'(Kids) don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.'

'Follow your enthusiasm. It's something I've always believed in. Find those parts of your life you enjoy the most. Do what you enjoy doing.'

- "Muppets" creator Jim Henson (1936-1990)

Watch Jim Henson explain how to make a Muppet.

Jim Henson and his creative team constructed several optical illusions to make the Muppets appear as though they walked through the real world.

A quote by Whitney Houston

"I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside."

Before 'The Muppet Show,' Jim Henson produced slapstick coffee commercials featuring the puppets.

Fascinated by the 1960s counterculture, Jim Henson tried to build a psychedelic nightclub.

Childhood memes like '67' existed before the internet

Kids saying "67" and then erupting in laughter may have been popularized by social media, but childhood rhymes, songs, and jokes that confuse adults have always existed. Iona and Peter Opie studied the phenomena, publishing numerous books on the topic from the 1950s through the 1980s.

Watch episodes of 'Sam and Friends,' the earliest show featuring the Muppets.

Jim Henson and his Muppets were part of the first season of 'Saturday Night Live' because NBC was hoping to tamp down Lorne Michaels' countercultural plans for the show.

'It's those who lie outside ordinary experience who have the most to teach us.'

- Author Malcolm Gladwell (1963 - present)

'Be silent, if you choose; but when it is necessary, speak—and speak in such a way that people will remember it.'

- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)

'The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.'

- American musician BB King (1925-2015)

Jim Henson's 1986 film 'Labyrinth' was initially a commercial failure in the US, though it slowly gained an audience that now considers it a cult classic.

'After you make a fool of yourself a few hundred times, you learn what works.'

- Musician Gwen Stefani (1969-present)

'When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.''

- Mister Rogers (1928-2003)

'Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world.'

- Albert Einstein

'May your future be limited only by your dreams.'

- Teacher and astronaut Christa McAuliffe (1948-1986)

Jim Henson's lone Oscar nomination was for an experimental short film he made in the '60s that features no puppets.

Listen to storytellers explain the legacy of memories shared between children and their mothers

In this podcast, people describe the strength of certain memories, what events stay with them, and when and why grief washes over them. One describes the challenging task of selling her mother's cemetery plots; another, keeping a promise to her son to learn to swim; and in the third, a son discusses the strength of familiar food smells.

'Adults ask questions as a child does. When you stop wondering, you might as well put your rocker on the front porch and call it a day.'

- Comedian and late night host Johnny Carson (1925–2005)

Photographic memory isn't real, but other rare memory types do exist

While 2% of children can recall sensory experiences with extreme detail (eidetic memory) and some adults can remember life events or dates with high accuracy (hyperthymesia), there is no scientific evidence for the flawless recall popularized in fiction. Most memory feats instead rely on training and memorization techniques.

'A lion never roars after a kill.'

-Coaching legend Dean Smith (1931-2015)

'I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate.'

-Comedian George Burns (1896-1996)

Even medieval teachers sometimes complained about their students

Although it's tempting to assume that the youngest generation has gone astray, it's important to remember that older generations throughout history have been annoyed, and even dismayed, by the behavior of the youth. Look no further than this collection of medieval teachers complaining about their students, including one father who complains that his son prefers "license to restraint and play to work and strumming a guitar while the others are at their studies."

'The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.'

- Mark Twain, from "Pudd'nhead Wilson and Other Tales"

Jim Henson's 'Fraggle Rock' was the first American TV series to air in the USSR.

Memories are formed through attention, repetition, and emotional significance

Our brains create memories by taking in sensory input, filtering it through short-term memory, and storing it in long-term memory. Emotional events are more likely to become vivid, lasting memories because they activate stronger neural connections.

'The Muppet Show' debuted in the UK because it was rejected by every US network.

Consistency and emotional engagement can improve the formation of memories

While sleep lets the brain re-trigger neurons associated with our experiences to cement them in long-term memory, repeating actions, like storing one's keys in the same location, can mimic these benefits. Emotionally charged memories are often ruminated upon, improving their future recall.

Conan's 2000 commencement speech offers comfort and humor to young Harvard graduates

In the spring of 2000, famous late-night talk show host and comedian Conan O'Brien gave a hilarious, thoughtful speech to the graduating class at Harvard, where he graduated from in 1985. He warns that once adult life begins, any stupid mistakes made by a Harvard grad will be severely mocked. He also recounts his post-grad failures and how important they were in his success. The speech has been noted ever since as a classic example of both wisdom and foolishness.

'Years ago, I tried to top everybody, but I don't anymore. I realized it was killing conversation. When you're always trying for a topper you aren't really listening.'

- Comedian Groucho Marx (1890-1977)

'In my experience, each failure contains the seeds of your next success—if you are willing to learn from it.'

- Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen (1953–2018)

Michaels doesn’t care when people say ‘SNL’ was funnier when they were younger

"Generally when people talk about the best cast I think, 'Well, that's when they were in high school,'" Michaels told "Today" in 2015. "Because in high school you have the least amount of power you're ever gonna have. ... Staying up with friends later on a Saturday is great, and people attach to a cast."

A quote by Magic Johnson

"Celebrate the life you had, not the life you could've had."

'Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.'

- 1946 film "It's a Wonderful Life"

'Until you're ready to look foolish, you'll never have the possibility of being great.'

- Cherilyn "Cher" Sarkisian (1946-present)

For 'Labyrinth,' the Jim Henson Company erected a 15-foot-tall character named Humongous, the largest puppet the company had ever built.

'Everybody has talent and it's just a matter of moving around until you've discovered what it is. A talent is a combination of something you love a great deal and something you can lose yourself in.'

- George Lucas (1944-present)

Authentic storytelling and audience awareness drive effective science communication

Bill Nye suggests that making people care about science requires limits on technical jargon, ensuring content is relatable to viewers, and injecting some comedy to help make the ideas stick. Having clear learning objectives can help educators stay on track and efficiently write content.

'Everything you look at can become a fairy tale and you can get a story from everything you touch.'

- Danish author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875)

'Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: rationalize them, understand them thoroughly. After that, it will be possible for you to sublimate them.'

- Artist Salvador Dalí (1904-1989)

'Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.'

- Inventor Thomas Edison (1847 - 1931)

'Knowledge will forever govern ignorance.'

- US President James Madison (1751-1836)

'All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost.'

- "The Lord of the Rings" author JRR Tolkien (1892-1973)

Cookie Monster evolved from the Wheel Stealer, a monster obsessed with a wheel-shaped cheese snack.

'You can't be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.'

- Actress and comedian Tina Fey (1970-present)

'There cannot be mental atrophy in any person who continues to observe, to remember what he observes, and to seek answers for his unceasing hows and whys about things.'

-Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)

'Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.'

- "Peanuts" cartoonist Charles M. Schulz (1922-2000)

'This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook—try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless and above all have fun.'

- Chef Julia Child (1912-2004)

'You will never feel proud of your work if you find no joy within it; your best work is always joyful work.'

- Stevie Wonder (1950-present)