Martin P. Robinson
Born (1954-03-09) March 9, 1954 (age 70)
Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.
Other namesMarty Robinson
EducationBrookfield East High School
OccupationPuppeteer
Years active1980–present
Spouse
Annie Evans
​
(m. 2008)​
Children5
Websitehttp://www.martinprobinson.com/

Martin P. Robinson (born March 9, 1954) is an American puppeteer who works for the Jim Henson Company. He is best known for his work on Sesame Street, having performed the characters of Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Oscar the Grouch's pet worm Slimey, Oscar's niece Irvine, Buster the Horse, and Shelley the Turtle for over 40 years.[1][2][3] He also designed, built, and performed the Audrey II puppets for Little Shop of Horrors. Robinson performed the characters Riff the Cat and Clef the dad on Allegra's Window, and was an animatronic puppeteer for Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.[4] He was responsible for training the puppeteers on Sesame Tree, and performed the Cat in the Hat in the second season of The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss.

Early life

Robinson was born on March 9, 1954, in Dearborn, Michigan. His father was a hydraulics engineer and his mother was a teacher. As a child, his favorite day was Halloween as he could dress up. He grew up in Milwaukee and graduated from Brookfield East High School in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee.[5] He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating in 1974. Robinson originally intended to become a character actor, but work was scarce. He later toured with a marionette company, eventually working under puppeteer Bil Baird.

Personal life

Robinson married Sesame Street writer Annie Evans on August 9, 2008, on the set of Sesame Street in the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York. Annie gave birth to twin daughters on February 12, 2009. Robinson also has three children from a previous marriage and two grandchildren.[6] He and his family live in Redding, Connecticut.[7]

Filmography

See also

References

  1. ^ "A Brief History of Sesame Street's Snuffleupagus Identity Crisis".
  2. ^ "Mr. Snuffleupagus shocked 'Sesame Street' 30 years ago — and generations of kids should be thankful – Zap2It". Zap2it. Archived from the original on September 30, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  3. ^ "Snuffleupagus Speaks! It's Master Puppeteer Martin P. Robinson". Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  4. ^ Martin P. Robinson at IMDb
  5. ^ "A Hot, Sweaty Job in a Plant, Eating People".
  6. ^ Vows - Annie Evans and Martin Robinson, New York Times, August 16, 2008.
  7. ^ "This Brookfield native has played some of your favorite 'Sesame Street' characters for almost 40 years".

External links

Preceded byMichael Earl Davis Performer of Mr. Snuffleupagus 1980–present Succeeded by? Preceded byBrian Muehl Performer of Telly Monster 1984–present Succeeded by? Preceded byJerry Nelson Performer of Mommy Snuffleupagus ca. 1980s Succeeded byDavid Rudman Preceded byJoey Mazzarino Performer of Papa Bear 2020–present Succeeded by?
The Muppets
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