Americans of a certain age who grew up on the Muppets often adore the Swedish Chef. He is a touchstone of sorts, we can hear his voice in our minds, we can repeat the gibberish-sounding words and ...

As a longtime Muppet puppeteer, Bill Barretta is used to crouching out of the camera shot, pressed against a colleague's armpit as he manipulates the character perched atop his hand. But in the ...