Editing The Muppets (section)

==Design and performance==
From 1962 to 1978, [[Don Sahlin]] was the primary designer and builder of the Muppets and was described by Henson as “the man most responsible for the look of the Muppets.”<ref name="times-obit">{{cite web |title=Donald G. Sahlin, at 49; Made Muppets for TV For More Than 16 Years |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/02/22/archives/donald-g-sahlin-at-49-made-muppets-for-tv-for-more-than-16-years.html#:~:text=these%20archived%20versions.-,Donald%20G.,causes%2C%20possibly%20a%20heart%20attack. |access-date=1 July 2023 |website=[[The New York Times]] | date=February 22, 1978 |archive-date=April 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418003026/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/02/22/archives/donald-g-sahlin-at-49-made-muppets-for-tv-for-more-than-16-years.html#:~:text=these%20archived%20versions.-,Donald%20G.,causes%2C%20possibly%20a%20heart%20attack. |url-status=live }}</ref> Sahlin's designs are often recognizable for their [[spheroid]] heads partially bisected to create large mouths; several characters designed by Sahlin include [[Rowlf the Dog]], [[Bert and Ernie]], [[Grover]], and [[Cookie Monster]].

The majority of the Muppets are designed as [[hand puppet]]s, with several characters utilizing [[Rod puppets|rods]]. Common design elements of the Muppets include flexible faces with wide mouths and large protruding eyes. Most of the Muppets are molded or carved out of various types of foam and covered with any felt-like material. The characters may represent humans; [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] characters; realistic animals; animate inanimate objects; robots; extraterrestrial or mythical creatures; or other forms of abstract characters.

The Muppets are distinguished from [[Ventriloquism|ventriloquist]] dummies, which are usually animated only in the head and face, in that their arms or other features are also animated. They are also generally made of softer material. They are presented as being independent of the puppeteer, officially known as a "Muppet performer", who is usually hidden behind a set or outside of the camera frame. Using the camera frame to this advantage was an innovation of the Muppets. Prior to this, a stage was used to mask the performers, as would be the case in a live performance. Sometimes, they are seen full-bodied; in most cases, invisible strings are used to manipulate these puppets, with vocals added at a later point.<ref>Christopher Finch ''Jim Henson: The Works'' 1993, {{ISBN|0-679-41203-4}}.</ref> Performers often use [[Flatbed trolley|dollies]] to mimic walking.<ref name=":02">{{Cite news|last=Spitznagel|first=Eric|date=September 30, 2011|title=Sesame Street puppeteer Eric Jacobson reveals shocking news that Sesame Street is not a real place|magazine=Vanity Fair|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2011/09/-i-sesame-street--i--puppeteer-eric-jacobson-reveals-shocking-ne|access-date=August 2, 2020|archive-date=September 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924231426/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2011/09/-i-sesame-street--i--puppeteer-eric-jacobson-reveals-shocking-ne|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since 2006, Disney has contracted [[Puppet Heap]] to produce and maintain newer models of the Muppets.<ref name=":4">{{cite news|last=Barnes|first=Brooks|title=Wocka, Wocka, Wocka! Muppet Antics Resume|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/movies/new-muppet-and-movie-leading-franchise-into-new-era.html?_r=4&pagewanted=2&|access-date=20 February 2014|newspaper=The New York Times|date=20 November 2011|archive-date=July 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170722042502/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/movies/new-muppet-and-movie-leading-franchise-into-new-era.html?_r=4&pagewanted=2&|url-status=live}}</ref> During most performances, the performer holds the character above their head or in front of their body, with one hand operating the head and mouth and the other manipulating the hands and arms, either with two separate control rods or – in the case of "live-hand" Muppets – wearing the hands similarly to gloves. One consequence of this design is that most of the Muppets are [[Handedness|left-handed]], with the performer using their right hand to operate the head while operating the arm with their left hand.

For more complex Muppets, several performers may operate a single character, with the performer controlling the mouth usually voicing the character. As technology has advanced, the Jim Henson team and other performers have developed several means to operate the Muppets for film and television; these include the use of suspended rigs, internal motors, [[remote manipulator]]s, and computer enhanced and superimposed images. Creative use of different technologies has allowed for scenes in which the Muppets appear to exhibit complex movements wholly independently of the performer.

In his book, ''[[Street Gang]]'', author Michael Davis wrote that the characters tend to develop "organically", alluding to the performers taking up to a year to develop their characters and voices. They are also "test-driven, passed around from one Henson troupe member to another in the hope of finding the perfect human-Muppet match".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Davis |first=Michael |title=Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street |publisher=Viking Press |year=2008 |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/streetgangcomple00davi/page/166 166] |isbn=978-0-670-01996-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/streetgangcomple00davi/page/166 }}</ref> When interacting with them, children believed that Muppets were living beings, even when the performers were present.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Morrow |first=Robert W. |title=Sesame Street and the Reform of Children's Television |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |year=2006 |location=Baltimore, Maryland |page=[https://archive.org/details/sesamestreetrefo0000morr/page/84 84] |isbn=0-8018-8230-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/sesamestreetrefo0000morr/page/84 }}</ref>

===Cast performers===
[[File:BillBarrettaTheMuppetPerformers.jpg|left|thumb|Main cast of Muppet performers in 2012: (from left to right) Peter Linz, Bill Barretta, Matt Vogel, Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, David Rudman and Dave Goelz]]

{| class="wikitable floatright sortable" style="max-width:22em;"
|+{{sronly|Cast performers}}
|-
! scope="col" | Performer
! scope="col" | Principal characters
|-
| {{sortname|Matt|Vogel|Matt Vogel (puppeteer)}}
| Kermit the Frog, Uncle Deadly, Floyd Pepper, Camilla the Chicken, Constantine, Crazy Harry, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Lew Zealand, Pops, Sweetums
|-
| {{sortname|Eric|Jacobson}}
| Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle, Marvin Suggs, The Newsman
|-
| {{sortname|Dave|Goelz}}
| Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Beauregard, Waldorf, Chip 
|-
| {{sortname|Bill|Barretta}}
| Pepe the King Prawn, Bobo the Bear, Johnny Fiama, Rowlf the Dog, The Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth, Big Mean Carl, Bubba the Rat, Howard Tubman, Mahna Mahna
|-
| {{sortname|David|Rudman}}
| Scooter, Janice, Beaker
|-
| {{sortname|Peter|Linz}}
| Walter, Statler, Lips, Joe the Legal Weasel, Robin the Frog, Link Hogthrob, Foo-Foo
|}

At the start of the Muppets' formation, Jim and Jane Henson were the group's only performers. In 1961, Jane retired to focus on raising their children. Seeking additional performers, Jim Henson came into contact with [[Frank Oz]] that year. Although interested, Oz initially declined due to his youth and commitment to high school, and instead suggested [[Jerry Juhl]], who worked with Oz at the Vagabond Puppet Theater in [[Oakland, California]]. Upon graduating, Oz subsequently joined in August 1963, which then consisted of Henson, Juhl, and Muppet designer [[Don Sahlin]]. By the time ''The Muppet Show'' began, the primary cast of performers grew to consist of Henson; Oz; [[Dave Goelz]]; [[Jerry Nelson]]; [[Richard Hunt (puppeteer)|Richard Hunt]]; and later, [[Steve Whitmire]], while Juhl became head writer for the series. From ''The Muppet Show'' onward, [[Kevin Clash]]; [[Kathryn Mullen]]; [[Louise Gold]]; [[Karen Prell]]; [[Fran Brill]], [[Caroll Spinney]]; and [[Brian Henson]] performed several minor characters and assisted the main performers with puppeteering. Many of these puppeteers performed characters across ''[[The Muppet Show]]'', ''[[Sesame Street]]'', ''[[Fraggle Rock]]'', and other Henson-related projects.

Jim Henson, Hunt, and Nelson continued performing until their deaths in 1990, 1992, and 2012, respectively.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |last=Abramovitch |first=Seth |date=November 2, 2020 |title=Disney's Muppets Problem: Can the Franchise Reckon With Its Boys' Club Culture? |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/disneys-muppets-problem-can-the-franchise-reckon-with-its-boys-club-culture |access-date=February 21, 2021 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> Goelz, Whitmire, and [[Bill Barretta]], who joined the main cast of performers in the mid-1990s, assumed Henson's characters, with Whitmire cast in the role of Beaker and Nelson cast in the role of Statler, both previously performed by Hunt. The remainder of Hunt's characters were left without a stable performer until [[David Rudman]] was cast in those roles in the 2000s. Oz continued performing until his retirement from puppeteering in 2000; [[Eric Jacobson]] was cast as his characters beginning in 2002.<ref name="VarMojo" /> At Nelson's behest, [[Matt Vogel (puppeteer)|Matt Vogel]] gradually began performing his characters in 2008. [[Peter Linz]] joined the main cast in 2011, debuting the role of [[Walter (Muppet)|Walter]] in ''[[The Muppets (2011 film)|The Muppets]].''<ref name=":4" />

Whitmire was [[Dismissal (employment)|dismissed]] from the cast in 2016, with Vogel cast as Kermit the Frog in 2017, and most of Whitmire's other characters were assumed by the remainder of the cast, primarily by Linz.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Parker |first=Ryan |date=July 13, 2017 |title=Kermit the Frog Muppeteer Says Disney Fired Him |url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/kermit-frog-muppeteer-says-he-was-fired-by-disney-1020466 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713213313/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/kermit-frog-muppeteer-says-he-was-fired-by-disney-1020466 |archive-date=July 13, 2017 |access-date=July 13, 2017 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |df=mdy-all}}</ref> The Muppets are currently performed by a core cast of six principal puppeteers: Goelz, Barretta, Jacobson, Vogel, Rudman, and Linz,<ref name=":9" /><ref name="VarMojo" /> with the occasional ensemble of "additional" Muppet performers that includes [[Julianne Buescher]], [[Tyler Bunch]], [[Alice Dinnean]], [[Bruce Lanoil]], [[Leslie Carrara-Rudolph]], [[Drew Massey]], [[Mike Quinn (puppeteer)|Mike Quinn]], and [[Michelan Sisti]].