Hey there, fans of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, we have good news and bad news. The good news is you now have the chance to own actual, screen-used props and puppets from the making of that legendary, underrated show. The bad news is, the fact that these items are for sale at all does not bode well for that show, or world, ever returning.
A few months back, news broke that The Jim Henson Company is holding a massive auction of memorabilia from its unforgettable past. Items from The Muppets, Labyrinth, Fraggle Rock, and so much more were all going up for sale with the help of Julien’s Auctions on November 25. But, distressingly for fans like us, there are also almost 200 items available from The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, the incredible Netflix show that only lasted one season. Selling those items feels like an admission that it’s over.
And yet, we here at io9 have never given up hope. A few years after we broke the terrible news of the show’s cancellation, we asked its director, Louis Letterier, if he ever thought it could come back, and he was cautiously optimistic. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, and we asked the current chairman of the Henson Company, Brian Henson, about it. He suggested that while it probably wouldn’t be back on Netflix, the world of The Dark Crystal may continue on.
Both of which sound great until you look at the cold, hard facts of the company selling off all of this stuff. Now, to be fair, if you look at the entirety of what’s being auctioned, none of the key, main characters are on there. No hero Gelfling or Skeksis puppets. They aren’t totally cleaning house. But, there are some impressive Skeksis animatronics, every kind of weapon and prop you can imagine, plus lots of supporting Gelflings and Podlings available. You can even buy the actual Dual Glaive, which was a huge piece of the show’s mythology. The real heartbreaker, though, the one that truly feels like a stab in the back, is that the original, screen-used, full-size Crystal of Truth prop is being sold. You’d probably need the ACTUAL DARK CRYSTAL if you were making more Dark Crystal, but, alas, someone is going to be able to buy it.
Which, on the one hand, is kind of cool. A true fan is going to own not just the real Dark Crystal, but many other pieces from this incredible show. And yet, the fact that the company is selling these parts feels like a sad way to realize we may never see this world, in this way, again.
For more on the Henson Auction, which will take place live at 10 a.m. PST on November 25, head over to this link. And to see all The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance pieces, click this link here.
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