How Henson Puppeteers Bring Puppets to Life
Trailer
Synopsis
Published on Adam Savage's Tested YouTube channel in March 2023, this behind-the-scenes video takes Savage inside Jim Henson's Creature Shop in Burbank, where veteran puppeteers John Tartaglia and Donna Kimball demonstrate how they bring Muppet-style hand puppets to life using Fraggle Rock characters Gobo and Mokey. The pair walk through keeping a steady eye line with a monitor, positioning for the camera, and the muscle memory built up over years of performance, filmed while the studio was working on Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock.
Context & Trivia
Filmed at Jim Henson's Creature Shop, the video breaks down the core techniques of Muppet-style hand-and-rod puppetry: watching a monitor instead of the puppet itself to judge eye lines, positioning the puppeteer's body for camera angles, and the physical muscle memory required to sustain a character's performance, demonstrated live with the Fraggle Rock puppets Gobo and Mokey.
Puppet appearances
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Puppeteers
John Tartaglia, Donna Kimball
Puppet companies
Jim Henson's Creature Shop
Cast
Adam Savage, John Tartaglia, Donna Kimball
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