Overview

Timothy "Tim" Lagasse (born February 20, 1969) is an American puppeteer and actor who builds a career around character performance with puppets. He has become known to television audiences for distinctive, hands-on puppet roles and for collaborating with established children's and family franchises.

Career and notable roles

Lagasse's most widely recognized television parts include portraying the title puppet Oobi on the short-form series Oobi and the character Crash on the Disney XD sitcom Crash & Bernstein. He has also worked with major puppetry institutions and productions, contributing to projects associated with The Muppets and performing on Sesame Street. Credit lists, interviews and professional profiles often summarize these highlights; see an overview on his official biography and credits on industry pages such as credit listings.

Technique and style

Lagasse's work emphasizes clear character voices, timing, and physical expression through hand and rod puppetry. Like many contemporary puppeteers, his practice blends voice acting, close interaction with on-camera actors, and precision in manipulating simple and complex puppet mechanisms. He has discussed creative approaches and teaching methods in interviews and workshop summaries available online (interview and workshops).

Selected characters and appearances

  • Oobi — a minimalist hand-puppet character in a preschool series that foregrounded gestures and simple language.
  • Crash — a lead puppet character on a family sitcom blending live action and puppetry.
  • Additional guest and ensemble work for variety shows, specials, and educational programming credited on industry listings (credits).

Influence and activities

Beyond televised characters, Lagasse is associated with the broader puppetry community through performances, appearances and resources for students and practitioners. He is cited in practitioner circles for technique demonstrations and for demonstrating how simple design and expressive performance create memorable puppet characters. For more about his television projects and background, see pages related to the Oobi series and other program notes (biography, feature interviews).

Tim Lagasse's career illustrates how contemporary puppeteers often move between children's television, family entertainment, and educational media while contributing both performance and craft knowledge to the puppetry field.