New Doozer Shirt Coming from Zen Monkey!

Zen Monkey Studios posted this photo on their facebook page:

Looks like they're working on a Doozer shirt to add to their Fraggle Rock line of
calligram shirts.

We'll keep you posted when it's officially available for sale!

More backstage images from the new Muppet series!

Bob Kushell,one of the producers of the new Muppet series uploaded a bunch of new behind the scenes photos on Instagram, including a first look at the guest stars and the proposed title!

As simplistic and clean as the title is, I'm hoping it's changed to avoid confusion with the 2011 movie. 

Miss Piggy is recipient of prestigious New York museum award!

Speaking of Miss Piggy, she'll be honored in June from the Brooklyn Museum!

 Here the report from the Associated Press:

Miss Piggy arrives at the premiere of Disney's "Muppets Most Wanted"
at the El Capitan Theatre on March 11, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.
Photo Credit: Getty Images / Kevin Winter

A prestigious award from the Brooklyn Museum honors women who have made outstanding contributions in their fields.

This year's surprise honoree is ... Miss Piggy.

The Muppets character joins a distinguished list of recipients of the Sackler Center First Awards. They include theater director Julie Taymor and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

The Daily Beast recently called Miss Piggy "The Gloria Steinem of the Muppet World." She will be interviewed at the June 4 ceremony by the feminist herself.

The museum's Elizabeth Sackler Center for Feminist Art was founded by its namesake.

Sackler says Miss Piggy embodies "spirit, determination and grit" and has taught millions important lessons about overcoming obstacles.

Miss Piggy — known for her French affectation — declared: "Moi is thrilled."

Kermit the Frog will also attend.

Source: Newsday

Hallmark's 2015 Muppet Ornament-Miss Piggy!

We now have a full Hi-Res version of Hallmark's 2015 Miss Piggy ornament complete with specs and sound!

(Click on the image above to see it in it's full glory)

You can also listen to the ornaments audio by Eric Jacobson here!

The ornament measures 2.5" W x 4.375" H x 1.75" D and will retail for $19.95. 

Look for it a Hallmark stores being July 11th!

Add it to your wish list now at Hallmark

Thanks to Nate Downs for the heads up!

Sesame Street: The Aveggies- Age of Bon Bon (Avengers Parody)!

You may have heard rumblings about a new Avengers movie that is coming out this week. We got an advanced early copy!

That wasn't exactly what we were expecting, but great nonetheless. 

Ohh that wasn't Age of Ultron, but yet another great Sesame Street parody?  That makes sense, I must have been too focused on avoiding spoilers!

Super Grover Glass!

There's a new super hero glass on the street (Sesame Street to be exact) Super Grover! It even comes with his super cape! 

This one was found at Forbidden Planet in New York, but my super senses tell your local comic shop may have them as well. 

Thanks to John Papovitch for the image!

Sesame Place History Book Coming From Arcadia!

History book publisher Arcadia is coming out with a book chronicling the history of Sesame Place!

Like their other books, it seems the book will feature many images taken through the parks 35 year history along with text recounting the history of the park. 

From the book description:

Since opening in 1980, Sesame Place theme park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, has been the Northeast’s premier destination for fun, learning, and entertainment for children and adults alike. This wonderful playland has seen immense change and growth from opening day, ever adapting like Sesame Street itself to engage the newest generation of kids. Here, the original Muppets™ from Sesame Street created by Jim Henson, such as Big Bird, Grover, and Cookie Monster, as well as the newer residents, such as Elmo, Zoe, Murray, and Abby Cadabby, come right out of the television and into attractions, shows, parades, meet-and-greets, and more.

Author Guy Hutchinson and Christopher Mercaldo Bios:

In its 35th year of operation, Sesame Place has helped guests create countless memories. Explore and see in vivid color its development from concept to reality, its early days of interactive science exhibits and discovery, its growth and addition of watery fun, and its more recent additions of great theme park rides and attractions. Authors Guy Hutchinson, a theme park writer and broadcaster, and Chris Mercaldo, a theme park and attraction designer, are two avid Sesame Place fans (who grew up visiting the park in different eras) who detail its rich history and importance in both pop culture and the Northeast.

The 96 page book will be released on July 6, 2015. We'll keep you posted when it's available to pre-order!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

Sesame "Eat Brighter!" Food!

Food publication, The Packer, has a few articles regarding a bunch of new places you'll find the Sesame Street Muppets, on the packages of healthy food products in your local grocery store!

It's all part of the "Eat Brighter!" campaign. 

According to the Produce Marketing Association:

Since the campaign began, more than 30,000 stores have accepted produce labeled with Sesame Street characters, more than 100 commodities have been enrolled and more than 52 industry members have signed on to support the campaign, a collaboration between Sesame Workshop and the Produce Marketing Association commissioned by Partnership for a Healthier America.

Last month, Elmo, Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster started to appear on 3-pound bags of Nature’s Bounty Organics potatoes. While Chelan Fresh will roll out 1 and 2-pound dark cherry bags in July featuring Elmo, Cookie Monster and Big Bird

Soon you'll see them on packages of Chelan Fresh cherries too!

Mac Riggan, vice president of marketing at Chelan Fresh Marketing, Chelan, Wash., said the company is rolling out 1.25-pound and 2-pound dark cherry pouch bags in July in an Eat Brighter! campaign featuring Elmo, Cookie Monster and Big Bird. The characters will capture the attention of moms and young children, Riggan said. The Eat Brighter! campaign is a collaboration between Sesame Workshop and the Produce Marketing Association commissioned by Partnership for a Healthier America.

Research shows that a lot of moms from 24 to 45 years old watched Sesame Street when they were young, he said.

“They recognize the (characters) as much as the kids do.”

You can read more here and at the links above. 

Kermit's Costa Rican Twin!

Yesterday it was reported that a new species of frog had been discovered in Costa Rica and it looks very similar to our favorite amphibian!

Check out the story on the Today show:

Well, today Kermit himself appeared on The View  to discuss his new found relative. 

Muppet Singalong Coming to Long Beach!

Attention all Southern California Muppet fans! Heather Henson’s Muppet Movie Singalong is coming to the Carpenter Performing Arts Center at California State University, Long Beach May 17th.

Thanks to Peter Schelden, the External Communications Coordinator for the school who gave us the heads up. 

Here's a preview of what to expect:

Tickets are available now on their website. 

Center for Puppetry Arts Steve Whitmire's Memorabilia Auction Batch 4!

The latest batch of Steve Whitmire's memorabilia is now up for auction! 

This batch includes some cast and crew items from Dinosaurs, Muppets From Space, 

Muppet*Vision 3D, and The Jim Henson Company, some Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock merchandise, and one of the actual dresses from Lady Holiday's fashion show in The Great Muppet Caper!

Remember, all proceeds support the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, and their efforts to build a Jim Henson wing!

Be sure to check out all the great stuff here.

This wave ends Friday at 3PM EST so act quick!

People Magazine Exposes Star's Fashion Inspirations!

The latest issue of People Magazine features a page on "Muppet Inspired Style", poking fun at a few celebrities recent fashion choices. 

What do yo think, do the Muppets have a future in the fashion business?

Behind The Scenes Photos of New Muppet Show!

Adeline_ cam shared this montage of behind the scene photos of the Muppet show pilot on her instagram page.

You can clearly see that Kermit, Gonzo, Swedish Chef, Uncle Deadly, Sweetums, and The Electric Mayhem will all be featured in the pilot!

Throwback Thursday: My Muppets Show!

Remember the My Muppets Show app? Though it may seem longer, it was actually only 3 months ago when the app was officially shut down. 

Did you finish the game before it was pulled? Have you ever heard all the completed songs?

Well, if not you're in luck! Here's a video of all the completed songs and stages!

We may never get that final stage, but at least we now have a complete account of what each stage was sounded like when completed!

Fresh off the heels of the Sesame Street set makeover, is seems the upcoming movie is changing course as well. 

Den of Geek is reporting that the new Sesame Street movie "will be in the style of the more recent Muppets films."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sesame Street Movie To Be More Like The Muppets

News Simon Brew 4/15/2015 at 7:43AM

Shawn Levy is to direct the Sesame Street movie, which has now jumped to Warner Bros...

Just a few weeks ago, it was revealed that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was to star in a movie of Fraggle Rock, that's being developed by Jim Henson's daughter, Lisa.

It's not the only Henson-related project heading to the big screen either.

There's also the small matter of the Sesame Street film as well, that had been in the works at 20th Century Fox. As it turns out, the movie is still coming, but there's been a change or two.

Firstly, it's switched studios. Sesame Street is now a Warner Bros project, and it's said that it has "brought new ideas to the table regarding the direction of the film." The Tracking Board reports that the new film "will be in the style of the more recent Muppetsfilms" as a result.

Furthermore, Shawn Levy - who had been set to produce the movie when it was first set up back in 2012 - is now to direct as well. Levy has just completed the Night At The Museum trilogy, and is also linked with a new Tinker Bell movie.

Warner Bros now is on the search for a screenwriter to put the script for Sesame Street together, and then it should be full steam ahead. More as we hear it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's welcome news. Sesame's first film, Follow that Bird was released by Warner Bros in 1985 and can be viewed by all ages. While 1999's Elmo in Grouchland, was aimed too young and after the great opening song, barely features any of the core Sesame characters. 

How do you feel about this more mature view of the Street?

Muppet Stuff on TV - The Goldbergs!

Have you been watching ABC's The Goldbergs? If not it past time to start. The show is based on the creator's own childhood growing up in the 1980's and he was a big Muppet/Henson fan. 

The character of "Adam Goldberg" can be seen wearing a Dark Crystal shirt. 

He also has a Dark Crystal movie poster and Miss Piggy's 1982 calendar hanging in his room. 

Among his many toys are a set of (sadly historically inaccurate) Fraggle stuffed animals and puppets. 

I hope the producers realize these aren't the real ones from the 80's, but versions released by Manhattan Toy in 2010, and correct the error soon!

There's also the Dark Crystal lunch box on his shelf that I don't think has even been noticeable on the show itself yet! (I was able to pull this shot from a behind the scenes video about the set.)

In a recent episode, Adam threw a birthday slumber party and his mother made him a Kermit cake!

I mentioned that the show is based on the real Adam Goldberg's life, and each episode includes a piece from Adam's own archive. 

The same episode with the Kermit cake, ended with a reenactment of Adam and one his friends creating their own Swedish Chef skit! 

On the right is the video Adam shot as a kid, and on the right is the show's recreation!
(You can watch the full episode here)

This is only a handful of Muppet references from the show, so I'm sure we'll be showing you more of the Goldbergs' stuff again soon!

The Goldbergs airs Wednedsay's at 8:30PM (EST/PSD) on ABC. Tune it tonight and see if you can spot any hidden references!

Have you found a show that often references the Muppets? Let us know and we'll feature it in a future installment!

Update:
We heard back from Adam Goldberg himself!

Adam F. Goldberg here, creator of The Goldbergs.I just read your post about the show and LOVED that you notice me use my network TV show to push my Henson agenda.  I'm an insane lifelong Muppet fan.  The Muppet Movie was the FIRST movie I ever saw and I spent my childhood watching the show and movies on a loop.  I have actually written words for the gang -- one of my first jobs was co-writing The Muppet Wizard of Oz.  I know it was just a low budget ABC TV special , but I got to write for actual Muppets at the start of my career and that was an insane bucket list job.  

I'm also a huge Fraggle fan and have tried to get on the movie many times, but scheduling has always gotten in the way.  I have a whole outline, but it just collects dust in my computer.  But when I pitched to Lisa Henson, she said I knew WAY more about the property than she did.  That was cool.One of my favorite Goldbergs scenes was Murray using Fraggles to have a sex talk with Barry.  The reason the Henson company let me shoot it was because I'm giant superfan and they trusted me.  But I needed puppet Fraggles which did not exist back in the day -- so I had to use the Manhattan toy puppets from a few years ago. And then those Fraggles became cannon to my show, despite the fact they aren't vintage.  So there's your geeky answer to understand I do obsess over these things! 

I mentioned to him that Dankin did produced Fraggle Rock puppets in 1988, but that they are fairly hard to find.

Adam F. Goldberg:

I know! These are impossible to find. We couldn't find 2 Fraggles on ebay in enough time and get them to us (cause once we're in production sometimes I write scripts a day before we shoot! 

But yeah, I'd love to find these for the shelf next year!

So there you have it! Keep your eyes peeled to The Goldbergs next season to see if Dankin's Fraggle puppets make an appearance!

Thanks to Adam Goldberg for reaching out to us. What a really nice guy. 

And don't forget, an all new episode of The Goldbergs airs tonight at 8:30PM EST/PSD on ABC!

Muppet Sugar Cookie Kits-update!

Back in October we told you about these Muppet Sugar Cookie Kits. At the time, we said they could be found at Burlington Coat Factory stores. 

While they may still be be true, I couldn't find them at any of my local locations. However, last week they were spotted in a very unlikely place - Colonial Williamsburg!

Yep, nestled between the historic buildings there's a candy shop where you can find the cookie kits! So, if you're planning a trip to Colonial Williamsburg there may be some Muppet treasure waiting for you - some may even call revolutionary!

Stay tuned for a future article we we actually make a batch and see how they taste!

New Muppet Show - official synopsis!

Speaking of The Muppets taking over TV, from the " Official synopsis" below from Den of Geek, the new Muppet show, Isn't going to be a reboot of "The Muppet Show." But more of a mockumentary in the vein of Curb Your Enthusiasm. 

New Muppets TV Series: Official Story Details Surface

News Mike Cecchini 4/13/2015 at 11:28AM

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The new Muppets TV show coming to ABC is going to have a Curb Your Enthusiasm like flavor according to official details...

UPDATE!

After the initial news of a brand new Muppets TV series coming to ABC broke, things quieted down a bit. But now we have an official synopsis, courtesy of ABC(hence the "official" part).

Subverting the expectations of reality TV, this mockumentary looks at the day to day lives of the Muppets and the mayhem that ensues as they try to get a new network series up and running. Mixing the Muppets’ signature brand of nonsense with the hilarity of shows like The Comeback and Curb Your Enthusiasm, this series finally answers the question, “What happens when the Muppets go home?”

To be fair, I'm not sure too many of us have ever really asked that particular question, but I'm willing to have faith. In addition to listing both Bill Prady and Bob Kushell as writers and producers (as originally reported) and confirming Randall Einhorn as producer (he will also direct), it also lists Muppet performer Bill Barretta among the executive producers.

(hat tip to Film Divider for putting us on to that official synopsis)

Original Story: April 3rd, 2015:

The Muppets might return to evening television. ABC is interested in a comedy pilot centered on Jim Henson's most famous felt creations. They've enlisted Big Bang Theory co-creator Bill Prady and Anger Management's Bob Kushell to work out a presentation.

Deadline reports that this new Muppets series "would be set behind the scenes of a late-night talk show." It sounds similar to the old Muppets Tonight pitch, but if this is going to be as clever as The Larry Sanders Show but with Muppets, then all will be right with the world. 

Production Weekly says that Randall Einhorn, who has a sterling resume of good comedy projects (including several episodes of Parks and Recreation and The Office) will direct: 

TV comedy veteran Randall Einhorn to produce and direct a new Untitled@TheMuppets Pilot for @ABCNetwork. pic.twitter.com/8bErm5YHQz

— Production Weekly (@prodweek) April 2, 2015

So, aside from the unfortunate fact that the words "Big Bang Theory" have to be mentioned in the same breath as "new Muppets TV series" this is all very good news. Prady has Muppet cred, as well, having written for The Jim Henson Hour and the virtually forgotten Muppet Classic Theater from 1994. The Hollywood Reporter has some more details about the pilot presentation, which would involve the core cast trying to convince Miss Piggy to join up for the new show.

If things go well, then ABC should take the new Muppet show straight to series.