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			{{BLP sources\|date=July 2024\|reason=Unverified content. Remaining references need close review against BLP requirements}}
	{{afd}}
			{{short description\|American puppeteer}}
	'''Eric Jacobson''' is a ] and ] performer who has performed ]'s Muppet characters since ]. This began with ]s of '']'' airing in ] (with the characters ] and ]) and with ''Muppetfeast'' (in the case of ]) that same year.
			{{other people\|\|Eric Jacobsen (disambiguation){{!}}Eric Jacobsen (disambiguation)}}{{Use mdy dates\|date=March 2017}}
			{{Infobox person
			\| name = Eric Jacobson
			\| image = Eric Jacobson puppeteer, July 2015 (cropped).jpg
			\| caption = Jacobson at ] in 2015
			\| birth_date = {{Birth date and age\|1971\|01\|15}}<!-- NOTE: Published means, for Misplaced Pages's purposes, any source that was made available to the public in some form. The term is most commonly associated with text materials, either in traditional printed format or online; however, audio, video, and multimedia materials that have been recorded then broadcast, distributed, or archived by a reputable party may also meet the necessary criteria to be considered reliable sources. -->
			\| birth_place = ], ], U.S.
			\| birth_name =
			\| alma_mater = ] (])
			\| occupation = Puppeteer
			\| years_active = 1994–present
			\| spouse = Mary Jacobson
			\| children = 2
			}}
			'''Eric Jacobson''' (born January 15, 1971)<ref name=":5">{{Cite web \|date=2024-06-24 \|title=Eric Jacobson and Muppet Trivia 2! {{!}} The Barretta Brothers \|url=https://barrettabrothers.podbean.com/e/eric-jacobson-and-muppet-trivia-2/ \|access-date=2024-06-24 \|archive-date=June 24, 2024 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624052403/https://barrettabrothers.podbean.com/e/eric-jacobson-and-muppet-trivia-2/ \|url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> is an American ]. He is best known for his involvement with ], performing ], ], ], and ] for ], as well as '']'' characters ], ], ], and ]—all roles that he inherited from the characters' original performers, ], ], and ].<ref name=VarMojo>{{cite news\|last=Setoodeh\|first=Ramin\|title=How Kermit and the Muppets Got Their Mojo Back\|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/the-muppets-talk-about-comebacks-and-their-relationship-with-disney-1201128921/\|access-date=March 12, 2014\|newspaper=Variety\|date=March 11, 2014\|archive-date=May 6, 2019\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506162621/https://variety.com/2014/film/news/the-muppets-talk-about-comebacks-and-their-relationship-with-disney-1201128921/\|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite magazine \|last=Cordero \|first=Rosy \|date=December 8, 2019 \|title=Sesame Street legend Caroll Spinney, who played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, dies at 85 \|url=https://ew.com/tv/2019/12/08/sesame-street-puppeteer-caroll-spinney-dies-at-85/ \|access-date=August 3, 2020 \|magazine=Entertainment Weekly \|archive-date=June 2, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200602041955/https://ew.com/tv/2019/12/08/sesame-street-puppeteer-caroll-spinney-dies-at-85/ \|url-status=live }}</ref>

			Since 1994, Jacobson has been a regular performer for '']'', where he has received ] and ] nominations. Since 2001, he has performed as part of the Muppets cast in several feature films and television series, including '']'' (2005), '']'' (2011), '']'' (2014)'','' the ] primetime television series, '']'' (2015), and the ] series, '']'' (2023).<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Porter \|first=Rick \|date=2023-11-21 \|title='Muppets Mayhem' Canceled at Disney+ \|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/muppets-mayhem-canceled-disney-plus-1-season-1235669451/ \|access-date=2024-07-07 \|website=The Hollywood Reporter \|language=en-US \|archive-date=December 18, 2023 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218085342/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/muppets-mayhem-canceled-disney-plus-1-season-1235669451/ \|url-status=live }}</ref>
	Subsequently, in ''In A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie'' (]), he performed the roles of ] and ]. In ''The Muppets ]'' (]) he performed ].

			==Career==
	{{bio-stub}}
			Jacobson was born in ]. He was inspired to enter the field of puppeteering after the death of ].<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web\|date=July 26, 2014\|title=A Conversation with characters from Sesame Street live from NerdHQ 2014\|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibT0HZ04D9A&t=1507s \|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/ibT0HZ04D9A \|archive-date=2021-12-22 \|url-status=live\|access-date=August 2, 2020\|website=YouTube.com\|publisher=Nerd HQ}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 1992, while attending ]'s ], he interned at ], working in the archival library.<ref name="VarMojo" /><ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite book \|last1=Gikow \|first1=Louise \|title=123 Sesame Street: a celebration: 40 years of life on the street \|last2=Loredo \|first2=Betsy \|date=2009 \|publisher=Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers \|isbn=978-1-57912-638-4 \|location=New York, NY}}</ref> Jacobson earned his BFA from Tisch the following year.

			Jacobson began his career as a puppeteer on '']'' in 1994, where he worked alongside ],<ref>{{Cite web \|date=2003-12-08 \|title=Muppet Central Help - Frequently Asked Questions - Muppets \|url=https://muppetcentral.com/help/faq/muppets.shtml \|access-date=2024-06-30 \|archive-date=December 8, 2003 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031208122435/https://muppetcentral.com/help/faq/muppets.shtml \|url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> often performing the roles of ] and ] when Oz wasn't available.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine\|last=Spitznagel\|first=Eric\|date=September 30, 2011\|title=Sesame Street puppeteer Eric Jacobson reveals shocking news that Sesame Street is not a real place\|magazine=Vanity Fair\|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2011/09/-i-sesame-street--i--puppeteer-eric-jacobson-reveals-shocking-ne\|access-date=August 2, 2020\|archive-date=September 24, 2022\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924231426/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2011/09/-i-sesame-street--i--puppeteer-eric-jacobson-reveals-shocking-ne\|url-status=live}}</ref> Following Oz's retirement from the roles, Jacobson became the characters' primary performer.<ref name=":04">{{Cite magazine \|last=Spitznagel \|first=Eric \|date=September 30, 2011 \|title=Sesame Street puppeteer Eric Jacobson reveals shocking news that Sesame Street is not a real place \|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2011/09/-i-sesame-street--i--puppeteer-eric-jacobson-reveals-shocking-ne \|access-date=August 2, 2020 \|magazine=Vanity Fair \|archive-date=September 24, 2022 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924231426/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2011/09/-i-sesame-street--i--puppeteer-eric-jacobson-reveals-shocking-ne \|url-status=live }}</ref> Since 2005, he has performed ], a role previously performed by Henson.<ref>{{Cite news\|last=Hipes\|first=Patrick\|date=October 17, 2018\|title=Caroll Spinney, 'Sesame Street's Big Bird For 50 Years, Is Retiring\|work=]\|url=https://deadline.com/2018/10/caroll-spinney-big-bird-retiring-sesame-street-1202484591/\|access-date=August 3, 2020\|archive-date=November 11, 2020\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111182850/https://deadline.com/2018/10/caroll-spinney-big-bird-retiring-sesame-street-1202484591/\|url-status=live}}</ref> Following ]'s retirement in 2018, Jacobson became the full-time performer of ].<ref name=":3" />

			For his work on ''Sesame Street'', Jacobson has been nominated for both a ] for ] and a ] for ] in 2011 and 2019, respectively.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news\|last=Schaffstall\|first=Katherine\|date=August 30, 2019\|title=Emmys: 46 of This Year's First-Time Nominees\|work=The Hollywood Reporter\|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/emmys-2019-first-time-performer-nominees-1227603/item/eric-jacobson-emmys-2019-a-guide-first-time-acting-nominees-1228875\|access-date=August 3, 2020\|archive-date=July 10, 2024\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710002612/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/emmys-2019-first-time-performer-nominees-1227603/\|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web\|date=October 17, 2018\|title=Sesame Street's Big Bird puppeteer retires\|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-45890721\|access-date=August 3, 2020\|website=bbc.com\|archive-date=November 12, 2020\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112010835/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-45890721\|url-status=live}}</ref>

			For ], Jacobson began performing ] in 2001, debuting at the "MuppetFest" fan convention.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news \|last=Lloyd \|first=Robert \|date=May 16, 2015 \|title=If Harry Shearer leaves 'The Simpsons,' what will happen? Just ask Bugs Bunny \|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-critics-notebook-voices-carry-20150515-column.html \|access-date=May 20, 2015 \|work=Los Angeles Times \|archive-date=May 7, 2019 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507062504/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-critics-notebook-voices-carry-20150515-column.html \|url-status=live }}</ref> The following year, he began performing ] and ], debuting in the roles in ''].'' In 2005, he also began performing ] beginning in '']''. The aforementioned characters were also previously performed by Oz, whom Jacobson consulted with to accurately portray the proper characterization, physicality, and voice for the characters.<ref name=":0" />

			===Other works===
			Beyond his work with Henson, Jacobson has contributed to several other children's television shows, including '']'' and '']''. He has also performed live puppet theater with ], The Puppet Company, The Cosmic Bicycle Theater, and The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater in Central Park.<ref name=":7" />

			For ], Jacobson performed Harry the Duck on '']'' and puppeteered ] on '']''.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web \|date=2008-09-26 \|title=Disney Channel MediaNet \|url=http://www.dcmedianet.com/web/showpage/showpage.aspx?program_id=3113879&type=producers \|access-date=2024-07-01 \|archive-date=September 26, 2008 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926235123/http://www.dcmedianet.com/web/showpage/showpage.aspx?program_id=3113879&type=producers \|url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2007, he served as both puppeteer and writer on ]'s '']''.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=2007-11-01T08:33:07.82+00:00 \|title=Bunnytown \|url=https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/bunnytown/210589.article \|access-date=2024-07-01 \|website=Broadcast \|language=en \|archive-date=August 6, 2012 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806083954/http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/bunnytown/210589.article \|url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web \|last=Emily \|first=Wicks \|date=2021-09-22 \|title=Spiffy Pictures: Adventures in Television Animation {{!}} Ballard Institute and Museum \|url=https://bimp.uconn.edu/explore/past-exhibitions/spiffy-pictures-adventures-in-television-animation/ \|access-date=2024-07-02 \|language=en-US \|archive-date=July 2, 2024 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240702023405/https://bimp.uconn.edu/explore/past-exhibitions/spiffy-pictures-adventures-in-television-animation/ \|url-status=live }}</ref>

			In 2013, Jacobson served as puppeteer for ] for the DVD movie ''],'' with ] providing Shaggy's voice.

			==Personal life==
			Jacobson is married to Mary Jacobson, whom he met during her time as a production assistant on '']''.<ref name=":0" />

			==Filmography==

			=== Film ===
			{\| class="wikitable"
			! Year
			! Production
			! Role
			! Notes
			\|-
			\|1999
			\|'']''
			\|]
			\|Assistant performer
			\|-
			\| 2002
			\| '']''
			\| ], ], ], ]
			\| rowspan="2" \| Performer; Television film
			\|-
			\| 2005
			\| '']''
			\| Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, ]
			\|-
			\| rowspan="2" \|2008
			\|'']''
			\|Grover, Bert
			\|Performer; Direct-to-DVD film
			\|-
			\| '']''
			\| Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle
			\|Performer
			\|-
			\|2011
			\|'']''
			\| Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle, Marvin Suggs
			\| Performer
			\|-
			\|2013
			\| '']''
			\| Shaggy Rogers
			\| Performer (puppetry only); Direct-to-DVD film
			\|-
			\|2014
			\| '']''
			\| Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle, Animal, Marvin Suggs
			\|Performer
			\|-
			\| 2021
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle, Animal
			\| Performer; Halloween special for ]
			\|}

			=== Television ===
			{\| class="wikitable"
			! Year(s)
			! Production
			! Role
			! Notes
			\|-
			\| 1994–present
			\| '']''
			\| Bert (1997–present), ] (1998–present), ] (2005–present), ] (2015–present)
			\| Performer
			\|-
			\| 1996–1998
			\| ''Once Upon a Tree''
			\| Billy-Bob the Bobcat
			\| Performer
			\|-
			\| 1998
			\| '']''
			\| Leon MacNeal, Blue Piece Police
			\| Puppeteer (season 3)
			\|-
			\| 1997–2006
			\| '']''
			\| Harry the Duck, Tucker Tutter
			\|Performer
			\|-
			\|2001
			\|'']''
			\|Bert
			\|Performer, Episode: "Tweet! Tweet!"
			\|-
			\| 2001–2003
			\| '']''
			\| Piglet
			\| Performer (puppetry only)
			\|-
			\|2002–2007
			\|'']''
			\|Bert, Grover
			\|Performer
			\|-
			\|2005, 2012
			\|'']''
			\|Grover, Fozzie Bear, Animal
			\|Performer; 3 episodes''
			\|-
			\|2005
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy
			\|Performer; 3 episodes
			\|-
			\|2005, 2007
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear
			\|Performer; 2 episodes
			\|-
			\|2005–2007
			\|'']''
			\|Little Bad Wolf, Phil the Coo-Coo Bird
			\|Performer
			\|-
			\|2005, 2011, 2014
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy
			\|Performer, 3 episodes
			\|-
			\|2005
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal
			\|Performer
			\|-
			\|2006–2011
			\|'']''
			\|Additional voices
			\|
			\|-
			\|2007–2008
			\|'']''
			\|Super Bunny, Green Cave Bunny, Royal Assistant Marvin, Captain Dan, Melvin
			\|Performer (also writer)''<ref name=":2" />''
			\|-
			\|2008
			\|''Studio DC: Almost Live''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle
			\|Performer
			\|-
			\| rowspan="4" \|2011
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy
			\|Performer, Episode: "Miss Piggy"
			\|-
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy
			\|Performer, Episode: "Miss Piggy"
			\|-
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear
			\|Performer, Episode: "]"
			\|-
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy
			\|Performer; 1 episode
			\|-
			\|2011, 2012
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal
			\|Performer, 2 episodes
			\|-
			\|2011, 2012
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle
			\|Performer; Television special
			\|-
			\| rowspan="2" \|2013
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal
			\|Performer, Episode: "Duncan Dream House"
			\|-
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle
			\|Performer; Television special
			\|-
			\|2015–2016
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle, Marvin Suggs
			\|
			\|-
			\| rowspan="2" \|2019
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy
			\|Performer; 1 episode
			\|-
			\|'']''
			\|Dr. Enamel
			\|Voice role, Episode: "Hurty Tooth"

			Credited as Fozzie Bear; Jacobson credited as Fozzie Bear's "personal handyman"
			\|-
			\| rowspan="3" \|2020
			\|'']''
			\|Bert, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, ] (left head)
			\|Performer<ref>{{Cite news \|last=Adams \|first=Erik \|date=May 19, 2020 \|title=The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo is the next best thing to a streaming Muppet Show \|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-not-too-late-show-with-elmo-is-the-next-best-thing-1843520789 \|access-date=June 1, 2020 \|work=The AV Club \|archive-date=June 1, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601042752/https://tv.avclub.com/the-not-too-late-show-with-elmo-is-the-next-best-thing-1843520789 \|url-status=live }}</ref>
			\|-
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle, Animal
			\|Performer
			\|-
			\|''The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special''
			\|Oscar the Grouch
			\|Performer; Television special
			\|-
			\|2022
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal
			\|Performer; Episode: "Muppets Night"
			\|-
			\|2023
			\|'']''
			\|Animal
			\|Performer
			\|}

			=== Video games ===
			{\| class="wikitable"
			!Year(s)
			!Title
			!Role
			!Notes
			\|-
			\|2001
			\|''Sesame Street Sports''
			\|Grover
			\| rowspan="5" \|Voice role<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Sesame Street Sports (2001) \|url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/153199/sesame-street-sports/ \|access-date=2024-07-02 \|website=MobyGames \|language=en \|archive-date=July 2, 2024 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240702013036/https://www.mobygames.com/game/153199/sesame-street-sports/ \|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|title=Muppet Central Articles - Reviews: Muppets Party Cruise (PlayStation2) \|url=https://muppetcentral.com/articles/reviews/merchandise/party_cruise.shtml \|access-date=2024-07-02 \|website=muppetcentral.com \|archive-date=July 2, 2024 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240702013038/https://muppetcentral.com/articles/reviews/merchandise/party_cruise.shtml \|url-status=live }}</ref>
			\|-
			\|2003
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear
			\|-
			\| rowspan="2" \|2011
			\|'']''
			\| rowspan="2" \|Grover
			\|-
			\|'']''
			\|-
			\|2012
			\|'']''
			\|Bert, Grover, Guy Smiley
			\|}

			=== Other appearances ===
			{\| class="wikitable"
			! Year(s)
			! Production
			! Role
			! Notes
			\|-
			\|2003
			\|'']''
			\|Grover, Bert
			\|Performer, theme park film
			\|-
			\|2008–2009
			\|''Muppet ] Shorts''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle
			\|Performer
			\|-
			\| rowspan="2" \|2010
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear
			\|Performer, web series
			\|-
			\|''Disney's Honorary VoluntEars Cavalcade''
			\|Miss Piggy
			\|Voice, theme park parade
			\|-
			\|2013–2014
			\|''Muppisodes''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear
			\|Performer, web shorts<ref>{{cite news \|last=Graser \|first=Marc \|date=December 6, 2013 \|title=Watch: The Muppets Star in New Series of 'Muppisodes' \|url=https://variety.com/2013/digital/news/watch-the-muppets-star-in-new-series-of-muppisodes-1200926802/ \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210020537/http://variety.com/2013/digital/news/watch-the-muppets-star-in-new-series-of-muppisodes-1200926802/ \|archive-date=December 10, 2013 \|access-date=December 8, 2013 \|newspaper=Variety \|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
			\|-
			\|2014
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy
			\|Performer
			\|-
			\|2016–2019
			\|'']''
			\|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle
			\|Voice, theme park show
			\|-
			\|2017
			\|''The Muppets Take the Bowl''
			\| rowspan="2" \|Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle, ]
			\|Performer, live show at the ], Sept. 8–10''<ref name=":22">{{Cite news \|last=Itzkoff \|first=Dave \|date=July 28, 2020 \|title=It's Time to Re-Re-Re-Meet the Muppets \|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/arts/television/muppets-now-disney.html \|access-date=July 28, 2020 \|work=The New York Times \|archive-date=July 10, 2024 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710002604/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/arts/television/muppets-now-disney.html \|url-status=live }}</ref>''
			\|-
			\|2018
			\|''The Muppets Take the O2''
			\|Performer, live show at the ], Jul. 13–14''<ref name=":23">{{Cite news \|last=Itzkoff \|first=Dave \|date=July 28, 2020 \|title=It's Time to Re-Re-Re-Meet the Muppets \|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/arts/television/muppets-now-disney.html \|access-date=July 28, 2020 \|work=The New York Times \|archive-date=July 10, 2024 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710002604/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/arts/television/muppets-now-disney.html \|url-status=live }}</ref>''
			\|-
			\|2019
			\|''Muppet Babies Play Date''
			\|Miss Piggy (baby), Fozzie Bear (baby), Animal (baby)
			\|Performer (puppetry only), web shorts<ref>{{Cite web \|title=They're not just animated anymore! See the new Muppet Babies as actual Muppets \|url=https://ew.com/tv/2019/05/17/disney-junior-muppet-babies-real-muppets-exclusive-photo-video-interview/ \|access-date=2024-07-08 \|website=EW.com \|language=en \|archive-date=October 15, 2023 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015011400/https://ew.com/tv/2019/05/17/disney-junior-muppet-babies-real-muppets-exclusive-photo-video-interview/ \|url-status=live }}</ref>
			\|-
			\|2021
			\|''The Muppets' Christmas Caroling Coach''
			\|Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Sam Eagle
			\|Voice, theme park show''<ref name=":23" />''
			\|}

			==Awards and nominations==
			{\| class="wikitable"
			\|-
			! Year
			! Award
			! Category
			! Work
			! Result
			! Refs
			\|-
			\|2011
			\|]
			\|]
			\|'']''
			\| {{nom}}
			\|
			\|-
			\|]
			\|]
			\|]
			\|'']''
			\| {{nom}}
			\|
			\|-
			\|2021
			\|]
			\|]
			\|'']''
			\| {{nom}}
			\|
			\|-
			\| rowspan="2" \|]
			\| rowspan="2" \|]
			\| rowspan="2" \|]
			\| '']''
			\| {{nom}}
			\| rowspan="2" \|<ref>{{Cite web\|title=Children's & Family Emmy Awards: Disney Dominates Nominations\|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/childrens-family-emmy-awards-nominations-2023-1235635652/\|access-date=November 7, 2023\|website=]\|first=Tyler\|last=Coates\|date=November 2, 2023\|archive-date=November 6, 2023\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106132701/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/childrens-family-emmy-awards-nominations-2023-1235635652/\|url-status=live}}</ref>
			\|-
			\| ''Sesame Street''
			\| {{nom}}
			\|}

			==References==
			{{reflist}}

			==External links==
			* {{IMDb name\|id=1129383}}
			*

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			{{s-end}}

			{{The Muppets}}
			{{Sesame Street}}

			{{Authority control}}

			{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobson, Eric}}
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]

Latest revision as of 18:28, 12 January 2025

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American puppeteer For other people with the same name, see Eric Jacobsen (disambiguation).

Eric Jacobson
Jacobson at San Diego Comic-Con in 2015
Born	(1971-01-15) January 15, 1971 (age 53) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	NYU Tisch School of the Arts (BFA)
Occupation	Puppeteer
Years active	1994–present
Spouse	Mary Jacobson
Children	2

Eric Jacobson (born January 15, 1971) is an American puppeteer. He is best known for his involvement with the Muppets, performing Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle for The Muppets Studio, as well as Sesame Street characters Bert, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, and Guy Smiley—all roles that he inherited from the characters' original performers, Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney, and Jim Henson.

Since 1994, Jacobson has been a regular performer for Sesame Street, where he has received Daytime Emmy Award and Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Since 2001, he has performed as part of the Muppets cast in several feature films and television series, including The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005), The Muppets (2011), Muppets Most Wanted (2014), the ABC primetime television series, The Muppets (2015), and the Disney+ series, The Muppets Mayhem (2023).

Career

Jacobson was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He was inspired to enter the field of puppeteering after the death of Jim Henson. In 1992, while attending New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, he interned at the Jim Henson Company, working in the archival library. Jacobson earned his BFA from Tisch the following year.

Jacobson began his career as a puppeteer on Sesame Street in 1994, where he worked alongside Frank Oz, often performing the roles of Grover and Bert when Oz wasn't available. Following Oz's retirement from the roles, Jacobson became the characters' primary performer. Since 2005, he has performed Guy Smiley, a role previously performed by Henson. Following Caroll Spinney's retirement in 2018, Jacobson became the full-time performer of Oscar the Grouch.

For his work on Sesame Street, Jacobson has been nominated for both a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance in 2011 and 2019, respectively.

For the Muppets, Jacobson began performing Miss Piggy in 2001, debuting at the "MuppetFest" fan convention. The following year, he began performing Fozzie Bear and Animal, debuting in the roles in It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. In 2005, he also began performing Sam Eagle beginning in The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. The aforementioned characters were also previously performed by Oz, whom Jacobson consulted with to accurately portray the proper characterization, physicality, and voice for the characters.

Other works

Beyond his work with Henson, Jacobson has contributed to several other children's television shows, including The Puzzle Place and Jack's Big Music Show. He has also performed live puppet theater with Basil Twist, The Puppet Company, The Cosmic Bicycle Theater, and The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater in Central Park.

For Disney, Jacobson performed Harry the Duck on Bear in the Big Blue House and puppeteered Piglet on The Book of Pooh. In 2007, he served as both puppeteer and writer on Playhouse Disney's Bunnytown.

In 2013, Jacobson served as puppeteer for Shaggy Rogers for the DVD movie Scooby Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map, with Matthew Lillard providing Shaggy's voice.

Personal life

Jacobson is married to Mary Jacobson, whom he met during her time as a production assistant on Sesame Street.

Filmography

Film

Year	Production	Role	Notes
1999	The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland	Bert	Assistant performer
2002	It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Yoda	Performer; Television film
2005	The Muppets' Wizard of Oz	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle	Performer; Television film
2008	Abby in Wonderland	Grover, Bert	Performer; Direct-to-DVD film
2008	A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle	Performer
2011	The Muppets	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle, Marvin Suggs	Performer
2013	Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map	Shaggy Rogers	Performer (puppetry only); Direct-to-DVD film
2014	Muppets Most Wanted	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle, Animal, Marvin Suggs	Performer
2021	Muppets Haunted Mansion	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle, Animal	Performer; Halloween special for Disney+

Television

Year(s)	Production	Role	Notes
1994–present	Sesame Street	Bert (1997–present), Grover (1998–present), Guy Smiley (2005–present), Oscar the Grouch (2015–present)	Performer
1996–1998	Once Upon a Tree	Billy-Bob the Bobcat	Performer
1998	The Puzzle Place	Leon MacNeal, Blue Piece Police	Puppeteer (season 3)
1997–2006	Bear in the Big Blue House	Harry the Duck, Tucker Tutter	Performer
2001	Between the Lions	Bert	Performer, Episode: "Tweet! Tweet!"
2001–2003	The Book of Pooh	Piglet	Performer (puppetry only)
2002–2007	Play with Me Sesame	Bert, Grover	Performer
2005, 2012	Jimmy Kimmel Live!	Grover, Fozzie Bear, Animal	Performer; 3 episodes
2005	The Tony Danza Show	Miss Piggy	Performer; 3 episodes
2005, 2007	The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear	Performer; 2 episodes
2005–2007	Jack's Big Music Show	Little Bad Wolf, Phil the Coo-Coo Bird	Performer
2005, 2011, 2014	Live	Miss Piggy	Performer, 3 episodes
2005	Extreme Makeover: Home Edition	Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal	Performer
2006–2011	Pinky Dinky Doo	Additional voices
2007–2008	Bunnytown	Super Bunny, Green Cave Bunny, Royal Assistant Marvin, Captain Dan, Melvin	Performer (also writer)
2008	Studio DC: Almost Live	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle	Performer
2011	So Random!	Miss Piggy	Performer, Episode: "Miss Piggy"
	Take Two with Phineas and Ferb	Miss Piggy	Performer, Episode: "Miss Piggy"
	Saturday Night Live	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear	Performer, Episode: "Jason Segal/Florence + The Machine"
	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno	Miss Piggy	Performer; 1 episode
2011, 2012	WWE Raw	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal	Performer, 2 episodes
2011, 2012	WWE Tribute to the Troops	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle	Performer; Television special
2013	Good Luck Charlie	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal	Performer, Episode: "Duncan Dream House"
2013	Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle	Performer; Television special
2015–2016	The Muppets	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle, Marvin Suggs
2019	Drop the Mic	Miss Piggy	Performer; 1 episode
2019	Big City Greens	Dr. Enamel	Voice role, Episode: "Hurty Tooth" Credited as Fozzie Bear; Jacobson credited as Fozzie Bear's "personal handyman"
2020	The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo	Bert, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, Two-Headed Monster (left head)	Performer
	Muppets Now	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle, Animal	Performer
	The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special	Oscar the Grouch	Performer; Television special
2022	The Masked Singer	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal	Performer; Episode: "Muppets Night"
2023	The Muppets Mayhem	Animal	Performer

Video games

Year(s)	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Sesame Street Sports	Grover	Voice role
2003	Muppets Party Cruise	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear
2011	Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster	Grover
2011	Sesame Street: Ready, Set, Grover!	Grover
2012	Kinect Sesame Street TV	Bert, Grover, Guy Smiley

Other appearances

Year(s)	Production	Role	Notes
2003	Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic	Grover, Bert	Performer, theme park film
2008–2009	Muppet YouTube Shorts	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle	Performer
2010	The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear	Performer, web series
2010	Disney's Honorary VoluntEars Cavalcade	Miss Piggy	Voice, theme park parade
2013–2014	Muppisodes	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear	Performer, web shorts
2014	Nerdy Nummies	Miss Piggy	Performer
2016–2019	The Muppets Present...Great Moments in American History	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle	Voice, theme park show
2017	The Muppets Take the Bowl	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle, Newsman	Performer, live show at the Hollywood Bowl, Sept. 8–10
2018	The Muppets Take the O2	Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Sam Eagle, Newsman	Performer, live show at the O2, Jul. 13–14
2019	Muppet Babies Play Date	Miss Piggy (baby), Fozzie Bear (baby), Animal (baby)	Performer (puppetry only), web shorts
2021	The Muppets' Christmas Caroling Coach	Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Sam Eagle	Voice, theme park show

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result
2011	Daytime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series	Sesame Street	Nominated
2019	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance	When You Wish Upon a Pickle: A Sesame Street Special	Nominated
2021	Daytime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Performer in a Preschool Animated Program	The Monster at the End of This Story	Nominated
2023	Children's and Family Emmy Awards	Outstanding Puppeteer Performance	The Muppets Mayhem	Nominated
2023	Children's and Family Emmy Awards	Outstanding Puppeteer Performance	Sesame Street	Nominated

References

^ "Eric Jacobson and Muppet Trivia 2! | The Barretta Brothers". June 24, 2024. Archived from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ Setoodeh, Ramin (March 11, 2014). "How Kermit and the Muppets Got Their Mojo Back". Variety. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
^ Cordero, Rosy (December 8, 2019). "Sesame Street legend Caroll Spinney, who played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, dies at 85". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
Porter, Rick (November 21, 2023). "'Muppets Mayhem' Canceled at Disney+". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
^ "A Conversation with characters from Sesame Street live from NerdHQ 2014". YouTube.com. Nerd HQ. July 26, 2014. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
Gikow, Louise; Loredo, Betsy (2009). 123 Sesame Street: a celebration: 40 years of life on the street. New York, NY: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. ISBN 978-1-57912-638-4.
"Muppet Central Help - Frequently Asked Questions - Muppets". December 8, 2003. Archived from the original on December 8, 2003. Retrieved June 30, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ Schaffstall, Katherine (August 30, 2019). "Emmys: 46 of This Year's First-Time Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
^ Spitznagel, Eric (September 30, 2011). "Sesame Street puppeteer Eric Jacobson reveals shocking news that Sesame Street is not a real place". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
Spitznagel, Eric (September 30, 2011). "Sesame Street puppeteer Eric Jacobson reveals shocking news that Sesame Street is not a real place". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
Hipes, Patrick (October 17, 2018). "Caroll Spinney, 'Sesame Street's Big Bird For 50 Years, Is Retiring". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
"Sesame Street's Big Bird puppeteer retires". bbc.com. October 17, 2018. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
Lloyd, Robert (May 16, 2015). "If Harry Shearer leaves 'The Simpsons,' what will happen? Just ask Bugs Bunny". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
^ "Disney Channel MediaNet". September 26, 2008. Archived from the original on September 26, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
2007-11-01T08:33:07.82+00:00. "Bunnytown". Broadcast. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ Emily, Wicks (September 22, 2021). "Spiffy Pictures: Adventures in Television Animation | Ballard Institute and Museum". Archived from the original on July 2, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
Adams, Erik (May 19, 2020). "The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo is the next best thing to a streaming Muppet Show". The AV Club. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
"Sesame Street Sports (2001)". MobyGames. Archived from the original on July 2, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
"Muppet Central Articles - Reviews: Muppets Party Cruise (PlayStation2)". muppetcentral.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
Graser, Marc (December 6, 2013). "Watch: The Muppets Star in New Series of 'Muppisodes'". Variety. Archived from the original on December 10, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
Itzkoff, Dave (July 28, 2020). "It's Time to Re-Re-Re-Meet the Muppets". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
^ Itzkoff, Dave (July 28, 2020). "It's Time to Re-Re-Re-Meet the Muppets". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
"They're not just animated anymore! See the new Muppet Babies as actual Muppets". EW.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
Coates, Tyler (November 2, 2023). "Children's & Family Emmy Awards: Disney Dominates Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.

External links

Eric Jacobson at IMDb
Bunnytown

Preceded byFrank Oz	Performer of Bert 1997 – present	Succeeded byNone
Preceded byFrank Oz	Performer of Grover 1998 – present	Succeeded byNone
Preceded byFrank Oz	Performer of Miss Piggy 2001 – present	Succeeded byNone
Preceded byFrank Oz	Performer of Fozzie Bear 2002 – present	Succeeded byNone
Preceded byFrank Oz	Performer of Animal 2002 – present	Succeeded byNone
Preceded byKevin Clash	Performer of Sam Eagle 2005 – present	Succeeded byNone
Preceded byDon Reardon	Performer of Guy Smiley 2005 – present	Succeeded byNone
Preceded byFrank Oz	Performer of Marvin Suggs 2011 – present	Succeeded byNone
Preceded byJoey Mazzarino	Performer of Two-Headed Monster (left head) 2016 – present	Succeeded byNone
Preceded byCaroll Spinney	Performer of Oscar the Grouch 2015 – present	Succeeded byNone
Preceded bySteve Whitmire	Performer of The Muppet Newsman 2017 – present	Succeeded byNone
Preceded byMatt Vogel	Performer of Harvey Kneeslapper 2019 – present	Succeeded byNone

The Muppets

Characters

Television

Series	Sam and Friends (1955–1961) The Muppet Show (1976–1981) (episodes) Muppet Babies (1984–1991) (episodes) Little Muppet Monsters (1985) The Jim Henson Hour (1989) Muppets Tonight (1996–1998) The Muppets (2015–2016) Muppet Babies (2018–2022) (episodes) Muppets Now (2020) The Muppets Mayhem (2023)
Segments	The Jimmy Dean Show ("Rowlf the Dog", 1963–1965) The Mike Douglas Show (1966–1979) The Ed Sullivan Show (including The Great Santa Claus Switch, 1966–1971) NBC's Saturday Night (The Land of Gorch, 1975–1976)
Specials	Hey, Cinderella! (1969) The Muppets on Puppets (1970) The Great Santa Claus Switch (1970) The Frog Prince (1971) The Muppet Musicians of Bremen (1972) The Muppets Valentine Show (1974) The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975) John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together (1979) The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979) The Muppets Go to the Movies (1981) The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show (1982) Rocky Mountain Holiday (1983) The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (1986) A Muppet Family Christmas (1987) Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (1990) The Earth Day Special (1990) The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990) The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990) Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree (1995) Studio DC: Almost Live (2008) A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008) Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular (2013) Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)

Films

Theatrical	The Muppet Movie (1979) The Great Muppet Caper (1981) The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) Muppet Treasure Island (1996) Muppets from Space (1999) The Muppets (2011) Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
Television	Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977) The Tale of the Bunny Picnic (1986) The Christmas Toy (1986) It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005)
Direct-to- video	Muppet Classic Theater (1994) Kermit's Swamp Years (2002)

Music

Albums	The Muppet Show (1977) The Muppet Show 2 (1978) The Muppet Movie (1979) Ol' Brown Ears Is Back (1993) Muppet Beach Party (1993) Kermit Unpigged (1994) The Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem, and More (2002) A Green and Red Christmas (2006) The Green Album (2011) The Muppets (2011) Muppets Most Wanted (2014) The Electric Mayhem (2023)
Songs	"Rainbow Connection" "Bein' Green" "Mahna Mahna" "When the River Meets the Sea" "Bohemian Rhapsody" "Man or Muppet"