O/T Embarrassing Question RE: Muppets

Happy Elizabeth · ‎10-01-2012

Are they hand puppets? So, there are people crouching underneath the table? Are the people that do the voices the same people that are crouching beneath the table. I ask because I didn't know if after all these years they've made them more robotic. No, I'm not drunk.

Caron122 · ‎03-09-2010

I believe they are hand puppets but I'm not sure if the same person is doing the voice also or if it's someone else.

HappyDaze · ‎06-13-2012

I know they use to be manipulated beneath the table/counter but I am not sure about today's muppets. I saw a special about the muppets before and they showed them working the puppets beneath them.

PalmTree11 · ‎12-30-2010

They look like hand puppets today, sometimes you can see the wire things that they use to make their hands move. Not sure about the voices though... I like that shrimp guy!

Bandwife23 · ‎03-13-2011

As others have said, I also think there are people underneath the tables controlling them. If you look closely(especially on Pepe) you can see wires coming out from his little arms. I'm thinking someone is underneath the table controlling his movements. Now, as far as the voice, I'm not sure but I would THINK it would be the same person doing the voice. That would make things a lot easier! DON'T WORRY! Its not an embarrassing question! A couple of weeks ago Shawn and Isaac Mizrahi had a LONG discussion on air about the muppets. She didn't know that the sesame street characters were/are muppets. So don't feel bad! Smile

HappyDaze · ‎06-13-2012

On 3/16/2014 PalmTree11 said:
They look like hand puppets today, sometimes you can see the wire things that they use to make their hands move. Not sure about the voices though... I like that shrimp guy!

they had wires back in the day too, and those wires connected to stick-like things that the puppeteer would manipulate under the table.

I LOVE the shrimp guy too, he makes me laugh!

Katluvr58 · ‎02-05-2014

It used to be Frank Oz doing Kermit and Miss Piggy's voices, not sure about this show though. I asked my BF (who claims to know everything) and he said they were puppets controlled from underneath. I thought they had sticks and wires. Good question to google though.

Since the concept for a Muppet must be approved by a workshop supervisor before it can be built, Muppets begin as sketches on paper. Once designed, Muppets work in different ways. The simplest type of Muppet is a hand-and-rod Muppet, such as Grover from "Sesame Street." The Muppeteer uses his right hand to control Grover's head and his left hand to control rods that are attached to Grover's hands. This is why most Muppets are left-handed. Sometimes, the Muppeteer can control both of the Muppet's hands (for hugging or clapping, for instance), but at other times, an additional Muppeteer is needed to operate the right hand and legs.

A live-hand Muppet, like Ernie from "Sesame Street," requires two Muppeteers: One operates the left hand and head while the other controls the right hand -- the latter job is called "right handing." Some Muppets are operated completely by rods and cables (Slimey the Worm is so small that he's controlled by just one rod), while others are operated by remote control. Larger Muppets are actually full-body costumes worn by Muppeteers.

To allow them to move easily, recent Muppets have been made from a light, flexible, durable material called reticulated polyfoam. The Muppet's body parts may be carved from a block of this foam, or layers of foam may be glued together with contact cement. The Muppet's "skin" material is tailor-made for each Muppet, and it's pinned, glued and stitched to the foam. Usually, the skin is made of antron fleece (or "Muppet fleece"), fake fur, feathers or flocking. Special attention is given to choosing the type of material and color of the Muppet, since these attributes determine the Muppet's character. It's important that the seams on the Muppets don't show, because Muppets are often filmed at close range. A special "Henson stitch," which was invented by designer and builder Don Sahlin, is designed to stay hidden.

luvmyteddy4 · ‎09-04-2010

I always wondered too. When they were on The Talk I noticed they covered the bottom half of the table. I thought that Miss Piggy was probably a man but never knew for sure.