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I thought it would be good to make a listing of the various ways that full-body muppets have been performed. it is okay if you want to include full-body puppet characters from non-henson shows, but for the most part I will just focus on characters from henson shows.
The Muppet Show characters:
Sweetums is performed with his puppeteer looking out the mouth of the character in order to see (there is no monitor inside sweetums). I think that the right arm can either move the mouth or move the right arm, depending on which needs to be moved.
The Mutations are most likely just performers in costumes. the performers probably see what they are doing by looking out of the mouths. the mutations dont talk, so their mouths are always in the same position.
Fletcherbird and the bird dancers are just people in suits. I don't know how fletcherbirds performer sees what he is doing.
It looks like Thog was performed the same way as Big Bird, with the performer using his right arm to work the head (and possible controll the eye movement) and his left arm to operate the left arm. i am not sure if the performer could switch his right arm from the head to the right arm. There was probably a monitor inside thog, and there was also probably a mechanic inside the character that could make the ears go up. I guess Thig was performed in a similar way.
Big Mama looks like she is performed the same way as sweetums.
I don't know for sure how Doglion and Timmy are performed, but I would assume they are performed similar to how sweetums is.
Betsy Bird was performed as a full-body character in wide shots, and as a puppet in close-up shots.
Sesame Street characters:
Big Bird is performed with his performer using the right arm to move the head and left arm to move the left arm. there is an invisible wire connected from his right arm through the neck and into the left arm, which makes the right arm move. in recent years, a secodn puppeteer has occassionally been able to operate the right arm (usually in Journey to Ernie). the puppeteer wears a monitor inside the suit, and there is also a hole inside the puppet, which is covered by feathers.
Mr. Snuffleupagus is performed with two performers. the front puppeteer works the head and does the voice. I would guess that a monitor is inside him somewhere. I think the puppet is one piece, although I am not sure how the performers get inside him (is there an opening at the bottom of him?).
I have read that Sam The Robot was performed with a performer riding a motorized wheelchair. Since the character didn't have arms, the performer probably used his arm to move the mouth.
Bruno was performed with the performer inside. the arms were attached to oscars trash can, so he didn't need to move the arms. there was an opening inside the characters stomache, which allowed carroll spinney to use his hands to perform Oscar and his left arm. there is an invisible wire connecting from his mouht into the inside of the trash can, which is probably how he can move his mouth.
I think the performer inside Barkly sees through the mouth (or maybe there is a hole in the fur). i don't know how the performer inside Alice Snuffleupagus sees.
I think the elephant is performed similar to how big bird is performed.
Fraggle Rock characters:
The Gorgs are performed with two people performing each gorg: one performer is inside the suit, and the other operates a radio-controlled glove (called a "Waldo") which controlls the face movements. that performer does the voice.
Bear In The Big Blue House characters:
it has been said that bear is performed similar to how Big Bird is performed.
commercial characters:
It looks like the la choy dragon was performed similar to how Big Bird is performed.
The Muppet Musicians of Bremen:
the four humans were performed with humans in costuems in wide shots, and puppets were used for close-up shots.
anybody have any more information? i would like to know how splurge was performed.
The Muppet Show characters:
Sweetums is performed with his puppeteer looking out the mouth of the character in order to see (there is no monitor inside sweetums). I think that the right arm can either move the mouth or move the right arm, depending on which needs to be moved.
The Mutations are most likely just performers in costumes. the performers probably see what they are doing by looking out of the mouths. the mutations dont talk, so their mouths are always in the same position.
Fletcherbird and the bird dancers are just people in suits. I don't know how fletcherbirds performer sees what he is doing.
It looks like Thog was performed the same way as Big Bird, with the performer using his right arm to work the head (and possible controll the eye movement) and his left arm to operate the left arm. i am not sure if the performer could switch his right arm from the head to the right arm. There was probably a monitor inside thog, and there was also probably a mechanic inside the character that could make the ears go up. I guess Thig was performed in a similar way.
Big Mama looks like she is performed the same way as sweetums.
I don't know for sure how Doglion and Timmy are performed, but I would assume they are performed similar to how sweetums is.
Betsy Bird was performed as a full-body character in wide shots, and as a puppet in close-up shots.
Sesame Street characters:
Big Bird is performed with his performer using the right arm to move the head and left arm to move the left arm. there is an invisible wire connected from his right arm through the neck and into the left arm, which makes the right arm move. in recent years, a secodn puppeteer has occassionally been able to operate the right arm (usually in Journey to Ernie). the puppeteer wears a monitor inside the suit, and there is also a hole inside the puppet, which is covered by feathers.
Mr. Snuffleupagus is performed with two performers. the front puppeteer works the head and does the voice. I would guess that a monitor is inside him somewhere. I think the puppet is one piece, although I am not sure how the performers get inside him (is there an opening at the bottom of him?).
I have read that Sam The Robot was performed with a performer riding a motorized wheelchair. Since the character didn't have arms, the performer probably used his arm to move the mouth.
Bruno was performed with the performer inside. the arms were attached to oscars trash can, so he didn't need to move the arms. there was an opening inside the characters stomache, which allowed carroll spinney to use his hands to perform Oscar and his left arm. there is an invisible wire connecting from his mouht into the inside of the trash can, which is probably how he can move his mouth.
I think the performer inside Barkly sees through the mouth (or maybe there is a hole in the fur). i don't know how the performer inside Alice Snuffleupagus sees.
I think the elephant is performed similar to how big bird is performed.
Fraggle Rock characters:
The Gorgs are performed with two people performing each gorg: one performer is inside the suit, and the other operates a radio-controlled glove (called a "Waldo") which controlls the face movements. that performer does the voice.
Bear In The Big Blue House characters:
it has been said that bear is performed similar to how Big Bird is performed.
commercial characters:
It looks like the la choy dragon was performed similar to how Big Bird is performed.
The Muppet Musicians of Bremen:
the four humans were performed with humans in costuems in wide shots, and puppets were used for close-up shots.
anybody have any more information? i would like to know how splurge was performed.
