Muppeteers who did full body Muppets

[Gonzo14]

what about, Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, and the Count in Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, they had full body versions for Ice skating

and Splurge in Hey Cinderella

 

[BEAR]

what about, Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, and the Count in Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, they had full body versions for Ice skating

and Splurge in Hey Cinderella

Same with Oscar.

Also, I wonder if Carroll Spinney performed Big Bird while he was ice skating.

 

[That Announcer]

Same with Oscar.

Also, I wonder if Carroll Spinney performed Big Bird while he was ice skating.

Probably not. I've read that Carroll said he couldn't dance, so I'd be willing to bet he couldn't skate, either.

 

[minor muppetz]

Probably not. I've read that Carroll said he couldn't dance, so I'd be willing to bet he couldn't skate, either.

Are you just talking about ice skating, or rollerskating as well?

In his autobiography, Caroll Spinney said that he did actually rollerskate as both Big Bird and Bruno. when he was on his hometowns version of Bozos Big Top, he had the opportunity to rollerskate in costume, which gave him some experience for performing Big Bird. He even mentioned rollerskating while performing Bruno (and Oscar at the same time) on a live stage.

Aslo in that same book, he said that he eventually learned to be a good dancer after Richard Hunt suggested that he make Big Bird beleive that he is a good dancer, and this actually helped.

as for ice skating in Christmas Eve On Sesame Street, i think the credits mentioend tht there were skaters from Holidays On Ice, so I guess proffessional skaters were wearing the suits. If you watch that scene, you might notice that Big Bird looks a bit thinner than in the rest of the special. I guess a lighter suit was built.

Speaking of scenes where a full-body Miss Piggy outfit is used, in a recent thread about Follow That Bird, it is said that costume versiosn of Ernie and bert were used when they were flyign the plane in wide shots.

 

[BEAR]

Are you just talking about ice skating, or rollerskating as well?

We were talking about ice skating

 

[AAO]

Are you just talking about ice skating, or rollerskating as well?

In his autobiography, Caroll Spinney said that he did actually rollerskate as both Big Bird and Bruno. when he was on his hometowns version of Bozos Big Top, he had the opportunity to rollerskate in costume, which gave him some experience for performing Big Bird. He even mentioned rollerskating while performing Bruno (and Oscar at the same time) on a live stage.

Aslo in that same book, he said that he eventually learned to be a good dancer after Richard Hunt suggested that he make Big Bird beleive that he is a good dancer, and this actually helped.

as for ice skating in Christmas Eve On Sesame Street, i think the credits mentioend tht there were skaters from Holidays On Ice, so I guess proffessional skaters were wearing the suits. If you watch that scene, you might notice that Big Bird looks a bit thinner than in the rest of the special. I guess a lighter suit was built.

Speaking of scenes where a full-body Miss Piggy outfit is used, in a recent thread about Follow That Bird, it is said that costume versiosn of Ernie and bert were used when they were flyign the plane in wide shots.

That was me who posted that. I had read and or seen somewhere a long time ago that Ernie and Bert's stunt performance in the airplane sequence had pilots/stuntmen in costumes as the two famous Muppets and ride off in the skys. I have pictures from the "Follow That Bird" book of Bert and Ernie in the plane on the ground! If you look closely at the characters eyes, you can tell they're pushed in a little and can see small holes in them. Thus another proof that the characters were full-body costumes. If anyone wants a pic just email me and I'll send it to ya or just PM me!!!

 

[BEAR]

To answer my own question, Carroll Spinney did not ice skate as Big Bird in Christmas Eve On Sesame Street. Those characters were done by professional skaters.

 

[MGov]

Frank Oz did perform the LaChoy dragon. And hated it so much, he never willingly performed a full body muppet again.

That is from the Muppet Morsels on the first season DVDs.

 

[BEAR]

Frank Oz did perform the LaChoy dragon. And hated it so much, he never willingly performed a full body muppet again.

That is from the Muppet Morsels on the first season DVDs.

Yeah, i think that Frank Oz was originally thought of to play Big Bird, wasn't he, but because of some sort of accident, he refused?

 

[minor muppetz]

Frank Oz did perform the LaChoy dragon. And hated it so much, he never willingly performed a full body muppet again.

That is from the Muppet Morsels on the first season DVDs.

Frank Oz did perform some other full-body characters, but I guess not willingly, like you said. He performed Thig in The Great santa Clause switch (couldn't Jim henson have performed him?), Splurge in Hey, Cinderella!, and Doglion in the Dom Deluise episode of The Muppet Show (I wonder if he did the actual prforming or just the voice).

I have noticed that in the opening number for the Don Knotts episode, Sweet Gingerbread man, Frank Oz performed the lead singing Gingerbread man, and the other performers in that episode performed other gingerbread men. The lead singer was the only one who wasn't a full-body performer. I guess Frank performed him so he wouldn't have to perform a full-body character (although since the song was pre-recorded, somebody else could have done the voice and he would have only needed to do the puppeteering).