Noel MacNeal

Noel MacNeal (born September 15, 1961), sometimes credited as Noel McNeal or Edward Noel MacNeal, is an American puppeteer, writer, actor, singer, and director of children's television who has performed since the early 1980s. He was the voice and puppeteer of Bear on Bear in the Big Blue House. He also starred as Kako on Oobi, Leon MacNeal on The Puzzle Place and as Magellan on Eureeka's Castle. On Jack's Big Music Show, he was the puppeteer for the title character, though he also served as a writer.

Career
Noel portrays the environmentally friendly character ZoZo, a mascot for safer streets, green transportation, and useful public spaces. This Jim Henson designed and created walk around puppet is used by Livable Streets Education to talk about these issues with young children and families.

While Bear is his most famous character, MacNeal has also performed Mrs. (Mommy) Snuffleupagus and various Snuffleupagus relatives on Sesame Street, Magellan, a baby dragon, on the ACE Award-winning series Eureeka's Castle on Nick Jr, Leon MacNeal in The Puzzle Place, Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III and Madame Chairbird in the Sesame Street film Follow That Bird. His repertoire of characters also includes Kako on the Nick Jr. series Oobi, Blue on Nick Jr.'s Blue's Room, Rabbit for The Disney Channel's Emmy Award-winning series The Book of Pooh, Lionel on PBS's Between the Lions, Knock-Knock on The Great Space Coaster, and Waffle on Nickelodeon's Catscratch. In addition, he’s performed with and/or for Woody Allen, Bill Cosby, Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Lewis, Mickey Rooney, Emma Thompson, Wayne Brady, Dave Chappelle, Donny and Marie Osmond, Tom Bergeron, Regis and Kelly, Matt Lauer and Katie Couric.

Noel is also a television writer. His scripts have been featured on PBS Kids Sprout's The Good Night Show, The Disney Channel's Bear in the Big Blue House, PBS's The Puzzle Place, The Magic School Bus and Cyberchase, TLC's Salty's Lighthouse (in which he re-wrote an original episode of the British children's TV series Tugs for its own segments) and Nickelodeon's Eureeka's Castle, Rocko's Modern Life, Gullah Gullah Island, The Loud House, SpongeBob SqaurePants and Catscratch. He is also a script and television directorial adviser and consultant for the international versions of Sesame Street as well having directed episodes of Bear in the Big Blue House and PBS Kids Sprout's The Good Night Show.

In 2003, Noel received a Daytime Emmy Nomination as "Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series". Noel is now the resident puppeteer for the HBO series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. MacNeal was noted for his portrayal of Mr. Nutterbutter, and operated a seagull puppet in another episode.

Trivia

 * Noel was born to a white father and an African-American mother, making him biracial.
 * The reason why Noel MacNeal puppeteered Jack instead of David Rudman is because of a lack of diversity in the initial casting.
 * MacNeal was the replacement for Jim Henson for writing and voice acting duties on Rocko’s Modern Life after his death on May 16, 1990.
 * Although, Henson's audio as Grandpa Wolfe remained intact for the show.
 * Despite their similar surnames, Noel MacNeal is NOT related to voice actress Tress MacNeille.
 * MacNeal wrote the most episodes in the series, even more than Emily Rudman.