The Muppet Stuff Blog's 10th Anniversary!

This weekend our little blog reached a milestone - a full decade of Muppet Stuff!

We started out as a page on facebook, then a website, and gradually expanded over the years to other social media outlets, such as Twitter, Youtube, and Instagram. 

While we have done conventions in the past, last year we expanded not just to conventions in the Philadelphia area but online as well with The Muppet Stuff and More Store on Mercari. 

For our 10th Anniversary we our expanding again and opening a Muppet Stuff Blog store on both Teepublic and Spreadshirt as well as a Patreon. So now you can help support the site, and get some exclusive Muppet Stuff Blog merch too. 

So far we have stickers, mugs, tote bags, buttons, and cell phone cases available with our logo and social media outlets, with more products and design on the way. 

And as we look to our future, I'd like to take a moment tell you about our history.
The idea first began in the early 2000's when Muppet Central was the only major Muppet fan site. They had a forum that was constantly being updated by fans, but the site itself didn't seem to get updated much, especially about new Muppet products. 

By chance at 2001's Muppet Fest I sat next to Danny Horn who published the Muppet Zine. Being both frustrated with the lack of information us fans were craving, we talked about our ideas for future Muppet fan sites. 

I mentioned my idea about a site primarily focused on merchandise, but relating other Jim Henson related news as well and he mentioned a site he was thinking about that later became ToughPigs. 

Over the next few years there still was little attention given to merchandise. My friend James, who I also met through Muppet Central, started texting and calling each whenever we spotted a new Muppet product.

I knew other fans would be interested in the same information: what's coming out, when, and where can I get it. Simple and to the point. 

Around 2010 blogs were becoming more ubiquitous and in 2011, with Disney's release of The Muppets movie and their full bore Muppet franchise reboot, I knew the time had come to finally launch Muppet Stuff. 

Which brings me to the name. I had always been a fan of the Muppet Stuff stores the Henson Company launched in the 80's. I saw ads in the back of Muppet Magazine and couldn't wait to visit a store that sold nothing but Muppet related items. Unfortunately, the closest one to me was in NYC, and while I didn't grow up that far away, when you're a kid it might as have been Antarctica. 

On family trips to NYC we either had the wrong address (we didn't have goggle at our figure tips back then) or just missed the store closing for the day. Needless to say I NEVER made to a Muppet Store though my dad was able on trips to NYC and brought me back items from time to time.

This only increased my desire to have a place of just Muppet stuff and thus began my collection and love for Muppet... stuff!

The Muppet Stuff store's motto was "A store with nothing but," and I wanted to incorporate that as well the classic advertising line from The Muppets Take Manhattan - "just say what the product does? Why no one's ever tried that!" so instead of just Muppet Stuff, which was the stores name, the blog became The Muppet Stuff Blog "A blog with nothing but." 

 

Speaking of my dad, you may be wondering why our birthday is April 24th. It's my dad's birthday. He's literally the father of Muppet Stuff and I thought it was appropriate to honor him by having the blog officially begin on his birthday.

Sadly, my dad passed away suddenly in October and so he didn't get to see the blog turn 10, but he did get to see it expand over the years including my 2020 appearance on Collector's Call.   

To celebrate our first decade, over the next year we'll periodically look back at the last decade of The Muppet Stuff Blog as we continue to bring you all the latest news about Jim Henson related merchandise and more. 

So thanks again to everyone who's supported the blog over these last 10 years and hearty welcome to all our news fans. 

You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Mercari and now Spreadshirt, 

Teepublic, and Patreon as well.

Thanks for reading, watching, subscribing, sharing, and enjoying a decade worth of STUFF!