All About Muppets

Markie Scholz is a puppeteer and the founder of a puppet company known as Dragons Are Too Seldom, who is best known for puppeteering for the Baby Einstein series from 1999-2001. She was hidden for most of the videos, but in the endings of those videos, she appears on camera operating the puppets. It's a pity Markie never worked on Sesame Street, especially in Elmo's World segments. I believe Scholz would fit right in since Elmo's World was aimed at babies like Baby Einstein. Other than that, she runs her company where she also made shows such as Dragon Ditty, Tall Tale of Maddy Bow, and Quest For The Junk Yard Dragon, just to name a few. Too bad behind the scenes photos and footage of the Baby Einstein series are very rare, you never know when kids growing up wonder how each video has been put together. I only wish Markie Scholz would have met puppeteers that have worked on Sesame Street of other children shows/videos. I read that Patrick Johnson and Sean Johnson have puppe...

Liz Joyce is a puppeteer, writer, and director who created A Couple of Puppets and does many shows for children aged 10 months to 10 years. She makes twists on fairy tales, folktales, educational shows, and original creations, all while performing her puppet creations. Liz has recently served as one of the Board of Directors for the Jim Henson Foundation, while other people involved include Lee Bryan, Jon Ludwig, Cathy McCullough, and more. Joyce has also served as one of the numerous puppeteers within The Book of Pooh which featured several Muppet performers, like Eric Jacobson. I've read that she is also the founder and artistic director of Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre, where she hosted many talented puppeteers since 2001. Her best known puppet project was her operetta of Sing a Song of Sixpence, and that even won her the highest award in American puppetry known as UNIMA Citation. Liz Joyce did a whole lot of puppetry performances across America, most notably in several areas of...

Byron Whiting was a puppeteer and actor who performed on the 1970 Muppet special The Great Santa Claus Switch with others like Cary Antebi, Greg Antonacci, and Marilyn Sokol. He usually performed marionettes by serving as a long-time member of Bil Baird's troupe. Some of the productions Bryon did include Winnie the Pooh, The Wizard of Oz, Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, and others. When doing that special, Whiting either did hand puppets or marionettes, because if he was doing the former, he would have difficulties. He was one of the many puppeteers to be a part of Bil Baird's marionette troupe and the only one to be a long-time member. His other Bil Baird projects include The Whistling Wizard and the Sultan of Tuffet (Heathcliff), Davy Jones' Locker (title character), and concert appearances by the Bil Baird puppets with New York Philharmonic. Byron Whiting had also acted in both summer stock and regional theater, such as a 2015 Tennessee production of 12 Angry Men, as stated...

Paul Jomain is a British puppet builder, painter, and puppeteer who built puppets on Mopatop's Shop (initially props and costumes), The Hoobs, and Bambaloo. He also served as an additional UK Muppet performer for Muppets Most Wanted with Rob Tygner, Colin Purves, and Nick Kellington, just to name a few. In the Creature Shop, Paul was the fabricator/on-set supervisor for Marvin the Paranoid Android in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Outside of Henson work, Jomain built puppets for numerous projects such as Bunnytown, Avenue Q (UK Tour), Five Minutes More, and Mr. Men and Little Miss UK Tour. He is also an expert painter and his paintings can be found on his website with information and references to television shows and how they are made. Paul Jomain is probably one of those many people to both puppeteer and paint, others include Nina Keogh, Kelly Wallwork, Ric Heitzman, and Wayne White, and who knows probably others. He has also built set models for various stage shows pu...

Albrecht Roser was a German puppeteer and professor who was a master at performing marionettes for millions of people. He was featured in an episode of Jim Henson Presents The World of Puppetry where he met Jim Henson himself and showed him some of his marionettes. Albrecht also appeared in several episodes of Between the Lions in segments with Jennifer Barnhart and Kathryn Mullen. Roser also met Caroll Spinney and Bil Baird at the 1974 Puppeteers of America National Festival, and he also trained Sarah Frechette to perform marionettes herself. Some of the marionettes he performed include one with a granny knitting, one with a musician named Gustaf, and one with a pup and a bug. I wonder how he learned to speak English when being an interviewee and guest. Albrecht Roser must have been one of the most talented people on Earth to perform marionettes. It must have been an honor for him to talk to Jim Henson when the latter was in Germany. He must have done wonderful performing Gustaf and H...

Sarah Frechette is a puppeteer, artist, and the founder of PuppetKabob, a puppet company that toured across the world to many public areas. She hasn't really worked with Sesame Street or the Muppets but has been seen in countries they are usually found such as Canada and the US. Sarah has got information that stated she studied marionettes in Germany with legendary German performer Albrecht Roser (who once met Jim Henson himself). Frechette has also puppeteered on SeeMore's Playhouse, alongside Eric Wright, Lindsey Briggs, and Carole D'Agostino, all three of the performers have worked on Sesame Street. She has also toured with Phillip Huber and the marionette rock-opera Don't Trust Anyone Over Thirty, where the former also made the puppet costumes. As for her studio work, she's done both live-action puppetry and stop-motion animation creating for both television and film. Sarah Frechette made costumes for stop motion projects such as many commercials, ParaNorman, an...

Itzel Tapia is a Mexican actress and puppeteer who performed Elefancio on Plaza Sesamo, the Mexican co-production of Sesame Street. Muppet Wiki doesn't have any information about her nor screenshot of her, which is a shame. Itzel has also acted in an episode of the Mexican series An Unknown Enemy (as Senora Camion), apparently that's the only other thing she's done. Tapia has performed alongside Odin Dupeyron, Maripaz Garcia, Rocio Lara, and Hector Loeza, to name a few. Though I wish the Muppet Wiki would find more information about her as well as a proper screenshot of her. I'm not even sure the picture above is her or someone with the same name. Marcia Coutiño replaced Itzel Tapia as Elefancio during the 2005 season, but I'm sure it was just for that one year. I hope that someday, she'll receive an interview for a TV show or podcast, that way there will be more information about her and the Muppet Wiki will update her page. It might not happen just yet, but so...

Maripaz Garcia is a Mexican actress and puppeteer who performed the right-hand of Pancho Contreras on Plaza Sesamo. She mainly assisted Odin Dupeyron but IMDb states she also performed a character named Berrinchudo and did additional Muppets. Otherwise, Maripaz served as a frequent supporting player on telenovelas like Mas alla del puente, Amar otra vez, and El noveno mandamiento. If Garcia had been given a chance to do more than assist then she would feel more like she's in charge of her own character. In addition to Dupeyron, she also performed with Rocio Lara, Eugenio Bartilotti, Itzel Tapia, and Verenice Callejo, to name a few. Who knows, maybe IMDb is right about the other characters she performed on Plaza Sesamo, Muppet Wiki doesn't have everything. Let's just hope Maripaz Garcia is still doing telenovelas today, especially ones that feature puppetry in it. Apparently Plaza Sesamo seems to be the only known project in which she was a puppeteer. Maybe there are other M...

Klaus Esch is a German puppeteer, opera singer, and actor who has performed Samson on Sesamstrasse since 1992, making guest appearances after 2013. He serves as the 4th and final performer of Samson following Peter Roders, Herbert Langemann, and Matthias Bullach. Klaus has also worked with other German performers such as Marita Stolze, Karime Vakilzadeh, Uta Jacobi, and Iris Schleuss. Esch is also another puppeteer who can sing opera too. Other puppeteers who are/were opera singers include Catrina Quintanilla, Abby Hadfield, Galen Fott, and Alana Kerr, all internationally. His operatic voice can be heard in Love for Three Oranges (as a cook), Abduction from the Seraglio (Osmin), and Falstaff (Pistola). I have no idea why Klaus Esch didn't remain on Sesamstrasse after 2013, not to mention have his character be dropped completely. An international Sesame Street just isn't one without a full-bodied character, otherwise there wouldn't be anyone who doesn't have to worry abo...

Lee Bryan is a puppeteer who is more known to people as "That Puppet Guy" and has done various solo performances over the years. He served as an additional Muppet performer on The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, along with Lucky Yates, Drew Allison, Rowell Gorman, and others. Lee is also a two-time grant recipient of The Jim Henson Foundation for his solo performances of Pinocchio and Suitcase Circus, his best known ones. Bryan has also done live solo performances at the Center for Puppetry Arts which features many Muppet performers who've done performances too. Outside, he is known as "That Puppet Guy" and the performances he played are suited for children in schools, library programs, and intimate theaters. The shows he's done (other than the two mentioned above) include The Zany Zoo, Dr. Dinosaur, Trouble in Toyland, and Circus Fanta-Sea, to name a few. But it's a shame Lee Bryan never did other projects with Sesame Street, he would have been perfec...

Tony Urbano is a puppeteer, puppet creator, and special effects artist who is known for doing freelance work with master puppeteers such as Bil Baird and Sid and Marty Krofft. I've read that he turned down a job offer from Jim Henson in the early years, so he could focus on his own career. I think Tony should have accepted Henson's job offer since the former does so well with puppets and marionettes too. But if Urbano wants to have his own career, that's perfectly fine. During his career he did many films such as Short Circuit, Men In Black, and Team America: World Police, just to name a few. As for television, he puppeteered on McDonaldland, The Hugga Bunch, and Dusty's Treehouse. Tony Urbano also worked with many other puppeteers such as Terry Castillo, Tim Blaney, Bil Baird, even Sid and Marty Krofft, though the latter are mostly producers. He is one of the busiest puppeteers on this blog for performing since the 1960s, though he latest appearances was on the puppet ...

Carole D'Agostino is a puppeteer and puppet designer/builder who has worked with Puppet Heap and The Jim Henson Company to create sets, props, and puppets. She worked with Sesame Street on the 44th and 45th seasons and also did The Muppets (2011) and Muppets Most Wanted. Carole has done numerous projects outside of Sesame Street and Muppets whether it's making puppets or performing them. D'Agostino puppeteered on SeeMore's Playhouse, two commercials, Escape Plan 2: Hades, and way more unknown ones. As a designer/builder, she made puppets on The Upside Down Show, Crank Yankers, Greg the Bunny, and several theater shows within Broadway, Off Broadway, and Walt Disney World like Avenue Q or ImaginOcean. Some other puppeteers she worked with included Eric Wright, Lindsey Briggs, David Stephens, and Mark Gale, just to name a few. Carole D'Agostino even got to be a puppeteer in the "Radioactive" music video by Imagine Dragons with Michael Schupbach. It's a re...

Renee Menschaar is a Dutch puppeteer who performed Pino on Sesamstraat, the Dutch co-production of Sesame Street since 1991. She performed him longer than any other puppeteer, is the first woman to play the role, and even invented Pino's youth personality. Renee also did Tommie's right hand when she started and puppeteered Bert on a Dutch TV program called De Wereld Draait Door. Menschaar serves as a puppeteer on other Dutch educational shows whenever she's not performing Pino. Despite being proud of her work, she prefers to remain unknown to the public. I don't know why she would want to remain a secret to the public and not have photographs online, since there already is a photo of her on the Muppet Wiki. Personally, I think Renee Menschaar is extremely shy to the public since she doesn't want to be known nor have photographs online. I'm sure she wouldn't mind having me make a blog post about her. Other puppeteers she worked with include Catherine van Woer...

Marita Stolze is a German puppeteer who served as the second performer of Tiffy on Sesamstrasse from 1986 until 2000. She also performed the character on the 1993 international special Sesame Street Stays Up Late, probably with a dubbed voice. Marita inherited the role from Kerstin Siebmann-Roders and handed the character over to Sabine Falkenberg up until Tiffy's retirement. Stolze was assisted by Karin Kaiser and Karime Vakilzadeh during her time on Sesamstrasse. I wonder what other projects she has done outside of Sesamstrasse since her page on the Muppet Wiki doesn't mention anything about it. Her co-workers have included Uta Delbridge, Klaus Esch, Uta Jacobi, and many others. Marita Stolze has also appeared on a project in 1984 called Christines Schwester as herself. Apparently that was the only known project she's done outside of Sesamstrasse. If only she could get interviewed for some German podcast or something, only then would she be able to share what other outsid...

Frederick Warder is a British actor and suit performer who has done the latter for numerous Creature Shop projects. He was featured in several episodes of The Storyteller as the Half Man, The Heartless Giant, and both the Troll and Trollop. Frederick had the chance to act outside of a costume on Muppet Treasure Island as one of the pirates named Calico Jerry. Warder even appeared in The NeverEnding Story III as a creature called Mr. Rockchewer, working with Kay Bradshaw, William Todd-Jones, and Iris Schleuss. His other film credits have included Flash Gordon (1980), The Living Daylights (a James Bond entry), and Evita in which he got to work alongside singer Madonna. As for television, often as policemen, include appearing on Casualty, The Bill, Dalziel and Pascoe, and Doctors. Frederick Warder seemed to have a lot of experience acting out as a police officer, not to mention a Creature Shop regular as many costume characters. He even acted on stage, including a 1976 UK touring producti...

Gene Barretta is a designer, author, puppeteer, illustrator, and brother of Bill Barretta and is known for his countless works with the Muppets, Sesame Street, and Henson Company. Under the frame, he did a couple of background Muppets on Muppet Treasure Island (but was uncredited) and also did Louie's right hand in an appearance on Fox & Friends according to in an episode of The Barretta Brothers. On Sesame Street, Gene wrote, scored, voiced, and animated five short films that premiered in the 28th and 29th seasons. As for the Henson Company, Barretta served as the character designer for two Henson Alternative projects. But apart from that, he is probably best known for being an author and illustrator for several picture books, with his clients including The Jim Henson Company and Between the Lions, as well as others. One particular book called The Bat Can Bat has featured numerous caricatures of Muppet and Henson pros both alive and dead. Gene Barretta has also had a good rela...

Eric Baker is a prop builder, puppeteer, and former Disney Imagineer who is well known for being prop master for Nickelodeon (and Nick Jr. too). He made props for many shows such as Weinerville, Blue's Clues, What Would You Do?, and Gullah Gullah Island. For the latter, Eric was also the puppet assistant for James Kroupa while Kroupa was the main performer of Chansome Pelican. I've read that Baker has also done one Muppet project as a part of the production crew, and that was Kermit's Swamp Years. For a few years, he served as builder for Universal, where he built models of Hogwarts Castle, both small-scale and large-scale. He also served as a decorator for Disney on various projects, like building props and building a sort of mini attraction to entertain those waiting in line. Apparently, Eric Baker must be an extremely busy man working at both Universal and Disney theme parks, helping build models and props for attractions and parts of both parks. I've read that he wa...

Jackie Harris (Greenberg) is an actress, voice actress, and suit performer whose only known work with puppets was on the first two seasons of The Big Comfy Couch, before Suzanne Merriam took over. As for her other projects she was mostly either acting or voice acting. Jackie did however perform with two Muppet Puppeteers on The Big Comfy Couch, Jani Lauzon and Fred Stinson. Harris has acted in a lot of projects such as Where My Dogs At?, Open Season (1995), and Bat Thumb, to name a few. Voice acting credits include As Told By Ginger, All Grown Up!, and The Wild Thornberrys, all three shows are by the company Klasky Csupo. Though it's a shame she never acted or voice acted in any animated projects created by the Henson Company such as Dinosaur Train. I've read that Jackie Harris was also a member of The Groundlings which featured many puppeteers that worked with the Henson Company over the years. Performers such as Brian Clark, Ian Petrella, Karen Maruyama, and Melissa Roja, but...

Shelley Duvall is an actress, writer, and producer who is best known for acting in several films, most notably Popeye and The Shining. I read on the Muppet Wiki that she visited the set of The Muppet Show at Elstree Studios during filming of The Shining (it was also filmed there). During that visit, Shelley played a background Muppet in the Spike Milligan episode. I should say Duvall must be pretty lucky to do a Muppet in that episode since the main ones needed more to help out. Muppet Wiki states Richard Hunt made acquaintance of the cast members from The Shining, and it was probably him who invited them over. For those who reading this post, you'll have to look on her page on the Muppet Wiki to see the sources. Later, Shelley Duvall received an interview for Muppet Magazine in the Summer 1986 issue. Other than The Shining, she acted in many films such as Frankenweenie, Roxanne, Time Bandits, and The Portrait of a Lady, to name a few. She later went into writing and producing seve...

Terry Castillo is a former actress, puppeteer, and suit performer who hasn't performed on Sesame Street or the Muppets, but has performed for people of all ages. She is known for being the in-suit performer and voice of Grimace for the McDonaldland commercials for 19 years. Terry also puppeteered on that project and also puppeteered on Popples (TV Movie), The Hugga Bunch, and Star Kid. Castillo has worked with a couple other Muppet Performers, most notably Bruce Lanoil, Christine Papalexis, Terri Hardin, and Gregory Williams. I'll bet she gets hot being a suit performer for both McDonaldland and The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, especially with facial mechanisms in the heads of the characters. It's a shame she stopped performing because she was doing wonderful performing for children either in film, commercial, or special. To be fair, Terry Castillo has been acting for many years and is probably exhausted after working with both character costumes and puppets. Besides McDonal...