John Tartaglia facts for kids

John Nicholas Tartaglia is an American puppeteer, actor, and singer. He is famous for bringing many beloved characters to life on stage and screen. John has worked on popular shows like Sesame Street and created his own fun series for kids.

Early Life and First Puppetry Steps

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

John started working with puppets on Sesame Street when he was just 16 years old! He began part-time, helping with many smaller characters. He even learned to be an understudy for Elmo. As he got older, he became a full-time puppeteer for the show. He performed as Ernie for Play with Me Sesame and Oscar the Grouch for Sesame Street 4D. John also brought the character Tingo to life on Sesame English.

Amazing Career in Theatre and TV

Broadway Adventures

In 2003, John Tartaglia became a big star on Broadway. He created and performed the characters Princeton and Rod in the musical Avenue Q. This show was a huge hit and won a Tony Award, which is a very important award for theatre. John was even nominated for a Tony Award himself in 2004! He later played these roles in Las Vegas too.

John also joined the cast of Beauty and the Beast on Broadway in 2006. He played the charming character Lumière. Later, he performed in Shrek The Musical, where he played Pinocchio, Puss in Boots, and the Magic Mirror. He even puppeteered the dragon!

Creating Shows for Kids

John loves making shows for young audiences. He created, produced, and starred in a short series called Johnny and the Sprites for Playhouse Disney. This show later became a full 30-minute series.

He also created and wrote John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean. This was a special show that used glow-in-the-dark puppets! It was nominated for an award because it was such a unique theatre experience.

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

Recent Work and Future Plans

John Tartaglia continued to perform in musicals, like playing the Genie in Aladdin in 2012. He also hosted a radio show called Sunday Funday with John Tartaglia.

In 2024, it was announced that John joined The Jim Henson Company. This is the company that created The Muppets and Fraggle Rock! John is now helping to develop new Fraggle Rock projects. He is also working on new TV shows and live performances for the company.

Film and Television Appearances

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

Film Roles

• Elmopalooza - Additional Puppeteer
• Love the Hard Way - Jack (uncredited)
• Antwone Fisher - Dancer (uncredited)
• Honey 2 - Ballet Dancer
• The Women in Black - Jewelry Salesman (uncredited)
• The Happytime Murders - Additional Voices

Television Roles

• Animal Jam - DJ 2
• Bear in the Big Blue House - Additional Puppeteer
• Between the Lions - Guest Sesame Street puppeteer (Elmo/Bert "Dance with Smartypants" segments)
• Dog City - Additional Puppeteer
• Play with Me Sesame - Ernie (Season 2)
• Fraggle Rock: Rock On! - Gobo Fraggle, Boober Fraggle, Uncle Traveling Matt, Wembley Fraggle (puppetry only)
• Julie's Greenroom - Hank
• Elmo's World: Computer Graphic Puppeteer
• Johnny and the Sprites: Johnny, Sage
• Sesame English: Tingo
• Sesame Street: Alfred Duck, Phoebe (2002), The Great Quackini, Trey, Cookie Monster's Mommy (2004), Brandeis, Safety Chicken, Yip-Yip Martian, Various
• Splash and Bubbles: Splash, Various
• Word Party: Kip the Wallaby (voice)
• The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss: Bird, Delivery Man

Stage Performances