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Joseph Mazzarino ( / mæzəˈriːnoʊ /; born June 4, 1968) is an American puppeteer, writer, director and actor. He is best known for his roles on Sesame Street as Murray Monster, Stinky the Stinkweed and other Muppets, [1] and being Head Writer and Director on Sesame Street, winning 22 Emmy Awards for his work.
- Overview
- Performing credits
- Writing credits
- Directing credits
- Voice-over acting
- Sources
- External links
Joseph "Joey" Mazzarino (b. June 4, 1968) started as a puppeteer on Sesame Street in 1989 and then joined the show's writing staff in 1991. He wrote his first sketch, the Columbo parody "Colambo," as an audition piece, and soon found himself cast in the title role. Mazzarino additionally became involved as a series director, and the head writer from 2009 until his departure in 2015.
With an inclination toward ad-libbing and a reputation as a cut-up on set, Mazzarino became a prominent player in the Sesame Street cast. His recurring characters included Murray Monster, Stinky the Stinkweed, Papa Bear, and the boisterous, tutu-wearing Elephant. In 2001, he took over the left head of the Two-Headed Monster.
Mazzarino has won multiple Daytime Emmy Awards with the Sesame Street writing and directing teams, and he received his first nomination for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series in 2010. He shared the honor that year with frequent winner Kevin Clash, and he was nominated in the category for three more consecutive years ending in 2015.
Mazzarino has also written for Bear in the Big Blue House, and co-wrote the screenplays for The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, Muppets from Space and Kermit's Swamp Years. His non-Muppet writing credits include The Upside Down Show, Nature Cat, Donkey Hodie, and Cyberchase (for which he also supplied voices in the pilot episode). His collaborations with former Sesame Street writer Mo Willems include writing and voice-acting for Sheep in the Big City, and the HBO Max special Don't Let The Pigeon Do Storytime (performing a puppet version of Willems' Pigeon character).
Mazzarino is married to actress Kerry Butler who has appeared on Sesame Street as Ms. Camp, the letter carrier. They have a daughter named Segi, who was the inspiration for the song "I Love My Hair" and the namesake of a Muppet character.
In September 2015, Mazzarino announced on his Facebook page that he had left his position on Sesame Street; season 46 had been recorded prior to his departure. He since worked on the Jim Henson Company production, Julie's Greenroom, as a writer and director. Mazzarino also participated in the 2018 Puppets for Puppetry event honoring Caroll Spinney, performing a Muppet version of Bozo the Clown. In 2021, he returned to script the Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala.
•Sesame Street: Murray Monster, Papa Bear, Horatio the Elephant, Stinky the Stinkweed, and others...
•The Muppets at Walt Disney World (uncredited)
••••Dog City: Artie Springer, Officer Fuzzy
•Muppet Meeting Films: Gimley's Boss, Wesley, Franklin, Coffee Guy, Smerdley, Others
•Billy Bunny's Animal Songs: Frog
•CityKids: Trish (puppetry only), Bird, Captain
•Sesame Street - including the Colambo skits, What's the Word on the Street? segments, and many celebrity spots. Head writer seasons 40-46
•Abby's Flying Fairy School: "Niblet's Wand," "Pinocchio Process," "Colonial Trolliamsberg," "Say Gezundenshniffle"
•Elmo the Musical: Guacamole the Musical, Sea Captain the Musical
•Cookie's Crumby Pictures: The Spy Who Loved Cookies, The Biscotti Kid
••123 Count with Me (with Sara Compton)
•The Muppets' Haunted House (unproduced)
•Sesame Street, seasons 38-46: episodes 4161, 4162, 4168, 4231, 4601, 4605, 4635
•••
•Sesame Street: Animated segments produced by Mo Willems and ArtistMike
•Elmo's World: Various TV segments
•Elmo's World: Happy Holidays!: Chanukah Channel announcer, Judah Maccabee
•Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures: Various
1.Jennifer V. Hughes, "Sesame Street Live comes to Izod Center", The North Jersey Record, September 30, 2010.
2.episode scripts
Joey Mazzarino was born on 4 June 1968 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Sesame Street (1969), Julie's Greenroom (2017) and The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999). He has been married to Kerry Butler since 1997. They have two children.
- January 1, 1
- 49 sec
- New York City, New York, USA
Characters performed by Joey Mazzarino. Frazzle's parent in Episode 2963 neighbor in Episode 2984 Uncle Herb Birds #3, 6, 9, and 12 in "12 Birds" animation Orville the Mouse Original Jay Camel Boy...
- 21 min
Dec 14, 2016 · Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street? Joey Mazzarino sure can! In this talk, he shares the story of how he became a professional puppeteer for Sesame ...
- 8 min
- 36.6K
- TED Archive
Joey Mazzarino was born on June 4, 1968 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Sesame Street (1969), Julie's Greenroom (2017) and The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999). He has been married to Kerry Butler since 1997.
http://www.UnderThePuppet.com - Joey Mazzarino started as a puppeteer on Sesame Street in 1989. He’d go on to perform characters such as Murray Monster, Sti...
- 55 min
- 2.7K
- Saturday Morning Media