Also called: Puppet Performer
Brings puppets to life on TV, in theater, and in theme parks.
Puppeteers perform characters with their arms raised for hours, watching monitors, and build and repair puppets. Big employers include Sesame Workshop, Henson, and theme parks.
Performer income is highly variable; a few stars earn a lot, most combine gigs.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Theater training; the University of Connecticut has a puppetry degree.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Puppetry, Theater.
Growing slowly. No separate BLS projection; estimate based on related occupations.
Low risk for 10 years. Animation and CGI compete for screen work, but live puppetry in theater, parks and TV stays a performance craft.
Classes: Theater, Art/sculpture, Sewing/costume, Music.
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.