All About Muppets

Kelly Vrooman is an actress, puppeteer, singer, dancer, and writer who is best known for doing various programming blocks on PBS Kids Sprout (now called Universal Kids). She was one of the hosts of The Sunny Side Up Show from 2007-2013, performed Patty on The Sprout Sharing Show, and was both an actor and writer on The Chica Show. Before Sprout, Kelly had a successful theatre and also commercial career with leading roles in plays like Fiddler on the Roof. Vrooman is also a member of the excellent improv comedy troupe called Comedy Sportz. Other puppeteers she worked with include Jack Venturo, Stacia Newcomb, Kevin Yamada, and Ali J. Eisner, to name a few. Her other acting works include Wait, Rekindled, Invisible Virtual Table Read, and Bot Harmony, she wrote for those too. Kelly Vrooman had been very popular with children and, with Forrest Harding as Chica, got to appear with many characters from several children shows, including Sesame Street. Her recent projects include Warped! and T...

Stacia Newcomb is a voice actress, puppeteer, actress, and writer who's best known for performing Star (voice and puppetry) on The Good Night Show. She also puppeteers Noodle and a chicken on separate Sprout/Universal Kids shows. Even though Stacia never performed on Sesame Street, he had appeared with the main characters of Pajanimals when they guest appeared. Newcomb has lent her voice to a few projects such as Pokemon (English dub), Team Umizoomi, Gotham Knights, and most recently, Mickey Mouse Funhouse. Her website states that she also worked in theater such as writing and starring in two one-woman variety shows, as well as doing several plays and musicals across the world. She is another one of those amazing performers who can do all kinds of entertainment. Stacia Newcomb should maybe ask Sesame Workshop if she can work on Sesame Street, but that's only a thought, it might not actually happen. Other puppeteers she interacted with include Victor Yerrid, Donna Kimball, Forre...

Chris Thatcher is a British puppeteer and actor who served as an additional puppeteer on Muppets Most Wanted and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. I wonder if he likes doing Muppet or Henson projects better since the latter has a more technical style of puppetry with mechanisms. Outside, Chris performs Shloppy, star of a children's web series called Shloppy TV for Bogglesox TV (presumably a channel on YouTube). Thatcher also did several theatrical productions, puppeteering on Avenue Q (UK Tour) and acting on Of Mice and Men, Grease, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and many more. As for television, he performed on the revival of Spitting Image and in an episode of the CBeebies series Grandpa in My Pocket (as Bertie Beep and His Talking Sheep). I've read he also released an adults-only album called Jesus Christ Superstar containing musical theatre songs for adults. That album shows Chris Thatcher is also a singer, obviously since he performed in numerous theatrical productions....

Francis Wright is a British puppeteer who worked on several Creature Shop productions. He operated Goblins on Labyrinth, a Devil in an episode of The Storyteller, and performed the March Hare in Alice in Wonderland (voice and puppetry). Francis also did one Henson project, The Tale of the Bunny Picnic but was uncredited along with other assistants. Wright's outside puppetry work can be seen on Little Shop of Horrors, Spitting Image, and several UK children shows such as Gophers!, Wizadora, Sooty, and more. Over the years, he performed alongside several puppeteers, suit performers, and actors such as Judy Preece, Ian Thom, Frederick Warder, John Thirtle, and Sue Scott-Davison. I wonder which of the productions by the Creature Shop was is most favorite since he did 3. Francis Wright seems to work well with both children and adults based on all of the television shows and films he did over the years and is probably still doing so today. He was probably familiar with the classic Muppet...

Stephen Varnom is a British actor, screenwriter, and filmmaker, who performed The Minotaur in two episodes of The Storyteller: Greek Myths. Brian Henson, David Greenaway, and David Barclay have all puppeteered in those two episodes featuring him as The Minotaur. Outside of The Storyteller, Stephen is a veteran of The Royal Shakespeare Company where he acted in many stage productions such as A Clockwork Orange, The Woman in White, and more. As for television, Varnom mainly did guest spots in many British series like Dalziel and Pascoe, Doctors, Down to Earth, and The Bill. I read on IMDb that he is perhaps best known for his work in The Sweeter Side of Life and in Obsession: Dark Desires both TV movies. He even wrote, directed, and starred in a feature film called It's Been Real, which is like several Muppet performers since they often direct a project they also perform in. Stephen Varnom probably enjoys working on stage and screen rather than wearing a Creature Shop costume since i...

Peter Robbins is a British puppeteer and performer who worked on only 2 Muppet films, The Muppet Christmas Carol (operating a chicken) and Muppet Treasure Island (Old Joe puppeteer). He was also an additional performer on the Frank Oz musical film Little Shop of Horrors. Outside, Peter is famous in the UK for his annual performances in Christmas pantomimes as the Ugly Sisters alongside actor Nigel Ellacott. It is a shame Robbins never did other UK Muppet projects, for he could become another one of the Muppet performers. He should also have a self portrait online so that people will know what he looks like and not confuse him with anyone else with the same name. The picture above shows him and Nigel Ellacott in their Ugly Sisters costumes. Peter Robbins seems to be more famous playing one of the Ugly Sisters for both have appeared in many forms of entertainment such as television. He might be the only puppeteer on this blog to cross-dress as a woman. There doesn't seem to be a lot ...

Marijke Boon is a Dutch puppeteer and cabaret performer who played Troel in Season 2 of Sesamstraat, the Dutch co-production of Sesame Street. It's a pity the character was dropped after one season, then she could have stayed and done more characters for the future seasons. Marijke has not done puppetry since her character was dropped, instead she currently serves as a Dutch cabaret performer. Boon is also a musician for there have been pictures of her playing he accordion. Some other Dutch puppeteers she worked with during that year include Stef van der Linden, Bert Plagman, and Theo Joling, the latter two as Pino. Marijke Boon probably forgotten all about that show, and I think the other people forgot about her working on the show too. She's not the only puppeteer to also be a cabaret performer, others include Phillip Huber, Laura Bacon, and Michelan Sisti. However she is the only cabaret performer to formerly be a puppeteer, at least I think she is. If only Marijke kept on p...

Molly McCloskey is an actress and puppeteer who was best known for performing on Romper Room as herself (under Miss Molly). On that show she was also the puppeteer of Granny Cat, one of the puppets made by Kermit Love. Before Romper Room, Molly has also acted in two films, Dawn of the Dead and Knightriders, however she was uncredited for the former. McCloskey should be proud to have worked with many children from 1981 to 1987, exactly six years. I've read that over the years, she produced a few talk shows yet she never lost her interest in children since she did a kid's campaign once. The only other puppeteer she worked with was Bruce Edward Hall who did Up-Up and Kimble. An article was even written about Molly McCloskey and her life in and out of Romper Room. It's a pity she never met any other Muppet performers, though technically Kermit Love made the original Muppets, so that can count. She was last seen in a 2021 podcast called Hangin' with Langan and after that, no...

Ian Kay is a British stunt performer and suit performer who had served as the stunt coordinator for The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Before, he was a creature suit performer on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Ian has served as a stunt double for many films, most notably as the stunt double for Daniel Radcliffe in the later Harry Potter films and The F Word. Kay's other stunts include Hot Fuzz, Wonder Woman, Avengers: Age of Ulton, and Justice League, just to name a few. As for television, he did stunts for Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey. I've read on IMDb that before Ian Kay did stunts, he was a dancer in his youth, traveling the world with an all-male Swan Lake. No matter what happens though, he will always be famous for his stunt doubling work in the Harry Potter films. He's still performing & coordinating stunts for films today, including an upcoming Jungle Book: Origins movie. Ian is also still doing stunts for television too as seen in Cheaters and...

Tony Lymboura is a British puppeteer, animator, and visual effects artist who did several Muppet and Creature Shop projects taped in the UK. His first project was being one of the additional performers in The Muppets Christmas Carol (which was also his very first film job). Tony later did the Clodhopper in the middle when they appeared in the 1993 Royal Variety Performance, and also did Muppet Treasure Island and Muppets Most Wanted. Lymboura only did one Creature Shop project (as of now) which was 101 Dalmatians. His other puppetry credits include the film Dead Air and a series by Gerry Anderson called Firestom (the latter with Andrew Spooner and Lesa Gillespie). Besides puppetry, he also works as a freelance animator and visual effects artist with his own company, Moonlight Motion. Some of the visual effects work of Tony Lymboura include The Wrong Door, many BBC projects, and previously developed games for Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and Xbox. Some of the Muppet performers he worked wi...