Toby Towson

Toby Towson is a gymnast and dancer who was the very first performer of Barkley on Sesame Street for the 9th and 10th seasons. He also performed Barkley in A Special Sesame Street Christmas, filming must have taken place between those two seasons. Toby was hired to model for the dog before he was offered a one year contract by Henson since he had a personal friendship with the Henson family. I read Towson had a career in gymnastics, acrobatics, and dance which is probably why he was hired to work on Sesame Street. But I wish he would have received credit for performing Barkley. I've also read that he was also a former NCAA men's gymnastics champion. Toby Towson seems to be another person into gymnastics like Denise Cheshire who also puppeteered for a Muppet project. Brian Muehl, Fred Garbo, and Bruce Connelly later took over the roles of Barkley as years pass. He is now living with his wife in Maryland and has degrees from two Universities. I wonder if Toby ever misses performing on Sesame Street after season 10. Towson is also a dancer, but what kind of dances has he done? If he's a dancer, then there should be info on dance projects. I wish he would have assisted the Muppets in one of their projects such as The Muppet Show or on The Great Muppet Caper. At least he got to work with Caroll Spinney, Jerry Nelson, and Richard Hunt on Sesame Street. Toby Towson, you are another fit puppeteer who is in great shape. I hope you keep on doing gymnastics and dances so people will know how much a star you are. In the meantime, enjoy your healthy life and maybe become a gymnast champion again when the time is right and you're in the mood to. It's never too late to get out and be healthy Towson!