Operating Oscar - his other hand

[Splurge]

The thread about how Big Bird's other hand is being fully worked sometimes reminded me about what I often wondered...

At what point did Oscar have someone operating his right hand? (I believe now it's Jim Martin.) For the longest time, I remember only Caroll doing Oscar with no second puppeteer. I wonder when his other arm started to become "animate".

Maybe had something to do with the trash can initially having room for one performer.

Food for thought, I guess. Or not.

 

[Whatever]

Well, since his other hand can be assumed to be resting inside the can, it doesn't look very odd.

 

[MuppetDude]

He's been seen with two hands in some early clips:

There's a clip in #1037 when Ernie makes his own chocolate for ice cream (since he eats Bert's) out of ice cubes, a banana, and gravy. Oscar comes in and offers to trade his ice cream cones (Oscar's definitely out of character here!) for Ernie's fake ice cream. At the end of the sketch, he begins to eat it, and you can see his right hand holding a spoon.

There are also a couple of street scenes (in episodes #162 and #406) where he's in his can and his hand is holding on to the side, but neither of these episode clips have a second puppeteer. (In #162 it's taped on, and in #406, the hand is just draped onto the can.)