Eric Jacobson

Eric Jacobson (born January 15, 1971) is an American puppeteer. He is best known for his involvement with the Muppets, performing Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle, as well as Sesame Street characters Bert, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, Guy Smiley and the left head of the Two-Headed Monster.

Early life Eric Jacobson was born on January 15, 1971, in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1992, while attending New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, he interned at the Jim Henson Company, working in the archival library. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree the following year.

Career Jacobson began his career as a supporting puppeteer on Sesame Street in 1994, occasionally performing the roles of Grover and Bert when Frank Oz wasn't available. Following Oz's retirement from the program, Jacobson became the characters' primary performer. Since 2005, he has performed Guy Smiley, a role previously performed by Henson. Following Caroll Spinney's retirement in 2018, he became the full-time performer of Oscar the Grouch.

Jacobson began performing Miss Piggy in 2001, debuting at the MuppetFest fan convention. The following year, he began performing Fozzie Bear and Animal, debuting in the roles in It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. In 2005, he began performing Sam Eagle beginning with The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. The aforementioned characters were also previously performed by Oz, whom he consulted with to accurately maintain characterization and physicality for the characters. In 2007, he served as both a puppeteer and writer on Playhouse Disney's Bunnytown.

Personal life Jacobson is married to Mary Jacobson. The two met during her time as a production assistant on Sesame Street. Muppets Now Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle, Animal Performer; Disney+ series The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special Oscar the Grouch Performer; Television special 2021 Muppets Haunted Mansion Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle, Animal Performer; Disney+ special 2022 The Masked Singer Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal Performer; Episode: "Muppets Night" 2023 The Muppets Mayhem Animal Performer; Disney+ series 2026 The Muppet Show Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle, Animal, The Newsman (uncredited) Performer; Television special

Video games

Other appearances 2026 Life in Looks''Miss Piggy

Awards and nominations