Muppet Stuff: An All Muppet, Fraggle Rock, and Sesame Street Store [I Can Haz Time Machine?]

Well, I finally found my answer for when someone asks what I would do if I had a time machine. I would go back in time somewhere between 1980 and 1993 and go to 833 Lexington Avenue, New York City, New York. There was a freaking official Muppet store you guys! How did I never know about this? The store was called Muppet Stuff, and it sold Muppet, Fraggle Rock, and Sesame Street merchandise.

I saw this little bit of Muppet nostalgia in the documentary Henson’s Place: The Man Behind the Muppets, which is pretty cool. It’s from the 80s, but it’s recently been released on DVD.

From the Muppet Wiki entry:

Decorated to be fun and welcoming with a giant character-laden clock, Muppet Stuff featured all types of Muppet toys, dolls, apparel, books, videos, and memorabilia. For the opening, set for late October 1980, the boutique was heralded as “Muppet Stuff – A shop with nothing but!” Visitors to the store were plunged into a world that included Muppets and Muppet Babies, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock.

As much of a huge Muppet geek as I am, I don’t have a lot of vintage Muppet merchandise. Since most of it came out before I was born or when I was little, I just haven’t seen it around much. I have the board game and that’s about the oldest bit of Muppet Stuff I have. Seeing this little store in the documentary (and all the awesome swag inside) made me want to go blow tons of cash on ebay, though.

Just imagine pulling a Biff Tannen and finding some sports almanac, using it to win a ton of money around town, and then blowing it all at Muppet Stuff? I’ve imagined that a lot, let me tell you.

If you’re wondering what is in the former Muppet Stuff building now, it looks like some generic bakery or something. Boo.