| Martin P. Robinson | |
| Birth Date: | 9 March 1954 |
| Birth Place: | Dearborn, Michigan, U.S. |
| Education: | Brookfield East High School |
| Othername: | Marty Robinson |
| Occupation: | Puppeteer |
| Years Active: | 1980–present |
| Children: | 5 |
| Website: | http://www.martinprobinson.com/ |
Martin P. Robinson (born March 9, 1954) is an American puppeteer who works for the Jim Henson Company. He is best known for his work on Sesame Street, having performed the characters of Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Oscar the Grouch's pet worm Slimey, Oscar's niece Irvine, Buster the Horse, and Shelley the Turtle for over 40 years.[1] [2] [3] He also designed, built, and performed the Audrey II puppets for Little Shop of Horrors. Robinson performed the characters Riff the Cat and Clef the dad on Allegra's Window, and was an animatronic puppeteer for Leonardo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He was responsible for training the puppeteers on Sesame Tree, and performed the Cat in the Hat in the second season of The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss.
Robinson was born on March 9, 1954, in Dearborn, Michigan. His father was a hydraulics engineer and his mother was a teacher. As a child, his favorite day was Halloween as he could dress up. He grew up in Milwaukee and graduated from Brookfield East High School in Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee.[4] He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating in 1974. Robinson originally intended to become a character actor, but work was scarce. He later toured with a marionette company, eventually working under puppeteer Bil Baird.
Robinson married Sesame Street writer Annie Evans on August 9, 2008, on the set of Sesame Street in the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York. Annie gave birth to twin daughters on February 12, 2009. Robinson also has three children from a previous marriage and two grandchildren.[5] He and his family live in Redding, Connecticut.[6]
| Year | Production | Role | Other notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Muppets Take Manhattan | Swedish Chef (hands), Buster the Horse, Additional Muppets | Performer | |
| 1985 | Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Board of Birds Member, Grouch Diner Patron, Additional Muppets | Performer | ||
| 1990 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Leonardo | Facial assistant[7] | |
| 1999 | The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland | Telly Monster, Laundromat Manager, Little Ricky | Performer | |
| 2008 | Crazy Harry, Additional Muppets | Performer, voice |
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Other notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–present | Sesame Street | Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Slimey the Worm, Buster the Horse, Irvine, Mrs. Grouch, Dicky Tick, Vincent Twice, Old MacDonald, Freddy, Additional Muppets | Performer[8] | |
| 1983 | Don't Eat the Pictures | Mr. Snuffleupagus | Performer; Television special[9] | |
| 1985 | Little Muppet Monsters | Rat, Cow, Walrus, Additional Muppets | Performer | |
| 1986 | Telly Monster | Performer (uncredited); Television special | ||
| 1986 | The Tale of the Bunny Picnic | Farmer, Additional Muppets | Performer; Television special | |
| 1987 | A Muppet Family Christmas | Additional Muppets | Performer; Television special | |
| 1988 | The Transformers | Powermaster Optimus Prime | Puppeteer (season 5) | |
| 1990 | The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson | Telly Monster, Additional Muppets | Performer; Television special | |
| 1994–1996 | Allegra's Window | Riff, Clef | Voice, performer | |
| 1996 | Elmo Saves Christmas | Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Santa's Elf, Additional Muppets | Performer; Television special | |
| 1998 | The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss | The Cat in the Hat | Performer (season 2) | |
| 2002 | Between the Lions | Grandpa Lion | Performer, Episode: "Out in Outer Space" | |
| 2009, 2013 | Late Night with Jimmy Fallon | Mr. Snuffleupagus, Additional Muppets | Performer; 2 episodes | |
| 2013 | Good Morning America | Telly Monster | Performer; 1 episode | |
| 2015 | Saturday Night Live | Mr. Snuffleupagus | Voice (uncredited) | |
| 2019–2023 | Helpsters | Mr. Primm | Performer | |
| 2020 | The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo | Telly Monster, Freddy | Performer | |
| 2021 | Octopus | Puppeteer #1; 1 episode |
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Get Set to Learn! | Telly Monster, Martian | Voice role |
| 1994 | Sesame Street: Numbers | Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus | |
| 1998 | The Three Grouchketeers | Telly Monster | |
| 2001 | Sesame Street: Sports | ||
| Sesame Street: Letters | Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus | ||
| 2011 | Slimey the Worm | ||
| 2012 | Kinect Sesame Street TV | Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Martian |
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Other notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Muppet Meeting Films | Papa Luigi | Short film | |
| 1982, 2003 | Little Shop of Horrors | Audrey II | Puppeteer in the original 1982 off-Broadway and 2003 Broadway productions[10] | |
| 1988 | Jim Henson's Play-Along Video | Crocodile, Raccoon, Additional Muppets | Performer; Direct-to-video series | |
| 2003 | Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic | Telly Monster | Performer, theme park film |