Frank Oz

 Frank   Oz  ( born on May 25th, 19 44 a s  Richard   Frank   Oznowicz  ) , is 1 of the foremost Muppeteer s  in the whole Muppet business. He is Jim Henson  ' s  closest collaborator  as we l l a s  his   b e st friend . Oz &  Henson , together , performed some of the Muppets ' most famous team s - - Oz was the neat Bert to Henson  ' s  UN  t i d y Ernie , & Miss Piggy to  Henson  ' s Kermit t he Frog ; probably the mo s t famous pair ing.  Oz , o n  SESAME STREET  , also performed Cookie Monster , Grover , & Lefty the Salesman ; & on The Muppet Show , he performed some major characters like Fozzie Bear , Animal & Sam the Eagle , & also some minor character s , like George the Janitor & Marvin Suggs. Oz also performed  Uncle Hank , the uncle of  OSCAR THE GROUCH  in  SESAME   STREET  Stays Up Late , the  SESAME STREET  special from 1 99 3 , celebrating New Year ' s Eve  around the world , which was also the 1 st known occasion where Oz performed Bert to  Steve Whitmire  ' s Ernie , with  Whitmire  taking  Jim Henson  ' s place in the un breakable partnership that  Henson  & Oz had share d f o r 2 7 y ear s.

Early Y ear s
Rich ard "  Frank  " Oznowicz was born in England , spent p art s of his child hood in Belgium , & moved to  A m e r i c a  w hen he was  5. The son  of puppet e e r s Isadore " Mike " Oznowicz & his  wife  Frances, with  2  sibling s , young  Frank  was performing as part of the Oznowicz Family Marionettes troupe b y age  1 2. Although, despite this background , " I don ' t have a love o f puppet s , " Oz explained in a 1 9 8 7  inter view " I did it as a means of expression . I was able to express my self & p lease my parent s . It was also safe to hide behind puppets be c ause at that point I w as a little shy . " He h a d no desire to g o i n to puppeteer in g profession ally : " I just did i t as a hobby t o g e t some  money  - - I really wanted to be a journal i s t . "

Beginning w / Henson
 Frank   Oz  1 st met  Jim Henson  when he was 1 7, while attending the Puppeteers o f A m e r i c a festival in California. His 1 st impression of  Henson  was a s " this very quiet, shy guy who did these absolute l y ****** amazing puppet s that were totally b rand new & fresh , that had n eve r been d on e b e f o r e . " A t age 1 9 , in 1 9 6 3 , he joined the burgeoning [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Jim_Henson_Company Muppets , Inc. ] as a right hand for Rowlf the Dog in variety appearance s & later on the Jimmy Dean Show. It was here that Jimmy Dean actually i n t r o d u c e d h im a s "  Frank   Oz  ..., " mumbling the last part o f his name. T hu s, Oz began using the shortened form of his name he ' s known by today.

Oz also worked on commercials, replac ing Jim  ' s wife , Jane Henson a s key assistant. Henson dubbed a ll the voice s, &  he  & Oz would alternate when performing such buddy duo s a s Scoop & Skip , & the new puppeteer assisted on such characters as the Southern Colonel & Nutty Bird. His most notable commercial role w as a s Delbert the La Choy Dragon. T his w a s his 1 s t, & 1 of his  very   few  , experience s , as a full - bodied puppet performer , & 1 which he really did n ' t r e l i s h : " I hate d i t . I hated doing it totally .  Jim  knew I hate d it . I think he  relished i t . The Delbert the La Choy Dragon was a ****** . I was totally blind i n t here . I always hated being inside characters , but I was the main performer & t h at w as my j o b. "

SESAME STREET
Eventually, o n  SESAME STREET  , Frank Oz had originated the character s Cookie Monster , Grover , & Bert , & he performed them exclusive l y for almost 3 0 y ear s.  Oz , during this time , performed a great number of minor character s , including Prince Charming , Left y the Sales man , & Harvey Kneeslapper. He was offered the role of BIG BIRD al s o, but because of his experience as the La Choy Dragon , Frank immediately turned the role down.

 Fran Brill , commenting on his performing habit s , also noted that Oz would often put his hand on top of who ever was doing right hands so th ey couldn ' t gesture too much.

According to the book  SESAME   STREET  Unpaved, during the show 's early years Oz was in almost every sketch , but by 1998 he only appeared on the  SESAME STREET  s et , apparently , 4 days a year , performing nearly 15 sketches with his characters during those mere four day s. A s of 2 0 11, he is still taping appearance s during a limited schedule for new segments , 1 day a y e a r. Even despite this, to help keep Oz ' s main character s visible  Eric Jacobson  is currently the principal perform er  of Grover & Bert , &  David Rudman  is the new principal  performer  of Cookie Monster.  Oz  is confirmed to have performed in segments f o r Season 4 3.  Oz  will also be heard as Grover in a brand new sketch w it h '''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Mr._Johnson Mr. Johnson ] in  SESAME STREET  episode 4 3 0 2, along w it h a n e w Grover song , I Am Special for  SESAME STREET  episode 4 3 1 2 , & finally ,  Oz ' will be heard in the Downtown Abbey parody  called Upside Down ton Abbey'' , a sketch schedule d t o appear on the  show  in 2 0 1 3.

Middle Y ear s
Between t h e be g in n in g o f  SESAME STREET  & t h e start o f  T h e Muppet S how ,  FRANK   OZ  performed in n ear l y eve r y major Henson  product i on , including  T h e Great San ta Cla us S w i t c h  ,  T h e  Frog  Prince  , &  T h e Muppet Music i a n s o f Bremen . 1 o f his most significant  character s  during t h i s time w a s  T h e Might y F a v o g  o n  S N L .

The Muppet Show
 Frank   Oz  w a s a l s o 1 o f t h e main Muppeteer s  o n T he Muppet Show, perform i n g several o f t h e show ' s s tar s. He perform e d Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear , Animal , & Sam the Eagle , & 2 n d a r y character s George t he Janitor , & Marvin Suggs.

Fozzie Bear was originally intended to be his main character, & Miss Piggy was originally meant to only be a supporting character. I n fact, during the 1 st few episodes of season 1 , Oz actually shared t h e role o f Miss Piggy w / fellow Muppeteer  & a very good friend of his ,  Richard Hunt . Once t h e writ ers & prod ucer s realize d Piggy w as more than just a 1 - joke character, & had more star potential than Fozzie , she became a major p art of t h e Muppet ca s t , &  Frank   Oz  perform ed her full - time.

Oz, in addition to performing these main character s , also performed t h e hands o f t h e Swedish Chef while Jim Henson  performed the body & voice together. Oz, during these sketch e s , would often do some thin g u n expected w it h the hand s , normal l y with out tell i n g  Jim  be fore h a n d. T h e Muppet Morsels quote Oz as saying t h a t t h e best Swedish Chef sketches were t h o s e t h a t h a d g on e u n rehearse d.

In addition to perform i n g,  Frank   Oz  a l s o wrote the song s " T h e R h y m i n g Song " & " Jam b or ee ". He w a s a l s o credit e d o n T h e Muppet Show as a creative consultant.

Frank Oz & Jim Henson


" Watch i n g  Jim  ’ s Ernie teas i n g  Frank   Oz  ’ s Bert & driving him t o distraction was t o witness un adulterate d g lee ! "

- Caroly Wilcox

I t w as w / many character s on which the 2 collaborate d. Together  Jim Henson  &  Frank   Oz  made s u c h memorable pairing s a s Ernie & Bert, as well as Kermit the Frog & Miss Piggy , & t h e Swedish Chef. 3| 3 other character s that Oz performed, Fozzie Bear , Grover & Cookie Monster , would play off o f Kermit the Frog on numerous occasion s , & there was also Left y the Sale s man , who tried to fool poor Ernie o n sever a l occasion s. Ernie & Cookie Monster were also paired up multiple times. Other pairings of the team ' s character s include Rowlf the Dog & Fozzie Bear, along with Rowlf sometimes paired with Miss Piggy. Kermit also had to listen to another of  Frank  ’ s character s, Sam the Eagle endlessly complain about the weirdness of what was shown normally on The Muppet Show. Also, when it came time for '''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Teeth D r. Teeth ] & the Elec tric May hem to perform a song on a Muppet Show epi sode,  Henson  ’ s [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Teeth D r. Teeth ] &  Oz  ' s Animal were always position ed right next to each other o n t h e b and s t and, eve n  after   Jim ''' die d. Al so, in episode 3 0 2 , when guest star Leo Sayer had ask ed to meet Animal , '''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Teeth Dr. Teeth ] brought Animal into Leo ' s dressing room so Leo & Animal''' could then meet. Also, in at least 2 c lip s of t h e A t t h e Dance segment o n T h e Muppet Show , '''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Teeth Dr. Teeth ]''' is shown dancing w / Mildred Huxtetter, a character Oz only performed i n t h a t segment. Also, a s i n t h e ca se o f  Kermit  & Piggy , o n several occasion s ,  Henson  ’ s character s usually be came victim t o  Oz  ’ s character s , & , occasion ally , vice versa. For example,  Kermit  became Marvin Suggs ' victim in episode 5 0 6 o f T h e Muppet Show , a s well as Animal. The 1 s t time this occurred was in episode 11 0, when Animal beat  Kermit  like a drum in order to get him  to completely forget about replacing Animal as the  show  ’ s drummer. They also work ed together in t h e early 1 9 8 0 s while c o - directing / performing i n T h e Dark Crystal. They also played the parents in the Twiddlebug family w i t h  Henson  performing t he father, Thomas Twiddlebug , & w i t h  Oz  performing t h e mother , Tessie Twiddlebug. It can be seen clearly that  Jim  &  Frank  had bee n eve n close r than brother s, like their primary character s o n  SESAME STREET  , Ernie & Bert , respective l y , are today. At  Henson  ’ s Memorial Service, 5 short days after his death , Frank speaks of a Christ mas gift  Jim  gave him , which he  called " Bert i n Self - Contemplation ". He start s to cry but man age s t o say " T h a t ' s when  I  knew, he  love d me &  I  love d  him  . "

[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Michael_K._Firth Mich ael K. Frith ] say s that  Henson  &  Oz  ' s work was inspiring :

" I 've always said, & I still believe , that we all basically rode on the coat tails o f  Jim Henson  & Frank Oz . They were a comedy duo t hat is up there wit h Laurel & Hardy . I mean , they had t hat sense o f timing , they had that sense o f play between themselves , they had the ability to under s t and each other s ' character s & play off them with their character s . "

Kenneth Plume : How big a blow was  Jim  ' s passing t o you ?

 Frank   Oz  - You j u s t can ’ t express it in words. I ’ d k no w n him  since I was  1 7. I t w as a mortal blow t o a p a r t o f m e, & al w a y s w i l l b e.

JIM HENSON /  FRANK   OZ  Muppet  Pairings

 *  Ernie  /  Bert 
 *  Ernie  /  Bart 
 *  Ernie  /  Cookie Monster 
 *  Ernie  /  Grover 
 *  Ernie  /  Beautiful Day Monster 
 *  Ernie  / Professor Hastings
 *  Ernie  / Lefty the Salesman
 *  Ernie  / Fred ( monster )
 *  Ernie  /  Harvey Kneeslapper 
 *  Ernie  / Mailman
 *  Ernie  /  Fozzie Bear 
 *  Kermit the Protazoa  /  Fozzie Amoeba 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Bert 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Pinocchio 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Harvey Kneeslapper 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Aladdin 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  T - Shirt Salesman 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  The Cat 
 *  Kermit the Frog  / Prince Charming
 *  Kermit the Frog  / The Pied Piper
 *  Kermit the Frog  / The Little Bad Wolf
 *  Kermit the Frog  / Augustine Washington
 *  Kermit the Frog  / Lamont the Dog
 *  Kermit the Frog  / Professor Hastings
 *  Kermit the Frog  / The Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Grover 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Cookie Monster 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Beautiful Day Monster 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Marvin Suggs 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Sam the Eagle 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Miss Piggy 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Fozzie Bear 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Animal 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Humpty Dumpty 
 *  Kermit the Frog  / The Woodsman
 *  Kermit the Frog  / The Tortoise
 *  Kermit the Frog  / Gawain
 *  Kermit the Frog  / Bruce Rumpelstiltskin
 *  Kermit the Frog  / Splurge
 *  Kermit the Frog  / The Encyclopedia Salesman
 *  Dr . Teeth  /  Animal 
 *  Dr . Teeth  /  Sam the Eagle 
 *  Dr . Teeth  /  Fozzie Bear 
 *  Dr . Teeth  /  Miss Piggy 
 *  Dr . Teeth  / Mildred Huxtetter
 * The Mechanical Wind - up TV Show Host /  Miss Piggy 
 * Green Heap /  Purple Heap
 * Roberta /  Rocky  ' s  Mother  ( w /  Jerry Nelson  ' s  Rocky  )
 * Tony /  2  large  Mons ter s  i n the  song  "  I ' m Between  "
 * Tony /  Beautiful Day Monster
 * Garth /  Gawain
 * Maurice /  Susie
 *  Rowlf the Dog  /  Fozzie Bear 
 *  Rowlf the Dog  /  Miss Piggy 
 *  Rowlf the Dog  /  Sam the Eagle 
 *  Rowlf the Dog  /  Marvin Suggs 
 *  Rowlf the Dog  / Gorgon Heap  ( once in  The Muppet Show   Episode 1 0 3  ;  Sherlock Holmes &amp; the Case of t h e Disappearing Clue s  )
 * Lothar /  Thig
 * Lothar /  Boppity
 *  Thomas Twiddlebug  /  Tessie Twiddlebug 
 * Herry Monster /  Cookie Monster 
 * Maurice Monster /  Grover 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Grover 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Cookie Monster 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Beautiful Day Monster 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Sally Screamer 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Mr s . Rooney 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Frances Oznowicz 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Jascha Lombardi 
 *  Guy Smiley  /  Tooth 
 *  Guy Smiley  / Baskerville the Hound
 *  Guy Smiley  / Lucy Jones
 *  Guy Smiley  / Farmer Frankie
 *  Guy Smiley  / Cloud
 *  Guy Smiley  / Lefty the Salesman
 *  Guy Smiley  / Scudge
 *  Guy Smiley  / Professor Hastings
 *  The Newsman  /  Sam the Eagle 
 *  Little Bird  / Baskerville the Hound
 *  Little Bird  /  Beautiful Day Monster 
 *  Little Bird  / Lucy Jones
 * Maurice /  Pumpkin   Anything Muppet  i n "  I Want to Hold Your Ear  "
 * Wally Whoopie /  Fozzie Bear
 *  The Swedish Chef  /  Dough 
 *  The Swedish Chef  /  Miss Piggy 
 *  The Swedish Chef  /  Sam the Eagle 
 *  The Swedish Chef  /  Animal 
 *  The Swedish Chef  /  Fozzie Bear 
 *  Link Hogthrob  /  Miss Piggy 
 *  Link Hogthrob  /  Fozzie Bear 
 *  Link Hogthrob  /  Animal 
 *  Link Hogthrob  /  Marvin Suggs 
 *  Waldorf  /  Bert 
 *  Waldorf  /  Cookie Monster 
 *  Waldorf  /  Grover 
 *  Waldorf  /  Fozzie Bear 
 * Jim /  Frank  ( with  Jerry Nelson  ' s  Jerry  )
 * Leo /  Grump
 * Leo /  Quongo
 * Hippie /  Fuzzyface
 * Nigel /  Sam the Eagle 
 *  Mahna Mahna  / The Snowths
 *  Mahna Mahna  / Grump
 *  Sinister Sam  / Doc Holiday
 * As I Was Going to St . Ives  Anything Muppets  :


 * Purple Boy /  Green Girl
 * King Peter the Persnickety /  Princess Penelope
 * Howard Snake /  Chuck Stoat
 * Lance /  Little Miss Muffet 
 * Flakey /  Snow White 
 * Pokey /  Snow White 
 * Sneaky /  Snow White 
 * The Genie /  Cookie Monster 
 * George Washington /  Teddy Roosevelt  (  Mount Rushmore  )
 * Harold Happy /  Helen Happy
 * Grandmother Happy /  Helen Happy
 * Harvey Monster /  Clancy
 * The King /  The Tallest Person in the Kingdom
 * The King /  The Smallest Person in the Kingdom
 * Beginning /  End
 * Freddy Smith /  Grover  ( as  Super Grover  )

Muppeteer  veteran   STEVE WHITMIRE  can be seen & heard taking  HENSON  ’ s place in these  8  pairings  he  originally shared with  OZ  before  his  death :


 *  Ernie  /  Bert 
 *  Ernie  /  Cookie Monster 
 *  Ernie  /  Grover 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Miss Piggy 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Fozzie Bear 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Grover 
 *  Kermit the Frog  /  Sam the Eagle 
 *  The Swedish Chef  /  Fozzie Bear  ( I Lo ve Lucy   Movie Mania Screen Test  )

Branch in g Out
In 1 9 8 0 ,  George Lucas  contacted  Henson  about a puppet character  he  wanted for  his  next  Star Wars  film ,  The Empire Strikes Back  , a creature know n a s  Yoda. Since  Henson  was p r e - occupied,  Oz  was assign ed as chief puppeteer & as creative consultant , while other  Henson  alumni worked on the fabrication. Oz had a great deal of creative input on t h e character , & was himself responsible f o r creating the  character  ' s trade mark style o f re verse d grammar.

Oz has also bee n a frequent cameo play er in the film s of John Landis , in which he was often cast as a grizzle d o r surly official. This began w i t h  A n Ame ri can Werewolf i n London  & extended t o  T h e Blue s Brother s ,  Trading Place s  ,  Sp ie s L i k e U s  ,  Innocent   Blood  & most recent l y ,  Blue s   Brother s   2 000 . A s a voice act or outside o f t h e Muppet s  &  Yoda , he w as h ear d a s  Fungus  i n t h e  Disney  /  Pixar  film  Monster s , I n c .  & the robot i n  Columbia Picture s  '  Zathura .

Directorial Career
Frank Oz made his [ directorial  ] debut on  SESAME STREET  when he directed the Number Three Ball Film segment. When production began on The Dark Crystal, Jim Henson  decided to let Frank Oz co - [ direct ] the movie with him. According to an inter view with Oz, " (  Jim  ) s aid , ' Do you want to direct Dark Crystal w it h me  ? ' , & I said , ' Why ? , I don ' t know how to direct .  You  could do it  your self  . Why would  you  want me to direct with  you  ? '  He  said , ' Be cause it would b e better ' . & that ' s all that mattered .  He  didn ' t care about the credit .  He  knew that he had some weaknesses & he knew that I h ad some strength s , & so we worked together that way . "

A few y ear s l ate r,  Oz  directed The Muppet s Ta ke Manhattan. According t o Oz, " There was a script written by 2 other writers , & I said to Jim  that I didn ' t think this was in the right direction . I may have been wrong about t his , but the point is that  Jim  allowed me to rewrite i t & I rewrote the script . [ Then ]  he  asked me to direct it . I was very g r ate f u l , & that was the 1 s t directing job I had really done o n my own . "

After t h i s, he directed his 1 s t n o n -  Henson  movie , Little Shop of Horrors , adapted from the Broadway p lay. In the 1 9 8 7 interview with  The   Advertiser , Oz ex plain ed the empowering aspects of directing  : " Five years a g o I would have hemm ed & hawed while talk i n g t o you . . . But you get raw , n a k e d , savage p owe r a s a  direct o r  & a l l of a sudden you t a l k a l o t . "

Follow ing the film ' s success, Oz became an i n - demand director , primarily of live action comedies such as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels , ''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Frank_Oz_Films#What_about_Bob.3F What About Bob ? ], & The Stepford Wives''. In 2 00 1, he directed his 1 st drama , T h e Score , & in 2 00 7 , he directed his 1 st independent film , Death at a Funeral.

Due to his career as a director, Oz became too busy to perform as often as he had previously. He would still perform a f e w day s o n  SESAME STREET  every sea son, & would often find time to p e r form in  major  ( & sometimes minor ) Muppet production s , though the producers often had to work around his schedule ( & in some cases , other performers  perform ed his character s & he looped the dialogue l ate r . Such was t he case during many of t he film in g day s f or Muppet Treasure I s l a n d & Muppet s from S p ace. )

Current Muppet Status
Starting in the mid - 1990s, after 3 + long decades of Muppet performing  , Oz began to transition himself away from his Muppet duties to focus on  direct ing. Immediately following Muppet s from Space, all his main Muppet Show characters have been handed over t o Eric Jacobson  , who has also mostly taken over Bert & Grover , while  David Rudman  has become the new performer for Cookie Monster. Although, a s David  &  Eric  have once s aid , Oz usually comes in 4 or 5 t i m es a year & w i l l d o a " Bert D ay " , " Grover D ay " , " Cookie Day " , e tc.

In a 2007 interview, Oz explained why he distanced himself from the Muppets : There were a lot of reasons. 1 was that I w as a dad, I have 4 kids. The reason was that I was constantly ask e d t o d o stuff. & also, I had done this for 30 year s , & I had never wanted to be a puppeteer in the 1 st place. I wanted to be a journal i st, & really what I wanted to d o was direct theatre & direct movie s.

So it was a slow progression, working with Jim  , but I felt limited. As an act or & a performer, you feel limited because you ' re not the source for the creation , & I wanted to be t he source. I wanted to be the g uy & show my view of t h e world. & if I screw it up, then I screw i t u p , but at least I tried.

& as a director, what you ' re really showing is you ' re showing the audience your view of the world. I don ' t know w h y, but I thought I say things a certain way , & I wanted to express myself. I ' ve always enjoyed, more than anything else , bringing things to life , whether it be characters or actors in a scene or moments in movies. I ' ve done so much with puppets, that I've wanted to work with actor s. "

In a 2000 inter v iew, Oz said , " I ' ve made a policy over the last 15 years of not having any pictures with my character s & I , at all , in the same shot . That is because , as a direct or  , I can walk on a film for 1 8 h o u r s a d ay f o r a y e a r - - work my ass off - - & people will see i t & s a y " A h , y eah , that ' s n ice. That w as a good film ", Then they see 1 picture o f me & 1 of my character s , & they g o ape**** . They 'll freak out & say , " You do t hat character ! " The power o f t h e Muppet s, & the popularity of these characters , is so iconic in peo ple 's live s , that I've had to distance myself fr om it public l y . "

In addition to not posing for pictures with his character s, Frank Oz also refuses to talk in his character voices on request. His reasoning for this is that the character s are too special t o him. F o r him, to do a voice on command is akin to performing a parlor trick , & that the character exist s as much more than just a voice. Oz goes more into depth on this subject in The World of  Jim   Henson .

Oz recently did a rare in - person appearance on October 23rd, 2011 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria , New York , across the street from the Kaufman Astoria Studios where  SESAME STREET  is currently taped. Interviewed by Craig Shemin, the seminar focused on his career both as a Muppeteer  & director.

Evidently, Frank Oz was offered the chance to perform in The Muppets , despite the fact t hat as note d , he h a d retire d from Muppet performing. In Fall 2 011, when speaking of the early script of t he then recent film , Oz was quoted in a UK article as saying :

" I turned it down, I wasn't happy with the script . I don ' t think they respected the characters . But I don ' t want to go on about it like a sour puss & hurt t he movie . "

Oz stated in the same interview t hat :

" Working wit h Jim  & the Muppet s w as very exciting . . . I feel so deeply privileged to be part of i t . But when you work for 30 year s on something, you wanna do some thing else . "

Oz 's quote about being dissatisfied with the movie 's script was soon publicize d, picked up by s eve r a l [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_United_States_of_America U. S. ] website s & blogger s, combined with unsourced claim s that some of the film ' s Muppeteers  were al so un happy with the movie. Since Oz ' s Muppet retirement in 2000 was relatively quiet, some of these authors were under the impression that his dislike of the early script was the reason for his departure from the Muppets , even though his true departure from performing with the Muppets was almost 10 years prior.

In a July 2012 interview, Oz state d ;

" I felt the movie was really sweet & fun, a little too safe , a little retro ; I prefer more cutting edge with The Muppets . But the main thing is everybody got back to appreciating The Muppets , & what I wish th ey 'd appreciate is the performance underneath The Muppets ; those are t h e key peo ple . . . the main thing is it brought peo ple back to The Muppets . Although they never really left , it ' s always been a kind of subculture , it ' s always been there in our popular culture a little b it . So I ' m happy that peo ple a r e happy . " "

Muppeteer Credits

 * Oz ' s primary Muppet character s :


 * Cookie Monster :  SESAME STREET  Season 1 ( 19 6 9 ) - present


 * David Rudman :  2001 - present
 * Bert :  SESAME STREET   EPISODE 0 00 1  ( 1 9 6 9 ) - present


 *  Eric Jacob son  : 1997 - present
 * Grover :  SESAME STREET  Season 2 ( 1 970 ) - present


 *  Eric Jacob son  : 199 8 - present
 * Miss Piggy : T he Muppet Show ( 1 9 7 6 ) - The Today Show ( 2002 )


 *  Eric Jacob son  : Muppet Fest ( 2 00 1 ) - present
 * Animal : The Muppet Show : Sex & Violence ( 1 975 ) - Muppet RaceMania ( 2000 )


 *  Eric Jacob son  : It ' s a Very Merry Muppet Chris t mas Movie ( 2 0 0 2 ) - present )
 * Sam t he Eagle : The Muppet Show : Sex & Violence ( 1 975 ) - Muppet RaceMania ( 2000 )


 *  Eric Jacob son  : The Muppets ' Wizard o f Oz ( 2005 ) - present )
 * Fozzie Bear : T he Muppet Show ( 1 9 7 6 ) - Muppet Race Mania ( 2 000 )


 *  Eric Jacob son  : It ' s a Very Merry Muppet Chris t mas Movie ( 2 0 0 2 ) - present
 * Commercials : Delbert the La Choy Dragon ( body ), The Southern Colonel ( assistant )
 *  SE SAME STREET  : Aladdin, Alistair Cookie , As I Was Going to St . Ives g i r l , The Barber , Bart , Baskerville the Hound , Beautiful Day Monster , Bert ( 1 9 6 9 - present ) , Betty Lou ( occasion all y ) , Bruce Rumpelstiltskin , The Cat , Carson , Charlie , Cloud ( in " Here I s Your Life " ) , Consider Your self girl & boy , Clucky Luciano , Cookie Monster ( 1 9 6 9 - present ) , Count von Count ' s Bats , Do c Holiday , Dr . Rain brain , E nd , Farmer Frankie , Fat Blue " Fat Cat " perform er , Frances Oznowicz , Grover ( 1970 - present ) , Grover ' s Mommy ( 19 70 s ) , Harvey Knee slapper , Helen Happy , Hippie , Humpty Dumpty ( 1970s ) , Jascha Lombardi , J Friend , Keith Hearburn , King Kenny the Kind , Lamont ( dog ) , Larry Rhymie , Lefty the Salesman , Little Miss Muffet ( 1 9 71 ) , Lucy Jones , Mailman , Mother Goose ( Any thing Muppet )M r . Draper , Mrs . Rooney , Old King Cole ' s B a n d Lavender fiddle r & Fat Blue saxophone play er , The Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe ( " Sesame Street New s Flash " ) , Parker Piper , The Pied Piper , a pineapple from " Bi ling u al Fruit Song " , Pinocchio , Poppa Piper , Porter Piper , Prince Charming , Princess Penelope , Professor Hastings , Pumpkin Anything Muppet doctor from " The Peo ple in Yo ur Neighbor hood " , Pumpkin Anything Muppet woman from " I Want t o Hold Your Ear " , Purple Anything Muppet fe m a le b ack - up singer from " Mahna Mahna " , Rocky ' s Mother , Rosemary , Sad Man , Sally Screamer , Scudge ( 1 9 69 ) , Sis ter ( album s on l y ) , The Tallest Person in the Kingdom , Smilin ' Jack , Snow White ( 1 9 7 1 ) , T he Square , Susie , T - Shirt Sales man , The Smallest Person in the Kingdom , Tessie Twiddlebug , Tooth , The Tortoise ( 1 9 7 1 ) , The Wick e d Witch , The Woodsman , Yellow Submarine Purple captain , Yip Yip Martians , Zippy Zoomers
 * The Ed Sullivan Show : Fuzzyface, Dance r
 * Hey Cinderella ! : Stepsister 1, Rufus
 * The Great San ta Cla us S witch : Boppity, Hoppity , Skippity , Snerf 1 , Thig
 * Herb Alpert & t h e Tijuana Brass : Beautiful Day Monster ( Muppetry  )
 * One to One : Marvin
 * The Frog Prince : Robin the Frog ( Muppet r y  ), Gawain (  Muppet r y  & voice )
 * Saturday Night Live : The Mighty Fa vog, Food , Glig
 * The Muppet Show : Sex & Violence : Forcryingoutloud Bird, Pig , Purple Heap , Ruler , Theodore Roosevelt
 * The Muppet Show : Alien, Animal ( 1 9 7 5 - 2 000 ) , Baskerville the Hound ( episode 11 0 : Harvey Korman ) , Black Rooster , Boo Mortmorkinson , Blue Frackle ( episode 104 : Ruth Buzzi , episode 107 : Florence Henderson ) , Dancers , Doglion ( episode 211 : Dom DeLuise ) , Dough , Feather Boa Constrictor , Fozzie Amoeba , Fozzie Bear ( 1 9 7 6 - 2 0 0 0 ) , Frank , Fred , George t he Janitor ,  Ge ri  & t he Atrics ( piano play e r ) , Gingerbread Man , Green Frackle ( episode 1 0 3 : Joel Grey ) , Gorgon Heap ( episode 1 0 3 : Joel Grey , Episode 2 04 : Rich Little ) , Gramps , Hou se 3 ( episode 11 9 : Vincent Price ) , Hugga Wugga , Male Koozebanian Creature , Marvin Suggs , Mary Lou ise ( Episode 2 0 4 : Rich Little ) , Mean Mama ( occasion all y ) , Merdlidop , Mildred Hux tet ter ( " A t t h e Dance " , Sea s o n 1 ) , Miss Piggy ( 1 9 7 6 - 2 00 2 ) , Rowlf the Dog ( assis t a n t ) , Salzburg Sauerkraut Sing er , Sam the Eagle ( 1 9 7 5 - 2 0 0 0 ) , Shark ( episode 4 0 2 : Crystal Gayle ) , Sheep Wolf , S lim Wilson ( Epi sode 3 2 2 : Roy Rogers & Dale Evans ) , The Snowth s , The Swedish Chef ( h and s on l y ) , The Swedish Pig
 * Muppet Meeting Films : Grump, Kent , Sam t he Eagle ( 1975 - 2000 )
 * Emmet Otter ' s Jug Band Christ mas : Chuck Stoat, Alice Otter ( Muppetry  )
 * Christ mas Eve on  Sesame   Street  : Bert ( 1 9 6 9 - present ), Grover ( 1 9 7 0 - present ) , & Cookie Monster ( 1 9 6 9 - present )
 * The Muppet Movie : Miss Piggy ( 1 9 7 6 - 2 00 2 ), Fozzie Bear ( 1 9 7 6 - 2 0 00 ) , Animal ( 1 9 7 5 - 2 000 ) , Sam t he Eagle ( 1 9 7 5 - 2 000 )
 * The Dark Crystal : Aughra ( Muppetry  ), SkekSil (  Muppetry  )
 * The Great Muppet Caper : Miss Piggy ( 1 9 7 6 - 2 0 0 2 ), Fozzie Bear ( 1 9 7 6 - 2 0 0 0 ) , Animal ( 1 9 7 5 - 2 000 ) & Sam the Eagle ( 1 9 7 5 - 2 000 )
 * T he Muppet s Take Manhattan : Bert ( 1 9 6 9 - present ), Grover ( 1 9 70 - pre sent ) & Cookie Monster ( 1 9 6 9 - present ) , Miss Piggy ( 1 9 7 6 - 2 00 2 ) , Fozzie Bear ( 1 9 7 6 - 2 0 0 0 ) , Animal ( 1 9 7 5 - 2 0 00 ) , Sam the Eagle ( 1 9 7 5 - 2 000 )
 * Follow That  Bird  : Bert ( 1 9 6 9 - present ), Grover ( 1 9 7 0 - pre sen t ) , & Cookie Monster ( 1 9 6 9 - present )
 * The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Year s : Bert ( 1969 - pre sent ), Grover ( 1970 - present ) , Mi ss Piggy ( 1 9 7 6 - 2 0 0 2 ) , Fozzie Bear ( 1976 - 2000 )
 * Country Music with the Muppet s : Lyle, Baskerville the Hound , Cows , Sheep & Rufus.
 * Labyrinth : The Wise man ( Muppetry  only )
 * A Muppet Family Chris t mas : Bert ( 1 9 69 - present ), Grover ( 1 9 7 0 - pre sent ) , & Cookie Monster ( 1969 - pre sent ) , Mi ss Piggy ( 1 9 7 6 - 2 0 0 2 ) , Fozzie Bear ( 1976 - 2 0 0 0 ) , Animal ( 1 9 75 - 2 0 0 0 ) , Sam the Eagle ( 1975 - 2000 )
 * Muppet Vision 3D : Mi ss Piggy ( 1 9 7 6 - 2 0 0 2 ), Fozzie Bear ( 1 9 7 6 - 2000 ) , Sam the Eagle ( 1975 - 2002 ) , : Whatnots
 * The Muppets at Walt Disney World : Mi ss Piggy ( 1 9 7 6 - 2 0 0 2 ), Fozzie Bear ( 1976 - 2 0 0 0 ) , Animal ( 1 9 75 - 2000 )
 * Jim Henson ' s Memorial Service : Himself / Fozzie Bear ( 1976 - 2000 )
 * The Muppets Celebrate  JIM   HENSON  : Miss Piggy ( 1976 - 2 00 2 ) & Fozzie Bear ( 1976 - 2000 )
 * The Muppet Christ mas Carol : Miss Piggy ( 1976 - 2 00 2 ) ( a s Emily Cratchit ), Fozzie Bear ( 19 76 - 2 0 00 ) ( as Fozziwig ) , Animal ( 1 9 7 5 - 2000 ) , Sam the Eagle ( 19 75 - 2000 ) , Vegetable Seller , M r . Bitte
 * Muppet Treasure Island : Miss Piggy ( 1 9 76 - 2 00 2 ) ( as Benjamina Gunn ), Fozzie Bear ( 1 9 7 6 - 2 0 0 0 ) ( as Squire Trelawney ) , Animal ( 19 7 5 - 2000 ) , Sam the Eagle ( 1975 - 2000 ) ( as Samuel Arrow )
 * Muppets Tonight : The Lion, Miss Piggy ( 1 976 - 2 0 0 2 ) , Fozzie Bear ( 1976 - 2 0 0 0 ) , Animal ( 1 9 75 - 2000 ) , Sam the Eagle ( 1975 - 2000 )
 * T he Animal Show : Sam the Eagle ( 1 9 7 5 - 2 0 0 0 ) ( 1 episode )
 *  SESAME   STREET  Stays Up Late ! : Bert ( 1969 - present ), Grover ( 1970 - present ) & Cookie Monster ( 1 9 6 9 - present ) &  UNCLE HANK 
 *  The Adventures of  Elmo  in  GROUCH  land  : Bert ( 1969 - present ), Grover ( 1970 - present ) & Cookie Monster ( 1969 - present )
 * Muppets from Space: Miss Piggy ( 1976 - 2002 ), Fozzie Bear ( 1 9 7 6 - 2 0 0 0 ) , Animal ( 1 9 75 - 2 0 0 0 ) , Sam the Eagle ( 1975 - 2000 )
 * Muppet RaceMania : Miss Piggy ( 1 9 7 6 - 2002 ), Fozzie Bear ( 1 976 - 2 000 ) , Animal ( 1 9 7 5 - 2 0 0 0 ) , Sam the Eagle ( 1975 - 2000 )
 * The Today Show : Miss Piggy ( 1 9 7 6 - 2002 ) ( last time )
 *  Elmo  ' s Potty Ti me : Grover ( 1 9 7 0 - present )

Trivia

 *  OZ  i s right - hand ed.
 *  Kermit  asks the Wizard of Oz  i f  he  i s relate d t o  Frank   Oz  in  The Muppet s ' Wizard of Oz .
 * Character s o f  Frank   Oz  ’ s  Muppet eer   veteran   Eric Jacobson  h as voice d once o r consistent l y are :


 *  Miss Piggy  :  Muppet F e s t  ( 2 00 1  ) - present
 *  Fozzie B ear  :  It ' s a Ve ry Merry Muppet Chris t mas Movie  ( 2 00 2  ) - present
 *  Animal  :  It ' s a Ve ry Merry Muppet Chris t mas Movie  ( 2 00 2  ) - present
 *  Sam the Eagle  :  The Muppet s ' Wizard of Oz  ( 2 00 5  ) - present )
 *  Bert  ( 1 99 7  - present )
 *  Grover  ( 1 99 8  - present )
 *  Cookie Mon ster  ( 2 00 2  &  2 00 5  )
 * Marvin Suggs :  The Muppet s  (  2 0 11  )
 * Beautiful Day Monster :  T h e Muppet s  (  2 0 11  )
 *  Grover  ’ s  Mom my  :  A Celebration o f  M E ,  Grove r  ( 2 00 4  ) )

Henson Project s

 * T h e Dark Crystal ( c o - direct o r  w it h  Jim Henson  ) ( 1 9 8 2 )
 * T h e Fantastic  Miss   Piggy  Show ( 1 9 8 2 )
 * T h e Muppet s Take Manhattan ( 1 9 8 4 )

No n - HENSON  Film s

 * Little S hop o f Horror s ( 1 9 8 6 )
 *  DIRTY   ROTTEN  S c o u n d rel s ( 1 9 8 8 )
 * W h a t About Bob ? ( 1 9 9 1 )
 * House Sitter ( 1 99 2 )
 * T h e Indian i n t h e Cup board ( 1 9 9 5 )
 * I n & O u t ( 1 9 9 7 )
 * Bow finger ( 1 999 )
 * T h e S c or e ( 2 00 1 )
 * T h e Step ford Wive s ( 2 00 4 )
 * Death a t a Funeral ( 2 00 7 )

Addition a l Credit s

 * T h e Muppet Show ( 1 9 7 6 ) ( creative consultant )
 * T h e Great Muppet Caper ( 1 9 8 1 ) ( pro duce r  )
 * T h e Muppet s Take Manhattan ( 1 9 8 4 ) ( write r  )
 * T h e Muppet Christ mas Carol ( 1 9 9 2 ) ( executive produce r  )
 * Muppet Treasure I s l a n d ( 1 99 6 ) ( executive pro duce r  )
 * Muppets Tonight ( 1 9 9 6 ) ( executive consultant )

A war d s & Honor s
1 9 7 4 1 9 7 6 1 9 7 9 1 999
 * Day time Emmy f o r Individual Achieve men t in C h i l d r e n ' s Program m in g f or  SESAME STREET .
 * Day time Emmy f o r Out stand in g Individual Achieve men t i n C h i l d r e n ' s Programming for  SESAME STREET .
 * Day time Emmy f o r Individual Achieve men t i n C h i l d r e n ' s Programming f o r  SESAME STREET .
 * Ame ri can Comedy Award s Creative Artist Award p r e sent e d b y John Cleese

External l in k s

 * FRANK OZ o n I M D b