'Sesame Street' sues 'SeaWorld' over mishandling brand, unpaid royalties!

Sesame Place and the Sesame Street Lands at SeaWorld parks days be be numbered. 

Yesterday, in New York court Sesame Workshop sued SeaWorld to end their decades-long relationship, accusing the theme ‌park operator of withholding royalties and undermining the "Sesame Street" brand.

SeaWorld, a unit of United Parks & Resorts, has been Sesame's exclusive ​U.S. theme park licensee for 45 years, opening several "Sesame Street"-themed parks and attractions ​featuring characters including Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Elmo.

Sesame Workshop said ⁠SeaWorld has for a few years ignored the most recent licensing agreement, which ​dates from 2017, including by withholding royalties and closing sites, including the temporary closure ​of Sesame Place San Diego.

According to the complaint, matters worsened in September when SeaWorld stopped paying royalties to Sesame Workshop altogether, and as a pretext to end the relationship made the "preposterous" accusation ​that the New York-based nonprofit failed to invest in its own brand.

"SeaWorld’s rogue, ​retaliatory actions pose an imminent threat" to Sesame Workshop by tarnishing its reputation, using its intellectual ‌property ⁠without permission and "disappointing children and families" who hoped to visit the closed sites, the complaint said.

SeaWorld is known for the orca Shamu. A United Parks spokesperson said in a statement the Orlando, Florida-based company looked forward to "setting the record straight in court." ​United Parks changed its ​name from SeaWorld ⁠Entertainment in 2024.

The lawsuit also seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
“United Parks & Resorts has repeatedly failed to honor its contractual obligations, ​leaving Sesame Workshop no choice but to pursue litigation to ​protect our ⁠brand and the trust that families place in it," a Sesame Workshop spokesperson said in a statement.

In September 2024, a federal judge in Orlando upheld an arbitration ruling that ⁠SeaWorld ​pay Sesame Workshop more than $11 million including interest ​for breaching their licensing agreement. SeaWorld didn't pay until October 2025, Sesame Workshop said.

From Reuters with reporting by Jonathan Stempel in ​New York; Editing by Mark Porter, Aurora Ellis, Cynthia Osterman Editing by Louise Heavens

Muppet Stuff - Blowze Sesame Street Tissues!

Get ready, collectors and nostalgia lovers — today we're unboxing Blowze's line of Sesame Street tissues boxes! 

Whether you're a die-hard Sesame Street fan, a quirky home décor enthusiast, or just someone who believes blowing your nose should bring you joy — this collection is for YOU.

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

SAVE THE DATE: Celebrate Jim Henson's Birthday at MOMI 2026!

Save the dates of  Sep 24 — Sep 27, 2026 as MoMI will commemorate Jim Henson’s 90th birthday with four days of activities featuring special guests, screenings, puppetry workshops, a collectible swap meet, live music in the courtyard, and more!

That's right, this year instead of two full days of activities, the Museum of the Moving Image will host four straight days of Henson fun!

And of course while your there be sure to include a visit to The Jim Henson Exhibition, the Museum’s dynamic experience exploring Henson’s groundbreaking work for film and television and his transformative impact on culture, where the public can come face-to-face with 50 beloved characters from the worlds of The Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock and other productions released during Henson’s lifetime. 

Here's our look at last year's event:

More details will be announced soon and the full schedule will be posted on MOMI's Website.

Sesame Street World at Universal Studios Japan Closing Permanently!

According to WDW News Today, Universal Studios Japan is planning to permanently close 

their Sesame Street World mini land. 

The land, which opened in 2012, is set to close on May 10th to make way for new experiences. Universal will honor the land with a farewell celebration, “Forever Friends – Always Together.”

During the event, guests can capture their memories with the Elmo and Friends “Memory Snapshot Card.” The semi-translucent card feature Elmo and other Sesame Street characters. Guests can snap pictures of the card with various landmarks. 

Artwork on the cards will change during the event. The first round will start March 20 and run while supplies last. The second round will begin April 15 and run through May 10.

Guests can also share their memories of Sesame Street Fun World at two “Treasure Boards.” These will be in front of Elmo’s Imagination Playland and Sesame’s Big Drive April 11 - May 10.

However, after the closure, the Sesame Street characters will continue to appear throughout the park, including in parades, meet and greets, and the return of the currently closed "Sesame Street 4‑D Movie Magic” attraction. 

This year also marks Universal Studios Japan's 25th anniversary and with the celebration  comes exclusive commemorative merch featuring the park's stars including a whole line of Sesame Street items including a shirt, towel, bucket hat, a keychain set, a Pen and Note set, and BFF Plush Keychains. 

More info on Universal Studio Japan's website. 

RIP Lyle Conway

Sad news as veteran Creature Shop sculptor Lyle Conway has died. 

Conway began his career at the Henson Company in the Muppet Workshop on The Muppet Show.  

He was later asked design the creatures and be the fabrication supervisor on The Dark Crystal sculpting many Skeksis, Urskeks, and Aughra.

On Dreamchild he oversaw the entire shop making sure The Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Lewis Carrol's other creatures looked as close as possible to the book's descriptions and illustrations. After Dreamchild, he freelanced for other films and returned to The Creature Shop to work on Where the Wild Thigs Are. 

Jim's Red book from 7/16/1984 – ‘Dreamchild begins shooting.’ includes this passage about Lyle:

"Designer Lyle Conway, having followed The Dark Crystal with work on the film Return to Oz, was tapped by Jim to oversee the shop for Dreamchild. Conway’s experience paid off and the build exploited everything he and the team had learned, using it in a much more efficient fashion. The budget was tight and, as Conway described, it “…turned out to be one fourth the work [of The Dark Crystal] at ten times the speed. We had 14 weeks to build everything, which is no time at all for us, and I think we stayed that much fresher as a result.” The film opened in summer 1985 to generally positive reviews, particularly for Coral Browne’s performance as Alice, and the writers made much of the creatures from Jim’s shop. The review in The Guardian noted, “The realization by Jim Henson and his team of the fabled creatures of Lewis Carroll’s imagination is beguilingly original.”

A few of Conway's non-Creature Shop work included 1988's The Blob and Return to Oz, in which he not only worked on the creatures, but also performed the voice and face of the Gump. His most notable post-Henson credit was on Frank Oz's Little Shop of Horrors designing Audrey II in each different phase, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.

Below you can see Lyle work brought to life. 

"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/

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