The Bermudian creative mind behind one of the most popular television shows of its time said it was “surreal” to see such a substantial part of his life’s work on display in one exhibition.

Michael Frith, who was the creative director for The Muppet Show, has about 350 individual items in The Art of Michael K. Frith: From Pencil to Puppet, which is now open to the public at the Bermuda National Gallery.

Looking around the gallery at the vast body of work, Mr Frith told The Royal Gazette: “It all felt surreal until the puppets went up — and when they went up, I felt at home.”

Celebrating his massive contribution to entertainment, education and popular culture, the show includes exhibits going back to when he was 14 years old and informing the Gazette of his desire to become a cartoonist.

A few years later, after making a name as president of The Harvard Lampoon, the humour magazine at Harvard University, where he studied, Mr Frith began a career as a children’s book editor and illustrator.

He worked closely with the late Theodor Seuss Geisel, who went by the name Dr Seuss, on the groundbreaking Beginner Books series.

Mr Frith, who was one of the masterminds behind the Bermuda-inspired Fraggle Rock, said that as well as the eye-catching puppets, a lot of the work on display stood to explain the creative process behind some of the much loved children’s characters.

He explained: “It’s not like all of these things are thought of as being something precious or exceptional — there are a whole bunch of old drawings that we used to keep stuffed in our kitchen drawer.

“They are part of a process that begins as scribbles on a napkin, and some of those scribbles eventually turn into something magical — that is the great thrill of it all.

“I know that this work has impacted a lot of people in a positive way, which is very important.

“The other thing that is important to get across is the joy and the benefits of collaboration. I have had so much good fortune working with so many wonderfully talented people over my entire lifetime.”

In the exhibition are sketches exchanged between the artist and Dr Seuss over a ten-year period as they traded ideas.

The work they did aligned well with the educational elements of the popular American TV series Sesame Street.

Mr Frith reached out to the show’s makers and introduced the idea of a Sesame Street book series to Random House, where he worked at the time.

While collaborating with Dr Seuss, Mr Frith began work as editor and illustrator of The Sesame Street Storybook series, published between 1971 and 1975.

Through this venture, he met Jim Henson, who began requesting Muppet designs from Mr Frith and eventually convinced him to join Jim Henson Productions full time.

He started as head of art in 1975 and worked his way up, helping to shape many of Mr Henson’s most popular television shows.

When Mr Henson was awarded the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting in 1986, he invited Mr Frith to share it with him.

Mr Frith said: “We did The Muppet Show and it became the most popular television show in the world. Building on that success, Jim wanted to make movies and leave television behind.”

A meeting was held in London between Mr Frith and two writers with a view to keeping the momentum of the Muppets going with another children’s television show.

The idea was hatched to create Fraggle Rock, which was inspired by the Crystal Caves and Mr Frith’s upbringing in Bermuda.

He recalled: “As I was drawing, these caves began to appear in my sketches and I recognised them from my childhood.

“If I was a child and I wanted to explore a mysterious world, what could be more intriguing than that world of a magical cave?

“The idea was that, once in there, anything could happen. All these tunnels that led off from the central world could take you anywhere, simply like your own imagination.”

Mr Frith and his wife, Kathryn Mullen, more recently embarked on No Strings Productions, a production company made for children in the developing world, addressing issues “crucial” to their lives.

While Mr Frith is mostly retired, he is now working again on The Harvard Lampoon as it approaches its 150th anniversary.

Apple TV has created two new seasons of Fraggle Rock and it is hoped it becomes a regular fixture, while it is rumoured that Disney is preparing another pilot for The Muppet Show.

Mr Frith said: “I hope they find that magic place, because the world could be made a little better getting to know who these guys are and what they stand for.

“Certainly with the Fraggles, the message is about peace and understanding, getting to know your neighbour and what it is about them that makes them special.”

The Art of Michael K. Frith: From Pencil to Puppet is on display at the Bermuda National Gallery.

The exhibition is curated by Eve Godet Thomas and sponsored by Masters Limited.

Admission is free and made possible by The Christian Humann Foundation.

The public can also watch Mr Frith talking with Karen Falk, archives director at the Jim Henson Company, on Saturday.

Tickets for that event, which includes a private view of the exhibition, are $20 for BNG members and $30 for non-members.

• Tickets can be purchased at www.bng.bm