I was a kid in the 1970s and '80s, and I was definitely inspired by Jim Henson's 'Muppets' and 'Sesame Street.' I was very curious about what was going on underneath the puppets I saw on screen. I made my own puppets, did puppet shows for schools, PTAs, churches, and the kids in my neighborhood.
Matt Vogel
When I was moving to New York in 1994, I saw an ad in the paper that said, 'Do You Measure Up To Be A Muppet?' I answered the ad and soon after met John Henson, who brought me in to understudy him for a real version of the computer generated Coca-Cola Polar Bear.
I dabbled in puppetry throughout college and even had my own traveling puppet show after I graduated.
I never thought that being a puppeteer was something someone could do as a job.
