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 ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...

'', having performed the characters of

Telly Monster The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson, many for the purpose of appearing on the children's television program '' Sesame Street''. Some of the best known Muppets on ''Sesame Street'' include Big Bird, Oscar the Gr ...

, Mr. Snuffleupagus,

Oscar the Grouch Oscar the Grouch is a Muppet character created by Jim Henson and Jon Stone for the PBS/ HBO children's television program ''Sesame Street''. He has a green body, no visible nose, and lives in a trash can. Oscar's favorite thing is trash, as e ...

's pet worm Slimey, Oscar's niece Irvine, Buster the Horse, and Shelley the Turtle for 40 years. He also designed, built and performed the Audrey II puppets for ''

Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors may refer to: * ''The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 film directed by Roger Corman ** ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film ** ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (film), a 1986 film adaptati ...

''. Robinson performed the characters Riff the Cat and Clef the dad on ''

Allegra's Window ''Allegra's Window'' is an American children's television series that aired on Nickelodeon through its Nick Jr. block from October 24, 1994, to December 8, 1996, with reruns being shown until February 5, 1999; it was later shown on Noggin from F ...

'', and was an animatronic puppeteer for

Leonardo Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard. People Notable people with the name include: * Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), Italian Renaissance scientist ...

in ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...

''. He was responsible for training the puppeteers on '' Sesame Tree'', and performed

the Cat in the Hat ''The Cat in the Hat'' is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by the American author Theodor Geisel, using the pen name Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red b ...

in the second season of ''

The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss ''The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss'' is an American children's puppet television series based on characters created by Dr. Seuss, produced by The Jim Henson Company. It aired from October 13, 1996, to December 28, 1998, on Nickelodeon. It combin ...

''.

Early life

Robinson was born on March 9, 1954, in

Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 109,976. Dearborn is the seventh most-populated city in Michigan and is home to the largest Muslim population in the United States per ...

, and graduated from Brookfield East High School in Brookfield,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, a suburb of

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

Personal life

Robinson married ''

'' writer Annie Evans on August 9, 2008, on the set of ''Sesame Street'' in the

Kaufman Astoria Studios The Kaufman Astoria Studios is a film studio located in the Astoria section of the New York City borough of Queens. The studio was constructed for Famous Players-Lasky in 1920, since it was close to Manhattan's Broadway theater district. The p ...

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, New York. Annie gave birth to twin daughters, Lyra and Ripley, on February 12, 2009. Robinson also has three stepchildren from a previous marriage.Vows - Annie Evans and Martin Robinson
''New York Times'', August 16, 2008.

Filmography

* '' Muppet Meeting Films'' – Papa Luigi ("Computer!") * ''

The Muppets Take Manhattan ''The Muppets Take Manhattan'' is a 1984 American musical comedy drama film directed by Frank Oz. It is the third theatrical film in ''The Muppets'' franchise. In addition to the Muppet performance, the film features special appearances by Ar ...

'' – The Swedish Chef (hands), Buster the Horse, Additional Muppets * '' Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird'' – Telly, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Board of Birds Member, Grouch Diner Patron, Additional Muppets * ''

'' – Telly, Snuffy, Slimey, Monty, Buster the Horse, Dicky Tick, Vincent Twice, Old MacDonald, Additional Muppets * ''

'' – Clef, Riff * ''

'' – Audrey II (puppeteer in the original 1982 off-Broadway and 2003 Broadway productions) * ''

Elmo's World ''Elmo's World'' is a segment that is shown at the end of the long-running American children's television program ''Sesame Street'' which premiered on November 16th, 1998, as part of a broader structural change to the show. It originally lasted ...

'' – Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Slimey, Old MacDonald * ''

Little Muppet Monsters ''Little Muppet Monsters'' is a Saturday morning television series featuring the Muppets that aired three episodes on CBS in 1985. The first season of '' Muppet Babies'' did so well in the ratings, that CBS decided to expand the series from ...

'' – Rat, Cow, Walrus, Additional Muppets * ''

The Tale of the Bunny Picnic ''The Tale of the Bunny Picnic'' is a 1986 Easter TV special directed by Jim Henson and David G. Hillier. In the United States it was shown annually on HBO in the spring, usually during Easter time. It was later released on VHS in 1993. The film ...

'' – Farmer, Additional Muppets * ''

A Muppet Family Christmas ''A Muppet Family Christmas'' is a Christmas television special starring Jim Henson's Muppets. It first aired on December 16, 1987, on the ABC television network in the United States. Shot in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, its teleplay was conceived ...

'' – Additional Muppets * ''Jim Henson's Play-Along Video'' – Crocodile, Raccoon, Additional Muppets * '' The Transformers'' – Powermaster

Optimus Prime Optimus Prime, , is a fictional character in the ''Transformers'' franchise. The Transformers characters were developed for an American market after Hasbro representatives visited the 1983 Tokyo Toy Show. The characters were modified and the ...

(puppeteer in the live-action segments of season 5) * ''

'' –

(face) * ''

The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson ''The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson'' is a one-hour special that aired on CBS on November 21, 1990. The program was a tribute to Muppet creator Jim Henson, who had died earlier in 1990 due to toxic shock syndrome caused by a streptococcus infect ...

'' – Telly, Additional Muppets * ''Muppet Sing-Alongs'' – Big Snort, Shark, Additional Muppets * ''

Elmo Saves Christmas ''Elmo Saves Christmas'' is a Sesame Street musical fantasy comedy television special released on PBS on December 2, 1996. It was released to VHS that same year. Inspired by the 1892 short story "Christmas Every Day" by William Dean Howells, Elmo ...

'' – Telly, Snuffy, Santa's Elf, Additional Muppets * ''

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland ''The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland'' is a 1999 American musical adventure comedy film directed by Gary Halvorson in his feature film debut. This was the second film to be based on the children's television series ''Sesame Street'', after '' ...

'' – Telly, Laundromat Manager, Little Ricky * ''

'' –

The Cat in the Hat ''The Cat in the Hat'' is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by the American author Theodor Geisel, using the pen name Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red b ...

(Season 2) * ''

Roary the Racing Car ''Roary the Racing Car'' (stylised as ''ROARY: The Racing Car'') is a British-stop-motion children's television series created by David Jenkins and produced by Chapman Entertainment and Cosgrove Hall Films. It follows the adventures of Roary ...

'' - Mr. Carburettor (US)

References

External links

* American puppeteers Muppet performers Sesame Street Muppeteers Living people People from Brookfield, Wisconsin 1954 births Animatronic engineers {{US-tv-bio-stub

Early life

Personal life

Filmography

See also

References

External links