We are saddened to learn that puppeteer Daniel Seagren, an early collaborator of Jim Henson’s has passed away.
Seagren began working with Jim Henson in 1968 and became a part of the Muppet team during the original development of Sesame Street. In addition to Sesame Street, he performed puppets with Henson through the mid-1970s in various specials and Ed Sullivan Show appearances.
Seagren also notably performed Big Bird on several occasions when Caroll Spinney was otherwise unavailable. For example:
A sampling of memorable productions of Seagren’s also include The Frog Prince, The Muppet Musicians of Bremen, and as the Cigar Box Frackle (aka, proto-Gonzo) in The Great Santa Claus Switch.
Outside of the Muppet world, Seagren is best known as the performer of Spider-Man on The Electric Company, which is also notable for being the first live-action portrayal of the superhero. If it wasn’t for Seagren, we wouldn’t have Tom Holland. Probably.
Thanks to Daniel Seagren for being an important cog in the Muppet machine. We’ll miss his important contributions to Henson history.
Click here to help us remember Daniel Seagren on the ToughPigs Discord!
by Joe Hennes – [email protected]
BONUS: For more on Seagren, check out this half-hour video of him training puppeteers for Barrio Sesamo:
