James Wojtal

James Wojtal is a puppet designer, builder, and performer who has worked within the Henson Company from 1998-2002 and then returning in 2016. His projects included Bear in the Big Blue House, Animal Jam, Mopatop's Shop, and international co-productions of Sesame Street. Outside, James has designed, built, and performed puppets on various productions over the years for both screen and stage. Wojtal did Avenue Q, ImaginOcean, and Wicked for stage while TV credits include Crank Yankers, Saturday Night Live, CollegeHumor skits, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Other puppet designers & builders he has worked with include Paul Hartis, Rollie Krewson, Ed Christie, Heather Asch, and more. What in the world could have made him want to leave Henson for a while after 2002? Since 2016, James Wojtal has returned to the Henson Company and has been in the workshop for projects such as The Happytime Murders, Sesame Street (since 2018), and Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock (Season 1). I wonder how he felt when taking a hiatus from the Henson Company for a while before returning, because it must have felt like a reunion. He's probably going to continue designing and building puppets at Henson Company and who knows, maybe he'll be asked to puppeteer on a future project. James probably felt important in his early years when he built new Muppet characters and refurbished older ones. Maybe Wojtal got his inspiration to do outside projects from working with the Henson Company in the past, and maybe after all those years between 2002 and 2016 made him miss it. You never know when former Muppet crew members will miss their times with the Henson Company whether making or performing puppets. Let's hope he'll be a role model for designers. James Wojtal, you've done so well on Henson Company stuff in the past and now you're even better since your comeback. Keep on working for Sesame Street and other projects because no one can ever replace you. And maybe share your outside adventures to your many friends. Welcome back to the Muppet world James. Clever puppet creations they are Wojtal!

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