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Kermit the Frog joins Abraham Lincoln for a pair of Peoria Riverfront Museum exhibits featuring Muppets and presidents

A Kermit the Frog Muppet from the 1970s is a centerpiece of the Jim Henson Imagination Unlimited Exhibition at the Peoria Riverfront Museum from Sept. 28-Jan. 5.
Tim Shelley
/
WCBU
A Kermit the Frog Muppet from the 1970s is a centerpiece of the Jim Henson Imagination Unlimited Exhibition at the Peoria Riverfront Museum from Sept. 28-Jan. 5.

The Muppets are making one last American stop in Peoria before heading overseas next year.

The Jim Henson Imagination Unlimited Exhibition opens Saturday at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. The exhibit is paired with the Faces of a Nation political textile collection.

Museum president and CEO John Morris joked that early presidential campaign flags may be an acquired taste, but he has a plan to ensure record attendance.

"The answer is: Kermit the Frog," he said. "We put Jim Henson Imagination Unlimited, and to exit the exhibition, they're going to go through the flags."

Jim Henson is the mind behind beloved children's programs like The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock. The exhibit opening in Peoria features immortal Muppets like Grover, Bert, Ernie, and the aforementioned Kermit; as well as sketches, scripts, television clips, and more.

The Faces of a Nation exhibition features more than 100 pieces from the political textile collection of Mark and Rosalind Shenkman of Greenwich, Conn. Those include some rare pieces, like a one-of-a-kind 1860 Abraham Lincoln campaign flag.

This 1860 Lincoln-Hamlin campaign flag is perhaps the rarest artifact on exhibit at the Faces of the Nation political textile exhibit at the Peoria Riverfront Museum that runs Sept. 28-Jan. 5.
Tim Shelley
/
WCBU
This 1860 Lincoln-Hamlin campaign flag is perhaps the rarest artifact on exhibit at the Faces of the Nation political textile exhibit at the Peoria Riverfront Museum that runs Sept. 28-Jan. 5.

Zac Zetterberg, curator of art at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, said the tradition of campaign flags started with William Henry Harrison in 1840.

"The Stars and Stripes started to be used by printers and artists to create uniquely beautiful campaign flags for everyday people to use in parades and rallies," Zetterberg said. "Almost all of these flags were produced by individuals who had no direct connection to the candidates themselves. They were simply printers and artists that were trying to make a buck."

Zetterberg said the Starts and Stripes continued to be used for campaign purposes up until a 1912 presidential executive order that protected the American flag's design.

"This exhibition is for everyone, but especially for those with an interest in American history and folk art," Zetterberg said.

Both exhibits are open through Jan. 5, 2025.

Tim is the News Director at WCBU Peoria Public Radio.