Burr Tillstrom Burr Tillstrom ( 1917 - 1985 ) was a puppeteer best known as the creator of the early television series " Kukla , Fran , and Ollie . " Tillstrom created his first puppet , a clown character who would be named Kukla following an encounter with a Russian ballerina , in 1936 . His troupe of " Kuklapolitans " expanded in 1938 to include Oliver J . Dragon ( " Ollie " ) . The group performed on early television broadcasts in 1939 and 1942 . With the addition of Chicago actress Fran Allison , the program premiered as " Junior Jamboree " in 1947 and was soon renamed " Kukla , Fran , and Ollie " , remaining on the air until 1957 and with several subsequent revivals . Tillstrom also performed on the satirical political series " That Was the Week That Was " , winning an Emmy for his Berlin Wall hand ballet . The premise of " Kukla , Fran and Ollie " was not dissimilar to that of " The Muppet Show " years later . It centered on the Kuklapolitan Players , a motley theater group , with Kukla as the general straightman and voice of reason . Ollie considered himself the star actor ( performing in the annual Gilbert & Sullivan productions and other major acting and singing parts ) . Other troupe members included Madame Ooglepuss ( the diva ) , Col . Crackie ( the Southern emcee ) , stagemanager Cecil Bill , and electronics expert Buelah Witch , among many others . On " Kukla , Fran , and Ollie " , Tillstrom developed the technique of watching the on - stage action through a small monitor as he performed the puppet characters , while standing behind a scrim through which he could also see . Jim Henson would adopt and alter this technique by having his puppeteers hold their puppets above their heads , which became a key component of Muppet performance . Crossed Paths . In 1960 , Tillstrom met Jim and Jane Henson at a puppetry convention in Detroit . Tillstrom introduced Jim Henson to Bernie Brillstein when the latter needed an agent as well as to puppet builder Don Sahlin ( who had rebuilt many of the Kuklapolitan characters for a Broadway show that year ) . The Hensons also resided in Tillstrom ' s apartment building before moving to Greenwich in 1964 . In Henson ' s 1966 " Idea Man " short , Kukla is one of the images floating through the mind of Limbo . Henson mentioned Tillstrom ' s work when he spoke at Edgar Bergen ' s funeral service in 1978 : Four years later , Tillstrom and Henson were both honored at the 1982 Detroit Institute of Arts convention . Henson again discussed the influence of Tillstrom ' s work in a 1979 interview , as cited in Henson ' s own " New York Times " obituary : Legacy . Tillstrom was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1986 , the year after his death . Jim Henson offered a salute on the Hall of Fame broadcast on April 21st , though critic John J . O ' Connor claimed it was " almost totally overshadowed by what looks like another episode of " The Muppet Show " . " The Henson characters were also joined by Shari Lewis ' s Lamb Chop and Bil Baird ' s Charlemane for the salute . Fran Allison accepted the award for Tillstrom . Cheryl Henson ' s book " The Muppets Make Puppets " included a brief biography and photo of Tillstrom in a section on famous puppeteers , alongside Jim Henson , Edgar Bergen , and Bil Baird . At one time , Disney - MGM Studios had three tile mosaic portraits featuring Tillstrom , Fred Rogers and Jim Henson in the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame . All three have since been removed .