What is the average salary of a Muppeteer?

[Beauregard]

I was sure muppeteers would get payed HUGE bucks, since Muppets are so popular, like I said, if Jim Henson hadn't invented the muppets, puppets probably wouldn't even be popular. Than again...Sesame Workshop IS non-profit, but still I was sure they got paid huge salaries.

I would have thought that Muppeteers would be paid about the same amount as actors...maybe not, though.

 

[AlaskaMuppetFan]

Sesame Street

Sesame Street may be nonprofit but they make huge amounts of money not just of of pbs but also the toys they sell. Non profit does not mean that they make no money because trust me they do!

 

[ravagefrackle]

it all depends, on what you are doing with the company,

puppeteers are SAG, or AFTRA mebers, so if they are only day players(or background puppeteers )they are generally making scale, which is like 300 dollars or so for the day, sometmes more sometimes less,

the main performers are making considerably more, they have long standing contracts, as well as getting residueles for there work, and getting cuts of toys that use there voice, video sales, music sales, ect. ect.

the people who really get screwed are the behind the scenes folks working in the shops, or on set as wranglers,

i never pity puppeteers when they complain about being uncomfortable, its what they get paid for, lol

 

[dwayne1115]

Ok think about this. Brian and John Henson are also preformers. Now we all must know that being the head of JHC you must make a little bit more money then the other performers. so i wonder how that works out as well. i would also wonder if now that they are with Disny if they work for Disny or JHC.

 

[OverUnderAround]

Payscale

Professional actors and puppeteers are member of SAG (Screen Actors Guild) or AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artist).
Each union is something like $1,200 to join in USA money.

Those who perform on Sesame Street are members of AFTRA. If Sesame Street had been a brand new union show, the minimum pay varies greatly based on if it's a local show, regional show or national show and/or if it's a primetime or daytime show and if it's network or syndicated or on cable...and so on.

Also worth mentioning are the performers that are working for that day. Are they an over five or under five contract employee? That means if you have more than five lines of dialog, you are offered a different contract and better payscale for that day than someone who has less than five lines of dialog to perform that day. So many, many variables go into what kind of contract the unions offers.

Oh and cable pays more too.

But if Sesame Street had been a new show, it would pay performers about (rough guess) $385-$400 a day. Not much when you consider prime-time salaries.

However, Sesame Street has been on so long that, it's contracts continue to include periodic raises to the cast. The last time I heard, (early this year) the daily pay on Sesame Street was about $700 a day.

If someone was to just hold a Muppet in the background of a scene with no dialog, your an extra and that would be about $100 a day.

Of course residual payments (repeat airings), is were a performer who appears in a lot of scenes with dialog can make a good sum of money over time so I have heard.


.

 

[dwayne1115]

Wow Very interesting i like it yea i really like it.

 

[FISH'N'WOLFE]

Yes really, what's not to like about $700 a day?

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Not sure about all the various loopholes there are, but my understanding is that scale for union puppeteers under SAG is $580 for eight hours, any more hours than that in a day and you are paid 1.5x the regular hourly rate. There are also residuals, but they often are not very much except in the case of commercials.

Before anyone gets too excited you have to remember that (as others have pointed out) you work freelance and might only have a few weeks or days of work per year.

 

[OverUnderAround]

There are so many union contracts that each TV show (and movie project) has their own pay scale. Example...I think if someone appeared on a primetime comedy show the minimum would be in the thousands.

SAG represents the film industry and has their own pay scales.
AFTRA, which represents video, TV and radio industry, has separate pay scales as well.

So yes, many, many pay scales exist in countless contracts.

 

[Uncle deadly]

if i was a muppeteer id probably have another job.