Apple CEO Steve Jobs, author J.K. Rowling, former Vice President Al Gore, entrepreneur Richard Branson, and Nintendo Entertainment general manager Shigeru Miyamoto all have something in common—and I’m not talking about the size of their disposable incomes. Rather, each is a recipient of the Jim Henson Celebration Honor (PDF link), one of four annual honors handed out annually by the Jim Henson Company since 2005, with Jobs taking home the 2009 award.
The staff and artists at the Jim Henson Company nominate recipients for the awards, presumably when they’re finished pasting googley eyes on furry creatures for the day. The awards are meant to acknowledge folks who “reflect the core values and philosophy of the legendary Jim Henson and the company he founded.”
Lisa Henson, the current CEO of the company and Jim’s oldest child, said in a statement that “Steve Jobs has continuously broken new ground with technologies that allow existing media in all forms to be easily enjoyed, and also by providing fantastic tools for artists, photographers, musicians and filmmakers of all skill levels.”
One assumes that Steve feels prepared for this Muppet-related honor after his years of collaboration with Steve Wozniak. And since Mr. Jobs’s contributions with Apple have generated plenty of profits in addition to empowering artists, perhaps he’s proven once and for all that it is easy making green—if you’re special enough.