Renée Menschaar

Renée Menschaar performs Pino on Sesamstraat, the Dutch co-production of Sesame Street. She has been performing him since 1991, longer than any other puppeteer, and is also the first woman to play the role. She invented Pino's signature laugh and catchphrases, and made the character a bit younger.
Menschaar started out as Tommie's right hand.
When she's not performing Pino, she works as a puppeteer for other Dutch educational TV shows.
For Sesamstraat's 40th jubileum annual she also puppeteered Bert on the television program De Wereld Draait Door.
Despite being proud of her work, Menschaar prefers remaining unknown to the public and not having photographs online or in any other media.
On Dutch radio in a show called Stemgeheim she was interviewed on October 6, 2002. She explained why she played Pino. A fact is that she wanted to play Pino, but wasn't allowed first, because she was a woman. So she had to proof why Pino could be played by a woman, because Pino was always played by a man. She clearly succeed.
Also in March 2, 2003 she was interviewed but with Catherine van Woerden and Bert Plagman
They explain who they are and who their alter egos are now for almost 24 years. 
Again on July 1, 2019 she was interviewed on Dutch Radio. In "De Coen en Sander Show", where she opened up about the way she and her fellow puppeteers where treated like freelancers and about the tension around the ending of the show. No one from the direction would inform them or they rolled their eyes when they asked about their future as puppeteers. And at the end they where told just to be quiet about it and not talk about anything. Slowly they where sidelined. She had some thoughts about just running away with the Pino Puppet, so at least she could still do some good things with it.
==Video==
*Interview with Jan Kok and Renée Menschaar (Dutch)
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Category:International Sesame Street Performers
Category:Sesamstraat Performers