Carmen Osbahr

Carmen Osbahr performing Rosita.

Carmen Osbahr (b. April 21) did not originally plan to become a puppeteer. Though she was interested more in the television medium, puppetry came into her life when she began working on several television shows in Mexico City for Televisa which included puppets. In 1985, she attended a Muppeteer Workshop in New York City that scouted out young talent for Sesame Street's Mexican co-production, Plaza Sésamo. Kermit Love asked Osbahr not only to work on Plaza Sésamo but also to train other puppeteers at the workshop.

From there, Osbahr got in touch with Jim Henson, and she began visiting the set of Sesame Street in the mid-1980s. Osbahr became an official Muppeteer in 1989. Her best-known character, Rosita, made her first appearance on Sesame Street in Season 23.

Osbahr has since performed in a variety of Muppet projects, including Bear in the Big Blue House and Dog City. She also performed Kiki in the TV series The Puzzle Place.

Osbahr also appears as Lily the Water Sprite in the full half-hour version of Johnny and the Sprites, which premiered in January 2007.

Puppeteer credits

• Sesame Street: Rosita, Ovejita, Mrs. Dogooder, Sophie, Itchy (Dwarf #4) (4114), The Queen of Nacho Picchu
• Bear in the Big Blue House: Ursa
• Panwapa: Baabra Sheep
• City Kids
• Aliens in the Family
• Dog City
• Billy Bunny's Animal Songs: Gopher, Frog
• The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson
• Sing-Along Earth Songs: Fauna
• Sesame Street Stays Up Late
• Telling the Truth: Sheep
• The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
• MasterCard
• Elmo's World: Happy Holidays: Green Caroler
• Elmo's Potty Time
• Sesame Beginnings
• Abby in Wonderland
• Let's Get Ready!
• Coming Home
• Being Green
• When Families Grieve
• The Muppets Take the Bowl

Non-Henson Credits

• 30 Rock
• Johnny and the Sprites - Lily the Water Sprite
• The Puzzle Place - Kiki Flores
• Between the Lions - Sierra Lion

External links

• Peter Gerstenzang, "Behind the Scenes: Kermit the Frog Turned Me Into a Puppeteer", New York Times, 1 April 2007