1980

Rizzo the Rat, seen here with Steve Whitmire, debuts in season 5 of The Muppet Show.

Television

• Sesame Street Season 12, November 24
• Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas first airs on network television (ABC), December 15
• The Muppet Show Season 5 begins in syndication in the US; ITV begins airing season in October in the United Kingdom
• Here Come the Puppets PBS special

International Television & Movies

• Ich War Frei, Ich War Glücklich (Julie Andrews: One Step Into Spring) premiers in Germany on ZDF, May 15
• Muppet Movie released in Germany, June 12
• Barrio Sésamo ends its first run in Spain

Appearances

• Kermit and Miss Piggy appear at the 52nd Academy Awards, April 14
• Oscar the Grouch on Eileen & Friends, September 14

Live Appearances

• Big Bird, Oscar, and Bruno at a Portland Symphony Orchestra concert, May 3
• Big Bird at Sesame Place, opening day

Events

• The Muppet Stuff store opens on Lexington Avenue in New York City

Storybooks

• The Amazing Mumford Presents All About Bones
• Anybody Can Play
• Big Bird Follows the Signs
• The Case of the Missing Duckie
• The Count Counts a Party
• The Count's Counting Book
• Don't Forget the Oatmeal!
• Down on the Farm with Grover
• Farley Goes to the Doctor
• Fix It, Please
• Going Up: The Elevator Counting Book
• Grover's Book of Cute Little Baby Animals
• The House That Biff Built
• I Can Do It Myself
• If I Lived Alone
• Look What I Found!
• Molly Moves to Sesame Street
• Monsters Come in Many Colors!
• Muppets at Sea
• Robin Hood
• The Sesame Street Dictionary
• The Sesame Street Pet Show
• The Sesame Street Storybook Alphabet
• Show and Tell
• Special Delivery
• Spring Cleaning
• The Tool Box Book
• Twiddlebugs at Work
• Vegetable Soup
• What Did You Bring?

Non-fiction Books

• The Art of the Muppets
• Sesame Street Sign Language Fun

Videos

• The Muppet Movie (Magnetic Video)

Albums

• Big Bird's Birdtime Stories
• Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
• In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record
• Love
• The People in Your Neighborhood

Merchandise

• Big Bird talking plush
• The Miss Piggy Calendar 1980
• Picco clocks
• The Sesame Street Calendar: The 1980 World Games
• Sigma Christmas ornaments
• Kermit stocking hanger

Stage Shows

• Sesame Street Live premieres with A Sesame Street Mystery: The Case of the Missing Rara Avis

Muppet Character Debuts

• The Muppet Show: Rizzo the Rat, Pops, Lips, Gaffer, Armstrong the Chicken Hawk (prototype), Betsy Bird, Angus McGonagle, various Frackles, The Frog Scouts, Raccoons, Sheep
• Sesame Street: Forgetful Jones, Clementine, Dr. Nobel Price, Honkers, Grundgetta, Masha
• Sesamstraat: Ieniemienie

Milestones

• "A Christmas Together album" reaches #26 on Billboard's Top LP's and Tapes chart.

People

• Martin P. Robinson and Kevin Clash join Sesame Street (the latter uncredited at first)

Locations

• Sesame Place amusement park opens in Langhorne, Pennsylvania

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