In anticipation of next year’s 30th anniversary of beloved kid’s TV puppet and music series Fraggle Rock, The Jim Henson Company has announced plans for a global year-long celebration called Dance Your Cares Away featuring an online art contest and the launch of 30 unique commemorative products.

For the contest which opens today, Henson has partnered with online artists’ community Talenthouse which will provide the platform for artists and designers of all ages from across the world to submit original artwork based on the Fraggle Rock property.

The grand prize winner will receive US$2,500 including a trip to Hollywood for the launch event and a private tour of The Jim Henson Company. Nine second place prizes of US$500 are also up for grabs and all 10 winners’ designs will be considered for use on a special 30th anniversary commemorative product.

Contributors have until June 20, 2012 to submit and contest details can be found here at the Talenthouse website.

To bring the special commemorative products to fans, Henson is enlisting the services of 30 brands, designers, and artists. Companies and designers already on board include:

● DRx Romanelli (a line of DRx Fraggle Denim)

● Celebrity designer Anita Ko and Glamhouse (costume jewelry)

● Kamibashi (a line of Fraggle Rock characters to its popular String Doll Gang line)

● Music producer Bryan Ray Turcotte in collaboration with Darren Romanelli (a compilation record featuring top indie artists’ renditions of popular Fraggle songs)

As the campaign rolls out, ongoing updates and additional announcements will be made at Henson.com, twitter.com/hensoncompany, and facebook.com/hensoncompany.

Since its debut in 1983, Fraggle Rock, which encourages friendship and features music of all genres, went on to air in 80 countries worldwide, was translated in more than 10 languages, and 88 episodes were produced.

The Jim Henson-created series currently airs on The Hub in the US and is broadcast in nearly 12 countries globally. The brand’s consumer products program includes 11 domestic licensees (including Jem Sportswear, Manhattan Toy, and Bioworld Merchandising), and 13 international licensees (including Bershka, Loud, Fashion UK, Inditex, and Fipo).