Walko (left) with Gonzo and Dave Goelz.
Russ Walko is a puppeteer and puppet builder best known for his projects with The Jim Henson Company. Credits for Henson include The Happytime Murders (building main character Phil Phillips and performing a wolf-esque puppet in Lyle's drug cartel), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Earth to Ned, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, and Slumberkins (puppeteering the character "Fox").
He was also an uncredited puppeteer for The Muppets, and was credited for Jim Henson's Creature Shop in the 2016 live-action version of The Jungle Book, the 2020 film Come Play, and the 2022 short Erax. He later served as a supporting Muppet Performer for the 2023 series The Muppets Mayhem.
Outside of Henson, Walko boasts a resume that includes The Simpsons (puppeteering Grandpa and building many of the puppets for the episode "The Fight Before Christmas"), Kidding (as PB the sandwich), Mystery Science Theater 3000 (puppeteering Tom Servo), Pee-wee Herman Live, The Barbarian and the Troll, Waffles + Mochi (as puppet captain), The Movie Show, and Community.
External links[]
- www.russwalko.com, official site.