"Sesame Street" wins 4 Children’s & Family Emmy Awards!

The 4th annual Children and Family Emmy Awards were held Monday night with Sesame Street fittingly taking home 4 awards. 

For the first time, the ceremony was held in New York City at Jazz at Lincoln Center. John Tartaglia of Sesame Street, Johnny and Sprites, and Fraggle Rock fame hosted the show while Sesame performers Frankie Cordero, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, and Jen Barnhart presented. 

Sesame Street won:

Outstanding Preschool, Children’s or Family Viewing Series

Outstanding Short Form Live Action Program: Andrew Garfield and Elmo Explain Grief, Sesame Workshop YouTube Channel

Outstanding Directing for a Live Action Series: “A Trip to the Moon"

Outstanding Puppetry Performer: Leslie Carrara-Rudolph as Abby Cadabby & Tango

In addition to these awards, a few long-time Henson-related contributors to family entertainment were inducted into the Academy’s Gold and Silver Circles.

Michael K. Frith was honored into the Gold Circle, while Alan Muroka and Rosemarie Truglio (Senior Vice President of Global Education at Sesame Workshop) were inducted into the Silver Circle. 

You can watch the entire ceremony here. 

Muppet Stuff - The Greater Philadelphia Area Puppetry Guild's National Puppetry Day Celebration!

Join me as I explore the 2025 Greater Philadelphia Area Puppetry Guild’s "National Puppetry Day" Celebration! 

This joyful gathering is packed with creativity, colorful characters, and passionate puppeteers sharing performances, skills, and stories. 

This year's "Day of Puppetry" is April 18th at the Abington Arts Center. The event will be filled with hands-on workshops, puppet performances for families and adults, local vendors, and a special MYSTERY guest.

More info on the Greater Philadelphia Area Puppetry Guild and this year's event at:
https://www.greaterphillypuppetryguild.org/

Muppet Stuff - Toy Fair 2026!

Join me as I scout New York Toy Fair for all the incredible Muppet, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth items coming in 2026. 

Highlights this year include Teeturtle's new Care Bears X Sesame Street collab Oscar and Elmo reversable plush, and Labyrinth plush. 

Super Impulse's Ernie Tator-tot:

Ty's Sesame Street Beanie Babies and Beanie Bouncers:

CreateOn: Sesame Magnetic Titles and QB's block figures:

Super7's Sesame Street ReActioin figures, blind bag figures, Cl!cky Caps, and Super Size Oscar with real sock:

Monogram's Care Bears X Sesame Street, Elmo, and Dinosaurs Blind Bag Figural Bag Clips. The Care Bears X Sesame Street will be out soon, while the Dinosaurs set should be out in May.

Alliance/ Hand Made by Robots' Kermit and Animal coming out by the end of the year. 

Diamond Art Club's Sesame Street Crafts

Insight Editions' Muppet Amisurumi Crochet Christmas Book, Labyrinth VHS style Making of book. 

Teddy Mountain's Fraggle Rock plush:

Rokimoto's Sesame Street ramen noodle blind box figures coming to Hot Topic, Box Lunch, BAM! Newbury comics, and more in May.

Bull Aires' Fraggle Rock, Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth 40th lines:

Kidrrobot's Sesame Street Snuffy, Cookie Monster, Muppets Mayhem Baby Animal plush, and Dinosaurs talking Baby plush. 

and NECA's Sesame Street Ultimate's Super Grover coming Q1 2026, and The Muppet Show Gonzo & Camilla Q4 2026, Mahana Mahna & the Snowths 3-pack, and Miss Piggy & FooFoo Q1-2027. 

You can see even more items and details in our full video report from the convention floor below:

We shared our notes with our friends at ToughPigs, who spotted a few other things including  new additions to Kids Preferred's Sesame line. Click the link to see their full report.

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

RIP Arthur Novell (1936 - 2026)

We are sad to share that Arthur Novell, founding board member of The Jim Henson Legacy has passed away.

For 19 years Arthur’s firm, Markham/Novell Communications, served as the public relations agency for The Jim Henson Company. 

On Muppets Tonight, he served as the liaison for the guest stars, a role performed by David Lazer on The Muppet Show. He was responsible for explaining to the guests how to walk on the elevated sets, speak to the Muppets, not the puppeteers, and make sure they were comfortable with the production.

Arthur was featured as Muppet caricature "Arthur Modell" a contestant on "Swift

"Swift Wits", the UK Spot in the Pierce Brosnan episode. 

He was among the trusted colleagues selected by Jane Henson to form the founding Board of Trustees of The Jim Henson Legacy.

The Jim Henson Legacy Board in 2013

Arthur went on to serve as the organization’s Executive Director for nine years, remained an active board member, and attended many legacy events. 

Arthur Novell was 90. 

RIP Jesse Jackson (1941 - 2026)

Sad news as acclaimed civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson has died.

Jackson was a politician, activist, and Baptist minister, who in 1984 became the second African-American to declare candidacy for the office of President of the United States. 

Muppet fans may recognize Jackson from his 1971 appearance on Sesame Street where he recited three of his poems "I Am - Somebody", "I Can Do", and "Nation Time." According to Muppet wiki, of them, only the first clip is known to survive.

"I Am - Somebody" was included as a bonus segment Sesame Street Old School: Volume 1 DVD, and was sung as song a few other times on the show. 

That same year, Jackson founded Operation PUSH, which stood for People United to Save Humanity. Its initial membership list included Apollo Theatre manager Peter Long, and his wife Lorretta Long, who played Sesame Street's Susan. The organization is now known as Rainbow/PUSH.

Over the years Jackson helped negotiate the release of several detained and captured Americans around the world and in part due to these efforts, in 2000, Jackson was awarded
the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then-President Bill Clinton.

You can read more about Jesse Jackson's life at Time.

Jesse Jackson was 84. 

"Street Gang" Sequel "Street Fight" Coming this Fall!

Michael Davis announced a sequel to his 2008 book "Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street" is coming this fall.

While the original was a New York Times best-seller and was made into an award winning documentary, there's still a lot more stories and details to share. 

Davis shared the news via LinkedIn:  

"Greetings, "Street Gang" fans. I'm excited to let you be among the first to know that a second volume on Sesame Street's history and impact will be published this fall, entitled "Street Fight." The book will especially delight GenXers and Millennials, but there will be delicious dish and untold tales for every generation. Cookie Monster's early review: "Me like."

 Stay tuned as further information is reveiled.  

Muppet Stuff - Zolocon 2025!

Welcome to the Zolocon 2025!

Join me as I explore the floor, check out incredible toy displays, and highlight some of the many Henson collectibles for sale. From vintage favorites to modern releases, this video captures the excitement that makes Zolocon a must-attend event for toy fans. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or just love awesome toys, there’s plenty here to enjoy.

Tickets and info for this year's show: Zolocon.com

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