Richard Hunt (puppeteer) facts for kids

Richard Hunt (born August 17, 1951 – died January 7, 1992) was an American puppeteer. He was famous for performing many Muppet characters. You might know his work from shows like Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and Fraggle Rock. He worked for The Jim Henson Company.

On The Muppet Show, Richard Hunt brought characters like Scooter, Statler, Janice, Beaker, and Sweetums to life. For Sesame Street, he performed characters such as Gladys the Cow, Don Music, and Forgetful Jones.

Early Life and Start in Puppetry

Richard Hunt was born in The Bronx, New York. His family later moved to Closter, New Jersey.

He came from a family who loved to perform. When he was in middle school and high school, he would put on puppet shows for local children. He was a big fan of the Muppets, which were just starting out then.

After finishing high school, Richard worked for a short time doing weather reports at a radio station. But he really wanted to work with Jim Henson. He bravely called Jim Henson and was invited to try out for a role.

A Career with the Muppets

After being hired for Sesame Street, Richard Hunt often performed background characters. One of his first big roles was Taminella Grinderfall in The Frog Prince. He controlled the puppet while another puppeteer, Jerry Juhl, did the voice.

On The Muppet Show, he performed Scooter. He also shared the role of Miss Piggy with Frank Oz for a short time.

His characters on Sesame Street included Forgetful Jones, Placido Flamingo, Don Music, Gladys the Cow, and Sully. He even briefly performed Elmo before Kevin Clash took over that role.

For Fraggle Rock, Richard Hunt's main character was Junior Gorg. He did Junior Gorg's facial expressions and voice. He also performed Gunge and other smaller characters.

Richard Hunt also directed some home videos, like Sing-Along, Dance-Along, Do-Along. He also directed an episode of Fraggle Rock. He was good friends with fellow puppeteer Jerry Nelson. They often worked together, with their characters paired up. For example, Nelson's Floyd Pepper was often with Hunt's Janice. They also performed the Two-Headed Monster together. On Fraggle Rock, Nelson played Pa Gorg to Hunt's Junior Gorg.

Later Life and Legacy

Richard Hunt was a close friend of actor Mark Hamill. Mark Hamill said in 2003 that Richard became one of his family's best friends.

Richard Hunt passed away on January 7, 1992, at the age of 40. The Muppet Christmas Carol movie was dedicated to his memory.

After Richard's passing, other puppeteers took over his famous roles. David Rudman took over Scooter and Janice in 2008. Steve Whitmire and Jerry Nelson took over Beaker and Statler. Later, David Rudman started performing Beaker, and Peter Linz performs Statler.

For Sweetums, John Henson first took over the physical performance. Later, Matt Vogel took on the role.

On Sesame Street, David Rudman also took over Sully and Sonny Friendly. Jennifer Barnhart now performs Gladys the Cow. Since 2019, Ryan Dillon has performed Don Music.

In the 2022 series Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, new puppeteers took over Richard Hunt's characters. Dan Garza performs Junior Gorg, and John Tartaglia performs Gunge.

A book about Richard Hunt's life, called Funny Boy, was published in 2024.

Film Roles

Television Roles

See also

In Spanish: Richard Hunt (titiritero) para niños