All About Muppets

John Wheatley is a British puppeteer who has worked on various Creature Shop projects. Perhaps his most notable work was being part of the crew doing the Robot in Lost in Space. Wheatley also served as an additional puppeteer on Muppet Treasure Island. His other work with the Creature Shop include Animal Farm (as principal puppeteer) and The Last Video (with Phil Eason and Mark Jefferis). I don't know why John hasn't worked in any other projects featuring the Muppets. He should have assisted in The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppets Most Wanted, or in any appearances in the UK. Outside of his work with the Muppets and the Creature Shop, Wheatley had been a puppeteer on Spitting Image and Round the Bend (replacing Richard Coombs in the 3rd series). He's also appeared in fellow puppeteer David Barclay's 1998 short film Diabolical Properties. It would appear that John has done less puppet work outside than with the Creature Shop. I mean he has only worked on two television...

Andrew Moriarty is a puppeteer, writer, and producer whose main job is being an associate producer at Sesame Workshop. He is also a Muppet performer and writer on Sesame Street. It says Andrew has started out as a production intern during the 40th season of Sesame Street. Ever since the next season, Moriarty has transitioned from production assistant to various roles, currently working as a writer for both the show and web content, and a digital producer. For many specials, videos, and even a concert, he was either a writer, producer, or performer. Since the 44th season, Andrew has also been assistant Muppet performer for Sesame Street, right-handing and performing various characters. Moriarty has also performed on the show's float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the 2016 special Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas. He's even appeared on-screen in two Sesame Street videos, one is a music video, and one is a regular video called "Take Your Muppet to Work Day....

Sadie Corre was a 4'2 English actress, suit performer, and puppeteer whose first Creature Shop work has been The Dark Crystal where she was full-body performer for one of the Skeksis. She was later a cable control puppeteer on Dreamchild (the first non-Henson film that the Creature Shop did). Corre should have also worked on Labyrinth as one of the goblin corps. Then again, she would probably be too tall to wear a goblin suit, unlike dwarf, Katie Purvis. Sadie's most notable screen credit was as the smallest Transylvanian in the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Personally I think she could have had a much bigger role on screen. Corre has also appeared in Return of the Jedi as an Ewok, probably the only suit performing role outside of the Creature Shop films. Most of her acting career was spent on a theatre stage, in London and touring England. It would appear that Sadie is another actress who spent most of her acting career in theatre. She worked with several English cele...

Marie Phillips is a UK-based puppeteer and actress whose only work with the Muppets was being an additional Muppet performer on Muppet Treasure Island. I don't know why she has not performed on other productions by the Muppets or Creature Shop like Muppets Most Wanted or The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Phillips has previously puppeteered with the Caricature Theatre in Cardiff, Wales, probably performed in a lot of theatrical productions. She also served as a puppeteer for Audrey II in a 1986 Welsh theatrical production of Little Shop of Horrors for the Theatr Clwyd. It appears Marie is another puppeteer who started out in theatre before working on screen. Her other puppetry credits has mainly been for two television series, Spitting Image (in 1987 and 1990) and Dizzy Heights (with William Todd-Jones). As an actress, her only known on-screen role was portraying a librarian in 1997 episode of a BBC comedy series called ChuckleVision. It would appear that Phillips has done exa...

Katie Purvis is a dwarf actress, suit performer, and daughter of actor Jack Purvis. Katie worked with her father as one of the goblin corps in Labyrinth. It's wonderful when family members are together on a project, especially if they're together. But it is a shame that Purvis only worked in one Creature Shop production, she would have been great at other Creature Shop films. They probably have some characters that fit her perfectly. According to Katie's theatrical background, she began her career first as an infant, appearing as a background figure in an episode of Look and Read. As a teenager, Purvis began to double the dwarf characters in Time Bandits. She has also worked with her father in episode six of Star Wars as an Ewok mother. Other credits include Willow, Legend, and the UK series Raggy Dolls. Katie later doubled a child character in Sleepy Hollow, played an extra in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and had a small on-camera role as a cashier in an epi...

Raymond Carr is an African-American puppeteer, filmmaker, and designer who did Henson Company show Splash and Bubbles as Dunk and others. He has also performed as a member in the Puppet Up - Uncensored improv troupe and has assisted on Earth to Ned. Raymond is known for peforming many puppets, traveling to every major city in North America and several parts of Europe working on multi-million dollar projects. Carr is skilled in state of the art animatronics, Muppet-style puppetry, motion capture digital puppetry, and traditional theatrical puppetry. Outside of the Henson Company, he has worked on various TV and theatre shows across America and Europe. TV credits include Moon and Me, LazyTown, Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, and various projects for Cartoon Network & Adult Swim. As for theatre work, Raymond Carr did Walking with Dinosaurs the Arena Spectacular Tour and The Center for Puppetry Arts. It would seem that he is another puppeteer to have good experience with adults and kids. He h...

Lucky Yates is an actor, voice actor, and puppeteer whose only work with Sesame Street was on The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland as an additional Muppet performer. Yates was credited under his real name Matt Yates. I've read that during the shoot, he rented a house with Annie Peterle and Lisa Sturz, where they threw a party for the cast and crew members. Yates became interested in puppetry through his job working at the box office for the Center of Puppetry Arts in 1996. He was invited to audition for the following seasons of shows and was hired. It led him to puppeteer in shows like The Velveteen Rabbit and Alice in Wonderland, which was followed by puppeteering on local PBS shows in Atlanta. It led to Yates getting the job on Elmo in Grouchland, I don't know who met him. Besides puppetry, Lucky is known for his voice roles as Dr. Krieger and Crackers on Archer and as Xtacle on Frisky Dingo. He was also a recurring actor on the Food Network series Good Eats. It would appe...

Peter Elliott is an actor, suit performer, and former boxer and diver who specializes in playing gorillas and other primates. He was given the title role in the Creature Shop film Buddy and was performance coordinator on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I wish that Elliot would work in more Creature Shop projects because they have a lot of films with realistic animals so maybe he could wear a gorilla or a primate suit again since he's good at it. Outside of Buddy, Peter served as primate coordinator on Greystake: The Legend of Tarzan, playing Silverbeard and overseeing the other performers. He's also played roles in Quest for Fire (neanderthals), Return to Oz (a Wheeler), and King Kong Lives (King Kong). Elliott was later performance supervisor in Gorillas in the Mist, Harry & the Hendersons, and Congo, and that's only a few of them. He must know a lot about gorillas and other primates in order to perform as them. What I don't understand is how is he a for...

Christine Glanville was a British puppet maker and performer who only worked in the Creature Shop film Labyrinth (goblins puppeteer), along with fellow Anderson vet Mary Turner. I do not know why someone else from the same company also only worked with the Creature Shop only once. Christine could have worked in The Dark Crystal, The Witches, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when she had the chance. But I guess she was also happy with doing something Mary Turner does. Glanville was a key collaborator on Gerry Anderson's "Supermarionation" series. Some of the series include Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Fireball XL5, Supercar, and Thunderbirds. She served as chief puppeteer and also built various characters, such as Thunderbirds regulars Scott Tracy, Alan Tracy, and Tin-Tin, whoever they are. It's a shame that Christine only got to work with Jim Henson for Labyrinth because she seemed to do a great job building and performing puppets on the "Supermarionation...

Mary Turner is a British puppet builder and performer whose only work with the Creature Shop was on Labyrinth as part of the goblin ensemble. I don't know why she has not worked in other Creature Shop projects. Turner must have been unfamiliar with regular puppets as more familiar with what she has done outside of the Creature Shop. Gerry Anderson's "Supermarionation" puppet series is Mary's best known work. "Supermarionation" is the method of electronic marionettes which open and close in time with pre-recorded dialogue from someone else. Turner designed and built the title character on Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Marina on Stingray, and Lady Penelope/Gordon Tracy for the Thunderbirds. For The Secret Service, she used photographs of the real-life person as a reference to produce the Stanley Urwin puppet. When the puppet unit closed in 1969, Mary did freelance work at numerous television stations, including BBC. I don't know what kind of free...

Karen Maruyama is an actress, comedienne, and voice actress who was a member of The Jim Henson Company's Puppet Up - Uncensored. I don't know why she has not puppeteered in any other projects developed by Henson Alternative like The Happytime Murders or No You Shut Up. Karen must have been more interested in doing comedy than puppetry. Maruyama is a member of the Groundlings and is well known as an improv performer and instructor and a guest on Whose Line Is It Anyway?. She's probably heard of Puppet Up being an another improv group so she joined. Karen's television credits include recurring roles on The Jamie Foxx Show, Strip Mall, and Suddenly Susan, & also guest spots on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Nib/Tuck, Mad About You, and Ellen (to name a few). As a voice actress, Maruyama was heard on Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys, The Simpsons, Futurama, King of the Hill, Justice League, and American Dad. I wish Henson Alternative would do an animated show, so she can ...

Simon Buckley is a British puppeteer and marionette performer who has worked on several Creature Shop and Muppet productions over the years. His work with the Muppets include Muppet Treasure Island, The Muppet Christmas Carol and The Tale of the Bunny Picnic. Simon's Creature Shop projects have included Labyrinth, Lost in Space, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and The Bear. It's great how Buckley performed with both the Muppets and the Creature Shop, and it's especially great that he served as a principal puppeteer's stand in. His outside work is more vast with performances on many British television shows and theatrical productions. His best known character was Nobby the Sheep from Gimmie 5 while other shows include Spitting Image, Fimbles, The Spooks of Bottle Bay, Round the Bend, and many more. Simon Buckley's latest Muppet project was on Muppets Most Wanted as an uncredited assistant. I read that he traveled the world performing in ten different produ...

Paul Zerdin is a British ventriloquist and puppeteer who served as an additional performer on Muppet Treasure Island. I read he described his experience working with the Muppets as "an absolute dream come true" which was said in 2011. Who could blame Paul? The Muppets have been popular to many people and families for several years, bringing along puppeteers to help them out or perform. In 2014, Zerdin remembered his hiring and work on the film, as well as the differences between puppeteering with the Muppets and his own act. Paul also has his own ventriloquist act, which consists of his three original characters Albert, Baby, and Sam. With his characters, he won the 10th season of America's Got Talent and has also performed his act at the Royal Variety Performance. I guess Zerdin was pretty excited when he got to work on Muppet Treasure Island. His puppeteer friend suggested that he could meet one of the bosses and show him his stuff. Paul was introduced to Kevin Clash w...

Jon Ludwig is a puppeteer, designer, writer, and director who has written, designed, and puppeteered the shadow puppet segments for Bear in the Big Blue House. He also wrote several of the songs for Shadow along with Peter Lurye and Tara Mooney (voice of Shadow). I don't know why Ludwig has not performed in any other Henson Company shows. It must be because they don't do a lot of shows that feature shadow puppetry. For the Center for Puppetry Arts, he is the Center's Artistic Director. I wish that he would do Muppet work because he's performed with Muppet performers. I have read that in 1997, Jon was the featured guest artist at the National Puppetry Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center where he workshopped a new production called Home. His other notable stage works include his adaption of Frankenstein and Safe as Milk, the latter was staged in 1994 as part of the Jim Henson Foundation's International Festival of Puppet Theater. Apart from those 2 ...

Ingrid Hansen is a Canadian puppeteer, theater creator, and voice actress who performs the body of Ma Gorg, Lanford, and others on Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. She also served as a featured puppeteer for select episodes of that show. Ingrid has been trained in puppeteer workshops for Sesame Workshop which placed her in Helpsters as the full-bodied Heart. Outside, Hansen puppeteered on Miss Persona (assisting Mike Petersen), Tiga Talk (as Gertie G. Gopher), Tick & Skeeter, Singalong with Tobee, and many more. IMDb states that in 2006, she co-founded SNAFU Dance Theatre to create unexpected theatre, dance, and puppetry. She created and performed original work with SNAFU at events curated by a variety of theatre festivals. IMDb also states that since 2006, Ingrid Hansen has created an ongoing collaboration with inmates at William Head on Stage, a prison theatre company. She is perhaps the bravest and only puppeteer ever to work with a federal prison as a director, actor, design me...

Alice Osborne is a puppeteer, suit performer, and director who has worked on the Henson Company shows Me & My Monsters and Five Minutes More. How come she didn't perform in any other shows produced in Australia? Osborne could have assisted in Bambaloo or Farscape but I guess it's what she chooses to perform in that pleases her. Alice could have also been a director for the series she worked on seeing on how other puppeteers sometimes directed the shows they worked on like Matt Vogel. It seems that there aren't enough shows by the Henson Company or the Muppets to be produced and/or filmed in Australia. Outside of those two shows, Osborne has also worked on Didi and B, The Upside Down Show, Raggs, and Humpty's Big Adventure. I've read that in 2007, she was in Paris where she joined Compagnie Philippe Genty to co-devise Boliloc which toured for 2 and a half years. Alice also worked extensively with My Darling Patricia in Australia. In 2012, she's worked for Sy...

Kristin Newman is a writer and producer who's worked in television since the mid 1990s. She joined ABC's The Muppets in November 2015, where she replaced Bob Kushell as showrunner, starting on the 10th episode. Kristin also performed a Muppaphone in "Because... Love" during a performance of "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" by Jack White. I do not know why Newman never produced and wrote any other projects with the Muppets. It's probably because she didn't have any interest in doing work with the Muppets back then. At least she got to perform a Muppet character while working with the Muppets. Kristin seemed to do a great job at puppeteering, even though it was a one time thing. It seems that working on The Muppets was a first for her because she worked with puppets. Outside of the Muppets, Newman was a writer/producer for various other shows such as The Neighbors, Chuck, How I Met Your Mother, That 70's Show, and Everybody Loves Raymond (working...

James Godwin is a puppeteer, puppet builder, performance artist, visual artist, and actor. He served as an additional Muppet performer on Elmo's Christmas Countdown and A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa. James also served as a Muppet designer and builder for Puppet Heap in The Muppets (2011) and Muppets Most Wanted. Godwin's non-Muppet work work is vast, as he built and performed puppets in Blue's Room and puppeteered on It's a Big Big World (as Bob), The Book of Pooh (operating Pooh), Oobi, and Between the Lions. I read that he also founded a puppet troupe called The Elementals, which did a performance at the Jim Henson International Festival of Puppet Theater and also did guest puppets for an episode of Between the Lions. He's also a voice actor and writer since he co-wrote and starred in an adult puppet variety stage show that's called Uncle Jimmy's Dirty Basement. As a voice actor, the voice of James Godwin can be heard on Sheep in the Big City, Stak...

Phil Eason was a British puppeteer and puppet designer/builder who performed on Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets Most Wanted, and many Creature Shop projects. Projects such as Labyrinth, The Bear, The Storyteller, Lost in Space (as Blawp) and more. Phil even worked in one Harry Potter film where the Creature Shop supplied creature effects for a troll and animals. Eason's last Creature Shop project was on The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (he was interviewed in a making later). His outside work includes Spitting Image, Wizadora, and The Spooks of Bottle Bay, to name a few. As for film, he did the Frank Oz film Little Shop of Horrors and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (as Yaddle). Phil Eason has also designed and built various puppets for various projects that I don't know about but I think some were built for Wizadora, Thunderbirds, and many more. It would appear that he had done so much to the world with his skills for television, film, and even theatre, like A Midsummer Night...

Don Reardon was a puppeteer, voice actor, and puppet designer who worked in several 1990s Muppet productions. He performed uncredited on Sesame Street during it's 25th season as various characters and also did the special Elmopalooza. For the Muppets, Don performed a few characters in the Muppet Meeting Films and also did CityKids and Dog City. The only outside show Reardon did was The Puzzle Place as additional puppet designer. I have read that he was the 1st winner of Jim Henson's Character Design Competition, when it was launched in 1988. How come he hasn't worked during the 1980s? In 1995, Don Reardon provided the voice of Guy Smiley in two Sesame Street CD-ROM games. His life of puppetry hasn't lasted long as he passed away in 2004. He should have continued performing with Sesame Street and the Muppets when he had the chance, now it's too late. Don could have also worked in the Muppet Workshop making new characters or assist in the design of new Muppet charact...

Amber Beattie is a British puppeteer and actress whose only work with the Henson Company was in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance as one of the additional puppeteers. She is yet another puppeteer who has only worked in one project by the Henson Company. Amber's also the sister of Daisy Beattie and probably related to Susan Beattie too. I hope that she performed in productions like her sister did otherwise she would have only puppeteered in one show, and that's not enough. Outside of The Dark Crystal, Beattie has also puppeteered on an episode of Mongrels, at least I think she did. She has also acted in various other productions like Jinx, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (to name a few). I wonder why she has done acting more than puppeteering unlike her sister has done. Amber may have been too young to work with the Muppets on Muppet Treasure Island, but at least she could have been old enough to assist in Muppets Most Wanted. Both sisters coul...

Joan Morris is a British puppeteer who worked as an additional puppeteer in two Muppet films, The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island. She is also the wife of fellow puppeteer named James Barton who worked alongside her in both Muppet films. I don't know why Morris has not done any work by the Creature Shop. She would probably feel like she doesn't have the courage to operate a creature or monster to someone else's voice. Joan and her husband have also served as puppeteers in Frank Oz's Little Shop of Horrors. It must have been hard for both of them to operate Audrey II along with several other puppeteers like Graham Fletcher, Nigel Plaskitt, and Mike Quinn. Together, James and Joan co-founded the Jactito Theatre Company in 1976. I've read that David Barclay is among the company's alumni. The company has done various puppet shows for children such as Rapunzel, Very Ugly Duckling, The Frog Prince, and many more. It shows that Morris has the quali...

Iris Schleuss is a German puppeteer who performed on the Sesame Street German co-production that is known as Sesamstrasse. She played the monster baby Lena, not to mention guest characters. In two TV-movies, Iris played a squirrel named Knuspel in Das Geheimnis der Blumenfabrik and played the antagonist rat Fido in Alarm im Zirkus. She has also performed on the Creature Shop-effects film The Neverending Story III, where she assisted Junior Rockchewer, Unlucky Rabbit, and others. I wonder if that film was taped in the UK or Germany where she lives. Personally, I think Schleuss should have assisted on the Henson Company show The Secret Life of Toys since it was filmed in Germany. But I guess Iris was happier working with an international co-production of Sesame Street. She could have also dubbed the Muppets voices in German. I've read that since 1996, Iris has played many characters on a puppet series called Kapt'n Blaubar, including Karin the flower. She also performed stage pu...

Steve Nallon is a British impressionist, puppeteer, actor, and writer who was an additional performer on Muppet Treasure Island (uncredited) and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. He should've done more projects with both companies, but what he does is his choice. Steve also performed Cassandra (puppet by the Creature Shop) on What's Up Doc? along with Don Austen, John Eccleston, Timothy D. Rose, and William Todd-Jones. Outside of the Creature Shop, Nallon is best known for impersonating former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, which came into use on Spitting Image. Not only did he puppeteer on the show, but he was also a leading impressionist in which he voiced various characters. His other puppet projects include The Pig Attraction, The Spooks of Bottle Bay, Crazy Cottage, The Wild Bunch, and many more. In addition to puppetry and impressions, Steve Nallon has tried motion capture, in fact he's a creative and experienced motion capture performer too. His acting is also...

Ed May, also called Eddie May, is a freelance puppeteer and writer who occasionally worked in many Muppet and Sesame Street projects as an additional performer, sometimes doubling the lead character for certain shots. He only did one film with the Muppets and that's Muppets from Space as a penguin, cow, and Animal's puppeteer for the Cape Doom scene. Ed has done more puppetry work for Sesame Street such as The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, Elmo's Christmas Countdown, and in several Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades which he even puppeteered an international character. How come he didn't perform the characters he puppeteers? I guess that's why Ed May is a freelance puppeteer, he puppeteers when he chooses to. Outside of the Muppets and Sesame Street, he's puppeteered in many different projects such as Lunker Lake, Inside Outdoors (which he also wrote), Trollies Radio Show, Slush Puppie Factory, and many more. May also wrote on two shows called The Bob ...

Greg Ballora is a puppeteer and puppet designer/builder, who worked with the Muppets for a couple of times. He served as an additional Muppet performer on Muppets Tonight (in episode one) and the 2011 film The Muppets. Greg also served as an additional puppeteer on Telling Stories with Tommie dePaola (as a penguin in a band), The Happytime Murders, and Earth to Ned. Ballora even puppeteered on two Creature Shop-effects films; The Flintstones and Stuart Little 2. Outside of the Muppets, he provided special effects work on RoboCop 2 (the robot monster) and Spider-Man 2 (part of the Doctor Octopus' arms team). His other films include being the lead puppeteer on Team America: World Police, one of the worm guys in Men in Black II, and a creature in The X-Files (1998). As for television and home video work, Greg Ballora puppeteered on The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth, The Mr. Potato Head Show (as Baloney), Greg the Bunny, and many more. In some of those projects, he designs and builds ...