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A performer dressed in black velvet, filming a scene for Labyrinth.

Puppeteers performing Walter from The Muppets.

Ieniemienie being puppeteered in front of green screen for a diving scene on Sesamstraat.

“Puppetry is a very wide field. It encompasses a lot of different ways of operating hand puppets and marionettes and rod-control figures and people in black. There are many, many different techniques and... I feel that we can use them all. We try to use a lot of them. I believe in using any technique that will work for, if we’re doing television, for the shot we’re doing, or for film. But I’m not a purist in terms of what puppetry is, or what it should or shouldn’t be.”

- Jim Henson

Jim Henson and the Muppets often merged elements of traditional puppet techniques and modified them for use in television and film. One example of this is the use of multiple performers dressed all in black operating a single character. On the documentary Inside the Labyrinth, Jim Henson makes note of this style of puppetry, saying that "velvet is probably the blackest fabric that you can use, so that's what they had to wear." If the lighting is just right, the performers dressed in black velvet become almost invisible when in front of a background of black velvet. Often times, this background is then replaced by superimposing another background over top of it. This allows a character to be seen from head-to-toe, and move about freely, without any puppeteers visible. Henson described this process in the same documentary, explaining, "We shot the puppets first with a computerized camera and then we removed the black velvet and shot the background, using the computer to make the camera move at exactly the same speed and so forth. Then all of these elements were put together later in the laboratory."

This style of puppetry is based on Bunraku, which is a type of puppetry founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1684. Traditionally, a Bunraku puppet is operated by three puppeteers. All three are dressed in black, but only one puppeteer shows his face during a performance. This is the performer who operates the puppet's head, a privilege which can take twenty to thirty years to earn.

In an interview with Jim Henson, it was suggested that Bunraku was an inspiration for the Muppets. Henson corrected the statement: "No, I don't think so. ... Bunraku is a marvelous and fascinating art form and puppetry form but, basically, I knew nothing about it until I had been working for a number of years myself."

A form of Czechoslovakian puppetry also involves performers that dress all in black. They perform in front of a black curtain with brilliantly colored puppets that are lit from the side and the top. This makes the puppeteer almost invisible from the audience. This style of puppetry is part of black light theater, and it has been used various times by the Muppets and The Jim Henson Company.

Both of these forms of puppetry have also been used against a blue or green screen. At times multiple performers are used to operate a single character. Other times, only a single performer is needed to achieve the desired effect.

Sesame Street

This form of puppetry is very frequently used on Sesame Street, especially during the show's Elmo's World segments. Dorothy imagines Elmo in various settings where Elmo's full body must be in view. In such instances, the puppet is referred to as "Active Elmo."

It has also been used in creating the Sesame Street openings since 1992, and for a time helped to create the "Journey to Ernie" segments. These techniques are used to help Bert dance when he's "Doin' the Pigeon," and brought Baby Tooth and the Funky Funk to life.

The opening theme for Sesame English

Kermit the Frog helps Professor Hastings discuss parts of the body.

Kermit tries to demonstrate what round is, with the help of a wisecracking ball.

Ernie wonders what it would be like if everyone was exaclty the same with an help from four balls.

Sammy the Snake

"Doin' the Pigeon"

Ernie swims...

... and dances on the moon for "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon."

"Disco Frog"

Grover walks down the street in "Monster in the Mirror."

"Happy Tappin' with Elmo"

"Pond Full of Fish"

Grover surfs, demonstrating near and far. (EKA: Episode 2859)

Baby Tooth and the Funky Funk

Elmo and Prairie Dawn are weightless as astronauts. (EKA: Episode 2939)

"In Your Imagination"

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Elmo hangs on to some balloons in the 1992 closing credit sequence.

Elmo stands on a street corner in "Hold My Hand."

Elmo and Zoe play "Zoe says".

"I Love Words"

Elmo plays "Elmo says" with the viewer. (EKA: Episode 4159)

"See the Signs"

From the song "D-Dance"

Active Elmo at work

Kevin Clash and his "Active Elmo" team take a break.

Zoe dancing in Episode 3916 and Zoe's Dance Moves.

Grover climbs a wall in the Super Grover 2.0 opening

Super Grover, Elmo, Rosita, and Abby dance in "What I Am"

Elmo and Abby in "Elmo's Got the Moves"

Various Muppets, including Elmo, dance in the 2009 closing credits sequence.

See Also: Elmo Variants

The Muppet Show

These techniques were used numerous times on The Muppet Show, such as when Gene Kelly taught Kermit how to dance and the "Friendship" number from episode 519. Certain characters on the show such as the Clodhoppers, the Gawky Birds, and the Bossmen are almost always performed against black velvet, enabling them to dance with that week's guest star. Brian Henson discussed the way they're operated in his introduction for episode 424.

On occasion, sketches on The Muppet Show which used “Bunraku” techniques did not always effectively hide the puppeteer. During the “Disco Frog” and “Octopus' Garden” numbers, performers briefly become visible on screen.

"The Danceros"

"In a Little Spanish Town" (Snerfs also combine rod and finger puppets)

"Pure Imagination"

"I'm Looking Through You"

Jerry Nelson and Louise Gold perform the Lautrec Sisters.

Richard Hunt performs Statler for "The Varsity Drag."

"Don't Fence Me In"

"Welcome to My Nightmare"

"Once a Year Day"

Dave Goelz performs in the "Octopus' Garden" number.

Look closely to the right of Kermit. See the puppeteer?

"Animal Crackers in My Soup"

"Take a Chance on Me"

"Little Brown Jug"

Chin puppets are combined with Bunraku techniques to create the Fuzz Brothers.

"Snowbird"

"Dancing on the Ceiling"

"Disco Frog"

"Rubber Band Man"

"Your Feet's Too Big"

Gene Kelly teaches Kermit how to tap dance.

"Falling Song"

The Jabberwock

"Puppet Man"

"Friendship"

Movies and Specials

For The Muppet Movie, an elaborate sequence using Bunraku-style puppetry was staged in which Kermit and Fozzie would dance their way out of a jam at the El Sleezo Cafe. The end result appears almost effortless.

In the documentary Inside the Labyrinth, Jim Henson explained the process involved in developing the wild antics of the Fireys: "When we first came up with these characters, we didn't really know how they would move. We had to put a series of puppeteers working with them just to figure out how they would move, what they were capable of. We tried manipulating them in different ways... We found each way of operating them would create different kinds of movement." At least three puppeteers were used on each of the Fireys to create their movements.

For the Creature Shop film The Adventures of Pinocchio, several different puppets were built to create the illusion of a puppet who had cast off his strings. One of these, considered one of the most difficult puppeteering tasks on the film, was a rod puppet based on Bunraku puppets. Up to five puppeteers would perform the character, oftentimes each puppeteer would be responsible for only one limb at a time. This version of the character was shot against a blue screen with the control rods all painted blue and the puppeteers dressed in blue body suits. Director Steve Barron spoke of the advantages of this puppet, explaining, "John Stephenson told me that we'd have to get the puppeteers as close to the body of the puppet as we could, and he was right. We had them six inches away from a leg or arm, and their performances were superb. But as we gave them longer rods or cables, then we lost all the subtlety."

Richard Hunt acts "nutty" with squirrels for a scene in Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas.

Yancy Woodchuck sings "Barbecue" in Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas.

Jerry Nelson and Richard Hunt perform George and Melissa Rabbit for Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas.

The finished product of a complicated dance sequence in The Muppet Movie

The Fireys come alive through the use of alternate puppetry techniques for the song "Chilly Down."

Jacob and Robert Marley in The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim walk down the street singing.

Filming a scene where the performer is hidden in black velvet for Muppet Treasure Island

Bunraku-style puppetry allows Bad Polly to swing into action...

... and lets Captain Smollett fight Long John Silver.

But sometimes a frog just has to look heroic.

Puppeteers rehearse for The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Gonzo floats through space with the Cosmic Knowledge Fish.

Elmo in Grouchland: Elmo wakes up and runs around frantically.

Elmo in Grouchland: Super Grover flies.

Elmo in Grouchland: Telly Monster rollerblades.

Elmo in Grouchland: Bert and Ernie watch as Elmo falls to Grouchland.

Elmo in Grouchland: Elmo dances to "Take the First Step."

Elmo in Grouchland: Humongous Chicken.

Performers goof around with the Goggles puppet while filming a scene for Kermit's Swamp Years.

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The Bossmen perform in "Cirque du So Lamé."

Baby Bear "fidgets" in Elmo's Potty Time.

The Cheshire Cookie Cat was filmed as a separate element and added to this scene in Abby in Wonderland. He was performed as a Bunraku-style puppet.

Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Rizzo, and Pepe fall to earth in Letters to Santa.

Walter runs across a counter top in The Muppets

Walter gets electrocuted in The Muppets

Gonzo and Camilla leap from a building in The Muppets

The Legacy Effects team creates "Muppet Man" for The Muppets

Miss Piggy walks away from Kermit on a street in Paris in The Muppets

Fozzie wearing "fart shoes" in The Muppets

Scooter sweeping the Muppet Theater in The Muppets

Gonzo rides on boxes in The Muppets

Statler & Waldorf in a Muppets Most Wanted commercial

Fraggle Rock

"The Lost Treasure of the Fraggles": Gobo and Red cross a ledge during their journey to find the treasure.

"A Friend in Need": Certain shots of Gobo on the Ultimate Slide.

"Boober's Dream": Wembley (and later Sidebottom, Gobo, Red, and Mokey) float.

"The Grapes of Generosity": Gobo becomes weightless.

"Wembley's Wonderful Whoopie Water": Wembley rides on a geyser.

"Wonder Mountain": Red walks across (and falls off of) the invisible bridge. Mokey then walks across the bridge.

"Beyond the Pond": Red swims.

"Beyond the Pond": Gobo swims.

The Jim Henson Hour

The Jim Henson Hour special The Song of the Cloud Forest marked the first time that the Henson Company shot an entire half hour show without a background. Instead, the set and all performers were hidden in black velvet. The velvet backdrop was then replaced, using computer technology, with a bright, colorful rain forest.

Karate Squid 3

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"Maneater"

Techniques discussed on this page are used in The Song of the Cloud Forest

Muppets Tonight

"Once in a Lifetime"

The Dancing Grandmas

"Opposites Attract" (Clifford, Bossmen, Clodhoppers)

Pigs in Space: Deep Dish Nine: Gravity

Episode 207: Kermit walks to meet his date.

Appearances and Commercials

Cloverland Dairy spot

"Octopus' Garden" as performed on The Ed Sullivan Show

Animal swims, dances, and surfs in the "Wipe Out" music video

Kermit flipper-printing for the Sony Center's "Berlin Walk of Fame" at Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, Germany, on December 7, 1999

Kermit at Radio City Music Hall as opening night reader for the Rockettes during his 50th Anniversary World Tour

Miss Piggy at the Hollywood Bowl

"These Bites Are Made for Poppin'" Pizza Hut commercial

Ready to Learn: Superman parody

Ready to Learn: Mission: Impossible parody

Red Fraggle dances in Ben Folds Five's music video "Do It Anyway"

See Also

• Remote-Controlled Muppets
• Full-Bodied Muppet
• Hand-Rod Muppet
• Henson Digital Performance System
• Henson Performance Control System
• Live-Hand Muppet
• Marionettes