Muppet Babies Event Coming to the Museum of the Moving Image

A panel discussion with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and a screening of “The Muppets Take Manhattan” are among the activities.

Muppet Babies will soon be making dreams come true during a special weekend event at Astoria, NY’s Museum of the Moving Image, AKA MoMI.

What’s Happening:

The “Muppet Babies Take MoMI presented by Bank of America" event will run June 21 and June 22, 2025.
The event will include fun and educational activities for families, and is anchored by the exhibition of newly restored puppets, including Muppet Babies puppets of Baby Kermit, Baby Gonzo, and Baby Rowlf, which can be viewed in the Museum lobby.
Other highlights include live music, a panel discussion with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop about puppet conservation, and matinee screenings of The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), which featured the debut of the Muppet Babies.
The schedule is:

Saturday, June 21

1:00–5:00 p.m. “Choose Your Own Adventure" hands-on workshops featuring four different activities, including:
- Draw Yourself as a Baby Muppet: Kids can contribute their own Muppet Babies drawing to be displayed in the Museum’s classroom space
- Paper Bag / Plate Muppets: DIY puppet-making workshop
- Green Screen Station: Bring your puppet to life in front of the camera with an imaginative setting created using (green) screen. Led by MoMI Puppeteer in Residence Brian T. Carson.

1:00 p.m. Screening: The Muppets Take Manhattan (ticket required)

3:00–5:00 p.m. Live music by John Koozin and the Neighborhood in the Kaufman Courtyard

Sunday, June 22

1:00 p.m. Screening: The Muppets Take Manhattan (ticket required)
3:30 p.m. Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Panel Discussion
- Jason Weber, Creative Supervisor, along with two other puppet builders from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, in conversation with MoMI Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs Barbara Miller, discussing the process of puppet building and conservation.

In addition, visitors can visit The Jim Henson Exhibition in the Museum’s galleries, to see more than 50 puppets on view from every phase of Henson’s career. Paid admission is required to access the exhibition.
There is no charge to attend the overall event or take part in most of the activities, but if you wish to attend one of the screenings of The Muppets Take Manhattan or visit the ongoing Jim Henson Exhibition, tickets can be purchased at movingimage.org.

Puppet Origins:

The focus on the Muppet Babies as puppets at MoMI is notable, in that these young versions of the Muppet characters are best known at this point in animated form, thanks to their longrunning 1980s cartoon (along with a more recent revival.).
However, it was the live-action The Muppets Take Manhattan that introduced the Muppet Babies to the public in the summer of 1984 in puppet form, in a memorable sequence where Kermit and Miss Piggy imagined what it would be like if they knew each other as children. The response to this relatively brief segment of the film was incredibly strong, which was good news for Jim Henson, since the Muppet Babies Saturday morning cartoon was already set to debut in the fall of 1984. That show turned the concept into an ongoing, hugely successful sub brand of the Muppets.
Of course that original cartoon has an issue that has long plagued it being widely distributed again - it was packed with clips from popular shows and movies, plenty of which remain outside the umbrella of the Muppets’ current owners at Disney. Hopefully this can one day be resolved and the Muppet Babies 1980s adventures can eventually be made available on Disney+.

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