Wednesday, June 24, 2026

BoxLunch Sesame Street Exclusives!

Box Lunch has a whole bunch new exclusive Sesame Street items. 


The pop-culture retailer has dropped a sizable collection of exclusive Sesame Street items that prove the beloved children's show is just as relevant for adults as it ever was for kids.

The collection spans an impressive range of categories including 
housewares, collectables,  and apparel. 

For housewares, fans can pick up a Checkered Characters Mug, a Characters Green Checker Print Bowl, and a charming Letter Blocks Figural Salt and Pepper Shaker Set.

Sesame Street Checkered Characters Mug










The apparel lineup is just as strong. Cozy options include Cookie Monster Striped Sleep Pants, a Women's Quarter Zip Crewneck, an Athletics Raglan Hoodie, and a Sesame Athletics Collared Long Sleeve. 






For bag lovers, the collection includes a Characters Mini Backpack and an Oscar the Grouch Small Zip Wallet. 



There's also a character journal and pin set. 

Sesame Street Character Tab Journal - BoxLunch Exclusive



You can find all these at the links above and at Box Lunch

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

NYCC Announces Muppet Performers as Guests!

New York Comic Con  is about to get a little more Muppetattional as they've invited a few Muppet performers as guests. 


Every year NYCC gets some big celebrities and while this year's list is very long and impressive, as the following names will sure bring a surge of excitement to Muppet fans. 


Muppet performers Matt Vogel, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, and legendary Muppet builder 
Bonnie Erickson are all scheduled as guests. 


But that’s not all, Muppet comic strip artist, Guy Gilchrist will have a booth in Artist Alley. 


Tickets and info at New York Comic Con.

Sunday, June 21, 2026

Netflix Wins “Sesame Street” Movie Rights!

Netflix won a bidding war for the feature film rights to Sesame Street, beating out Universal after Warner Bros. dropped out early.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rideback (behind Lilo & Stitch and Aladdin) will produce, leveraging an existing relationship with Sesame Workshop, which will also have a producer role. The race began about a year ago after Sesame Workshop signed with CAA. Warner Bros., which held the rights for nearly a decade without making a film, exited amid its acquisition drama.

Now that a new studio has been named, it will only be a matter of time before we find out whether this is the same, long in development, movie starring Anne Hathaway or something else entirely.

Friday, June 19, 2026

John Tartaglia Named Henson VP of Development and Production!

The Jim Henson Company promoted John Tartaglia to Vice President of Development and Production. 


In this role, Tartaglia, the Tony-nominated and Emmy-winning creator, producer, writer, director, and puppeteer, will develop and produce projects across all media, with a primary focus on television and theater, and he will continue to creatively supervise the Company's popular Fraggle Rock franchise. 

"Over the many years that John has been a key partner on projects like the Emmy-winning Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, Splash and Bubbles, Wowsabout, and the newly released Jim Henson's Monster Dance, he has proven to be a true 'quadruple threat.' As an award-winning producer, an exceptional director, a prolific writer, and a gifted puppeteer, John makes each project better and adds a joyful creative spirit to our team," said Lisa Henson.


Tartaglia has been a long-time collaborator with The Jim Henson Company on a variety of projects, chief among them serving as an executive producer, writer, director, and puppeteer (Gobo Fraggle, Sprocket, and multiple other characters) on the Emmy-winning Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. Other projects include directing and performing lead character Ronald in the recent PBS KIDS special Wowsabout, and co-creating and executive producing the newly released Amazon Kids+ series Jim Henson's Monster Dance. Other television projects include the TV series Splash and Bubbles for PBS KIDS (for which he served as Creator, Executive Producer, Writer, and Emmy-nominated puppeteer), and development projects like The Kissing Hand. As a puppeteer, Tartaglia has been featured in a range of projects for the Company including Word Party, Julie's Greenroom, Slumberkins, Happytime Murders, and the live show Puppet Up!.

Tartaglia has also produced, written, and directed several live shows for The Jim Henson Company. Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock LIVE is currently having its New York City premiere at The New Victory Theater through June 21st, with a second national tour launching in the fall. Other stage credits include Fraggle Rock: A Space-y Adventure for the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, and Jim Henson's Inspired Silliness for Princess Cruises, Sid the Science Kid Live, and Dinosaur Train Live.

John serves as Vice President of Development & Production for The Jim Henson Company, serving as the creative supervisor of the iconic brand Fraggle Rock, including the Emmy-winning reboot Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, for which he is also an Executive Producer, Writer, and Puppet Captain, and performs Gobo Fraggle, Architect Doozer, Gunge, Barry Blueberry, and Sprocket the Dog. Other television credits include the upcoming Jim Henson's Monster Dance for Amazon Kids+ (Co-Creator, Executive Producer), Wowsabout (Co-Executive Producer, Director, Puppeteer of Ronald), several seasons of Sesame Street, Johnny and the Sprites (Emmy-nominated, creator, star and co-executive producer), Ugly Betty, Bear in the Big Blue House, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Silent But Deadly, Hollywood Squares, The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Animal Jam, Blues Room, Sesame English, and JoJo's Circus.

Muppet Stuff Video: Plastic Meatball's "Labyrinth" Action Figures!

Join me as I take a closer look at Plastic Meatball's Labyrinth Action Figures! 


Based on Jim Henson's beloved 1986 fantasy film, these figures bring iconic characters like Jareth the Goblin King and Sarah to life in stunning detail. Whether you're a die-hard fan of the movie or a seasoned collector, these are definitely worth a closer look.


Be sure to check out even more videos on our Youtube channel.

Thursday, June 18, 2026

Imagineer That! The Muppets Rock 'n' Rollercoaster!

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets is now open at Disney's Hollywood Studios! To celebrate the occasion, Tom Morrow 2.0 is answering the classic question - how does everything stay in a roller coaster when it goes upside down? 

This time around, he has a little help from Lips, trumpet player for The Electric Mayhem, as long as Joe from Legal doesn't shut this episode down...

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring The Muppets is now open at Disney Hollywood Studios

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

RIP Gene Shalit (1926 - 2026)

Sad news as former Today Show, critic Gene Shalit died over the weekend.

Gene Shalit was one of American television's most recognizable personalities — instantly identifiable by his wild hair, handlebar mustache, vibrant bowties, and an endless appetite for wordplay. For nearly four decades, he served as the beloved film and arts critic on The Today Show, while also lending his voice to publications like TV Guide, The New York Times, and Cosmopolitan.

It's no surprise that the Muppets crossed paths with Shalit more than once over the years, both celebrating and lovingly poking fun at the iconic critic.

The connection goes back to April 3, 1974, when Ernie and Bert made a guest appearance on The Today Show. In classic Muppet fashion, Bert showed up dressed to look uncannily like Shalit himself. Three years later, Shalit hosted the PBS special Sesame Street at Night?

Shalit was spoofed in 1976's The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence as a film critic, performed by Jerry Nelson, who turns into a pig. 

In 1980, Shalit sat down with Jim Henson for an interview about a quirky piece of television history: a set of pipes that Henson, Frank Oz, Don Sahlin, and Jerry Juhl had painted backstage while waiting to perform on The Jack Paar Program. During the interview, Shalit quipped that the pipes deserved a place in a museum. In 2010, those very pipes were added to the public tour of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

The fun continued in 1983, when Muppet Magazine featured Shalit in its "Great Muppet Look-Alike Contest," pairing him with none other than the Swedish Chef.


On July 10, 1984. Gene interviewed Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog about their new feature film The Muppets Take Manhattan.

  

After Henson's untimely passing in 1990, Shalit interviewed Frank Oz. 

And in 1996, he made a deliciously unexpected contribution to In the Kitchen with Miss Piggy, submitting his very own "Movie Crumb Cake" recipe to the diva's cookbook.

Gene Shalit's relationship with the Muppets was as warm, witty, and wonderfully bizarre as the man himself.

Gene Shalit was 100 years old.