Monkey Boys Productions is a two time Emmy nominated production company that creates puppets, props, creatures, costumes, practical effects and original content for film, television and stage. Located near

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania, they work with companies and productions across the globe. The company was originally founded in 2006 by Marc Petrosino, Michael Latini, Russell Tucker, and Scott Hitz. Over the company's first nine years, they designed and built puppets for assorted theatrical productions, theme parks, streaming shows, and independent films. During this time, Russell and Scott moved on to other pursuits, leaving Marc and Michael to run the company. Before the company's founding, Marc and Michael had performed in assorted productions of '' Little Shop of Horrors'' (including Broadway and the 1st National Tour). Their friend and mentor,

Martin P. Robinson 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 pe ...

(the father of theatrical Audrey IIs), encouraged MBP building their own set of Audrey II puppets, which they continue to rent to theaters across North America. In 2015, ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' rented those puppets for use in a sketch which was cut from the show. This introduction led to MBP eventually becoming the regular puppet and specialized prop builders for SNL, including the lecterns for the series of Melissa McCarthy sketches spoofing

Sean Spicer Sean Michael Spicer (born September 23, 1971) is a former American political aide who served as the 30th White House Press Secretary and as White House Communications Director under President Donald Trump in 2017. Spicer was communications dire ...

. Monkey Boys Productions' work on SNL led to the company evolving from a puppet-centric company into one that specializes in designing, fabricating, and producing practical items. In the years since, MBP has created puppets and props for '' The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon'', '' The Today Show'', ''

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' (often abridged as ''Last Week Tonight'') is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by comedian John Oliver. The half-hour-long show premiered in April 2014 on HBO. ''Last Wee ...

'', ''

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by comedian Jimmy Fallon. About pag ...

'', ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...

'', ''

Late Night with Seth Meyers ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' is an American late-night news and political satire talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. Airing weeknights a ...

'', ''

Pose Human positions refer to the different physical configurations that the human body can take. There are several synonyms that refer to human positioning, often used interchangeably, but having specific nuances of meaning. *''Position'' is a gen ...

'', ''Albie's Elevator'' for

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

, and many commercials. Monkey Boys Productions has been nominated for two Emmys for their puppet design and fabrication for the

Sesame Workshop Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's programs—including its first and best-know ...

series '' Helpsters'' on

Apple TV+ Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...

. They have also worked extensively on Broadway, creating props and puppets for ''

The Music Man ''The Music Man'' is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and ...

'', ''Amélie'', ''Charlie and The Chocolate Factory'', ''

Mr. Saturday Night ''Mr. Saturday Night'' is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that marked the directorial debut of its star, Billy Crystal. It focuses on the rise and fall of Buddy Young Jr., a stand-up comedian. Crystal produced and co-wrote the screenplay with ...

'', '' Skin of Our Teeth'', '' Diana'', '' Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus'', and others. Recently, they worked with world renowned designer Nicholas Mahon to create new Audrey II puppets for the current production of ''Little Shop of Horrors'' playing at the

Westside Theatre The Westside Theatre is an off-Broadway performance space at 407 West 43rd Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The building houses two auditoriums: the Upstairs Theatre, which s ...

References

External links

* {{official website, monkeyboysproductions.com
IMD
Puppet designers Puppetry in the United States