Why are most “Muppets” (puppets invented by Jim Henson) left-handed?

Even if the name Jim Henson isn't familiar, you probably know of one of his most popular creations; a small, bright-green frog with long limbs and round eyes. Kermit the Frog, one of Jim Henson's puppets (better known as Muppets) has been on television for over 50 years and has appeared in movies for nearly 30.

According to Jim Henson's wife, Jane, "Muppet" is a combination of the words "marionette" and "puppet”; Henson himself said that he came up with the word "Muppet" because he liked the sound of it.

Muppets come in all sizes, from just a few inches long (like the worms) to over 8 feet tall. They can be hand puppets, rod puppets or a combination of the two. Some Muppets are even worn by their operators, like a full-body suit.

But - did you ever noticed how the Muppets are mostly left-handed? That’s because most of the Muppeteers are right-handed. Muppeteering is a full-body activity, with the dominant (usually right) hand positioned inside the Muppet’s head. With simple “rod-hand” puppets like Grover or Kermit, the operator then uses his free hand (in most cases, the left) to operate the Muppet‘s hands, via rods. When you have a “live-hand” Muppet such as Ernie or Cookie Monster, a second Muppeteer is required to help with the other hand. Even a full-body Muppet-like Big Bird is left-handed. The right hand of the Muppeteer goes up into the head and the left hand is inside Big Bird’s left hand.