Walt Disney Family Museum to host Dave Goelz and Bill Barretta!

To promote Muppets Haunted Mansion the Walt Disney Family Museum will host a discussion with Muppet Performers Dave Goelz and Bill Barretta. 

In celebration of the premiere of Muppets Haunted Mansion on Disney+, join Muppet Performers Dave Goelz and Bill Barretta—the hands and voices behind The Great Gonzo and Pepe the King Prawn—as they share insight into their experiences working with Jim Henson and the Muppets, discuss their favorite behind-the-scenes moments from this spooky new special, and introduce special surprise guests to share their own favorite Muppet stories.

The In-Person Event will take place Sat, Oct 9  at 11am, with a virtual replay Sat, Oct 16 at 10am PT and Sun, Oct 17 at midnight PT. 

Cost for the In-Person Event is: 

$25 members | $15 student and youth members
$40 non-members | $30 student and youth non-members

Virtual Replay:
$5 members | $8 non-members


Tickets will be available as follows:

Walt's Circle, Friend, Supporter, and Family-level members will be available beginning Tuesday, September 14 at noon.

All member levels: Purchase tickets online beginning Wednesday, September 15 at noon
Public (non-members): Remaining tickets available online beginning Thursday, September 16 at noon.


Tickets for the In-Person Event will be taken off sale on Friday, October 8 at 5pm.

Tickets for the Virtual Replay will be taken off sale on Friday, October 15 at 5pm.


More information and ticket links can be found on the Walt Disney Family Museum's website. 

New Exclusive D23 Pin Set with Rizzo!

Disney has a new pin set featuring Rizzo exclusively for D23 members.

The D23 "Vacation Kingdom of The World" pin set includes:

• Goofy (River Country Water Park)
• Poly Tiki (Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort)
• Dreamfinder (Journey Into Imagination)
• Rizzo the Rat (Jim Henson’s Muppet★Vision 3D)
• Triceratops (Triceratop Spin)

in vintage inspired Walt Disney World packaging. 

As you can see Rizzo is dressed up as Mickey Mouse from Jim Henson’s Muppet★Vision 3D preshow.

The set is a limited edition of 2,500 and is exclusively available to D23 Gold and Gold Family Members for $49.99 at shopDisney.com!

Skate Your Cares Away!

Since releasing Labyrinth skate boards and apparel, skate company Madrid now has Fraggle Rock skate decks available as well. 

There are 8 different design to choose from which can be seen below. 

MADRID X FRAGGLE ROCK FRAGGLE FIVE:

MADRID X FRAGGLE ROCK ROCK ON MARTY:

MADRID X FRAGGLE ROCK RED:

MADRID X FRAGGLE ROCK LEAPFROG:

MADRID X FRAGGLE ROCK TRIO:

MADRID X FRAGGLE ROCK SWING:

MADRID X FRAGGLE ROCK LOGO:

MADRID X FRAGGLE ROCK TRAVELING MATT:

You can shop Madrid's entire Fraggle Rock line on their website and using the links above.

Chris Harris: A Year's Worth of Muppet Shirts!

Today we have a very special guest column by our friend Chris Harris who recently collected his 365th Muppet shirt.

That's right, he now has enough Muppet shirts for every day of the year. Below Chris shares his story about how he got into collecting Muppet shirts and the special milestones along the way.

A Year's Worth of Muppet Shirts

By Chris Harris

I have been collecting t-shirts related to the creations of Jim Henson and the Jim Henson Company for years. The vast majority feature The Muppet Show family of characters, but they run the gamut from Wilkins and Wontkins to “Sesame Street” to Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas to Fraggle Rock to Labyrinth to The Dark Crystal to even Dinosaurs and Bear in the Big Blue House for good measure. Nearly all of them are unique designs except for a couple I own in different colors. I also have three different versions of artist Jamie Carroll’s fantastic “Muppetational Mosaic” design. 

Jamie Carroll’s “Muppetational Mosaic” 

As a lifelong Muppet fan, my collection started innocently enough with a bunch of shirts I purchased over the years from local retailers or while on vacation at a Disney park. 

In March 2013, I was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma. I was required to have a daily radiation treatment for twenty days. I wore a Kermit the Frog shirt to my first treatment. It prompted such positive vibes and comments that I decided to wear Muppet shirts to all of my treatments. I had (and continue to have) a wonderful support system, but taking the Muppets with me everyday was another means to stay optimistic. Choosing which shirt to wear also gave me a fun thing to look forward to each morning. Everything went smoothly and we celebrated completion of my treatments by taking my niece to Heather Henson’s “The Muppet Movie” sing-along at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta. 

Muppet shirts had kind of become my thing by this point, so I continued adding to my collection. I had a recurrence of lymphoma the following year. I once again wore Muppet t-shirts while taking treatments. I had accumulated so many shirts by this point that I was able to wear Muppet shirts daily from my first radiation appointment until the follow-up appointment with my hematologist several weeks after the treatments had ended. This was a total of 51 shirts! At that point I had 45 Muppet Show character shirts, 3 Fraggle Rock shirts, 2 Sesame Street shirts, and 1 Labyrinth shirt. 

I have been doing well. Nonetheless, the t-shirt collection has continued to grow. I obtained my 100th shirt in July 2015 as a prize during the MuppetCast’s Great Muppet Haiku Contest. In September 2017, I obtained my 200th shirt as a souvenir at The Muppets Take the Bowl in Hollywood.

I hit my 300th shirt in June 2020. For that one, I teamed up with my amazingly talented friend Kenny Durkin on a custom shirt featuring a Jim Henson caricature with Jim performing finger puppets of 10 of his characters. 

As I approached having a shirt for every day of the year, I knew I had to do something special. For my 365th shirt, I once again tapped Kenny Durkin for a custom “time” themed design. 

The Jim Henson timepiece print he created is nothing short of brilliant.

Kenny’s designs are available at both Redbubble and TeePublic.

Little Shop of Pins: Jim Henson Signature Collection!

Little Shop of Pins has expanded their Henson license beyond Fraggle Rock, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal to include pins based of Jim Henson's early sketches as well.

Jim Henson was a genius who blessed the world with his creations. Not only did he introduce us to some of the most iconic characters of all time, but there is a whole world of creatures that we're honored to share with you. We were able to explore Jim Henson's sketchbook and really get a sense of how much Jim Henson loved to create and see just how playful he was when left with only a piece of paper and a pencil.

Join us as we celebrate his creative impact with our Jim Henson Signature Collection pins!

As you can see the pins are based on Henson's early sketches - some used for the Jim Henson's City Critters vinyl toy line. 

You can get these Jim Henson Signature Collection pins at Little Shop of Pins.

Find Out When You Can See Muppets Haunted Mansion!

The official poster for Muppets Haunted Mansion has been revealed and with it the premiere date the new Disney+ special. 

Get your first glimpse below:

The short clips feature a ghostly Kermit:

Pepe, Gonzo, and a goat screaming:

Chip proclaiming he's dead, while a host of easter egg Muppets appear below in the ballroom.

The Muppet ghosts, Beverly Plume, Howard Tubman, and Beautiful Day Monster dancing, while the Swedish Chef and Sam Eagle appear as the dueling portraits. 

And now we the official description including names of the brand new songs:

The Great Gonzo – world famous daredevil artiste, has done it all, seen it all, and survived it all. But on Halloween night, the fearless Gonzo takes on the greatest challenge of his life by spending one very daring night in the most grim grinning place on Earth …The Haunted Mansion.

Inspired by all four of the iconic Disney Haunted Mansion attractions located across the globe at various Disney Parks, the “Muppets Haunted Mansion” includes many hidden easter eggs for Disney fans and “Muppet-ized” sets and props that help immerse viewers in the storytelling experience.

This marks the Muppets’ first-ever Halloween special and features three new original songs, “Rest In Peace,” “Life Hereafter” and “Tie The Knot Tango”, a star-studded Muppets cast, celebrity cameos, and spooky fun for families to enjoy together.

Bill Barretta, Andrew Williams, David Lightboy and Leigh Slaughter serve as Executive Producers and Kirk R. Thatcher is Director.

Looking forward to hearing  “Rest In Peace,” “Life Hereafter” and “Tie The Knot Tango." Hopefully a soundtrack will be released as well. 

As you can see we are exact one month away as Muppets Mansion Haunted will begin streaming October 8th on Disney+.

Jim Henson’s London Home Honored with English Heritage Plaque!

Jim Henson’s London home has been honored with an English Heritage plaque. 

Henson moved to London in 1975 after The Muppet Show was commissioned for British television and bought the house at 50 Downshire Hill in Hampstead in 1979.

Henson made the UK a creative home for many of his subsequent projects, setting up a workshop and office space on the same street as his home.

Jim Henson’s Creature Shop is where the creatures from Henson’s many fantasy classics, including The Dark Crystal, The Storyteller, and Labyrinth were created.

Brian Henson said: “My father moved to London to make The Muppet Show, and then chose to stay because he was so impressed by the UK’s many gifted artists and performers.

“It was with this amazing creative community that he produced ambitious projects including The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and so many more.

“It’s an honor to have Jim Henson’s British home recognized with a blue plaque, knowing that he so admired and respected the talent in London, and that this is the place he called home when creating some of his most memorable productions.”

Dr Rebecca Preston, blue plaques historian at English Heritage, added: “Best remembered as the man behind beloved characters on The Muppet Show and Sesame Street, Henson produced and directed a wide range of television programmes and films, with many of his most successful filmed in the UK.

“A talented puppeteer, he was also skilled in storytelling, and had an innate ability to spot and nurture talent.

“His creations continue to influence popular culture globally. The immense body of work that he created and awards that he won are even more impressive considering his untimely death.”

You can visit Henson's former estate and see the plaque at 50 Downshire Hill in Hampstead, England.