Lara MacLean (b. February 15, 1972) served as part of the crew for Jim Henson's Muppet Workshop on Bear in the Big Blue House and Sesame Street. She also served as part of the crew for Jim Henson's Creature Shop on Aliens in the Family. She was a guest student her Junior year of college at The University of Connecticut's Puppet Arts Program.
MacLean began performing on Sesame Street in 1996 while also wrangling for the show. She was puppet wrangler and the right hand for Tingo for Sesame English. During Season 39, she performed background characters and assisted for principal characters such as Abby Cadabby and Baby Bear. She is currently one of the main wranglers for Big Bird.
MacLean rebuilt the heads of Marvin Suggs, Nigel, and Wayne for their return in The Muppets.
She is interviewed in the 2014 documentary I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story.
MacLean was also an additional puppeteer on the non-Muppet series Johnny and the Sprites and The Book of Pooh, and remote control puppeteer for Amazon's The Tick (starring Peter Serafinowicz).
Puppeteering Credits
- Sesame Street
- Sesame English
- Sesame Street Goes to the Doctor
- Elmo's Magic Cookbook
- Learning is Everywhere: Lara
- Talk, Listen, Connect: Changes
- Studio DC: Almost Live
- Being Green
- Jim Henson's Musical World
- Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas
