Today’s article was written by Tyler Partnow. Thanks for gazing into the future, Tyler!
There’s been a lot of hullabaloo online about a sort of “Muppet renaissance” brewing in 2026. As Muppet fans, we
know better than anyone to bite our tongues whenever a new project is announced and never ever, under any
circumstances get our hopes up about anything.
That being said, this certainly is looking to be a particularly eventful year for all the Muppet and Henson related things, and I, an observant fanatic, have some predictions for exciting, potential Muppet highlights for each month of the year.
Disclaimer: these are predictions. I have no insider knowledge or proof that most of these things will actually happen…but wouldn’t it be cool?
January – More videos of Rizzo and Bean talking about holidays
On the morning of December 24th, followers of the Muppets’ various social media accounts were treated to one of the greatest gifts anyone could ask for: a pair of videos featuring Bradley Freeman Jr.’s incredible debut performances as Rizzo and Bean. I’m not even a Disney Vacation Club member, and I still appreciated that promo; yes, Bean, I will buy a timeshare from you!
We were even blessed with another video of Bean a week later, celebrating New Year’s Eve. And would you believe it, the very next day, we got a Rizzo video, our first piece of Muppet content in 2026.
But why stop there? There’s plenty of other holidays in January that these guys can give their two cents on. In fact, January 6th was National Bean Day. These things write themselves!
February – The Muppet Show special airs on ABC and Disney+ to uproarious success
If everything goes according to plan, we should be getting a brand new televised Muppet Show special, 50 years after the original debuted, in T-minus 28 days. Truly, what timeline are we living in? I can only fathom a few reasons as to why this gloriously anticipated return to primetime might not come to fruition:
-Sabrina Carpenter’s popularity unexpectedly plummets
-Jimmy Kimmel gets pulled of the air again
-World-wide revolt against technology
As long as none of these things happen between now and February 4, we should be good to go!
March – Aerosmith fans from around the world gather to mourn the closure of Rock n’ Rollercoaster
The shuttering of Disney World’s Muppet*Vision 3D attracted widespread media attention, as well as two separate fan-orchestrated meetups to give the attraction a proper send off. This sent a message to Disney, and to the world, that not only are Muppet fans incredibly passionate when it comes to historic attraction closures, but so are theme park enthusiasts/people with YouTube channels about theme parks.
Thus, Rock n’ Rollercoaster’s closure and subsequent re-theming will inevitably draw crowds comparable to, if not completely overshadowing the Muppet*Vision meetups. Dozens of fans will wear their t-shirts of Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer for one last ride. But remember, in the immortal words of Aerosmith, “Never Say Goodbye.” Wait—that’s a Bon Jovi song. Whoops.
April – Four more new episodes of Sesame Street premiere on Netflix
The launch of Sesame Street on Netflix seems to have gone over well, so far. Most fans I’ve talked to largely enjoyed the four episodes of Season 56 that premiered back in November, or at least preferred them over much of the previous few seasons. But are kids going to keep tuning into the same four episodes over and over again? Heck no! Preschoolers famously hate rewatching their favorite shows! They’d rather watch “Digital Circus” or something.
That’s why we need new episodes of Sesame Street on Netflix, and we need them fast; 6 months seems like enough time. Let these four episodes, and their collective three “Tales from 1-2-3” segments, really sink in before we spoil the children with too much Sesame Street. Then, out of nowhere, hit ‘em with four more episodes, and two more of the animated things. That’ll hook the kids in.
May – Kermit gives another commencement speech at a prestigious university (maybe even other Muppets?)
When the University of Maryland announced that the Kermit the Frog would be delivering their 2025 commencement speech, it sparked a chain of jealousy amongst literally every single other university in America. Take a look at this list of commencement speakers from various college graduations last year. It’s your standard fare of CEOs, athletes, the President…embarrassingly standard compared to UMD’s choice of “Kermit the Frog, a Muppet.”
I bet that committees at all the Ivy Leagues are scrambling to book whatever Muppet they can to try and cling onto even a fraction of the buzz Kermit’s speech received. Everyone, from incomprehensible characters like Beaker and Chef, to B and C-listers like Wayne and Angelo, are all being tapped to give speeches that will uplift and inspire the next generation of graduates.
June – Another Muppet Show special is announced for late 2026 with special guest star, oh, let’s say…Robert Downey Jr.
The Muppet Show special with Sabrina Carpenter will be such an unprecedented success back in February, it will only be a matter of time before a follow up is announced. Sabrina Carpenter is such a huge star, though; how could they ever find someone of comparable caliber who is also tight with Disney and has a major project to promote for Q4 of 2026…wait. Honestly, Disney can get whomever they want from Avengers: Doomsday to be the next guest star, it’s a match made in synergy heaven. I just want to see RDJ work with the Muppets again and hopefully redeem his track record.
July – Muppet fans from around the world gather to celebrate the opening of Rock n’ Rollercoaster
We Muppet fans are also notorious thrill-seekers, who like our Muppet experiences to go by at 60 mph, and last no
more than a minute and a half.
In all seriousness, while it’s a shame that a number of Muppet fans will be unable to experience the ride itself due to personal restrictions or discomfort with thill rides, I have faith that waiting in the queue will be an enjoyable experience in and of itself, with plenty of sight gags to make the 60+ minute wait just fly by! Remember how great the Muppet*Vision pre-show was? Well, this one’s going to have a Scooter animatronic, which everyone can and should admit is totally badass. There’s bound to be plenty of new merch for the occasion as well, which anyone with money can enjoy. Will we finally get a Lips plush? Only time will tell.
August – Muppet live shows debut on Disney Cruise Line voyages
Last month, a headline about the Muppets supposedly appearing on upcoming Disney Cruise Line voyages gained surprising traction. The information came from a small piece in Time Magazine’s special Muppets 70 issue, and was
regurgitated on a bunch of Disney blogs about a month after it hit the newsstands.
Fans of cruise ship live entertainment will have to wait until August to see just what this live Muppets stage show would entail, but it will certainly be worth the wait. Rob Lake Magic Takes the High Seas Featuring the Muppets will be an instant smash, with families mortgaging their homes just to afford a measly 3-night voyage.
And sure, the Muppets can appear on multiple cruise voyages (as long as they are brought to life by talented, trained puppeteers lip syncing to the core Muppet performers). But Rob Lake is one singular man, who cannot be duplicated (unless that’s one of his magic tricks?), so this show will be restricted to just four performances on one Disney Cruise leaving out of New York.
September – Jim Henson’s birthday weekend at MOMI takes over entirety of Queens, spills over into Long
Island
The annual Jim Henson birthday celebrations at our beloved Museum of the Moving Image seem to get bigger and bigger each year. Despite the Museum featuring a whopping four floors with two theaters and an outdoor area, it’s simply not enough to contain the massive influx of Muppet fans who will show up in 2026.
So, some upgrades will need to be made: the popular “Swamp Meet” will be a nearly 40 block-long “Fleece Market” (like a Flea Market, but…with fleece), the costume contest will be a fashion show judged by a panel of some of the top designers in NY, and the Museum will be forced to hire a second Craig Shemin to satisfy the demand for screenings and trivias across town.
Oh, and Frank Oz will show up one day, but no one will know it’s him in his Pepé cosplay.
October – Another Henson Company auction
The Jim Henson Company’s first ever auction this past November was, unsurprisingly, a massive success, raking in over $2 million, and making dozens of wealthy Hoobs fans’ wildest dreams come true. I certainly enjoyed poring over the online catalog and watching the livestream, probably my favorite Henson Company production of the past few years.
But from thumbing through the listings, anyone can see that they must still have plenty of artifacts lying around that deserve to go under the hammer. Weren’t there five Squirrels in Emmet Otter? Because the two that were up for auction sold for a fortune! Only one of the pig tiki heads from Muppet Treasure Island went up for sale. There must have been a dozen of those in the movie. Are you telling me Jim Henson only had five shirts? Those things sold for over $3 grand a pop — if you sold an entire fit, you could probably fund half a new season of Back to the Rock. Who knows; maybe this time, the Age of Resistance items will only make up a third of the entire auction?
November – Netflix revives The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, five years after its cancellation
Surprise! After selling off 90% of the show’s props, costumes, and puppets in the most recent of the two Henson
Company auctions, Netflix will make the decision to bring back The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance for another season. You
see, it turns out that the brass over at Netflix never finished watching the first season back in 2019, so they didn’t realize that the show ends on a brutal cliffhanger. Desperate to find out what happens to Hup and co., they’ll rush-order a new season for immediate release.
Henson will put out a press release as well, stating that any Age of Resistance item purchased at their auction can be traded in for “a Doozer or something of equal/lesser value.”
December – The Muppet Show special with Robert Downey Jr., or someone of equivalent stature, airs on ABC
The weeks leading up to December 2026 will be an absolute media blitz, all surrounding one major pop culture event. No, it’s not Avengers: Doomsday. It’s not even Dune: Part 3, which comes out the same day for some reason and will likely get absolutely obliterated in the box office.
No, it’s the long-awaited return of the long-awaited return (again) of The Muppet Show, of course! Families all over the globe will gather together to enjoy this wholesome, winter special starring Robert Downey Jr. and the Muppets, and maybe even Stockard Channing will show up too. Now that would be truly splendiferous.
And that’s it… wow, what a hypothetical year! I was honestly skeptical of this whole “Muppet renaissance” thing,
but this hypothetical year has the potential to be one of the most productive years in recent Muppets history. Maybe
we’ll finally get that Storyteller reboot, too!
Click here to spill over into Long Island on the Tough Pigs Discord!
by Tyler Partnow
