"Life is not a solo act. It's a big, messy, delightful ensemble piece, especially when you are with your people," beloved Muppet says at Jim Henson's alma mater

Muppets creator Jim Henson graduated from Maryland in 1960. A home economics major, he fashioned the original frog puppet from one of his mother’s coats and a ping-pong ball cut in half, according to a statement from the university. Henson died in 1990.