{{short description|American puppeteer}} {{BLP sources|date=November 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Brian Meehl | occupation = Puppeteer, writer | birth_name = Brian Giuseppe Meehl | birth_date = | birth_place = Canandaigua, New York, U.S. | other_names = Brian Muehl | years_active = 1978–present | spouse = Cindy Meehl }} '''Brian Giuseppe Meehl''' (also known as '''Brian Muehl'''), is an American puppeteer and writer. He worked on ''Sesame Street'' and ''The Muppet Show''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 2000 |title=Brian Meehl |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=49321381&lang=en-gb&site=eds-live&scope=site |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=Baker & Taylor Author Biographies |via=EBSCOhost}}</ref> He has written several novels for young adults, including ''Out of Patience'' and ''Suck It Up''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2008 |title=Suck It Up |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=31951647&lang=en-gb&site=eds-live&scope=site |access-date=2024-11-17 |work=Publishers Weekly |via=EBSCOhost}}</ref>

==Biography== Meehl worked on the last six shows of ''The Muppet Show''. He then worked on ''Sesame Street'', performing Barkley, Grundgetta, Telly Monster, and an early version of Elmo, among other characters. His work with Henson also included roles in the films, ''The Dark Crystal'', ''The Muppets Take Manhattan'' and ''The Great Muppet Caper''.

In 1984, Meehl left the Muppets and began writing for children's television series including ''Between the Lions'', ''Codename: Kids Next Door'', ''Cyberchase'', the ''TUGS'' segments for ''Salty's Lighthouse'', ''Eureeka's Castle'', and ''The Magic School Bus'', with the only exception being the general-interest nature and science documentary series ''Eyewitness'' for the BBC and DK Vision, where he also served as script supervisor for a number of episodes in the first season before leaving the series entirely during the second season.

Meehl has written seven young adult novels: ''Out of Patience'' (2008), ''Suck It Up'' (2009), ''You Don't Know About Me'' (2011), and ''Suck It Up and Die'' (2012). He released an eBook and paperback adult novel, ''Pastime'', in 2012. More recently, Meehl has completed his Blowback Trilogy: ''Blowback '07'', (2016), ''Blowback '63'' (2017), and ''Blowback '94'' (2020) about time-traveling teenage twins who fall back into little known but pivotal events in history.

==Filmography==

===Television=== * ''The Muppet Show'' – Additional Muppets * ''Sesame Street'' – Barkley (1978–1984, 1988), Clementine (1979–1984), Dr. Nobel Price (1979–1984), Elmo (1980–1984), Grundgetta (1980–1984), Othmar the Grouch, Pearl, Rusty, Telly Monster (1979–1984; 1993-present), Additional Muppets * ''Eureeka's Castle'' – Bogge and Mr. Knack * ''Dog City'' – Bruno * ''The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss'' – Binkham Tamino McDoyal the Third (in "Norval the Great")

=== Film === * ''Big Bird in China'' – Barkley, Telly Monster * ''The Dark Crystal'' – SkekEkt/The Ornamentalist, UrSu/The Dying Master, UrZah/The Ritual Guardian (puppetry only) * ''The Great Muppet Caper'' – Additional Muppets * ''The Muppets Take Manhattan'' – Tatooey Rat, Clementine, Additional Muppets * ''The Song of the Cloud Forest'' – Additional Muppets * ''Big Bird in Japan'' – Barkley

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{official website|1=https://www.brianmeehl.com/}} * [http://www.randomhouse.com/author/61826/brian-meehl Author page] at Random House website * {{IMDb name|id=0610970|name=Brian Muehl}}

{{s-start}} {{succession box | before = None | title = Performer of Grundgetta | years = 1980 – 1984 | after = Pam Arciero}}

{{succession box | before = Bob Payne | title = Performer of Telly Monster | years = 1979 – 1984 | after = Martin P. Robinson}}

{{succession box | before = Various | title = Performer of Elmo | years = 1981 – 1984 | after = Richard Hunt}}

{{succession box | before = None | title = Performer of Clementine | years = 1979 – 1984 | after = Kevin Clash}}

{{succession box | before = None | title = Performer of Dr. Nobel Price | years = 1979 – 1984 | after = Kevin Clash}}

{{succession box | before = Toby Towson | title = Performer of Barkley | years = 1979 – 1984, 1988 | after = Fred "Garbo" Garver}} {{s-end}}

{{The Muppets}} {{Sesame Street}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meehl, Brian}} Category:20th-century American male writers Category:20th-century American novelists Category:21st-century American male writers Category:21st-century American novelists Category:American male novelists Category:American male screenwriters Category:American male television writers Category:American puppeteers Category:American television writers Category:Living people Category:Novelists from Connecticut Category:People from Canandaigua, New York Category:People from Redding, Connecticut Category:Screenwriters from New York (state) Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

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