New York Comic Con – one of my favorite times of year – is right around the corner. While we tend to wear our geek flags like superhero capes, it’s the time when all pop culture fans get together to celebrate in our shared love of… everything.
And yes, “everything” includes the Muppets.
Among the superheroes and space knights and anime characters that fill the convention center every year, there are always a few Muppets. And Fraggles and Grouches and Goblin Kings. They may not be as omnipresent as [FILL IN NAME OF MARVEL CHARACTER], but they are always there. And so are we, ready to spot them and report back to you all.
As we always do, we’re here to prepare you all for the chaos of New York Comic Con. For anyone planning on attending, here’s a quick cheat sheet to make sure you don’t miss any of the Muppety, puppety, Hensony goodness.
Panels!
First and foremost, ToughPigs will be hosting a panel! The Muppet Drawing Challenge will see a panel of talented artists illustrating pictures of Muppets for a live audience. The catch: they have no idea what they’ll be asked to draw. So not only could they be challenged to illustrate fan favorite characters or bizarre mashups, but they’ll also have to try and recall what they look like.
We held a similar panel back in 2023, and it was a ton of fun. If you (or someone you know) is hitting up NYCC this year, this is the can’t-miss panel of the year.
Panelists will include Jay Fosgitt, Richard Michael Gomez, Dave Hulteen, Amy Mebberson, Louis Henry Mitchell, and Chris Smigliano, moderated by ToughPigs’ own Joe Hennes.
The Muppet Drawing Challenge
Friday, October 10 – 4:15pm-5:15pm
North Room 406.1
Just before our panel (yeah, we’re going out of order… time is a construct!) is Pop Culture Puppets, a panel full of puppeteers ready to chat about their work on Sesame Street, Avenue Q, Last Week Tonight, and so so so many more. Panelists will include Rick Lyon, Kathleen Kim, Noel MacNeal, and Jennifer Barnhart. This is bound to be a blast, and (bonus!) you’ll be there early for our panel immediately afterward in the same room!
Pop Culture Puppets
Friday, October 10 – 2:45pm-3:45pm
North Room 406.1
Later that same day, you can catch Puppetry in Film, another puppeteer panel, this time with a focus on movies. This one seems to have more of a focus on teaching attendees about what it takes to build and perform puppets for the big screen. Panelists include Peter Charney, Phillip Huber, James Ortiz, Jon Riddleberger, and Julia Schemmer.
Puppetry in Film
Friday, October 10 – 7:15pm-8:15pm
North Room 406.1
Premiering just a week or two after New York Comic Con is Rob Lake’s Broadway show featuring the Muppets. Lake will be on the Big Broadway Nerd Panel to promote the show, along with a few other folks who wish they got to work with the Muppets
The Big Broadway Nerd Panel
Saturday, October 11 – 3:45pm-4:45pm
North Room 408
In addition to these Muppet/puppet-related events, we can also recommend The George Lucas Talk Show (Saturday, Oct. 11th at 1:00pm), which is not only hosted by some good friends of ToughPigs, but has had Henson-related guests in the past. And the Blumfest panel (Friday, Oct 10 at 8:00pm) may be covering Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, which features Henson Creature Shop-built puppets. And our friend Leah (@electrichmayhempkins on Instagram) will be hosting the Pin Trader’s Meetup, where you can get some nifty pins in exchange for your second-favorite pins.
Merch!
A huge portion of the convention center is dedicated to vendors, which always always always means lots of Muppet merchandise. With a keen eye (and a deep pocket), you’ll spot vintage toys, Muppet Funko pops, Sesame Street action figures, and more.
We didn’t spot any exclusive Muppet-related merchandise offerings this year, but we’ve been surprised before. So we’ll be making a beeline to the Funko booth, Super7, and a few others just to see if they’ve got anything we need. Hey, you never know.
Artists Alley!
One of the most interesting and beautiful sections of the con is Artists Alley, where rows and rows of tables are full of artists peddling their wares. They all have their own creations on display, and we always find more than a few that we need to add to our collections.
Here’s a short list of just a few of those artists you’ll have to check out, all of whom are guaranteed to have some incredible Muppet art and may be open to custom commissions.
Jodie Rae Charity (Disney artist) – Booth F-25
Chris Eliopoulos (I Am Jim Henson) – Booth A-16
Jay Fosgitt (Fraggle Rock comic, Sesame Street comic) – Booth B-30
Amy Mebberson (The Muppet Show Comic Book) – Booth A-14
David Petersen (Fraggle Rock comic) – Booth K-05
James Silvani (Muppet King Arthur, Muppet Snow White) – Booth A-13
Cosplay!
I know I gush a lot about merch and art and stuff, but I really think my favorite element of any Comic Con is the cosplay. I’m obsessed with how people can be so creative to create their own costumes or find clever spins on representing their favorite characters. Even if I have no idea who they’re supposed to be dressed as, I think they’re all incredible.
So of course, hidden amongst the Spider-Mans and Pikachus, you’re bound to find a few Muppets. Popular costumes I’ve seen over the years include Jim Henson (complete with beard and frog), Jareth (complete with Tina Turner wig and codpiece), and Miss Piggy (complete with satin gloves and a solid right hook). I suspect we’ll be seeing even more this year, with so many Muppet projects in our recent rear view mirror and a new Muppet Show on the horizon.
Famous People!
What, you think only normal people to go cons?? No, the Hollywood Elite are there too! Many of them are there to promote their new projects and celebrate anniversaries, but then they also stick around for photos and autographs (often for a cost) with the fans. And where there are famous people, there are Muppet connections!
There are two celebs I want to call out as must-sees, and I know I’ll be stopping by both of their booths. Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock star Lilli Cooper (Doc) will be in attendance with the Hazbin Hotel cast, posing for photo ops at the 7 Bucks a Pop booth (4515) on Thursday, October 9th starting at 11:00am.
And our pal Hornswoggle (aka Dylan Postl), who you’ve seen as a gulag prisoner in Muppets Most Wanted, is a huge huge huge Muppet fan in his own right. He’ll be at the Pro Wrestling Tees booth (4643) on Sunday, October 12th.
Are you ready now for New York Comic Con?? Have fun going to panels (especially ours!), buying all the merch, dressing as a Fraggle, and making new friends. And if you spot any of us from the ToughPigs crew, be sure to say hi!
Click here to get con crud on the ToughPigs Discord!
by Joe Hennes and Matthew Soberman
