Are the Muppets still considered the pinnacle in the puppeteer community?
Certainly, for this form of puppetry, yes. They’re the ones who established the form; everyone else has been doing work that is somehow derivative from it. Any show on television that has puppets on it today in that style owes a deep debt to the Hensons and all the great work that they’ve done. I was so proud of all the work I’d done on these other shows as well, but it’s Sesame Street for God’s sake. So, yes, it was definitely, “I’ve arrived, it’s a dream come true. Woo, I made it!” Have you ever felt guilty about Avenue Q’s bawdy spoofing of Sesame Street? Not for a split second! When you work in children’s television, you have to be so careful all the time about the material that you’re presenting. But there’s got to be a pressure release. There’s got to be a valve when the cameras stop rolling where the characters get to vent some very not-so-child-friendly feelings. There’s always been that sense of humor that’s part and parcel with doing this kind of thing—anyone who works with k
