Axel Rathgeber

Axel Rathgeber (b. 1968) has been a supporting puppeteer on The Secret Life of Toys and Muppet Treasure Island. 
==Muppet performing==
Born in Langenfeld, Germany, Rathgeber was influenced at an early stage by Sesame Street and The Muppet Show which were broadcast on German TV. After school, he studied Communication Design at the Los Angeles Art Center's College of Design and worked in the advertising and game design industry. In 1992, the Jim Henson Company sought German puppeteers to work on the production of The Secret Life of Toys, which was to be produced in Duesseldorf. Rathgeber, Jürgen Tombers and Marcus Hübner were three out of 40 puppeteers who finally got the job. 
Rathgeber also worked as a supporting puppeteer on Muppet Treasure Island, where he played side characters and was right-hand performer for Dave Goelz's Great Gonzo.
For some years, Rathgeber was a puppeteer for the German version of Spitting Image and was also involved in puppet building and designing. He now lives near Karlsruhe, Germany and has his own creative studio working for entertainment and television companies.
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Category:Muppet Puppeteers