First 3D Segment Airs for Rutgers-Camden Sesame Street Animators

CAMDEN – After four decades of puppetry, several Sesame Street Muppets were viewed in 3D for the first time last week, thanks to a team of Rutgers–Camden animators.

To celebrate Sesame Street’s 40th season, SpeakeasyFX of Westfield, NJ animated “Abby’s Flying Fairy School,” after being contracted in 2008 to create 13 eight-minute 3D segments. The segments feature Abby Cadabby, a character from the live broadcast, and a host of fairy friends, including Blogg, a troll fairy, and their teacher, Mrs. Sparklenose.

After starting out as a two-person animation studio, SpeakeasyFX now employs about 30 staff members, including several people with ties to Rutgers–Camden. Technical Director Eric Thivierge, who graduated from Rutgers–Camden in 2007 and recently taught an animation course there, credits the Sesame Street puppets for his team’s true inspiration.

“The real Muppets that have been used for the past 40 years are what have made Sesame Street what it is today,” said the 25-year-old Fanwood resident. “What we have done with the Muppets is simply translate them into a different medium.”

In order to do so, Thivierge with Dean Jones and Rutgers–Camden alums Andre Zazzera (2008) and Mitch Lotierzo (2009)—studied what Thivierge calls “mountains of reference,” including pictures, videos, and swatches of actual Muppet fur.

As opposed to real-life puppets, Thivierge notes that Muppets animated by computer graphics can be put into more diverse situations, including “flying through the air, riding motorcycles, swimming with whales, or squishing into and out of a genie bottle,” just to name a few.

Andre Zazzara, an electronic arts major who started working at SpeakeasyFX a few weeks before he graduated from Rutgers–Camden in 2008, digitally manipulated color, texture, and lighting to transform the Muppets into 3D form. The 22-year-old recalls his love of Sesame Street, which started out nearly from birth.

“Back in my diaper days, instead of trying to break out of my playpen, I would actually hop the wall back in just to watch Sesame Street,” says Zazzera, the head of 3D at SpeakeasyFX. “We’ve got a 40-year standard of excellence to live up to, so you could say that the pressure is on.”

According to Thivierge, each segment of “Abby’s Flying Fairy School” portrays the characters being presented with a problem that they solve through critical thinking, teamwork, and a bit of magic—aspects of the show that he appreciates from childhood.

 “As a child I was a fan of Sesame Street. Puppets are plain fun, you can’t argue it,” he says. “But the cool thing about Sesame Street is that it’s fun and educational.”

“Abby’s Flying Fairy School” will air throughout the anniversary season, though Thivierge reports that he and his team have been watching Sesame Street every day.  To check your local listings, visit pbs.org/tvschedules.

Directed by Professor LiQin Tan, a former artist for Disney’s Saturday morning cartoons, the Rutgers–Camden electronic animation program offers concentrations in graphic design or computer animation. Graduates of the program have worked on feature films such as Horton Hears a Who and Ice Age II.