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Seagren (right) assisting Jim Henson and Frank Oz with early versions of Ernie and Bert.
Seagren (right) and Henson as Christmas reindeer on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Seagren on The Electric Company as the first live-action Spider-Man.
Daniel Seagren (b. ca. 1944) is a puppeteer and trained dancer who worked for Jim Henson from 1968 into the early 1970s. Seagren performed background characters in The Frog Prince, The Great Santa Claus Switch (playing Cigar Box Frackle, the proto-Gonzo), and The Muppet Musicians of Bremen.
Seagren first worked with Henson in 1968, performing reindeer in The Ed Sullivan Show rendition of the Christmas "Reindeer Bit." Other appearances on Ed Sullivan would include performing Big Bird in a dance number with birdwatchers. Seagren also filled in as Big Bird on Sesame Street for Episode 0083 and 0086 when Caroll Spinney was sick, toured as Big Bird with the human cast around America to promote the second season, and stood in as Big Bird in cast photos.
Seagren later performed the pantomime role of Spider-Man on the Children's Television Workshop series The Electric Company. This was the first live-action depiction of the Marvel Comics character.
Later credits would include working as both a puppet designer/builder and puppeteer for The Adventures of Slim Goodbody in Nutri-City (with Alice Tweedie), initially made for Captain Kangaroo, as well as doing the same double-duty on Miss Peach of the Kelly School (with Eren Ozker, Olga Felgemacher, Bob Stutt, and Dan Redican), a series of Canadian specials adapting the Mell Lazarus comic strip Miss Peach. He also designed and constructed Kino, the lead puppet on the PBS series Storytime.
Performer Credits[]
- Sesame Street Pitch Reel
- The Tonight Show (September 26, 1969)
- Sesame Street: Big Bird (episodes 0083 and 0086), Billy in "Here and There" sketch, Harold Happy (puppetry only), assisting and minor roles in Season 1
- The Ed Sullivan Show: Dancer, Big Bird
- The Muppets Make Puppets
- The Great Santa Claus Switch: Skippity, Snarl
- The Frog Prince
- The Muppet Musicians of Bremen
