![]() ![]() It was there that he was able to learn from some of the best. “To be in the room with big bird as he is filming something and he pops out of the suit and he’s like ‘Hey Brad thanks so much for coming and we really appreciate you and at some point we’ll go grab lunch.’ I’m just like I can’t believe I’m now in this situation,” Freeman said.įreeman said back in 2018 he was one of 30 out of hundreds around the world selected to attend a three-day workshop for Sesame Street. Originally from Brownsville, Freeman said landing this role is a dream come true. He fell in love with puppeteering when he was a child and by ten years old he knew it’s what he wanted to do. The puppeteer behind Wes is 22-year-old University of Texas at San Antonio graduate Bradley Freeman. They have a heartfelt conversation explaining that even though Elmo is red and Wes is brown - similar to the falling leaves - side by side they look beautiful and are strong together. Wes explains it’s because of the amount of Melanin he has in his skin. In a video made by the nonprofit explaining race, Elmo meets up with Wes and his dad at a park on a Fall day, where different color leaves are falling.Įlmo walks up to Wes and asks why Wesley’s skin is brown. Frank Oz, unlike the others on this list, is also a famous puppeteer of the 21st century.SAN ANTONIO – Five-year-old Wesley is a black muppet on “ Sesame Workshop”, the nonprofit behind “ Sesame Street” and was created along with his father Elijah to talk about race and racism along with the other favorite Sesame Street characters. He later operated the puppet character Yoda in three Star Wars movies, and provided Yoda’s voice in the two movies that used CGI animation. Oz operated and voiced the characters of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Grover, Cookie Monster, and Bert. His partnership with Henson lasted until Henson’s death. As a child, he performed with his parents and siblings as part of the Oznowicz Family Marionettes troupe. Oz learned the art of puppetry from his parents, who were both professional puppeteers (and also fought the Nazis with the Dutch Brigades). Henson hired puppeteer Frank Oz in 1963 when his wife retired to raise their children. The Muppets appeared on quite a few variety shows. The Muppet Rowlf the dog became a regular on The Jimmy Dean Show. Kermit and other puppets that Henson called “Muppets” were introduced nationwide in commercial ads for Watkins Coffee and other clients. ![]() Henson’s first TV show, Sam and Friends, introduced the puppet Kermit, who would become Henson’s alter ego and main sidekick for the rest of his life. Señor WencesĪll the previous puppeteers had an influence on the man who became the most beloved puppeteer of them all: Jim Henson. Lewis died in 1998, and her daughter Mallory now performs with Lamb Chop. The show ran until 1963, after which Lewis kept a full schedule appearing in both British and American TV shows and performing live, as an actress, puppeteer, and musician. Other puppets on the series included Hush Puppy, Charlie Horse, and Wing Ding, although none were more popular than Lamb Chop. She and her puppet Lamb Chop appeared on The Captain Kangaroo Show in 1956, and she got her own network series in 1960, The Shari Lewis Show. Lewis hit the big time when she won first prize on the TV show Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts in 1952. She danced, played piano and violin, performed magic tricks, juggled, and studied ventriloquism. Lewis was born Phyllis Hurwitz and grew up practicing skills as an all-around entertainer. The children she performed for often had no idea that she was the one speaking for the puppet Lamb Chop. Shari Lewis was an accomplished ventriloquist who was so good at what she did that she is remembered more as a puppeteer. ![]()
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