Meeting Steve Whitmire

I thought I would never have the opportunity to actually meet a Muppet Performer in my life, let alone two in less than a year. After getting to meet some of the cast of SESAME STREET - including Big Bird and Oscar performer Caroll Spinney - last October at the Knoxville Fanboy Expo, I was really excited to learn that Steve Whitmire - known for such characters as Kermit the Frog and Ernie after Jim Henson's death, as long as Rizzo the Rat, Bean Bunny, Wembley Fraggle, and many others - would also be in my town, at the exact same Expo, this summer. Needless to say, I didn't hesitate to attend.

As with the Sesame cast back in October, Steve's visit included a Q&A panel that I took the time to sit in on, and even participate in (you can hear me ask about writers Jim Lewis and Joey Mazzarino). This time, however, because it was just Steve, and the panel was in a smaller room with a smaller crowd size, the panel was a lot more intimate and personal, with more questions coming from those attending, as opposed to mostly pre-planned questions as with the Sesame cast. It was really enjoyable to listen to Steve share the experiences throughout his career with the Muppets; he was thoroughly engaging throughout the panel:

Afterwards, I went down into the bottom floor where the convention was being held in two connecting ballrooms, and with the large crowd size, it took me quite a while to find Steve's table, but I finally did and got a moment to speak with him. When I introduced myself, I was surprised to see that he actually recognized my name! Well . . . sort of. We spent a few minutes talking about characters he performed, such as Bean Bunny (and why he went from the main protagonist in THE TALE OF THE BUNNY PICNIC, to basically being the victim of the other Muppets' brutality for being obnoxiously cute), as well as the art of puppetry in general. He was an incredibly nice guy, with a very warm personality, which made meeting and speaking with him all the more special, and as with meeting the Sesame cast last October, is an experience in my life that I will never forget and would never trade for the world.