How is Sweetums controlled?

[Muppetsdownunder]

Hi, I was watching some muppet show videos on the weekend and Sweetums is in almost all of them and it got me wondering how is he controlled?

How can his mouth move when he has 2 working hands?

Does the puppeteer have an extra couple of hands?

Having extra limbs would be extremely useful in puppetry, I need 2 people to control my puppet properly but if I had an extra hand or 2 I could do it myself, I need someone round here who likes puppets and maybe they would be willing to be the extra hand for my puppet!

I changed the subject even in my own post before I even finished posting the message!

Whats wrong with me!

:p :) :confused:

[muppet_dk]

The puppeteer use one hand for the mouth the other for one of the arms. The other arm has an inviseble string that makes it possible to have it move when the puppeteer moves around, however the arm can't be used to grab things and stuff like that. It's only possible when the puppeteer put his own arm in the puppets arm, but then the mouth won't move. With sweetums the puppeteer can jump around and the mouth looks like it's moving even when the puppeteer are not controling the mouth.

Sweetums eyes are remote controlled.

[Fozzie Bear]

Originally posted by muppet_dk
The other arm has an inviseble string

called monofilament (if I remember correctly). There's also space in the costume that the hand can go from the mouth to the right arm and back, too.

[Muppetsdownunder]

Thanks for all your help. That was very helpful to me, its stopped me wondering about another thing now. I sortof did know that already but thought I must be wrong because I have seen sweetums a carry large items which could not be done with only one hand.

thanks again,
Paul
:) :p

[Beauregard]

Sweetums is controled with chains and razor wire fencing.

[Fozzie Bear]

It's kind of funny to see answers that follow after the real answers have been given. That was funn-ee

[Super Scooter]

Originally posted by Beauregard
Sweetums is controled with chains and razor wire fencing.

Gonzo particularly enjoyed helping Richard Hunt perform the character during the first season, but, after a while, Richard felt Gonzo's accompanying him in the suit was just too weird. Gonzo wasn't the same after that. :concern:

[matleo]

Originally posted by Fozzie Bear
called monofilament (if I remember correctly). There's also space in the costume that the hand can go from the mouth to the right arm and back, too.

This is an incredible thign too. I met Sweetums (John Henson) last fall at the Black bear film festival in PA and had my picture taken with him. John was working the mouth one moment and then whenever someone wanted a pic or if John needed ot use the second hand....it would just kind of...happen. I don't know. I never saw it happen. I mean I turned my back for half a second and when I looked back Sweetums hand woudl start working. Naturally the maouth was suddenly slack and he would start talking without his mouth actually moving And then when the pic waso ver, just as quickly and mysteriously as the first time, Sweetums woudl put his hand down at his side and his mouth would start moving, but you never saw exactly 'how' the exchange happened. There was always this magic to it. It was crazy.

--Matt

[SuprGro78]

I helped zip John into that costume once. He doesn't use any arms to control the head. Both of sweetums arms are his arms. The head is controlled by a strap that goes under his chin. And the remote controlled eyeballs. They are controlled by the same kind of remote that remote airplanes run on.

[Fozzie Bear]

Scan down the left of the screen to find the photos! You'll know you're there when you start seeing JHC peoples!

Sweetums/John photo-mix. The first picture with Sweetums was during MuppetFest in the auditorium; the second was when Matt (TheDude) and I sneaked onto the floor after the live Muppet Show, and got a few photos with some heroes of ours!

I asked him after the show, "Can I get a photo?" John says, "Sure, but should I put on the head?" I said, "Nah, the one you have on now is fine!"

We laughed!

Brian, John, and Jane Henson(s) were all SUCH WONDERFUL PEOPLE!!

We were being thrown off the floor because we weren't supposed to be there, but Brian stopped them so we could get a picture with him! He's a nice guy!! Super nice!

Photos of me with JHC folks from that event can be found here:
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=220626&uid=121440

[Super Scooter]

Originally posted by SuprGro78
I helped zip John into that costume once. He doesn't use any arms to control the head. Both of sweetums arms are his arms. The head is controlled by a strap that goes under his chin.

That has got to be an awful strain. Even if that mouth were as little as two pounds, it's gotta hurt! He must have a very distinguished chin. :D

[foofoocakes]

Those pics are so COOL! It was nice of them to pose with you.

[Muppetsdownunder]

Fozzie Bear you are so lucky to have had an experience like that. I wouldnt be able to believe it if that happened to me! they are great photos, I wish I could have gone to that muppet fest!

:) :p

[Splurge]

I think that in the John Cleese episode, when Sweetums sings with Robin, Richard uses his arm to operate Sweetums' mouth to sing. When he dances during the instrumental, I think he quickly switches from his mouth to his right arm.

It's been a long, long time since I've seen that bit. How close am I to the mark?

[Wozza Fraggle]

Im very sure that when Richard performed Sweetums he switched one arm from mouth to right arm.


see ya

[SuprGro78]

Lord knows I have never been in the costume so I have no idea, but when I Zipped him in the costume he was wearing a shirt, the overshirt with all the burlapy stuff that gets tied like a belt and he put the gloves on himself, they were not attached to the arms of the costume. If he had to take his arm out of the glove it would fall off or Sweetums would have no hand at that moment. Also when he would put the head on he used both hands and to take it off he used both hands. There could be something going on inside the head, but it really looked like a sports helmet inside.

[muppet_dk]

It could be that they have changed the way he's operated since the days of TMS.

[SuprGro78]

Sorry Double post, but it's gone now! ;)

[Splurge]

Sweetums eyes are remote controlled.

His eyelids, eye-pupils or both?

[muppet_dk]

His eyelids, eye-pupils or both?

I have no idea. I just heard that somewhere on the forum. But I would think that it's both.
BTW Splurge you are right about what you said about the John Cleese episode.