Alternate Puppetry Techniques

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A performer dressed in black velvet on Labyrinth

The Fireys come alive through the use of alternate puppetry techniques

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

Richard Hunt acts "nutty" with squirrels for a scene in Emmet Otter

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 like – 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 ^[1]

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.

This style of puppetry is based on "Bunraku," which is a type of puppetry founded in Osaka, Japan in 1684. 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, and this typically only requires one performer for the puppet characters. This style of puppetry is called 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.

Multiple Performers Operating a Single Character

Below is a list of instances where multiple performers are used to operate a single character in Henson/Muppet Productions:

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

Talent Show:

Yancey Woodchuck sings "Bar-B-Que"

The Muppet Movie

Kermit and Fozzie dance at the El Sleezo Cafe.

Fraggle Rock

Episode 109: The Lost Treasure of the Fraggles: Gobo and Red cross a ledge during their journey to find the treasure.
Episode 210: A Friend in Need: Certain shots of Gobo on the Ultimate Slide.
Episode 206: Boober's Dream: Boober floats in his dream.
Episode 304: The Grapes of Generosity: Gobo becomes weightless.
Episode 402: Wembley's Wonderful Whoopie Water: Wembley on top of a geyser.
Episode 506: Beyond the Pond: Gobo and Red swimming underwater.

Labyrinth

The Fireys sing "Chilly Down"

The Jim Henson Hour

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Jacob and Robert Marley
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim walk down the street singing.

Muppet Treasure Island

Bad Polly swings in to attack Samuel Arrow.
Captain Abraham Smollett in certain shots of his fight with Long John Silver.

Muppets Tonight!

Episode 109: "Once in a Lifetime"
Episode 204: The Dancing Grandmas
Episode 206: Pigs in Space: Deep Dish Nine: Gravity, "Opposites Attract"
Episode 207: Kermit the Frog walks to Gilbert Gottfried's house.

The Adventures of Pinocchio

The Creature Shop provided effects. Several shots of Pinocchio.

Muppets from Space

Gonzo flies through space and meets the Cosmic Fish.

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland

Elmo wakes up and runs around the room frantically.
Elmo parachutes with his blanket.
Telly Monster's rollerblading sequence (including Elmo running after his blanket).
Super Grover flying.
Elmo falling down Oscar's trash can, then falling toward Grouchland.
Elmo dances to "Take the First Step".
The Humongous Chicken.