of puppet characters known for their self-aware , burlesque , and meta-referential style of variety-sketch comedy . Created by Jim Henson in 1955 , they are the namesake for the Disney media franchise that encompasses feature films , television series , music recordings , theme park attractions , print publications , merchandising , and other media works associated with the characters .