New York Comic Con is upon us once again, and as tradition dictates, we are foaming with excitement while simultaneously worried that there won’t be as much Muppet/Henson presence as we so often hope.
This year, we’re moderately pleased to see a decent amount of Muppet-ness at the Con, and to make things as easy as possible for you (our never ending goal!), we’re listing out everything we could find for a Muppet fan to see, do, and buy at this year’s New York Comic Con!
Panels & Autographs!
Caseen Gaines and Cheryl Henson
Thursday, October 5 – 1:00-2:00
Insight Editions – Booth 1946
A real Henson and a real Dark Crystal fanatic will be signing the impressive new Dark Crystal: The Ultimate Visual History book. Just before, be sure to catch Caseen at the Geek Journalism in the 21st Century panel at 11:15am in room 1A24!
BOOM! Studios: Discover YOURS
Thursday, October 5 – 6:45-7:45
Room 1A05
Archaia’s big panel will tease their upcoming comics, including their current Dark Crystal book. I’m sure of it – Si Spurrier, writer of “The Power of the Dark Crystal”, will be on the panel.
Diamond Select Toys: The Best of All Worlds!
Friday, October 6 – 8:00-9:00
Room 1A05
If the good folks at Diamond Select, who are responsible for the amazing Muppet action figures, are going to announce anything new from their Muppet line, it will likely be here at this late-night panel.
Erik Forrest Jackson
Saturday, October 7 – 11:00-12:00
Penguin Random House – Booth 2104-G
The author of the new Muppets Meet the Classics: Phantom of the Opera will be selling and signing the slightly spooky tome. If nothing else, stop by to geek out with one of the biggest Muppet geeks out there.
I also heard that Muppet Show guest star Mark Hamill will be at NYCC. There probably won’t be much of a wait to meet him. It’s not like he’s some sort of international superstar, best known for one of the most popular film series of all time or whatever.
Booths & Swag!
Beefy & Co (booth #979) is touting “Elmopoo” and “Cookiepoo” plush toys. Sure, why not.
BOOM! Studios and Archaia (booth #1828) are often your best bet to find awesome Henson merchandise. They continually put out a huge selection of Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, Storyteller, and Fraggle books, and you’re bound to see something you need here.
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (booth #3059) has all sorts of scents, some of which are inspired by classic Henson properties. Yes, this is strange. And yes, I need to know what a Fraggle smells like.
Diamond Select (booth #1644) will most likely have their Muppet action figures and Minimates on display. Maybe we’ll get a tease of the next round of Muppet toys? Or maybe you’ll just get another close look at what’s already on the market. Either way, these guys do great work.
Funko (booth $722) is the only recent licensee I can think of who’s had the Muppet, Sesame, and Henson properties under their belt. Let’s see if they’ve got any new wide-eyed large-skulled Muppets on display this year.
Zen Monkey Studios (booth #1865) has a large selection of Henson merchandise, inspired by Fraggle Rock, Labyrinth, and more. Be sure to stop by and see what t-shirts, hoodies, and pins they have this year!
Artists Alley!
The usual suspects of artists who have illustrated popular Muppet, Sesame, Fraggle, and Henson comic books will be selling their wares in Artists Alley. Folks like Katie Cook, David Petersen, Amy Mebberson, James Silvani, and Jay Fosgitt. You’ll also be able to meet people like “Tale of Sand” illustrator Ramon K. Perez and “I Am Jim Henson” illustrator Chris Eliopoulos.
The talented Katie Cook, whose work we’ve loved in various Henson properties like the Fraggle Rock and Storyteller comics, will host a drawing workshop on Sunday, October 8th at 12:30 in Family HQ (room 1C04).
Beyond those wonderful people, we usually spot a huge deal of Muppet fan art from other artists in the Alley. Keep your eyes peeled for new takes on the frogs, goblins, and monsters we all love.
Cosplay!
Muppet cosplay is often rampant at Cons. You never know when you’ll see a slew of Yip Yips or a genderbent Jareth or some guy wearing a Cookie Monster onesie and trying to pass it off as a costume. And look, I’m not saying that I know for a fact that there will be a Muppet-related cosplay this year, but if you happen to see one, there just may be a ToughPigs writer inside…
Merchandise!
And, of course, there’s the merch. With so many vendors, you’re bound to find all the Muppet Funkos, vintage Sesame toys, bootleg Muppet Babies DVDs, and maybe a few hidden gems to take home. This year, there’s a bit of official NYCC merch – a t-shirt featuring Super Grover! It’ll cost $25 (or $27 for larger sizes), and available at the NYCC exclusive merchandise tables.
Have a great time at New York Comic Con, Muppet geeks! Hope to see you there!
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by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
