The Walt Disney Family Museum Celebrates the Jim Henson Company's 70th Anniversary!

On June 14, The Walt Disney Family Museum is hosting a special event celebrating the Jim Henson Company's 70th anniversary.

The panel will be hosted by Muppets Haunted Mansion guest star Yvette Nicole Brown and will include puppet designer and costumer Bonnie Erickson, The Jim Henson Company’s Archives Director Karen Falk, puppeteer and voice actor Dave Goelz, producer Alex Rockwell, and CEO of The Jim Henson Company and daughter of Jim Henson, Lisa Henson.

Join them as they share their favorite memories of the last seven decades of Henson productions full of humor, heart, and hope.

Below is are the full details of the event:

In 1955, a young man named Jim Henson created a television show featuring puppets called Sam and Friends and the rest is history. The Jim Henson Company has entertained multiple generations of children and adults, with television shows including The Muppet Show (1976–81), Farscape (1999–2004), Dinosaur Train (2009–21), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019), and most recently Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock (2021– present) along with memorable films, including The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022). 

Join puppet designer and costumer Bonnie Erickson, The Jim Henson Company’s Archives Director Karen Falk, puppeteer and voice actor Dave Goelz, producer Alex Rockwell, and CEO of The Jim Henson Company and daughter of Jim Henson, Lisa Henson, as they share their favorite memories of the last seven decades of Henson productions full of humor, heart, and hope in a panel discussion moderated by Emmy®-nominated actress, writer, producer, and host Yvette Nicole Brown.

Tickets are available now at the Walt Disney Family Museum.

Muppets at D23!

If you followed our social media accounts over the weekend you know there were a few Muppet happenings at the D23 convention. 

There were two Muppet specific panels, "The Making of Muppet Clue", hosted by Nina West, where the weapons for the game were officially reveled. 

They cover a wide array of Muppet productions including a Pigs in Space zapper and a skillet of signing food from The Muppet Show, Marley & Marley's chains from The Muppet Christmas Carol, Kermit's sword from Muppet Treasure Island, Gonzo's Plumbing Artise Statue from The Muppet Movie, and a floating candelabra from Muppets Haunted Mansion. 

and who the Muppets are playing in the game. Miss Piggy as Miss Scarlett, Kermit as Mr. Green, Gonzo as Professor Plumb, The Swedish Chef as Chef White, Sam the Eagle as Solicitor Peacock, Fozzie Bear as Colonel Mustard, Uncle Deadly as the victim, and
Animal as a “wild card."

The Muppet Studio's Dani Iglesias also announced that The Muppets 70th anniversary campaign starts August 23 and will runs for 70 weeks using the hashtag #themuppets70. 

The social media campaign will spotlight one Muppet character each week, including some relatively obscure ones, and encourage fans to say what they love about the characters.

Moderated by Yvette Nicole Brown, the seconds Muppet panel, "The Muppets 70: A Glamorous Miss Piggy Retrospective" showcased our favorite diva.

It featured Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline and Muppets Producer Dani Inglesias, the event showcased various archival props, costumes, and puppets relating to Miss Piggy including her pageant sash from The Muppet Movie, her bicycle from The Great Muppet Caper, her Benjamina costume from Muppet Treasure Island, her engagement ring from Constantine in Muppets Most Wanted, and her Kermit Halloween costume from Muppets Haunted Mansion. 

In was also revealed that the original Foo Foo puppet from The Muppet Show was also recently donated to the archives as well. 

Miss Piggy herself appeared during the show via a pre-recorded video about not having been named a Disney Legend and complained that some nobody with a name as absurd as “Frank Oz” would.

We got a special message from a guest who could not be there #TheMuppets @TheMuppets #D23Expo @DisneyD23 pic.twitter.com/q2DbO10f5n

— Tee/ThatsITLA (@ThatsITLA) August 9, 2024

The voice of The Little Mermaid's Ariel Jodi Benson, closed the program with a performance of The Muppet Movie's "Never Before, Never Again."

Over on the convention floor, Disney Archives hosted "A Great Big Beautiful Car Show" which featured The Electric Mayhem's van from Muppet Mayhem, Beuregard's Taxi From The Great Muppet Caper, and Le Maximum from Muppets Most Wanted.

The door was open to show the how the bottomless vehicle accommodates the puppeteers.

There was also a selection of exclusive merchandise designed by The Muppet Studio's Dani Inglesias with shirts, postcards, tote bags, prints, and magnets celebrating The Muppet Movie's 45th anniversary, 

coffee mugs with the Muppets in the classic Muppet Show arches, 

and limited edition, double sided, enamel standees with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Scooter, and Sam Eagle in The Muppet Show arches that reveal the view from the back on the other side. 

The convention concluded with the Disney Legends ceremony in which Frank Oz was officially named a "Disney Legend."

You can watch Frank's speech below and the entire Disney Legends ceremony on Disney+.

As we wrap up our look at this year's D23 Convention we leave you with end of Frank's Disney Legend speech. 

“Many of you people here look at me as a success, and I guess I am, but I used to have very low self-esteem as a kid, a teenager and into adulthood. I hid myself. I was frightened to be who I was. It has taken me a long time to allow myself to be who I am. And I don’t want you all to wait until you are 80 years old. I want to give you a jump start. Don’t hide who you are.”

         

          - Frank Oz

Special thanks to Scott Joy for many of the images and info.

D23 Fall Issue Muppet Mentions!

The fall issue of Disney Twenty-Thee, Disney's official fan magazine just came out, and while The Muppets aren't featured, they are mentioned a few times. 

Disney fan and Muppets Haunted Mansion guest Yvette Nicole Brown was asked who was her favorite Muppet to work.

Luckily her favorite Muppet and her favorite to work with are one an the same.. Gonzo!

Below she explains why:

There were also some subtle Muppet mentions and allusions including using "It's Not Easy Being Green" as the headline for an article about She-Hulk: Attorney at Law:

The Muppets (2015) guests Keegan-Michael Key was mentioned as part of the cast of the Disney's upcoming live action remake of Pinocchio. See if you can spot the typo,

Unfortunately, that was all the Muppet stuff in this issue of Disney Twenty -three, but I'm sure we'll be seeing more with The Muppet Christmas Carol's 30th anniversary and Muppets Mayhem on the horizon.