Puppeteer

This article is about the person who controls a puppet. For puppet master, see Puppet Master. For other uses, see Puppeteer (disambiguation).

Puppeteer with hand puppets.

A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, called a puppet, to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or her own hands placed inside the puppet or holding it externally or any other part of the body- such as the legs. Some puppet styles require two or more puppeteers to work together to create a single puppet character.

The puppeteer's role is to manipulate the physical object in such a manner that the audience believes the object is imbued with life. In some instances, the persona of the puppeteer is also an important feature, as with ventriloquist's dummy performers, in which the puppeteer and the human figure-styled puppet appear onstage together, and in theatre shows like Avenue Q.

The puppeteer might speak in the role of the puppet's character, synchronising the movements of the puppet's mouth. However, there is much puppetry which does not use the moving mouth (which is a lip-sync innovation created originally for television where close-ups are popular). Often, in theatre, a moveable mouth is used only for gestural expression, or speech might be produced by a non-moving mouth. In traditional glove puppetry often one puppeteer will operate two puppets at a time out of a cast of several. Much work is produced without any speech at all with all the emphasis on movement.

In a shadow play only the shadows of the puppet are seen on a screen positioned between the puppets and the audience.

The relationship between the puppeteer and the puppet-maker is similar to that between an actor and a playwright, in cases where a puppet-maker designs a puppet for a puppeteer. Very often, though, the puppeteer assumes the joint roles of puppet-maker, director, designer, writer and performer. In this case a puppeteer is a more complete theatre practitioner than is the case with other theatre forms, in which one person writes a play, another person directs it, and then actors perform the lines and gestures.

Puppetry is a complex medium sometimes consisting of live performance, sometimes contributing to stop frame puppet animation, and film where performances might be technically processed as motion capture, CGI or as virtual puppetry.

List of individuals

A puppeteer in old town Jakarta

• Brad Abrell - puppeteer and voice actor who performed in Men in Black and on Muppets Tonight
• Anton Aicher - founder of the Salzburg Marionette Theatre
• Gretl Aicher - artistic director of the Salzburg Marionette Theatre
• Cosmo Allegretti - Captain Kangaroo's Mr. Moose and Mr. Bunny Rabbit
• Terry Angus - Canadian puppeteer known for Fraggle Rock
• Cary Antebi - Sherlock the Squirrel in The Magic Garden
• Pam Arciero - Grundgetta from Sesame Street (1984–present), also known for The Great Space Coaster, Between the Lions, Allegra's Window and Eureeka's Castle.
• Anthony Asbury - Lionel from Between the Lions, The Grinch, Terrence McBird, Thidwick the Moose, and Yertle the Turtle from The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Audrey II understudy puppeteer for Little Shop of Horrors, also puppeteered on Labyrinth and Allegra's Window
• Heather Asch - puppeteer and puppet builder known for Sesame Street, Johnny and the Sprites, and Between the Lions
• Audrey Atterbury - puppeteer on Andy Pandy, the Flower Pot Men and The Woodentops, among others
• Don Austen - English puppeteer who worked on Labyrinth and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
• Grant Baciocco - frequent puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company and Mystery Science Theater 3000
• Bil Baird - American puppeteer of the mid- and late 20th century.
• Bob Baker - 400 movies, first puppeteer on TV – Los Angeles KHJ in 1939.
• Frank Ballard - American puppeteer and professor at the University of Connecticut.
• Greg Ballora - Emmett from The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth, Baloney from The Mr. Potato Head Show.
• David Barclay - lead puppeteer of Jabba the Hutt from Return of the Jedi. Also known for Jim Henson's Creature Shop and the Muppets.
• Jennifer Barnhart - Cleo Lion from Between the Lions, Mama Bear from Sesame Street, Bad Idea Bear and Mrs. Thistletwat from Avenue Q, replaced Fran Brill as Zoe beginning in 2015.
• Phil Baron - puppeteer best known for being the voice of Teddy Ruxpin
• Bill Barretta - Pepe the King Prawn, Bobo the Bear, and Johnny Fiama from Muppets Tonight, Rowlf the Dog, The Swedish Chef (since 1996), Dr. Teeth (since 2005), and Phil Phillips.
• Marjorie Batchelder McPharlin (1903–1997) - American puppeteer and authority on the puppet theater.
• Trace Beaulieu - Mystery Science Theater 3000's Crow T. Robot
• Marek Bečka - founder of Buchty a Loutky ("Cakes and Puppets") and lecturer in puppetry, Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
• Edgar Bergen (1903–1978) - Best known as a ventriloquist and for the character Charlie McCarthy
• Ron Binion - puppeteered on Crank Yankers, The Book of Pooh, and LazyTown
• Tim Blaney - Frank the Pug from Men in Black . Also known for the Muppets .
• Cheryl Blaylock - Mona Monster from Sesame Street, Eureeka from Eureeka's Castle, Bubbles Gum from The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth, also puppeteered on Oobi, Blue's Room, and Between the Lions.
• Camille Bonora - Muppet performer and voiceover actress
• Richard Bradshaw OAM - one time director of the Marionette Theatre of Australia, and master shadow puppeteer
• Fran Brill - Zoe, Prairie Dawn, Little Bird, Roxie Marie from Sesame Street.
• The Chiodo Brothers - Stephen Chiodo, Edward Chiodo, and Charles Chiodo have used their company Chiodo Bros. Productions Inc. to create puppets for specific films which they also performed in. They are also known for performing the puppet for Dr. Colosso from The Thundermans .
• Forman Brown (1901–1996) - puppeteer and gay novelist. He was a member of the Yale Puppeteers and the driving force behind Turnabout Theatre .
• Warrick Brownlow-Pike - Dodge T. Dog, Oucho T. Cactus, Gonger from Sesame Street
• Lisa Buckley - Ms. Fluffé from Dog City, also puppeteered on Sesame Street, Between the Lions, Blue's Room, and assisted on the title character on ALF. She built Noodle McNoodle from Noodle and Doodle.
• Julianne Buescher - Potato Bug from The Mr. Potato Head Show.
• Sarah Burgess - Phoebe Furchester-Fuzz in The Furchester Hotel
• Ronnie Burkett - Canadian puppeteer, creator of Street of Blood, Tinka's New Dress, Happy (Memory Dress Trilogy), Provenance, 10 Days on Earth, among others)
• Tyler Bunch - longtime puppeteer for PBS and The Jim Henson Company.
• Lou Bunin - 20th-century puppeteer, artist, and pioneer of stop-motion animation
• Kevin Carlson - Mr. Potato Head from The Mr. Potato Head Show and Warehouse Mouse from Imagination Movers. Carlson helped Dina Fraboni and James Murray to create The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth where he performed the title character. Also known for the Muppets .
• Leslie Carrara-Rudolph - Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street, also performed on Johnny and the Sprites, The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss and Muppets Tonight.
• Dave Chapman - Dougie Colon from That Puppet Game Show, Otis the Aardvark , Scratch from Nuzzle and Scratch.
• Ed Christie - puppeteer and puppet builder known for Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, also worked on Fraggle Rock, Bear in the Big Blue House, and the first six Muppet movies.
• Brian Clark - puppeteer for Henson Alternative
• Marcus Clarke - UK puppeteer known for projects with the Jim Henson Company
• Kevin Clash - Elmo from Sesame Street, Clifford from The Jim Henson Hour and Muppets Tonight, Baby Sinclair from Dinosaurs
• John Conway - Canadian puppeteer and pioneer of English Canadian television, performed his puppets, Uncle Chichimus and Hollyhock, on the CBC 's inaugural broadcast.
• Richard Coombs - British puppeteer known for the Muppets and Spitting Image
• Frankie Cordero - "Rudy" from Sesame Street, replaced Steve Whitmire as Wembley Fraggle in 2020
• Lola Cueto - María Dolores Velázquez Rivas, better known as "Lola" Cueto (1897–1978) Mexican painter, printmaker, puppet designer and puppeteer.
• Mireya Cueto - (born 1922) Mexican puppeteer, writer and dramaturg. Cofounder of the national marionette museum Museo Nacional de Títeres (MUNATI)
• Yoni Chen - (1953–1995) Israeli actor, dubber and original performer of Batz the Turtle from Parpar Nechmad.
• Stephanie D'Abruzzo - Curly Bear from Sesame Street, Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut from Avenue Q, replaced Fran Brill as Prairie Dawn beginning in 2015
• Dorien Davies - frequent puppeteer for Henson Alternative, performed "Sandra" in The Happytime Murders
• Ryan Dillon - replaced Kevin Clash as Elmo beginning in 2013
• Alice Dinnean - writer and puppeteer for The Jim Henson Company and Sesame Street
• Ronnie Le Drew - British TV and Film Puppeteer
• Jeff Dunham - Peanut, Walter, Melvin the Superhero Guy, Jose Jalapeño on a Stick, Bubba J, Sweet Daddy Dee, Achmed the Dead Terrorist
• Michael Earl (1959–2015) - Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street (1978–1980)
• John Eccleston - lead puppeteer on Farscape, Yves St. La Roache from Jim Henson's Animal Show
• Mollie Falkenstein - founder of United States' chapter of Union Internationale de la Marionnette - International Puppetry Association) (UNIMA)
• Terry Fator (born 1965) - American ventriloquist, impressionist, comedian, and singer
• Phil Fletcher - Hacker T. Dog
• Wayland Flowers - Madame
• Paul Fusco - creator of ALF
• Christine Glanville - One of Gerry Anderson 's lead puppet operators
• Dave Goelz - Gonzo the Great, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Beauregard, Waldorf (since 1992) from The Muppet Show. Boober Fraggle and Uncle Travelling Matt from Fraggle Rock.
• Louise Gold - Fughetta Faffner from The Ghost of Faffner Hall, Bunnie Bear and Rhonda Rat from Jim Henson's Animal Show, Annie Sue from The Muppet Show.
• Stacey Gordon - "Julia" on Sesame Street
• David Greenaway - England-based puppeteer for Jim Henson's Creature Shop
• BJ Guyer - principal puppeteer on Crank Yankers. Also known for the Muppets and The Book of Pooh.
• Terri Hardin - puppeteer known for Dinosaurs and The Puzzle Place
• Sue Hastings (1884–1977) - American Puppeteer and puppet creator
• Christopher Thomas Hayes - actor and puppeteer who has performed on Sesame Street
• Andy Heath - British puppeteer known for his work on the BBC and the Jim Henson Company.
• Brian Henson - The Storyteller's Dog from The Storyteller, Sal Minella from Muppets Tonight, lead puppeteer and voice of Hoggle from Labyrinth. He is the son of Jim and Jane Henson and the brother of John Henson, Lisa Henson, Cheryl Henson, and Heather Henson.
• Heather Henson - youngest daughter of Jim Henson and Jane Henson . Owner of IBEX Puppetry and Handmade Puppet Dreams .
• Jane Henson (1934–2013) - was the wife (later widow ) of Jim Henson where she helped out in some of his early projects.
• Jim Henson (1936–1990) - Kermit the Frog, Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, Link Hogthrob, Waldorf, The Swedish Chef, and several others from The Muppets. Ernie, Guy Smiley, and several others from Sesame Street. Convincing John and Cantus the Minstrel from Fraggle Rock. Jim Henson is one of the best known of modern recent puppeteers who with his associates Jerry Juhl and Frank Oz developed The Muppets for television. Jim Henson's work has entertained children for decades on television series such as Sesame Street and the adult oriented The Muppet Show.
• John Henson (1965–2014) - was trained by Richard Hunt to perform Sweetums. He is the son of Jim and Jane Henson and the brother of Brian Henson, Lisa Henson, Cheryl Henson, and Heather Henson.
• Phillip Huber - puppeteer on Being John Malkovich
• Richard Hunt (1951–1992) - performed Scooter, Janice, Beaker, Sweetums, Statler, and several others from The Muppets. Also performed Placido Flamingo, Gladys the Cow, Sully, Don Music, Forgetful Jones, the Two-Headed Monster, and several others from Sesame Street , as well as Junior Gorg and others from Fraggle Rock.
• Max Jacob - founder of the Hohnsteiner Kasper Theatre in Germany in the 1920s.
• Eric Jacobson - Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam the Eagle, from The Muppets, replacing Frank Oz beginning in 2001. Also replaced Oz in the roles of Sesame Street's Bert and Grover beginning in 1998 (However, Oz still occasionally returned to Sesame Street to perform these characters (and Cookie Monster) through 2012). The understudy for Oscar the Grouch since 2015 and full-time since Caroll Spinney's retirement in 2018.
• Haley Jenkins - Karli and additional Muppets on Sesame Street; Donkey Hodie on Donkey Hodie
• Avery Lee Jones - Slappy the Dummy in Goosebumps
• Brian Michael Jones - actor and puppeteer known for Puppet Up
• Helen Haiman Joseph (1888 – 1978) - known as the "grandmother of American puppetry", master of marionette puppets and author of several books on puppetry.
• Jerry Juhl (1938–2005) - worked as a puppeteer during the early parts of Jim Henson's career with his Muppets. Jerry later became a writer for The Muppet Show.
• Alex Kahn - giant puppet creator for New York's Village Halloween Parade
• Vicki Kenderes-Eibner - Ojo, Grandma Flutter, Annette, Lois, Etta Otter, Mama Duck, Tally Otter, Henrietta VanDerPreen, Keisha, and Baby Blotter on Bear in the Big Blue House
• John Kennedy - Occasionally performed Dr. Teeth of The Muppets from 1991 to 2003. Also briefly performed the Muppet Animal from 2002 to 2003, and Floyd from 2005 to 2006. Performed Kermit the Frog for most of the Disney Cruise Line's Muppets Ahoy!, in the absence of Steve Whitmire. Also performed on The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Sesame Street, Kermit's Swamp Years, and Dinosaurs
• Nina Keogh - Canadian puppeteer best known for playing the role of Muffy Mouse on the children's TV series Today's Special
• Donna Kimball - replaced Kathryn Mullen as Mokey Fraggle beginning in 2016; frequent puppeteer for The Jim Henson Company
• William Kincaid and Doug Kincaid - creators of TV's "DB. Doorbell", "Grouchie Gator", and other "Kincaid Karacter" Puppets
• Mary Robinette Kowal - award-winning American author, puppeteer and cast member of Writing Excuses podcast. Worked on children's program LazyTown for two seasons.
• Rollie Krewson - helped to build some of the Muppets for The Muppet Show and other Muppet-based projects. Rollie has also occasionally performed some minor Muppet characters in some of Jim Henson's projects.
• Sid and Marty Krofft - worked separately (Sid touring with Ringling Brothers Circus and Judy Garland , while Marty used Sid's older puppets to earn money) before forming a partnership in the late 1950s. They created such series as H.R. Pufnstuf, The Bugaloos, Lidsville, and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters to name a few.
• Caroline Astell-Burt - Started as Yorkshire's Punch and Judy Lady, has become known for her work in the art of Puppetry in Education and Therapy. She and Ronnie Le Drew started the first professional training for puppeteers in 1987 which became the London School of Puppetry.
• James Kroupa - Nicky Napoleon from Jim Henson's Little Muppet Monsters, Batly from Eureeka's Castle, also puppeteered on Bear in the Big Blue House and Gullah Gullah Island
• Erik Kuska - animator, writer, and puppeteer. Has worked on Mystery Science Theater 3000 and The Pee-wee Herman Stage Show: The Return.
• Roberto La Morticella and John Connell - made giant street theater puppets during the Summer of Love
• Tim Lagasse - Crash from Crash & Bernstein, the title character from Oobi, also puppeteered on Sesame Street, Johnny and the Sprites, and Between the Lions
• Scott Land - the lead puppeteer in Team America: World Police, The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
• Bruce Lanoil - notable works include The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss and The Muppets
• Ronnie Le Drew - stage and television puppeteer from Canada, works in the U.K.
• Ralph Lee - theatrical event creator, often utilizing giant puppets and masks.
• Libby Letlow - theatrical puppetry teacher and coach/performer for DOMA Theatre Company's Avenue Q show. Puppeteered in Big Little Lies.
• Shari Lewis - Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse, Hush Puppy, Wing Ding, and others.
• Peter Linz - Theo Lion from Between the Lions, Tutter from Bear in the Big Blue House, Ernie and Herry Monster from Sesame Street (both since 2017), Robin the Frog, Walter, Link Hogthrob, Statler, and Lips from The Muppets (all except Walter since 2017)
• Spencer Lott - Samuel and additional Muppets on Sesame Street, lead puppeteer and puppet creator in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
• Kermit Love (1916–2008) - American puppeteer, costume designer, and actor noted for work with The Muppets .
• John Lovelady - known for The Muppet Show and The Great Space Coaster
• Darci Lynne - American ventriloquist and singer.
• Rick Lyon - created the puppets for the Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q and starred in the original Broadway cast as Trekkie Monster and Nicky. Also puppeteered on The Muppets, Men in Black, Sesame Street and Bear in the Big Blue House
• Noel MacNeal - Bear from Bear in the Big Blue House, also known for The Puzzle Place, Eureeka's Castle, and Sesame Street.
• Jim Martin - Gary Gnu and M.T. Promises from The Great Space Coaster, also known for Sesame Street and The Puzzle Place.
• Drew Massey - Men in Black and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, also known for the Muppets and projects with the Jim Henson Company.
• Joey Mazzarino - Murray Monster, Colambo, and Papa Bear from Sesame Street.
• Paul McGinnis - worked on Sesame Street and The Muppets
• Paul McPharlin - Detroit puppeteer and innovate theatre puppet maker Paul McPharlin Collection at the Detroit Institute of Art
• Frank Meschkuleit - Canadian puppeteer and voice actor known for Fraggle Rock, and the voice of "Toopy" on Toopy and Binoo.
• Ted Michaels - puppeteer for The Jim Henson Company
• Dan Milano - Greg the Bunny
• Rob Mills - puppeteer on such shows as Fraggle Rock and The Big Comfy Couch, the title character on Ruffus the Dog
• Basil Milovsoroff - in 1983, he received the President's Award of the Puppeteers of America.
• Brian Muehl - performed various characters on Sesame Street throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including Barkley (1978–1984), Bushman Bill, Clementine (1979–1984), Telly Monster (1979–1984), Elmo (1979–1984), Dr. Nobel Price (1979–1984), and Grundgetta (1980–1984). Also known for The Muppet Show, The Dark Crystal and Eureeka's Castle
• Kathryn Mullen - Mokey Fraggle from Fraggle Rock , also known for The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, The Dark Crystal, The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Allegra's Window, and Between the Lions.
• Kevin Murphy - Mystery Science Theater 3000's Tom Servo.
• James Murray - helped Kevin Carlson and Dina Fraboni to create The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth where he performed the Cavity Goon. James Murray has also performed Canny, Dr. Fruitcake, Johnny Rotten Apple, and Mr. Giblets from The Mr. Potato Head Show. Also known for the Muppets.
• Jerry Nelson (1934–2012) - Dr. Julius Strangepork, Floyd Pepper, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Camilla the Chicken, Robin the Frog, Thog , and Uncle Deadly from The Muppets. Count von Count, Herry Monster, and Biff from Sesame Street. Gobo Fraggle, Pa Gorg, and Marjory the Trash Heap from Fraggle Rock.
• Sergey Obraztsov - (1901–1992) - He was frequently cited as the father of artistic puppetry, was highly skilled in finger puppeteering, but also extended the range of the form by exposing the manipulation techniques involved.
• Carmen Osbahr - Rosita from Sesame Street, also puppeteered on The Puzzle Place and Johnny and the Sprites.
• Kids on the Block - Educational Puppet Troupe, Sindy DeBenedictis, London Ontario
• Frank Oz - Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Animal, Sam the Eagle, and many other Muppet characters until his retirement in 2002. Performed Bert, Grover, Cookie Monster, Lefty the Salesman, and Harvey Kneeslapper from Sesame Street until his retirement in 1998 to work on his film directing. However, Oz still occasionally returned to Sesame Street to perform his characters until 2012. Performed Yoda of Star Wars. Frank Oz helped Jim Henson develop the Muppets. Jim Henson and Frank Oz also frequently worked in film, including directing and puppeteer work in the 1982 film The Dark Crystal and the 1986 film Labyrinth. Frank Oz is also well known to have directed movies such as the musical Little Shop of Horrors, What About Bob?, The Muppets Take Manhattan, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and The Indian in the Cupboard.
• Eren Ozker - performed Janice, Hilda, Wanda, and others during the first season of The Muppet Show.
• A. R. Philpott, known as Pantopuck
• Bob Payne - Mirinda Craver in the Mirinda commercials. Payne was also the one who built some puppets for The Muppet Show and built the original Telly Monster puppet for Sesame Street (where he was also Telly's first performer).
• Frank Paris - creator of Howdy Doody, puppets modeled after Carmen Miranda and Sonja Henie. "Stars On Strings". NY Times Obituary.
• Faizan Peerzada - Pakistani artist, puppeteer, theater director.
• Nigel Plaskitt - Moosey Mouse from Mopatop's Shop, Hartley Hare from Pipkins.
• Count Franz Pocci - founding director of the Munich Marionette Theatre , shadow puppeteer and writer of countless puppet plays
• Karen Prell - Red Fraggle from Fraggle Rock, also known for Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and Jim Henson's Animal Show
• John Hopkins - founder and marionette builder for Le Theatre de Marionette
• Dadi Pudumjee - Indian puppeteer, founder of The Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust.
• Farooq Qaiser - Pakistani journalist, puppeteer, TV director. Famous for his puppet Uncle Sargam introduced in 1976 in children's television show Kaliyan .
• Mike Quinn - known for Nien Nunb in Star Wars, the Muppets, and The Dark Crystal
• Pietro Radillo - 19th-century Italian master of the marionette.
• Mark Rappaport - Lead puppeteer and Owner of Creature Effects, Inc.
• Dan Redican - performed Hegdish in Groundling Marsh.
• Mark Ritts (1946–2009) - performed Kino on Storytime
• Martin P. Robinson - Telly Monster and Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street, designed Audrey II for Little Shop of Horrors.
• Fred Rogers (1928–2003) - the puppets from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ("Neighborhood of Make-Believe" segments)
• Albrecht Roser - German master puppeteer based in Stuttgart, famous for his puppet Grandmother
• David Rudman - Baby Bear from Sesame Street. Replaced Frank Oz as Cookie Monster beginning in 2001. In 2008, he began performing Scooter and Janice and replaced both Richard Hunt and Steve Whitmire as Beaker in 2017. He also performed Miss Poogy of the Moopets in the 2011 film The Muppets.
• Paul Rugg - Puppet Up! and other Henson Alternative projects.
• Kobbo Santarrosa - puppeteer of La Comay , hostess of SuperXclusivo, the highest rated TV show in Puerto Rico
• Tony Sarg - German American Puppeteer and Illustrator
• Peter Schumann (b. 1934) - Peter has also been a highly influential puppeteer. Schumann formed Bread and Puppet Theatre in 1963, using puppetry as a form to campaign politically and educate socially as well as entertain. His work has also been formally experimental, and influenced a wide range of theatre practitioners including Julie Taymor .
• Bruce Schwartz - puppeteer, sculptor, and clown
• Peter Scriven - founding artistic director of the Marionette Theatre of Australia. His Tintookies and Little Fella Bindi toured all over Australasia.
• I Made Sidia - Balinese wayang puppeteer.
• Michelan Sisti - Known for Dinosaurs, Jim Henson's Creature Shop, and the Muppets
• Josef Skupa - (1892–1957) Czech puppeteer, created Spejbl and Hurvínek.
• Robert Smigel - Triumph the Insult Comic Dog
• Colleen Smith - performs in several projects from the Jim Henson Company
• Larry Smith - a Cincinnati-based puppeteer
• Van Snowden (1939–2010) - credits included the H.R. Pufnstuf, Chucky and Crypt Keeper characters. Former head of the puppeteer division of Hasbro and Tiger Electronics.
• Caroll Spinney (1933–2019) - Big Bird (1969–2018), Oscar the Grouch (1969–2018), Granny Bird (1969–2018), Bruno the Trashman (1979–1993), Sam the Robot (occasionally), and Lefty the Salesman (occasionally) from Sesame Street. Prior to working on Sesame Street, Caroll Spinney created the cat duo Picklepuss and Pop for the Boston broadcast of "Bozo's Big Top" back in 1967 where the two characters appeared in Muppet forms for the Play-Along Video titled "Wow, You're a Cartoonist".
• Bob Stutt - puppeteer on Fraggle Rock, Sesame Street Presents: Follow that Bird, and The Big Comfy Couch
• John Tartaglia - did some puppeteer work in Sesame Street, Avenue Q (where he performed Princeton and Rod), and Johnny and the Sprites, replaced the late Jerry Nelson as Gobo Fraggle beginning in 2013.
• Burr Tillstrom - creator of Kukla, Fran and Ollie
• William Todd-Jones - Welsh puppet designer and performer, known for Labyrinth and Mopatop's Shop
• Winston Tong - 1978 Obie Award winner for Puppetry
• Allan Trautman - actor, puppeteer and educator known for Dinosaurs, the Muppets, and Puppet Up!
• Miroslav Trejtnar - Czech master puppeteer and teacher of puppetry
• Jiří Trnka - master puppeteer and animator.
• Basil Twist - Broadway puppet master.
• Willie Tyler - Lester
• Matt Vogel - In 2008, he began performing Uncle Deadly, Floyd Pepper, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Camilla the Chicken, Robin the Frog (2008–2017) (all taken over from Jerry Nelson), Sweetums (who was previously performed by Richard Hunt and John Henson), and Kermit the Frog (who was previously performed by Jim Henson and Steve Whitmire). The understudy for Big Bird beginning in 1998 and full-time since Caroll Spinney's retirement in 2018. In 2013, he began performing Count von Count following the death of Jerry Nelson.
• Michael Vogel (German puppeteer) - Figurentheater Wilde & Vogel
• Eka Vogelnik - Slovene puppeteer and illustrator with numerous puppet performances for theatre and TV
• Russ Walko - puppeteer for The Jim Henson Company and Mystery Science Theater 3000
• Walton and O'Rourke - (Paul E. Walton and Michael O'Rourke) Cabaret puppeteers, founded the Olvera Street Puppet Theatre
• Julie Westwood - English puppeteer and voiceover artist
• Señor Wences - Johnny, Pedro, many others
• Steve Whitmire - performer of Muppet characters Rizzo the Rat (1980–2016), Bean Bunny, Lips (1980–2016), Kermit the Frog (1990–2016), Beaker (1992–2016), and Statler (2002–2016), as well as Sesame Street's Ernie (1993–2014).
• Mak Wilson - Farkus Faffner from The Ghost of Faffner Hall, Harvey P. Dull from The Furchester Hotel, face puppeteer for Earl Sinclair on Dinosaurs, the title character on Mopatop's Shop, also known for Jim Henson's Animal Show.
• Paul Winchell (1922–2005) - Jerry Mahoney and others. Also an inventor of artificial heart components.
• Brock Winkless (1959–2015) - lead puppeteer on Chucky
• Victor Yerrid - Squacky on Jim Henson's Pajanimals, also known for projects with the Jim Henson Company.
• Tamao Yoshida 吉田よしだ 玉たま男おとこ - (1919–2006) Japanese puppeteer.
• Bryant Young - provided the movement of the Mr. Snuffleupagus' rear end in Sesame Street since 1979.
• Noreen Young - (born 1952) Canadian producer and puppeteer, performed "Dodi" on Sesame Park
• Paul Zaloom - Beakman's World
• Nikolai Zykov - Soviet and Russian actor, director, artist, designer, puppet-maker, master puppeteer.
• Ramdas Padhye - Ventriloquist, Puppeteer and Puppet Maker from India whose name is synonmous with puppet characters like “Ardhavatrao”, "Tatya Vinchu" and “Bunny the Funny” which features in the Lijjat Papad Commercial

Notable individuals associated with the genre

• Sophie Taeuber-Arp (member of the Swiss Dada movement)
• Margaret Eleanor Atwood (Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist)
• Basil Twist (American theatre puppeteer)
• Richard Hunt (American actor, puppeteer and voice actor)
• Gustave Baumann (American printmaker and painter)
• Michael Ian Black (American actor)
• Bertolt Brecht (German poet, playwright, and theatre director)
• Peter Brook (British theatrical producer and director)
• Alexander Calder (American artist)
• Farooq Qaiser (Pakistani TV director, script writer and voice actor)
• Bob Clampett (American animator)
• Jean Cocteau (French writer and filmmaker)
• Edward Gordon Craig (English actor, director and scenic designer)
• William Addison Dwiggins (1880 - 1956) American type designer, calligrapher, and book designer
• Craig Ferguson (Scottish-American television host)
• Stan Freberg (American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, radio personality, puppeteer and advertising creative director)
• Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German artist, scientist and writer)
• Edward Gorey (American writer and illustrator)
• Henrik Ibsen (Norwegian playwright)
• Alfred Jarry (French writer)
• Lindsay Kemp (British Theatre and Film artist son of a Punch and Judy man)
• Paul Klee (Swiss German Painter)
• Meyer Levin (American novelist)
• Ted Milton (British poet, performer and musician)
• Chikamatsu Monzaemon (Japanese dramatist of bunraku and kabuki)
• Mike Nawrocki (American animator, director, co-founder of VeggieTales)
• Alwin Nikolais (American choreographer)
• Odetta (American folk, blues and jazz singer and musician)
• Esa Pakarinen Jr. (Finnish actor)
• Oskar Schlemmer (German Bauhaus artist)
• Pete Seeger (American folk singer)
• Brian Selznick (American author)
• Howard Stern (American radio host)
• Jon Stewart (American comedian)
• Julie Taymor (American film and theatrical director)
• Phil Vischer (American animator, director, author, co-founder of VeggieTales)
• Jaymes Mansfield (Mexican-American drag artist)
• John Waters (American film director

See also

• Adult puppeteering
• Dhalang
• Machinima creators call themselves puppeteer
• Puppet
• Puppetry
• UNIMA
• World Puppetry Day
• Kenya Institute of Puppet Theatre (KIPT)
• Sockpuppet (Internet)

External links

• Media related to Puppeteers at Wikimedia Commons
• The dictionary definition of puppeteer at Wiktionary
• Union Internationale de la Marionnette (UNIMA) - International organization of puppeteers and puppet enthusiasts
• Puppeteers of America - Non-profit producer of the Puppetry Journal and regional and national puppetry festivals
• Puppeteers UK - Directory and news on puppeteers and puppetry in the UK
• The Puppetry Homepage - Links to information on puppeteers and all styles of puppetry
• World Encyclopaedia of Puppetry Arts - Articles to preserve the world heritage of puppetry arts