Dave Goelz

He and Steve Whitmire are the only Muppeteers to have been featured in all 8 theatrical Muppet movies (The Muppet Movie (1979), The Great Muppet Caper (1981), The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), Muppets from Space (1999), The Muppets (2011) and Muppets Most Wanted (2014)). Goelz and Whitmire also contributed to the two theatrical Sesame Street movies (Follow That Bird (1985) and The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999)) and the two fantasy Henson-company theatrical productions (The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986)).

Jim had five children of his own, and by nature was extremely playful. He related well to children because he could access that part of himself. The fascinating thing was that while he functioned as an astute businessman, he could integrate play into the process.

I now have children of my own, and have come to believe that we are all born perfect - well, maybe not absolutely perfect, but certainly completely without evil. As a parent, one of my goals is to see whether I can raise my children to survive in the world without losing that childlike innocence, trust, optimism, curiosity, and decency. I am certain it is possible because Jim was the living embodiment of it.