Muppetopolis

Muppetopolis was a 1985-1986 traveling exhibit and promotional event that toured US shopping malls in many states, including Indiana, Texas, Louisiana, Kansas, and New York. The centerpiece of the tour was a display of "Miss Piggy's Art Treasures" from the 1984 calendar Miss Piggy's Art Masterpiece Calendar, as well as a replica of the hot-air balloon used in The Great Muppet Caper. The tour was sponsored by Melvin Simon & Associates, at the time the nation's largest mall developer. Most of the events lasted for ten days, although some stops only lasted for four days. 
The first event was hosted at Greenwood Park Mall in Indianapolis, Indiana, from Aug 2-11, 1985. It featured a viewing of 14 works from the "Art Treasures" collection, along with a videotaped tour hosted by Miss Piggy, "Directoire of the Kermitage Collection." The event also included: Muppet singalongs, Muppet reading hour, a Dixieland band playing Muppet songs, Muppet arts and crafts sessions, a Muppet coloring contest, a photo booth with a cardboard cutout of Muppet characters, a Muppet mural that kids could collaborate on, a Muppet merchandise booth, and Muppet cups from Coca-Cola. Advance tickets could also be purchased for "The Art of the Muppets" exhibit, which was coming to the Indianapolis Children's Museum in October. 
Later stops on the tour included some of the above features, along with new ideas. Many stops included a video area where The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper were shown, and at one stop, there was a free showing of The Muppets Take Manhattan at the mall's movie theater. A Muppet "touch wall" was added to the tour. Some stops included activities themed to other Henson projects, including a Sesame Street Train, Ernie's Rubber Duckie Pond, and a Fraggle Rock Block Quarry. 
File:1985-07-30 - Muppetopolis - The Daily Journal - Franklin Indiana.jpg
File:1985-08-02 Muppetopolis tour - Indianapolis.jpg
==Known venues==
* August 1985: Indianapolis, Indiana (Greenwood Park Mall)
* August 1985: Anderson, Indiana (Mounds Mall)
* January 1986: Shreveport, Louisiana (South Park Mall)
* Jan-Feb 1986: Longview, Texas (Longview Mall)
* February 1986: Fort Worth, Texas (North East Mall)
* Feb-March 1986: McAllen, Texas (La Plaza Shopping Mall)
* March-April 1986: Odessa, Texas (Midland Park Mall)
* April 1986: Wichita, Kansas (TowneWest Square)
* August 1986: White Plains, New York (Jefferson Valley Mall)
==See also==
* Muppetopolis is the name of the city protected by superheroes in the Muppet Babies episodes "Super Fabulous vs Captain Icecube," "The Froginizer," "Rise of the Pickler," and others.
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Category:Exhibits