Also called: Puppet Performer, Muppet Performer
Performs puppets on TV, in films, theater, and theme parks.
A TV puppeteer holds a puppet above their head for hours while watching a monitor to perform the character's lip sync and expressions. Theater puppeteers may operate giant puppets with a team.
Approximate; union TV puppeteers earn well, but steady work is rare.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Puppetry programs (e.g., UConn) or workshops; acting skills.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Puppetry, Theater.
Growing slowly. Small niche; CGI competes.
Low risk for 10 years. Animatronics and AI animation compete in some screen work, but live and TV puppetry stays human.
Classes: Theater, Art, Film/video production CTE, Dance.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-2099.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.