Jim Henson's Former London Home Just Got a Very Special Honor

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"The Muppets" are now an official part of London history.

In honor of what would have been "Muppets" creator Jim Henson's 85th birthday, English Heritage — a charitable organization that manages historic monuments around England — placed one of its famous blue plaques on the puppeteer's former north London home this week.

There are more than 950 blue plaques around London that mark the homes and workspaces of famous Londoners. And although Henson was American, he became an honorary Londoner in the '70s, when "The Muppet Show" was commissioned for British television.

"My father moved to London to make 'The Muppet Show,' and then chose to stay because he was so impressed by the UK's many gifted artists and performers," Brian Henson, Jim's son and chairman of the board at The Jim Henson Company, said in a statement to English Heritage. "It's an honor to have Jim Henson's British home recognized with a blue plaque, knowing that he so admired and respected the talent in London, and that this is the place he called home when creating some of his most memorable productions."

And now, anyone can stop by Henson's former Hampstead home — located at 50 Downshire Hill — and admire the location where Henson lived from 1979 until the end of his life. The plaque reads simply: "Jim Henson 1936-1990 creator of The Muppets lived here."

"The Muppet Show" was filmed at Elstree Studios, a few miles north of London, and marked the capital as Henson's creative headquarters.

Henson stayed in the UK, setting up a workshop and office space down the street from his home. From his London workshop, Henson would go on to develop works like "Sesame Street," "Fraggle Rock" and "Labyrinth."

He passed away in 1990.

London's blue plaque program began 150 years ago and demarcates everything from David Bowie's childhood home to the last apartment where Princess Diana lived before becoming royal. The very first blue plaque was placed in 1867 Cavendish Square at the home where the poet Lord Byron was born. But because that building was torn down, the current oldest surviving blue plaque in London marks the Westminster home of France's last emperor, Napoleon III (also placed in 1867).

Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or at caileyrizzo.com.