Meet Megan Piphus Peace, the first full-time Black woman puppeteer in Sesame Street’s 50-year history.
But before she was cracking jokes with Gabrielle, her puppet on the show, she was just a kid watching Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, Shari Lewis, and Barney.
Who knew that Megan’s love for these shows would lead to her becoming a master puppeteer?
Megan Piphus Has Always Been A Puppeteer
Megan first got her hands on a puppet thanks to a woman who led the vacation Bible school program at her church.
Megan and a few other students signed up for the International Festival of Christian Puppetry and Ventriloquism, and voila!
She fell in love with the craft and the magical interaction between humans and puppets.
Megan never landed a full-time puppeteering gig despite performing all over the country, appearing on The Tonight Show and America’s Got Talent.
So, she practiced and performed on weekends and mornings while holding down a full-time job.
She Finally Got Her Big Break on Sesame Street
Fast forward to 2020, and Megan was six weeks pregnant with her second child.
Then, out of the blue, she got an email from a Sesame Street producer.
They’d seen her tapes from a few years ago and wondered if she’d be interested in learning their style of puppetry.
And just like that, Megan was in!
She trained virtually with Matt Vogel and other puppeteers throughout the year.
And in June 2020, CNN partnered with Sesame Street for a town hall to discuss racism, and Megan did her most important work yet.
Gabrielle, her puppet, was part of the community discussion, helping kids understand what was happening.
Gabrielle, with her afro puffs and dark brown complexion, is a hit with the kids, and Megan is pleased to see the puppet’s impact.
Megan even started puppetry workshops to help young kids learn about puppetry.
She is also training other Black women to get into puppeteering because diversity is essential, not only in humans but also in puppets.
Sesame Street has been at the forefront of seeking diversity and has brought on more puppeteers of color to represent their characters.
Megan Piphus, the amazing puppeteer behind Gabrielle, is breaking barriers and making history, all while bringing joy and entertainment to children countrywide.
And who knows, maybe one day you’ll see a puppeteer on the show and think, “Hey, I could do that!”
Love this.
— DAWN (@DawnRichard) September 9, 2022
The first black woman puppeteer on ‘Sesame Street’, Megan Piphus Peace.
Did you know Sesame Street was originally created for black and brown inner city kids?
A THREAD ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/3wS08BrdXb
— AFRICAN & BLACK HISTORY (@AfricanArchives) October 9, 2022
Megan Piphus Peace became Sesame Street’s first Black female puppeteer in 2021. She taught herself how to become a ventriloquist and puppeteer. Her puppet is six year old Gabrielle. She has her Master’s in Finance & two Emmys for songwriting. pic.twitter.com/PWjFaIrHvJ
— Dominique Deveraux Energy (@true2thestory) February 3, 2023
