Martin P. Robinson
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, having performed the characters of Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Oscar the Grouch's pet worm Slimey, Oscar's niece Irvine, Buster the Horse, and Shelley the Turtle for over 40 years.[1][2][3] He also designed, built, and performed the Audrey II puppets for Little Shop of Horrors. Robinson performed the characters Riff the Cat and Clef the dad on Allegra's Window, and was an animatronic puppeteer for Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.[4] He was responsible for training the puppeteers on Sesame Tree, and performed the Cat in the Hat in the second season of The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss.
Early life
Robinson was born on March 9, 1954, in Dearborn, Michigan. His father was a hydraulics engineer and his mother was a teacher. As a child, his favorite day was Halloween as he could dress up. He grew up in Milwaukee and graduated from Brookfield East High School in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee.[5] He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating in 1974. Robinson originally intended to become a character actor, but work was scarce. He later toured with a marionette company, eventually working under puppeteer Bil Baird.
Personal life
Robinson married Sesame Street writer Annie Evans on August 9, 2008, on the set of Sesame Street in the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York. Annie gave birth to twin daughters on February 12, 2009. Robinson also has three children from a previous marriage and two grandchildren.[6] He and his family live in Redding, Connecticut.[7]
Filmography
Film
Year | Production | Role | Other notes |
---|---|---|---|
1984 | The Muppets Take Manhattan | Swedish Chef (hands), Buster the Horse, Additional Muppets | Performer |
1985 | Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird | Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Board of Birds Member, Grouch Diner Patron, Additional Muppets | Performer |
1990 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Leonardo | Facial assistant[8] |
1999 | The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland | Telly Monster, Laundromat Manager, Little Ricky | Performer |
2008 | A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa | Crazy Harry, Additional Muppets | Performer, voice |
Television
Year(s) | Production | Role | Other notes |
---|---|---|---|
1981–present | Sesame Street | Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Slimey the Worm, Buster the Horse, Irvine, Mrs. Grouch, Dicky Tick, Vincent Twice, Old MacDonald, Freddy, Additional Muppets | Performer[9] |
1983 | Don't Eat the Pictures | Mr. Snuffleupagus | Performer; Television special[10] |
1985 | Little Muppet Monsters | Rat, Cow, Walrus, Additional Muppets | Performer |
1986 | The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years | Telly Monster | Performer (uncredited); Television special |
1986 | The Tale of the Bunny Picnic | Farmer, Additional Muppets | Performer; Television special |
1987 | A Muppet Family Christmas | Additional Muppets | Performer; Television special |
1988 | The Transformers | Powermaster Optimus Prime | Puppeteer (season 5) |
1990 | The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson | Telly Monster, Additional Muppets | Performer; Television special |
1994–1996 | Allegra's Window | Riff, Clef | Voice, performer |
1996 | Elmo Saves Christmas | Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Santa's Elf, Additional Muppets | Performer; Television special |
1998 | The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss | The Cat in the Hat | Performer (season 2)[8] |
2002 | Between the Lions | Grandpa Lion | Performer, Episode: "Out in Outer Space" |
2009, 2013 | Late Night with Jimmy Fallon | Mr. Snuffleupagus, Additional Muppets | Performer; 2 episodes |
2013 | Good Morning America | Telly Monster | Performer; 1 episode |
2015 | Saturday Night Live | Mr. Snuffleupagus | Voice (uncredited) |
2019–2023 | Helpsters | Mr. Primm | Performer[8] |
2020 | The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo | Telly Monster, Freddy | Performer |
2021 | Law & Order: Organized Crime | Octopus | Puppeteer #1; 1 episode |
Video games
Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | Get Set to Learn! | Telly Monster, Martian | Voice role |
1994 | Sesame Street: Numbers | Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus | |
1998 | The Three Grouchketeers | Telly Monster | |
2001 | Sesame Street: Sports | ||
Sesame Street: Letters | Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus | ||
2011 | Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster | Slimey the Worm | |
2012 | Kinect Sesame Street TV | Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Martian |
Other appearances
Year(s) | Production | Role | Other notes |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | Muppet Meeting Films | Papa Luigi | Short film |
1982, 2003 | Little Shop of Horrors | Audrey II | Puppeteer in the original 1982 off-Broadway and 2003 Broadway productions[8][11] |
1988 | Jim Henson's Play-Along Video | Crocodile, Raccoon, Additional Muppets | Performer; Direct-to-video series |
2003 | Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic | Telly Monster | Performer, theme park film |
See also
References
- ^ "A Brief History of Sesame Street's Snuffleupagus Identity Crisis".
- ^ "Mr. Snuffleupagus shocked 'Sesame Street' 30 years ago — and generations of kids should be thankful – Zap2It". Zap2it. Archived from the original on September 30, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ "Snuffleupagus Speaks! It's Master Puppeteer Martin P. Robinson". Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ Martin P. Robinson at IMDb
- ^ "A Hot, Sweaty Job in a Plant, Eating People".
- ^ Vows - Annie Evans and Martin Robinson, New York Times, August 16, 2008.
- ^ "This Brookfield native has played some of your favorite 'Sesame Street' characters for almost 40 years".
- ^ a b c d "Martin Robinson (Aloysius Snuffleupagus, Slimey the Worm, Telly) - Sesame Workshop". November 1, 2023. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
- ^ "Sesame Street: Brookfield native plays Snuffleupagus, Telly Monster". November 9, 2019. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
- ^ "DON'T EAT THE PICTURES: SESAME STREET AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART (TV)". www.paleycenter.org. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
- ^ "Muppet Central News - Marty Robinson and "Little Shop of Horrors" arrive on Broadway". October 17, 2003. Archived from the original on October 17, 2003. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
External links
- Martin P. Robinson at IMDb
Preceded by Michael Earl Davis | Performer of Mr. Snuffleupagus 1980–present | Succeeded by ? |
Preceded by | Performer of Telly Monster 1984–present | Succeeded by ? |
Preceded by | Performer of Mommy Snuffleupagus ca. 1980s | Succeeded by |
Preceded by | Performer of Papa Bear 2020–present | Succeeded by ? |
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Television |
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Albums |
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- Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony (2005–06)
- The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora (2010)
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- Muppet Adventure: Chaos at the Carnival (1989)
- Muppets Inside (1996)
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