Fran Brill Fran Brill ( b . September 30 , 1946 ) is an actress and puppeteer who worked on " Sesame Street " beginning in 1970 . She was the first female puppeteer hired by Jim Henson , outside of wife Jane Henson . She is best known for performing Prairie Dawn and Zoe . Brill retired from performing in September 2014 . Early Career . A native of Pennsylvania , Brill began her performing career in community theater , and in 1968 , while in Atlanta , she joined the cast of the play " Red , White and Maddox " , which ridiculed segregationist governor . The show proved somewhat controversial due to its political subject matter , but transferred to Broadway in 1969 , and Brill moved to New York City to join her fellow cast members , who included a young Christopher Lloyd . The show closed in less than three months , after only 41 performances . Out of a job , Brill was seeking work as a voice - over actress and in radio commercials , when she answered an ad from Muppets Inc . , auditioning performers for what she initially assumed was a voice - over assignment . As the puppeteer recalled , " In those days , 1970 , it was a small operation and if you called , you could get Jim directly on the phone . . . They were training people to do a Christmas special for " The Ed Sullivan Show " . " The special was " The Great Santa Claus Switch " , and after a two week puppetry workshop with Henson , she was subsequently asked to join " Sesame Street " . Sesame Street Girls . For " Sesame Street " , Brill initially played a variety of minor roles , usually supplying little girl voices , but quickly established her first notable character , Prairie Dawn : Brill also coined the character ' s name : " I heard of an actress with a similar name [ Prairie Dorn ] and Jim loves unusual names . " Other characters followed , but it wasn ' t until 1993 that Brill established her next major role , as Zoe . Brill observed children , male and female , when developing her performance , picking up the basis for the character ' s laugh as well as the initial catch phrase " Don ' t joke me . " Though Brill was initially uncertain of the character ' s longevity , Zoe was the only new character introduced that season who has endured and thrived . Later , Brill added Kami — the HIV - positive Muppet from " Takalani Sesame " — to her resume , performing her in most public appearances in the U . S . Outside of " Sesame Street " , Brill has worked on " The Muppet Show " pilot " " , " Saturday Night Live " , and " Dog City " , amongst many other Muppet projects . Acting Career . While puppeteering kept her busy , Brill continued to pursue an acting career on stage and screen . On stage , concurrent with her Muppet work , Brill won two Drama Desk Awards , for " What Every Woman Knows " ( 1976 ) and " Knuckles " ( 1981 ) . She received considerable acclaim for her role as Fran Bachman on the soap opera " How to Survive a Marriage " ( 1974 - 1975 ) , in particular for her dramatic scenes following the death of the character ' s husband . Her notable film credits include " Being There " ( 1979 ) , " Midnight Run " ( 1988 , as Charles Grodin ' s wife ) , and " What About Bob ? " ( 1991 , directed by Frank Oz ) . TV work includes recurring stints on such soap operas as " All My Children " and " As the World Turns " as featured supporting characters and guest spots on " Law & Order " , " Kate & Allie " , and " Third Watch " . She has also made several cameos in Muppet productions . Brill ' s voice work includes the animated series " Doug " and " Doug ' s First Movie " , " Courage the Cowardly Dog " , and several radio and television commercials . As she noted in 1987 , " I can pinch myself and say , ' I may not be a major motion picture star , but that ' s OK . I ' ve done all right . " External links . _ _ NOWYSIWYG _ _