1981

Television & Movies

• The Muppet Show ends fifth season, begins series of syndicated repeats; United Kingdom completes series airing in March
• Here Come the Puppets! on PBS, January 4
• The Muppets Go to the Movies on ABC, May 20
• The Great Muppet Caper, June 26
• Sesame Street Season 13, November 23
• Of Muppets and Men: The Making of The Muppet Show in syndication

International Television

• Svenska Sesam airs in Sweden on SVT
• Sesame Street, dubbed into Mandarin, debuts on CCTV

Appearances

• Big Bird visits Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, June 3
• Beauregard's taxi and Sesame Street float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, November 26

International Appearances

• The Muppets appear in a number of Polaroid commercials in England
• Frank Oz (and Miss Piggy) appear on BBC Radio's Desert Island Discs, August 29
• Oscar the Grouch co-hosts the CTV/CBC broadcast of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade, November 1

Books/Magazines/In Print

• Miss Piggy's Guide to Life
• Of Muppets and Men: The Making of The Muppet Show
• Jim Henson's Muppets Comic Strip, by Guy Gilchrist and Brad Gilchrist, begins running in newspapers in September
• Appearances on the cover of TV Guide and The Saturday Evening Post (the latter spoofed a Norman Rockwell painting)
• Miss Piggy gives an interview to World Over
• Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo appear on the cover of Dynamite, which includes an article on The Great Muppet Caper
• Miss Piggy and Kermit appear on the cover of SuperMag Vol. 6, No. 4

Storybooks

• ABC Toy Chest
• The Amazing Mumford Presents The Magic Weather Show
• Bert and Ernie On the Go
• Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
• A Day in the Life of Oscar the Grouch
• Ernie's Big Mess
• Fozzie's Big Book of Sidesplitting Jokes
• I Have a Friend
• Kermit and Cleopigtra
• The Little Red Hen
• Muppet Manners
• The Muppets Go Camping
• Oscar's Rotten Birthday
• Prairie Dawn's Upside-Down Poem & Other Nonsense From Sesame Street
• The Sesame Street Circus of Opposites
• The Sesame Street Sun
• Sesamstraat: Het Boek Van Tommie, Pino En Ienie Mienie
• The Whale Tale
• When I'm as Big as Freddie
• When Is Saturday?

Albums

• Bert & Ernie: Side By Side
• Camping in Canada
• Big Bird Discovers the Orchestra
• The Great Muppet Caper (soundtrack)
• Grin and Giggle with Big Bird

Merchandise

• The Miss Piggy Cover Girl Fantasy Calendar
• The Sesame Street 1981 Mother Goose Calendar
• The Great Muppet Caper Paint by Numbers kits
• Sigma Christmas ornaments
• The Great Muppet Caper glasses (McDonald's)
• The Great Muppet Caper Game
• The Great Muppet Caper Card Game
• Jim Henson's Muppet Show (Activity Book)
• Gorham Sesame Street Plates

Stage Shows

• Big Bird's Super Spectacular Totally Amateur Show debuts

People

• Martin P. Robinson joins Sesame Street
• David Rudman first works with the Muppets as a Muppet Workshop intern

Sources

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