Tips From a Sesame Street Puppeteer!

[@tested]

Puppet Pie: puppetpie.com/ Animal Eye practice puppets: puppetpie.com/products/peepers Meet Julia from Sesame Street: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnymlYloZd9_g9U Adam Savage Attempts Puppeteering with The Henson Company! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZeQmmuho56mgKc Michael Schupbach (puppet wrangler on this day!): instagram.com/mrschupbach James Wojtal: instagram.com/puppetdungeon/ Gordon Smuder/Puppet Forge: www.thepuppetforge.com/ Blank Puppets: blankpuppets.bigcartel.com/

[@tekvax01]

I think it wonderful that the team at Sesame Street have included Julia, she is such an important inclusion to the group of friends.

[@FuckYa732]

Thanks I just made my first puppet Oh boy long time no he is Here My old friend Bob he was a real,man and if he saw his puppet Oh boy. Boy was raised from the dead. A bolt of lightning and a old gray bath mat was in the sky windy storm so out in the mountains I went to find him where he was laid to rest. Just as I took the last shovel full bam yep there goes Bob. Smoke clears I saw a gray mess and his sunglasses looking at me. I had to say it like Vincent price rise He did and said where's my ice cream. Bobs back the adventures we will have now he is a gray bath mat puppet lol. Hope all like the true story of Bob. Wish I could put a video up he keeps buging me. Thanks Adam. Bob says hi

[@metern]

In an onld children tv show in Norway from 1982-1984 kalled Labbetuss. There were two characters called Smitt and Smule. They where a pair of gloves with a wig and eyes. Labbetuss it self was a man in a dog costume (Geir Børresen), it was an old english sheepdog.

[@briantaylor5371]

The most puppeteer knowledge in 37min ever. Please bring her back sooner than later please. Her love of teaching her craft shines through

[@TrinidadPuppets]

She’s an amazing person

[@LuisCastillo-tg6xw]

Not even a puppet guy but seeing people so excited for their interests is so contagious and cheerful. Love this kind of content!

[@AngelusNielson]

Adam has never progressed beyond boyhood when it comes to wondering at cool things. He is precious and must be protected.

[@onebraveheartlion]

Sometimes it seems that I have way too much enegy and love for life but seeing this I think I've just been misdirecting it. I definitely need to start some production of my own. Thank you for saying this.

[@AngelusNielson]

@@onebraveheartlion I look forward to seeing your end product.

[@alanbayman7729]

This woman is a wizard. She made a bottle of water come to life.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Not even Victor Frankenstein had that level of life-creating power.

[@sundaynightdrunk]

The magic of this channel is that I don't think I want to watch tips from a Sesame Street puppeteer, but 40 minutes later I've watched the entire thing and enjoyed the hell out of it. Stacey is fantastically enthusiastic and it's amazing to see an expert in such a niche field that still does an artistic job that's anything but easy. Loved this.

[@1808productions]

Watching Stacy instruct Adam was such a delight, her enthrusiasm and postivity were lovely.

[@mushroomocean5177]

Please don’t stop the puppet content! I LOVE learning how this stuff works ❤

[@maxwellgrimsley]

I grew up playing with puppets and I’ve always loved them. I had one named sir Lancelot (he was a knight, if you could guess 😂) and I took him EVERYWHERE with me. I’d even sleep with him at night. I once took him to show and tell at school, and everyone thought he was so cool and I felt so proud. I’m so glad to find other puppet nerds at long last! 💕

[@williamdooley9805]

Amazing story!

[@tested]

Amazing!

[@micksdarwinlife274]

" with this ring I thee puppet"... best line ever

[@MrRuinf20]

I am so Happy to see this, Stacy is a great family friend and was also my baby sitter when i was young, yes she was an amazing sitter. To see her not only fulfilling her dreams as a puppeteer on sesame street and then of all things to show up on my you tube feed this morning blew me away. I am so proud of her and happy that she was able to meet Adam and share this passion of hers. the was Adam has full fledged interest always amazes me. they say never meet your idols but Adam is a safe bet.

[@ms_ch]

The micro movements, the fraction of millimeters, makes SO MUCH DIFFERENCE! Of course I knew it was far from easy but to KNOW how so many of these movements are made, how the puppeteer has to translate to puppet, is SO COOL!

[@LycaonsMemories]

just the enthusiasm in the room between these two. it is addictive and healing.

[@kellieevetts2637]

I am so excited that others love the puppet content as much as I do!!

[@antivanti]

I think even if I had no interest in puppets this would be interesting just because of the authentic enthusiasm 😊

[@whyamibored727]

After an extremely bad night involving multiple breakdowns, this was very much appreciated. Thanks adam and Stacey! You have a lovely method of teaching

[@Righteous_Robot]

I'm only getting started in blending my puppetry and filmmaking. But these few techniques and lessons have already given me so much to consider moving into my next project. Thank you for collaborating, sharing her knowledge, and most importantly, your iteration. It assures me I'm not alone in my feeling of ineptitude against such pros!

[@antivanti]

I looked up infectious enthusiasm in the dictionary and this is what I found. Nothing is more interesting than hearing someone talk about something they're passionate about and this is a prime example! 😊

[@projekt6_official]

I _LOVED_ this episode! I grew up watching Sesame Street and always enjoyed it so much. It's so fantastic seeing Adam genuinely excited about something to begin with, but when he brings someone else on that is genuinely excited about something as well, ::chefs kiss:: Thank you, Stacey for joining Adam on this episode and sharing your craft with us!

[@gibletsmidnightmusings]

'Ello! I'm a puppeteer and puppet maker in the UK and seeing you and Stacey working together brought me so much joy, thank you so much!!! 🙂

[@ThomasBryant]

PLEASE keep doing this kind of stuff. It makes me smile so much!

[@ApolloOkamura]

Hey Adam, loved this episode! I'm a former classically trained 2D animation professor, and whenever I taught lip-synch I always began having the students try their hand (pardon the pun) at puppetry, since many of the tips and subtleties mentioned in this video also apply to dialogue animation!

[@aznshents]

At this rate, Adam Savage is gonna become a pro TV puppeteer in no time! Also GO STACEY WE LOVE YOU WOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@blueline15]

Her passion and enthusiasm is so infectious I started considering a career change within the first 10 minutes of the video. It’s addicting being around people so full of happiness about what they do.

[@gl15col]

Now we have a master class on puppeteering that we can watch over and over for future reference; wonderful!

[@wreakhavoc9238]

I honestly had the funnest time watching this video. I felt like I was watching Sesame Street again, also 2 comedic shows between you and your lovely friend Julia as well as the 2 puppets. Truly happy to watch this and so so much respect to the people that made and still make my childhood possible whether it be Star Wars or Alf or Sesame Street, eureka castle mister Roger’s you name it. So much joy and emotion and storytelling. Can’t thank you enough for making and sharing this video. Had me laughing in bed and smiling nonstop. Thank you Adam and Julia. I used to have peepers when I was younger also, and as a kid with not a lot of friends it was an outlet to talk to someone. Truly wonderful. Please do more.

[@richardjones2189]

She's cool. Absolute passion for what she does. Awesome. Exactly the same reason I like Adam and this channel so much.

[@christianstanding]

Oh my goodness, Stacey is the best. I love how generous puppeteers are with their craft too. I could watch this for hours.

[@tlac4120]

Thank you Adam and Stacey for this delightful puppetry lesson. I was smiling the whole time, trying out the the movements with my hand. I'm thinking about getting or building a puppet now. I fell encouraged to do so. Stacey is wonderful. Please bring her back, soon. ❤

[@MichaelBLane40]

Thank you adam and stacy for doing this video. As a long time fan of both, i was super happy to see stacy come on for a video colab. Most recently my 7 year old daughter also became a fan of adam and the myth busters team after letting her watch one my dvds, it was the one Mega Movie myths. After that she has been a very big fan and enjoys watching tested with me. Sometimes its hard to hold her attention to all the videos, this She enjoys this from start to finish.

[@jssherrard]

As a Henson trained puppeteer, I could not love this more! 💗 #GoldenRectangle

[@chuumon95]

You’re a puppeteer for the Jim Henson company?

[@jssherrard]

@@chuumon95 I was. Yes. Years ago. It’s possible I’ll return to puppetry someday, but for now I’m working in other aspects of the entertainment industry.

[@chuumon95]

@@jssherrard Though it might be a long shot, maybe you could help me. I want to send a letter to Brian Henson at the Jim Henson Company to ask him if he could get Disney to put some old Muppet specials and shows on Disney+ and their songs on itunes. I even made a chart. Despite what I’ve looked up, I’m having a hard time with figuring out how to address it so it goes directly to him. Can you by any chance tell me exactly what I should write down in the ‘To’ part?

[@Dougurasufilm]

Videos like this are truly what I’m here for at Tested. People genuinely excited to learn and people genuinely excited to teach. Love this channel ❤

[@Aleat6]

Wow, Stacey is amazon! Her entusiasm and friendlyness really comes avrops the internet. I love the passion for puppetry and I love to ser all the skills that goes into it! Thank you!

[@adrianleonard8315]

Some of us have found a way to eek out a living without really having to grow up...we are puppeteers. 😊❤ I am so grateful that Adam has been shining a light on our craft, and showing how it's all fun...but, still a lot of hard work.

[@BlxxdLeaf]

I started making puppets a good while back. It's awesome to see you do more puppet stuff.

[@loganl3746]

26:23 it's so wonderful seeing how much of the character a puppet has just out of necessity. Like looking at a Muppet has this imbedded quirkiness that is unlike a drawn animation, and the "cheating to camera" thing is such a solid example of it.

[@sydney2802]

It's so abundantly clear she loves her job and that enthusiasm really comes through as she teaches. So good.

[@systemSkynet]

When she showed her favourite puppet it just reminded me of Button Moon from when I was a small child. Perfect. I actually cried happy tears.

[@quinnofthenerds]

As a puppeteer and puppet maker this brought me so much joy, thank you so much team!

[@TheCreatureWorksStudio]

Yay! Great to see more puppets and to see an amazing puppeteer on the show.

[@kj3d812]

This was SO PERFECT -- my Monkey Boys puppet kit arrived today; assembly of my very first puppet begins tomorrow. I was wondering how to begin learning puppetry, and blam! Here's this video to point me in the right direction. Many thanks to Stacey and Adam for doing this video! So many subtleties to begin practicing once my puppet is made. 😀

[@JorisKoolen]

Wow such contagious joy and energy!

[@metern]

In an onld children tv show in Norway from 1982-1984 kalled Labbetuss. There were two characters called Smitt and Smule. They where a pair of gloves with a wig and eyes. Labbetuss it self was a man in a dog costume (Geir Børresen), it was an old english sheepdog.

[@LyricNear]

This is exactly the sort of thing that inspired me to really dig into what makes puppetry work and all the skill and craftsmanship that goes into it, more than just appreciating it on a surface level. I remember making my first puppet in middle school just to bring to Maker Faire to show to Adam, and his pure enthusiasm for my basic little fluffy hand puppet has been in the back of my head all these years. And I say thank you because I’m a proffesional puppet maker and puppeteer now! I would not be where I am without Adam and Tested’s videos, his excitement for the medium and willingness to learn new things. I’m a lead puppeteer on a little show pilot called Fogtown, and it’s been so exciting to watch the team learn this new style of performance together. So I really encourage anyone watching videos like this to just get out there and start practicing!

[@JoshuaTWalker]

I am just starting to learn puppetry for my new project. so much to try, thank you for the help

[@TrevorHigginsDustysqueak]

I spent weeks making a puppet that blinks because of the first few puppet videos on Tested. Love this stuff so much! Thanks Adam and Tested!

[@CDubya.82]

I absolutely love her enthusiasm and love for the art that she is clearly so talented at.

[@rdreher7380]

I found myself copying and practicing as you did this. I never knew I'd be interested in puppeteering, but it somehow revealed a part of me I didn't consciously know was there. A also was delighted that I seemed to have a knack for it. I'm sure I'd have to learn a lot to really do it well, but I felt very comfortable and capable as I tried out some of the things you were doing for myself. I then thought to myself, well this isn't actually too surprising, as I'm a dancer and pianist. I'm fairly nimble with my hands and I have a experience thinking about poise, presence, and intricacies of movement. Actually, I realized then how much more deep it goes. The main kind of dance that I do seriously is the Japanese artform known as butoh. Not only are careful hand movements a common part of butoh, but I also remembered the time I saw Ōno Yoshito do a performance celebrating the life and work of his father Ōno Kazuo, one of the founders of Butoh. At the end of this performance Ōno Yoshito used a puppet of his father, and danced through the puppet. I think this might have been a performance his father had originally done, but I don't remember for sure. In the background was playing "Can't Help Falling in Love" by the Elvis Presley. "like a river flows, surely to the sea, darling so it goes, some things, are meant to be." I was speechless. I was literally speechless, unable to speak for an hour after I saw the performance, unable to wretch myself from the haunting power of what I had seen. I could only nod to coordinate with my friend about where we should go eat as we left. Now when I hear that song, it takes me right back to that dark theater, to those things I saw and felt that I still cannot fully understand, that dark dimension that courses through each of our minds and binds us each to the void. Ōno Yoshito has since passed away. I am very luck to have seen his performance then. There is something very butoh about puppetry, that is hard to explain unless you know the intricacies of how we do butoh. On the surface, this weird avant-garde artform full of dark imagery and disturbing movements would seem to have little to do with that artform full of color and laughter and childlike play, but when I started doing butoh, I realized that it was a childlike play, permission to be the me I truly wanted to be. When I see the techniques used for puppetry, I realize that it is based on the careful observation of movement and the subtleties it can express, just like butoh. People with a surface understanding see butoh as a kind of modern or contemporary dance, but there is a big difference between butoh and any kind of other dance I've ever seen, especially modern. Those dances are "show show show," make your message loud and clear and obvious, show your emotions, show your skills, show show show. As Hal Tanaka taught me, butoh is not 見せる "to show," it is 見られる "to be seen." In butoh we become, we transform, and I think I see the exact same thing underlying puppetry. So fascinating.

[@P--O]

Super fun video to watch with so much enthusiasm and great interaction between you two. Hreetings from Sweden

[@nathanhiggins860]

It's such a simple thing that you'd want to move the lower jaw more than the upper jaw like a human for talking, but I feel it's such an inherent thing that the upper fingers do move and animals open the lower and upper jaw some. It's like your combining both as you anthropomorphize the puppet.

[@VAXHeadroom]

She is such an amazing teacher!

[@gloriouslyimperfect]

She is as much of a delight as Julia is and a wonderful teacher too!

[@carlosortega3d]

I loved every second of this, the excitement, fun and passion is so contagious, (and learned a lot!) didn't even noticed the video was 37 mins long :)

[@susanwoodcarver]

Oh, this was totally delightful! More! We need more, sir! Please.❤❤

[@lydiakies9053]

I have found my people. I got so excited!!!

[@monsvillerailways5736]

Wow Adam. This is an awesome video. Thank you so much. She is such a good teacher and we can all learn from her. So much fun. Excellent!!

[@XemeraldXD]

Oh my god this is so exciting, i love these videos! And clearly Adam does too!

[@robbokeys]

Wow, gives you so much respect for what puppeteer’s can do!! Eye focus seems so difficult to master! Awesome video

[@spcglider]

Monitor tip: if you're used to working in a mirror and are transitioning to monitor, an easy way to train yourself to "fix" your "backwardness" on monitor is to simply follow the puppet on the screen. Meaning: look at the monitor. See which way your puppet is leaning? Then move your arm to follow the image. You'll automatically straighten up. Puppet on monitor leaning right? Move your arm to the right. Automatic correction. The image is telling you which way to move your arm to correct it.

[@brodrickjones]

I've been doing this for however many years and never thought of that. Amazing tip. Of course, I also have the problem where I won't be on monitor for a few months and the first time back I invariably double-correct my left & right, because I assume my instincts are wrong. "Look up to the right!" Okay, I think I need to move my hand this way, but I need to go the opposite way, so… like THIS. [looks to the left]

[@spcglider]

@JigsawJones people all learn differently. And the bad habit we have thinking that there's only one way to learn something is misplaced. I find that this hint helps people overcome having to think which way they need to move in order to correct. Just follow the tilt. It gets you moving in the correct direction without having to run through all the permutations. If you follow the tilt, you don't need to decide...which is where most people choose the wrong way. Once you're moving the right direction, you're past the hard part.

[@Foxfatherracing]

I love this The man I became was because of Sesame Street, electric company, 321 contact, and of course Mr. Rodgers.

[@kyliemcdaniel]

Awesome episode. She's amazing!

[@philh8829]

Stacey is an absolute delight.

[@tested]

She truly is!

[@ModdyPuppets]

Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm for puppetry, Adam ☺️ This was a joy to watch

[@LusciousNotes]

That was not long enough. Thank you for sharing this with us!

[@johnm.withersiv4352]

As a Randy Feltface fan, I'm also a growing Heath McIvor fand and want to see more of how he's moving underneath and out of sight. I loved the work he did in Sammy J's Forest of Dreams, but also as his character Randy has developed. As Adam meets more puppeteers, I'd love to see him talk to Heath.

[@eugenio5774]

this is so fun and engaging, and I really wanna try my hand (pun intended!) at puppeteering now! the amount of artistry and knowledge that goes into puppeteering is so amazing. it's one of those things that *looks* simple, deceptively so, but it actually requires lots of practice and knowledge to make it look good.

[@ulaB]

Can you imagine asking Adam for an autograph and he stops everything what he's doing, pulls you aside and says: We need to have a talk. Right now! :-)

[@sebastiank7956]

PLEASE bring Stacey back! Her personality is infectious!

[@TheBigRedSharkable]

what a joy to watch thanks tested.

[@m.b.3516]

I absolutely love this woman. Life coach material

[@eglandon16]

Ugh I love Stacy she is adorable and so talented.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

I know the focus of this is Sesame Street, but for those of us who grew up watching Oobi, it was so awesome to see you work with the peepers.

[@skilletaudio]

Stacey comes to Gen Con every year to lead puppet workshops and they are so fun. Happy to see her on the channel!

[@angelcassista9240]

At 27:30, I had to pause the video because I was seeing a Niven Puppeteer. 😂😂😂😂

[@shaunlennon2429]

Loved this video, so much knowledge in puppetry, more than I could have ever fathomed. I’m going to make myself a pair of eyes on a ring to entertain my daughter and apply what I learned here.

[@tested]

Amazing!!!

[@LaidOffProd]

Wow, she used to share a booth with a friend of mine years ago at the Phoenix Comicon. I think I still have her business card somewhere.

[@kodepop]

The most wholesome video.

[@youknoweverything7643]

When she got excited when you saif you love and didnt know the specific terms used for puppets and way she got so excited cUse ypu loved learning them was amazing and i just knew this was a great episode in the making i was foxing to experience. You are right she has this beautiful glow about her thats jist so awesome

[@shaunclayton]

I would watch a channel of just Stacey giving puppet tips. She’s so talented and clearly loves teaching puppetry.

[@johnm.withersiv4352]

Glad Hobey Ford got a shout out. He's a wonderful NC puppeteer that I have seen perform live.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

There's a part of my brain that totally wants to impulse buy those puppet eyes right now.

[@johnm.withersiv4352]

@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 I have a set for years. I was never happy with how I practiced with them, but hearing her talk about keeping the top fingers still might've helped me.

[@ek-nz]

I just realised I was trained from a very, very young age to believe that these puppets are real. As soon as that first puppet went up I had no trouble suspending disbelief.

[@tuti-fru-ti]

I love these puppet videos 💕 Adam you should totally build a shoulder dragon puppet! It's the year of the dragon after all 🐉✨

[@kristiparker4139]

This is AWESOME! Thanks so much!! Very helpful tips!

[@atkelar]

I've been a hobby puppeteer for over 15 years now. Some things are easier than others for sure. I am somewhat used to the "audience view" for example, so most involuntary movement like focussing works without thinking much but every now and then, a deliberate look at X makes me move the wrong way still. But that's what practice for live and takes for recordings are for, right? 😸

[@nygivenpoint]

Awesome guest

[@jamesyoungquist6923]

I love always learning something new on this channel that i never realized existed before ❤️

[@KomotoseKomo]

I'm finding this really interesting but i cant help but be distracted by the jars labeled Warthog and Grizzly.

[@spasticmuse4262]

This episode gave me the feels right in Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. Loved it!!

[@allenlj5165]

I've been working with Stacy through Puppet Pie for a few years now, we met by chance at Phoenix Fan Fusion. She's an incredible teacher and has helped my puppeteering abilities improve greatly. For any of those who are just hearing about Puppet Pie please please please check it out! The workshops they do currently are online, meaning anyone who has a camera, computer, and puppet (of course) can join. It's so crazy to see my own puppet teacher with Adam Savage!

[@ImagineThatPuppets]

Obsessed with these muppets videos!!! ❤

[@kayleymiddleton2024]

So cool! Thanks for sharing this adam!

[@fredmoon2487]

Thank you Adam!

[@caminante11]

One of the best videos i have seen ever in KZbin!

[@mrscb5303]

Wow this was so fascinating!! I knew it was hard but dang!! Good job Adam! 🧡🖤🧡

[@bbrachman]

I NEED a one day build that shows several mouthplate designs and fabrications. I have been into puppetry all of my life and the resources dried up in the late 90's. You should get Julia to show you a couple of comfortable, effective mouthplates so you can show us. Foam tubes. Straps. Pocket. Which works?

[@raven5279]

I love the energy of the beginning this video, because Adam is obviously like "Puppeteer Stacy Gordon! Awesome puppeteer Stacy Gordon who's going to teach me how to do puppets!!", and she's like "Adam Savage! Adam Savage the prop maker he's so great!!", which is a great start to anything lol

[@dawson0000]

What a wonderful half hour learning about something I didn't know I wanted to learn about. 👀

[@christiaanv3982]

This is awsome! Great teacher.

[@tested]

She truly IS.

[@Beecosy]

Wonderful. More please, thank you for sharing 🥰

[@kevinotoole885]

Love Adam, he’s part of my childhood watching him on Mythbusters and now on KZbin !!

[@_Questank_]

Awesome video, Stacey is amazing! I also love that in the background of the puppet shots are the containers of warthog and grizzly poo from Mythbusters. 😂

[@Lit_Hot_takes]

WOW i love these puppets!!!!