On this day in 1971, puppeteer Eric Jacobson was born. He has worked with the Muppets since 1994, being inspired to take up puppeteering after the death of Jim Henson. In the early 2000s, Jacobson took over as the primary performer for most of Frank Oz’s classic characters, including Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle. Outside Disney, Jacobsen also performs as Grover, Bert, Oscar the Grouch, Guy Smiley, and the Two-Headed Monster on ‘Sesame Street.’ [55 years ago in 2026]