Scooter Puppet
date: label: date made
content: ca 1976
name: label: designer
content: Henson, Jim
label: performer
content: Rudman, David
label: performer
content: Hunt, Richard
label: maker
content: Henson, Jim
label: designer
content: Frith, Michael
label: builder
content: Goelz, Dave
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>Scooter is a hand-rod puppet that was originally performed by Richard Hunt and is currently performed by David Rudman. Scooter is the nephew of J. P. Grosse, the owner of The Muppet Theatre on <i>The Muppet Show</i>. Scooter was built in the late 1970s based on Michael Frith’s designs and Jim Henson’s ideas. He has glasses with his eyes embedded in the lenses and usually wears a green jacket. Scooter is energetic and eager to please and acts as Kermit’s assistant and a “gofer” backstage. In a hand-rod puppet, like Scooter, the performer’s dominant hand goes into the puppet’s head and operates the mouth and sometimes other facial features. The less dominant hand controls the arm rods, which are thin rods connected to the puppet’s hands.</p>
label: Description (Brief)
content: <p><i>The Muppet Show</i> is a half-hour long variety show featuring the Muppets that aired for five seasons from 1976 to 1981. The action of the show was generally split evenly between on-stage acts and the chaos going on backstage. Each episode featured a human guest star.</p>
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Muppet Show
label: Subject
content: Television
label: Subject
content: Television broadcasts
label: Subject
content: Puppetry
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
label: See more items in
content: Jim Henson
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of the Family of Jim Henson: Lisa Henson, Cheryl Henson, Brian Henson, John Henson and Heather Henson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2013.0101.07
label: accession number
content: 2013.0101
label: catalog number
content: 2013.0101.07
objectType: label: Object Name
content: puppet
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: fabric (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: felt (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: foam (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 18 1/2 in x 14 in x 13 in; 46.99 cm x 35.56 cm x 33.02 cm