John Tartaglia facts for kids

John Tartaglia (born February 16, 1978) is a super talented American puppeteer, actor, and singer. He is famous for bringing many beloved characters to life. You might know his work from shows like Sesame Street and popular Broadway musicals.

Early Life and Early Puppetry

John Tartaglia was born in Maple Shade Township, New Jersey. He finished high school in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, in 1996.

When he was just 16, John started working part-time with the puppetry team for Sesame Street. He helped with many smaller characters. He even got to be the understudy for Elmo, who was performed by Kevin Clash.

John also performed as Ernie for the show Play with Me Sesame. He was Oscar the Grouch for Sesame Street 4D. John also worked as a digital puppeteer for the "Elmo's World" parts of the show. He performed a character named Tingo on Sesame English. By the time he was 18, John became a full-time member of the Sesame Street team.

Amazing Career in Puppetry and Theater

Broadway and Beyond

In 2003, John Tartaglia performed as DJ 2 in a show called Animal Jam. That same year, he helped create and perform two characters, Princeton and Rod, in the Broadway musical Avenue Q. This show was a big hit and won a Tony Award.

John was even nominated for a Tony Award himself in 2004 for his work in Avenue Q. He left the show in 2005 but later played the same characters in the Las Vegas version of Avenue Q.

In 2006, John joined the cast of Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. He played the fun character Lumière.

Creating His Own Shows

John also created, produced, and starred in his own short TV series called Johnny and the Sprites. This show later became a full 30-minute series on Playhouse Disney. He even voiced Mr. Bluelight in Kmart commercials.

John showed off his puppetry skills in Shrek The Musical on Broadway. He played Pinocchio, Puss in Boots, and the Magic Mirror. He also puppeteered the dragon! The show opened in 2008.

He created and wrote another show called John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean. This show featured amazing glow-in-the-dark puppets. It was even nominated for an award in 2010.

Other Projects and Voice Work

John played Genie in a production of Aladdin in St. Louis in 2012. He also hosted a radio show called Sunday Funday with John Tartaglia on Sirius XM On Broadway.

In 2016, John created the PBS Kids series Splash and Bubbles. He voiced the main character, Splash, and other characters too. In 2017, he performed Hank in the Netflix series Julie's Greenroom.

More recently, in 2024, John joined The Jim Henson Company. He is now a creative supervisor for future Fraggle Rock projects. He also helps develop new TV shows and live performances for the company.

Helping Others

John has also used his talents to help others. In 2004, he helped raise a lot of money, $525,000, for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This organization helps people living with serious illnesses.

Appearances in Film and Television

John Tartaglia has lent his voice and puppetry skills to many films and TV shows.

• Animal Jam - DJ 2
• Bear in the Big Blue House - Additional Puppeteer
• Between the Lions - Guest puppeteer (Elmo/Bert)
• Fraggle Rock: Rock On! - Gobo Fraggle, Boober Fraggle, Uncle Traveling Matt, and Wembley Fraggle (puppetry)
• Julie's Greenroom - Hank
• Johnny and the Sprites - Johnny, Sage
• Sesame Street - Alfred Duck, Phoebe, The Great Quackini, Trey, Cookie Monster's Mommy, and many other characters.
• Splash and Bubbles - Splash, Various
• Word Party - Kip the Wallaby (voice)

Stage Performances

John has performed in many popular stage shows:

• Avenue Q (2003) - Princeton/Rod
• Beauty and the Beast (2006–2007) - Lumiere
• Shrek the Musical (2008–2009) - Pinocchio, Magic Mirror
• Aladdin (2012) - Genie