hello im insane about the muppets and here is how i tell all of the puppeteers (before jim's passing) apart:
jim's characters all have similar voices, and he usually uses one of two voices: kermit/kermit-esque or deep and gravely. he also tends to wave the puppets head around or excessively nod. and whenever his puppet laughs its mouth stays open and nods.
all of (or most of) franks characters speak in exaggerated tones or with syllables held out/dramaticized (most notably with sam the eagle). he also has a very unique voice for all of his characters, so if a puppet has an interesting voice, its probably frank. also, he tends to have the puppet point/wave its arms around a decent bit. ooh and they open their mouths wide a lot! OH ANOTHER THING I FORGOT all of his characters stand very proudly if that makes sense. he does this like side to side thing then straightens them up so they look very strong and he does it with a TON of his characters.
daves characters wave their arms around a lot. A Lot. pay attention to boober fraggle and gonzo. they do a whole lotta waving (usually with both arms at once). zoot is an exception, of course, due to the fact he holds a saxophone. additionally, a lot of his characters sound vaguely similar. dave is also recognizable in modern years since hes the last puppeteer from the 70s.
richard has an extremely recognizable voice. very goofy and silly (e.g. sweetums, junior gorg.) also a lot of his characters sound very similar, and he has a very good singing voice. his characters nod alot and tilt their heads a decent bit. dont forget the scooter fist™ as well.
i always say, if you dont know who the puppeteer is, its probably jerry nelson. his voice can sometimes sound like richard hunt, though, especially in higher octaves.
bill is an easy one, for he adopted most of jims more gravely voiced characters after his passing (e.g. dr teeth, rowlf). he also is similar to frank oz with how a lot of his characters have exaggerated voices. he tends to wave around one of the puppets arms, as well.
apart from kermit, a lot of steves characters sound similar (e.g. wembley & rizzo) or they have higher voices such as bean bunny. his characters tilt their heads and nod alot as well, and sound similar when yelling.
theres definitely more identifying factors that i cant think of... ill add on if i remember though. theres so many that i kind of forget. but im right about a character 98% of the time! 😉
jacobvanloon
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