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Under The Puppet

Under The Puppet

Written by: Saturday Morning Media
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Since 2017. Under The Puppet is a monthly show that is preserving puppetry through the personal stories of professional puppeteers. Guests include puppeteers from The Muppets, Sesame Street, The Jim Henson Company and more. The show also covers other forms of puppetry such as marionettes, shadow puppetry and Bunraku . Hosted by puppeteer Grant Baciocco (The Jim Henson Company, Mystery Science Theatre 3000).2016 - 2023 Saturday Morning Media Art Entertainment & Performing Arts
Episodes
  • 115 - Rita Peruggi (The Muppets, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Fraggle Rock)
    Jan 1 2026

    http://www.UnderThePuppet.com -

    In 1981, Rita Peruggi was hired by The Jim Henson Company as a production assistant on various projects including Rocky Mountain Holiday with John Denver and The Muppets. She then moved on to the role of producer for the company working on many projects such as the Jim Henson Play along Videos, Muppet Vision 3D, Dinosaurs, Dark Crystal Age of Resistance, Earth To Ned and Fraggle Rock Back To The Rock. Outside of the The Jim Henson Company, Rita has served as Producer on Jack's Big Music Show and Yo Gabba Gabba! and the updated Yo Gabba GabbaLand!. I talk Rita Peruggi about all of these projects and more on this episode of Under The Puppet.

    Plus, hear more of my conversation with Rita Peruggi by becoming a Saturday Morning Media Patreon Patron. Visit www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia for info and to help create more episodes like this.

    Connect with Rita Peruggi:
    IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0675745/
    Wikipedia - https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Ritamarie_Peruggi

    Discussed on the show:
    Rita Peruggi – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0675745/
    Jim Henson Company – https://www.henson.com/
    Jim Henson Play-Along Videos - https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Play-Along_Video
    Rocky Mountain Holiday with John Denver and the Muppets – https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_Holiday
    Muppet Babies Music Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5EUpo1pXq8
    Muppet*Vision 3D – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muppet*Vision_3D
    Dinosaurs (TV series) – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101081/
    The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance – https://www.netflix.com/title/80148535
    Earth to Ned – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_to_Ned
    Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock – https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/originals/fraggle-rock-back-to-the-rock/
    Jack's Big Music Show – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack%27s_Big_Music_Show
    Yo Gabba Gabba! – https://www.yogabbagabba.com/
    Splash and Bubbles – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splash_and_Bubbles

    Connect with the Show:
    http://www.instagram.com/underthepuppet
    https://www.facebook.com/underthepuppet
    http://www.twitter.com/underthepuppet

    Connect with Grant:
    http://www.MrGrant.com
    http://www.twitter.com/toasterboy
    https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/

    Art by Parker Jacobs
    Music by Dan Ring
    Edited by Stephen Staver

    ©2026 Saturday Morning Media - http://www.saturdaymorningmedia.com

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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • 114 - Louise Gold (The Muppets, Dark Crystal, Sesame Street)
    Dec 1 2025

    http://www.UnderThePuppet.com -

    Louise Gold is puppetry royalty. A trained theatre performer, Louise began her puppetry career working on the second season of The Muppet Show, where she played many characters — including the role of Annie Sue, much to Miss Piggy's dismay. In addition to continuing her work with The Muppets, she went on to perform in The Dark Crystal, Sesame Street, and the Sesame Street spin-off The Furchester Hotel, where she played the hotel's proprietor, Funella Furchester. She's also performed on Spitting Image, The Ghost of Faffner Hall, Dodge's Pup School, and many, many more puppetry projects. I talk to Louise Gold about her incredible career on this episode of Under The Puppet.

    Plus, hear more of my conversation with Louise Gold by becoming a Saturday Morning Media Patreon Patron. Visit www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia for info and to help create more episodes like this.

    Connect with Louise Gold:
    Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gold7046
    IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0325028/
    Muppet Wiki - https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Louise_Gold

    Discussed on the show:
    The Muppet Show - https://shows.disney.com/the-muppet-show
    Annie Sue - https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Annie_Sue
    The Dark Crystal - https://www.darkcrystal.com/
    Sesame Street - https://www.sesamestreet.org/
    The Furchester Hotel - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Furchester_Hotel
    The Ghost of Faffner Hall - https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/The_Ghost_of_Faffner_Hall
    Dodge's Pup School - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33665574/
    Spitting Image - https://www.youtube.com/c/SpittingImage

    Connect with the Show:
    http://www.instagram.com/underthepuppet
    https://www.facebook.com/underthepuppet
    http://www.twitter.com/underthepuppet

    Connect with Grant:
    http://www.MrGrant.com
    http://www.twitter.com/toasterboy
    https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/

    Art by Parker Jacobs
    Music by Dan Ring
    Edited by Stephen Staver

    ©2025 Saturday Morning Media - http://www.saturdaymorningmedia.com

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    55 mins
  • 113 - Stacey Weingarten (The Muppet Show Special, Sesame Street, Rescue Rue)
    Nov 1 2025

    http://www.UnderThePuppet.com -

    Stacey Weingarten is a puppeteer, puppet wrangler, director, writer, and producer who got her puppet start studying with John Tartaglia and later went on to work on the show Johnny and the Sprites. Since then, she's worked with The Muppets and Sesame Street, where she won an Emmy Award for her work on the show's 50th season. She also has her own theatrical puppetry projects — Rescue Rue and Runaway Rue — that have played Off-Broadwayand at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. I talk to Stacey Weingarten about all these projects and more, including her work on the upcoming The Muppet Show special for Disney+, on this episode of Under The Puppet.

    Plus, hear more of my conversation with Stacey Weingarten by becoming a Saturday Morning Media Patreon Patron. Visit www.patreon.com/saturdaymorningmedia for info and to help create more episodes like this.

    Connect with Stacey Weingarten:

    Website - https://www.saweingarten.com
    Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sayetc/
    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/stacey.weingarten.9
    IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3899160/

    Discussed on the show:
    John Tartaglia - https://saturdaymorningmedia.com/2019/02/utp-25/
    Johnny and the Sprites – https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Johnny_and_the_Sprites
    Sesame Street – https://www.sesameworkshop.org
    The Muppets – https://muppets.disney.com
    Rescue Rue & Runaway Rue – https://www.rescuerue.com
    Fordham University Theatre Program – https://www.fordham.edu/theatre
    CTY (Center for Talented Youth) – https://cty.jhu.edu
    The O'Neill Puppetry Conference – https://www.theoneill.org/pup
    Tim Lagasse – https://www.timlagasse.com
    Jim Henson Company – https://www.henson.com
    Puppet Kitchen NYC – https://www.puppetkitchen.com
    John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tartaglia%27s_ImaginOcean

    Connect with the Show:
    http://www.instagram.com/underthepuppet
    https://www.facebook.com/underthepuppet
    http://www.twitter.com/underthepuppet

    Connect with Grant:
    http://www.MrGrant.com
    http://www.twitter.com/toasterboy
    https://instagram.com/throwingtoasters/

    Art by Parker Jacobs
    Music by Dan Ring
    Edited by Stephen Staver

    ©2025 Saturday Morning Media - http://www.saturdaymorningmedia.com

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 29 mins
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