2018 In Review!

2018 may be over, but that doesn't mean we can't take a look back at the year that was.

Fraggle Rock turned 35 with a set of Funko Pops! and the entire series came to Blu-ray!

Sesame Street: Once Upon A Sesame Street Christmas was released on DVD!

Jim Henson puppets starred in Princess Cruises' The Secret Silk!

We met the new Muppet Babies and the voice cast!

Dr. Teeth even appeared on the show!

And the first batch of merchandise from the show debuted!

Muppet Guys Talking was official released!

Frank Oz sat down with Fran Brill, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, and the late Jerry Nelson to chat about their work with Jim Henson and the Muppets and we all were invited. 

Many new books and comics were released including Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Fairies, Power of the Dark Crystal, Labyrinth: Coronation, Beneath the Dark Crystal, a Fraggle Rock miniseries, and Muppets Meet the Classics: Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm!

Sesame Street teamed up with the winter Olympic athletes for a series of videos!

Aquarius toys released new puzzles, games, and lunch boxes featuring The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.

The Muppets took London's 02 for a series of live shows in for the first time ever in the UK!

The show had exclusive merchandise:

And a promotional partnership with Barclays:

Hasbro released a Julia plush!

The Muppets made appearances on Seth Rogen's Hilarity for Charity!

Cookie Monster became an author!

for celebrate the 30th anniversary of Jim Henson's The Storyteller Varèse Sarabande released a limited-edition box set of music from the series.

Chronicle Collectibles announced their new line of Dark Crystal and Labyrinth products!

2018's Sesame Place "Classic Character" exclusive plush was a Twiddlebug!

Australian skate company Globe teamed up with the Sesame Street's Yellow Feather Fund to release a set of skateboards!

Gene Barretta's book "The Bat Can Bat" featured caricatures of Muppet performers and fans, including yours truly!

Muppets from across the Henson-verse traveled to New Zealand for The Jim Henson Retrospectacle!

Sesame Street brought home another 8 Emmy Awards for:

Outstanding Special Class – Short Format Daytime Program Sesame Street: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with Julia & Elmo
Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design
Outstanding Technical Team
Outstanding Multiple Camera Editing
Outstanding Sound Editing – Live Action

The Happytime Murders, The Jim Henson Company's long awaited R-rated puppet comedy fnally made both its theatrical and home video debut.

Promotion for the film included a fake dating app and a live pop-up venue in LA, The Inkhole. 

 

Our good friend Rachel showed us the inside The Inkhole.

 WARNING EXPLICIT CONTENT!

In a more family production, Sesame Workshop launched their new series Esme & Roy!

Kermit appeared season finale of American Idol to performed "Rainbow Connection" with winner Maddie Poppe.

MOMI's traveling The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited came to it's second location, L.A.' s Skirball Cultural Center.

The Muppets broke the trailer, and not much else!

The trailer for Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 featured the Muppets in the background and all what we saw in the trailer was the exact same amount of screen time they were in the movie itself. 

Splash and Bubbles made their DVD debut with "One Bog Ocean,"

ThinkGeek released a new vinyl picture disc version of The Dark Crystal soundtrack.

Hallmark's 2018 Muppet ornament featured a tuxedoed Rowlf on the piano!

There is now a The Dark Crystal Adult Coloring Book!

According to the Guinness Book of World Records Rhett Safranek officially has the largest collection of Muppet memorabilia.

This years' SDCC exclusives included a Constantine plush, billed as "Dark Kermit" and Dark Crystal prints by Mondo. 

The "Jim Henson – Life and Legacy" exhibit curated by Karen Falk made its debut at The American Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City.

While the Carnegie Museum of Natural History had an interactive exhibit base on Jim Henson’s Dinosaur Train.

2018 wasn't all great though. Let's take a moment to reflect on those we last year that worked with the Muppets including:

Broadway veteran Louis Zorich, who is best remembered to Muppet fans as diner owner Pete in The Muppets Take Manhattan.

Former First Lady Barbara Bush was the first First Lady to appear on Sesame Street.

Muppet Show guest star Roy Clark.

The Muppet Show choreographer Dame Gillian Lynne.

Robbie Knott, special effects guru on The Muppet Movie.

Dark Crystal and Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz

.

Witches director Nicolas Roeg

Actress Penny Marshall, better known has Laverne from TV's "Laverne & Shirley" and Sesame Street Kmart ads.

We also lost toy national retailer Toys R Us that sold many Muppet and Henson products and exclusives over the years.

Caroll Spinney retired from Sesame Street. 

 

And we had the final Muppet Thought of the Week...

There were rumors Disney would close Hollywood Studios' PizzeRizzo. Thankfully that did not come to pass.

Speaking of Hollywood Studios, some (but not much) new Muppet merch was reales in the parks, including this Fozzie hat.

Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas saw it's theatrical debut and the first ever release of it's soundtrack thanks to Varese Sarabande.

The Jim Henson Company released the new series The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell on Netflix!

Paul C. from Ringwood, NJ won a karaoke session with Kermit through an Omaze charity auction. 

Sesame Street kicked off it's 49 (!) season with the prime time special When You Wish Upon a Pickle!

Kermit will makes his The Late Late Show with James Cordon debut!

Kermit and the gang also appeared on Cordon's Carpool Karaoke: The Series with Jason Sudeikis!

Pepe the King Prawn made an appearance on The Game Awards. 

Diamond Select Toys' Swedish Chef action figure was finally released!

Sesame Street Records was relaunched!

"Krazy Joe" Fiore of MegaPodTastic stopped by for a tour of the Muppet Stuff Museum.

We got our first look at the lead characters in Netflix's upcoming The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance!

Kermit appeared in the live stage production "The Wonderful Winter of Oz"!

and while promoting the show, he dropped a hint that big things may be coming for the Muppets in 2019 ...

What a year! 

Speaking of 2019, here's a few things to look forward to this year.

Rowlf will appear on America's Got Talent Champions!

The Jim Henson Company and John Tartaglia will reboot Teddy Ruxpin!

Diamond Select Toys will release their Animal Bust!

There will be a Jim Henson Funko Pop!

Craig Shemin's The History of ‘Sam and Friends' book!

Street Gang, the documentary about the making of Sesame Street, will premiere.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will premiere on Netflix!

The Muppet Movie will celebrate its 40th Anniversary!

A Sesame Street-themed dark ride is coming to PortAventura World and whole Sesame land will be unveiled at Sea Word Orlando!

And Sesame Street will celebrate it's 50th Anniversary!

All that and much more on the way! So, here's to 2018, and what looks to be a very Muppet-filled 2019!