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The memeification of the Venezuela crisis, and Jim Henson's Labyrinth turns 40 episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 6, 2026 · 25 MIN

The memeification of the Venezuela crisis, and Jim Henson's Labyrinth turns 40

from Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

Millions of people are encountering the crisis in Venezuela right now through memes – from Nicolás Maduro's 'viral dance' that reportedly angered U.S. President Donald Trump to the Nike track suit he wore on the flight to New York City, which sold out in hours. Elamin Abdelmahmoud talks with New York Times technology reporter Mike Isaac about how our responses to a complex crisis are different when memes shape our understanding. Plus, forty years on, Jim Henson's Labyrinth still feels like nothing else - an 80s dark fantasy that gets under your skin. The film returns to cinemas this week to mark the big anniversary. Culture writers Kayleigh Donaldson and Roxana Hadadi get into why this movie has become a cult classic. The re-release comes during another anniversary - ten years since the death of David Bowie who was at his peak as the Goblin King.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jan 6, 2026

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The memeification of the Venezuela crisis, and Jim Henson's Labyrinth turns 40

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