River Horse Labyrinth Goblins!

Any fans of River Horse's Labyrinth game? Do you want more characters to play with? How about some goblins?

Well you're in luck, River Horse shared this pre-production look at their upcoming the goblins expansion pack!

They will be available for pre-order in February.

RIP John Hurt, The Storyteller!

John Hurt, who many Muppet fans fondly as the The Storyteller, has died.

In addition to portraying the titular Storyteller the 1988 Henson series, Hurt appeared in many film and television roles in his 6 decade career including Midnight Express,
Nineteen Eighty-Four, V for Vendetta,  Mr Ollivander, the wand-maker, in the Harry Potter films, both Hellboy films, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and the War Doctor in Doctor Who.

He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Midnight Express. 

He won a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, and an Academy Award for Best Actor for The Elephant Man.

He memorably portrayed Kane in 1979's Alien, a role which he reprised and parodied in Spaceballs.

Hurt also had a successful voice acting career, voicing characters in Watership Down , the animated The Lord of the Rings, and the Horned King in Disney's The Black Cauldron.

For us Muppet fans though, he will always be The Storyteller. 
While he appeared in each episode of the series, the third episode, "A Story Short", was the only one to focus on the Storyteller himself. 

Fan favorite, "The Soldier and Death" feels particularly poignant now as well.

Below Jim Henson shows how they turned Hurt into The Storyteller as part of The Jim Henson Hour: Secrets of The Muppets. (Jump to the 36:45 mark)

The Jim Henson Company put together a short behind the scenes look at the sereis:

In 2015, he was knighted for his services to drama.

He died just 6 days after his 77th birthday. No cause of death was reported.

His talents will missed.

Don't Lose Your head - New Labyrinth Firey Plush Now Available!

As we first reported way back in May, Toy Vault has a new Labyrinth Firey plush, and it's now available!

The head grabbing plush is slightly smaller than Dankin's original and more orange than red:

but it still goes to pieces, just as you'd expect!

You can get your own Firery plush if you Chilly Down over to Toy Vault or you can wait until January 30th and get it from Amazon. 

And that's not all, Toy Vault also has a Labyrinth Magnet set featuring Ludo, Jareth and a Firey on the way as well!

I know it'll be hard, but try not to lose your head!

Muppet Holiday Gifts!

You made your list, you checked it twice. Today we find out who was extra nice!

That's right, today we all get the chance to enjoy seeing the wonderful Muppet items you received over the holidays.

Amy Balbirer Windham:
Got a Kermit Britto statue, a small Oscar lunchbox, and a Jareth Funko Pop! figure.

David Shnoudeh's birthday was January 1st (Editor's Note: Technically NOT a holiday, as far as we know, but we'll let it slide). His girlfriend got him a pair of Kermit Adidas sneakers:

and  Muppet cupcakes!

Sam Peter Jackson:

Received the 2003 RIX Muppet trash cash, a Palisade's Sweetums figure, a collection of Diamond Select Muppet pint glasses, Day Dream's 2017 Muppet calendar, and Insight Edition's Labyrinth:The Ultimate Visual History!

Rachel Taufer:
Must have been VERY good this year. She received the 1977 Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem poster by Scandecor!

(Editor's Note: This is one of my grails for the Muppet Stuff museum)

Jessie Steele:

Speaking of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, Jessie received this shirt featuring the band's logo!

Marlon Fernandes:
Was able to add Hallmark's Electric Mayhem bus to his tree, add Disney Store's Muppet figurine set, Muppets From Space on Blu-ray to his collection, and start making his own Muppet tote bag with Disney's Emojiland Muppets Friends Blue Fabric!

Devon Polaski:
Received the Collectors Paradise exclusive Palisades Animal figure, Hyperion book's
"It's Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider", The Muppets Comic Omnibus, and a Disney Parks Muppet figurine set.

Joseph Debly:
Will be not only be able to know when it's time to play the music with his new Accutime Kermit watch, he'll able to play it himself with his very own copy of Hal Leonard's sheet music book "Favorite Songs from Jim Henson's Muppets.

He also received Disney's "The Muppets Read-Along Storybook and CD", Little Brown Books' "Frogs Are Funny: The Most Sensational, Inspirational, Celebrational, Muppetational Muppets Joke Book EVER!", Just Play's Animal beanbag, a Palisade Uncle Deadly figure, and Kermit and Miss Piggy Christmas decorations!

Clayton Roederer:

Under his tree was a Manhattan Toy Boober Fraggle hand puppet, Diamond Select's Animal, Gonzo/Camilla, and Statler & Waldorf action figures, a black t-shirt with the Sesame logo in white, and Disney Store's Muppet figurine set. 

Sally BD:

"Here is my 7 year old son Connor, a huge Muppet fan with his Christmas Muppet presents. A new calendar, the Muppet Disney Tsums tsums, the Hallmark ornament, and the new Diamond Select figures."

Check out Conner with his Muppet Christmas tree!

Thanks to everyone who shared their Muppet gifts with us! Now, where do we sign up to be adopted for next year!

Sesame Place Exclusive Blue Yip Yip Martian Puppet!

Each year Sesame Place releases a special limited plush as part of their classic character collection. 

This year it was the blue Yip Yip Martian! Unlike their previous character plush this one's also a puppet!

Unfortunately only place to get currently is in the park itself.

We rated this one of the year's best releases, and it's now available on Sesame Place's online store here!

Garthim ReAction Figure Coming to Toys R Us!

Funko's Dark Crystal ReAction Garthim figure will soon be coming to a Toys R Us near you!

The Skeksis henchman was originally available only as a NYCC exclusive packed with a winged Kira.

The Toy R Us exclusive version will be a solo Garthim. There's no word yet on whether the winged Kira will also be available separately.

We'll keep you posted as to when they start hitting shelves.

I Am Jim Henson Available Now!

Brad Meltzer’s new biography “I Am Jim Henson" is now available. 

The official summary: 

We can all be heroes. That’s the inspiring message of this New York Times bestselling picture book biography series from historian and author Brad Meltzer. This volume focuses on Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets and Sesame Street. 

Brad Meltzer

This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Jim Henson, for example, was always dreaming up something new, and always expressing his belief in the goodness of people. Henson was a born performer with a terrific sense of humor, and he used those talents to help create two of the most beloved programs in television history: The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. Through his Muppets, Jim showed the world that there’s nothing more beautiful than imagination, especially when it’s accompanied by laughter and kindness. 

Each book in this series tells the story of one inspiring individual through lively text and art that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers. At the back are an excellent timeline and photos.

About the author:

Brad Meltzer is the New York Times bestselling author of Heroes for My Son, Heroes for My Daughter, and a number of suspense novels for adults. He is also the host of the History Channel television shows Brad Meltzer’s Decoded and Lost History. He lives in Florida with his wife and their three children.

About the Illustrator:

Christopher Eliopoulos began his illustration career at Marvel Comics, and has worked on thousands of comics, including Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius, Pet Avengers, and Cow Boy, all of which he wrote and illustrated. He is also the illustrator of The Rabbit Who Wants to Go to Harvard. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and their identical twin sons.

To celebrate the book's release, Barnes & Noble will be hosting Meltzer at two locations this week. One tonight in Tribeca, NY, and Thursday at the Grove in Los Angeles. 

More Information about each event can be found here. 

You can get your copy at your local bookseller, Barnes and Noble, and through Amazon. 

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Giants #2!

The four issue anthology series, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Giants continues this week with issue #2!

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Giants #2 (of 4)
Writer: Brandon Dayton
Artist: Brandon Dayton
Cover Artist: Brandon Dayton
Price: $3.99

In this second issue, Brandon Dayton combines folklore from Russia, Norway, and France with “The Tailor’s Daughter,” a journey that follows a young woman as she outwits an unruly, cruel giant.

Here's a sneak peak at the first few pages...

 Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Giants #2 will be available Wednesday at your local comic book shop and through Amazon.

New Year, New Calendars!

As the first week of 2017 comes to close, we wanted to make sure you dress up your bare walls (no it's a not it's a wearin' a neckatie)!

And while we already previewed each of the new Muppet calendars below, we wanted to put them all together, as well and mention a one we missed. 

As we covered back in October, Day Dream's 2017 Muppet calendar uses a nice mix of standard stock images with some less seen illustrated  version of the characters.

Hallmark's 2017 calendar comes in both regular and mini sizes!

May's psychedelic poster of The Electric Mayhem is a standout!

For UK fans, Danilo's 2017 Muppet calendar uses stock photos over blurred backgrounds, giving them some nice depth and contrast. 

As we mentioned in November, it's also a parody of Instagram as the Muppets leave comments on each image.

Our last Muppet calendar is the 2017 "Muppets Familienplaner" from KV&H Verlag in Germany. 

Germany's familienplaner is a very large rectangle instead of the tradition square. Here's a look at them all together:

And that's it for 2017, there's apparently not a Sesame Street calendar this year, but we hear there's one coming for 2018.

On a side note, wouldn't it be nice if the Henson company put out a calendar featuring/ promoting their properties? How about a 30th Anniversary calendar for Labyrinth or The Dark Crystal's upcoming 35th anniversary?