Jim Henson’s ‘The Cube’: A Forgotten Proto-Black Mirror Masterpiece
A 1969 teleplay by Jim Henson, “The Cube” is a surreal bottle film about a man trapped in a white room, visited by strangers, raising unsettling questions about reality, simulation, and television.
The Obscure Gem of 1969
Jim Henson is best known for the Muppets, but in 1969 he created a strange, little-seen teleplay for NBC’s experimental anthology “Experiment in Television.” Titled “The Cube,” it is a 53-minute bottle film that takes place almost entirely in a single white room. The story begins with a man waking up in a featureless white cube with no windows or doors. Soon, a panel opens and a stranger brings in a stool, but when he closes the “door,” the protagonist cannot open it again.
A Parade of Strangers
What follows is a series of bizarre encounters as dozens of people enter and exit through invisible doors. A woman claims to be the man’s wife, though he doesn’t recognize her. A gorilla in a tutu appears (voiced by Henson himself in an uncredited cameo). A full band slips in and performs a song with the line “you’ll never get out ‘til you’re dead,” only to reveal it’s a recording that skips on the word “dead.” Furniture—beds, couches, liquor cabinets—materializes and disappears without explanation.
The play poses many questions but offers no answers. Is the man in a simulation? Is he on TV? Are the visitors actors? Is any of it real?
A Proto-Black Mirror
“The Cube” is often compared to the modern anthology “Black Mirror” for its dark, philosophical take on media and reality. Despite its quality, it remains obscure: it aired only twice, has a sold-out DVD listing on Amazon, and rarely appears on streaming services. The best ways to watch it today are two YouTube uploads: one black-and-white with better quality but a cut song (due to copyright), and another in color with the song intact but lower resolution. Either way, it’s a wild ride that reveals a twisted side of Jim Henson’s imagination.
