Puppet Wrangler/Consultant

Puppet Wrangler & Consultant

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On set at Sesame

As a Consultant, Stacey uses nearly 20 years in professional puppetry and/or musical works to guide you through the production process. For Wrangling, Scroll Down!

PUPPETS: Wrangling. Design, Casting, Training, Direction, Production. MUSICALS: Dramaturgy, song placement, choreography, and more!

Stacey served as Puppet Consultant for Blippi's Treehouse, Puppet Producer for Kidscreen-Award-nominated NickJr's Puppet Preschool, and Supervising Producer (in addition to Series Episodic Director) for Reading Buddies Seasons 2 and 3 (PBS/WCNY). She has also contributed to over 10 seasons of Sesame Street and worked with everyone from Kermit the Frog to Fallout Boy. (Her Emmy Award is for work on the 50th Season wrangling team for the Jim Henson Co, and has two additional nominations - for Muppets Mayhem, and Sesame Street.)

Puppet Wrangling

At the wranglers' station at Sesame

(the A/C was blasting!)

So like... what the heck is Puppet Wrangling? If I've got puppets, do I need a Puppet Wrangler?

Short Answer: The wrangler is your liaison to the Puppet World, making things run smoothly. So, Yes!

Stacey fell into Wrangling at the ripe old age of 18 on the set of Johnny and the Sprites. There she learned the foundations of Puppet Wrangling and made friends and colleagues she still has twenty years later!

Puppet Wrangling is a funny name for the person who preps your puppets for the shoot at hand, then handles the puppet on set so it's dressed and ready and rigged up to do what you want, and then after the shoot also makes sure everything is packed up, cleaned, and maybe even refurbished so it's ready for next time. During Pre-Production, they are often your consultant for 'how do we do that?' when it comes to puppets. Many wranglers are also puppet, prop, and costume builders since you kinda need to have a crossection of experience to be a good wrangler. Some wranglers (like Stacey!) are also puppeteers and can serve as both on the same production.

So... If you need a sleepy-looking Elmo on set in his PJ's and holding a phone, the wrangler is the one who fluffs his fur, makes sure he's got on sleepy eyelids, puts him into those PJs, and rigs the phone to his hands or switches him out for some live hands... then gives him to the puppeteer for the next shot.

Stacey has wrangled for a lot of folks you've heard of and still geeks out over it. Shows include: Sesame Street (PBS/HBO/Netflix), Muppets Mayhem (Disney+), Crank Yankers (Comedy Central/ITV), Julie's Greenroom (Netflix), Blippi's Treehouse (Amazon), Helpsters (Apple), and Johnny and the Sprites (Playhouse Disney), and a whole lot of random TV and promo appearances for Muppets of all shapes and sizes. Music videos include: Chance the Rapper, Fallout Boy, Rob Thomas, and The Electric Mayhem. Companies Include: The Jim Henson Company, The Puppet Kitchen, Swazzle, and Furry Puppet Studio. She also lead the Puppet & Wardrobe Departments for the Original Production of Avenue Q Off-Broadway, but as they say, 'everything in life is only for now'...