Burr Tillstrom



Burr Tillstrom (1917-1985) was a puppeteer best known as the creator of the early television series Kukla, Fran, and Ollie. Tillstrom created his first puppet, a clown character who would be named Kukla following an encounter with a Russian ballerina, in 1936. His troupe of "Kuklapolitans" expanded in 1938 to include Oliver J. Dragon ("Ollie"). The group performed on early television broadcasts in 1939 and 1942, and joined by Chicago actress Fran Allison, became known as Kukla, Fran, and Ollie in 1948, remaining on the air until 1954 and with several subsequent revivals. Tillstrom also performed on the satirical political series That Was the Week That Was, winning an Emmy for his Berlin Wall hand ballet.

In 1960, Tillstrom met Jim Henson and Jane Henson at a puppetry convention in Detroit. Through Tillstrom, Henson hired Don Sahlin. The Hensons also resided in Tillstrom's apartment building before moving to Greenwich in 1964. Tillstrom and Henson were both honored at the 1982 Detroit Institute of Arts convention.