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
International Television & Movies
- Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch at the TV Week Logie Awards (Australia), March 14
- Ich war frei, ich war glücklich (Julie Andrews: One Step Into Spring) premieres 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
- The Muppets at the World Puppetry Festival, June 8-16
- 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
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
- The Miss Piggy Calendar 1980
- The Sesame Street Calendar: The 1980 World Games
- Big Bird talking plush
- Picco clocks
- Sigma Christmas ornaments
- Kermit stocking hanger
Stage Shows
Muppet Character Debuts
- The Muppet Show: Rizzo the Rat, Pops, Lips, Gaffer, Armstrong the Chicken Hawk (prototype), Betsy Bird, Angus McGonagle, six Pirate 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 LPs and Tapes chart.
People
- Chris Knowings is born, February 25
Locations
- Sesame Place amusement park opens in Langhorne, Pennsylvania
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