Wim T. Schippers
Encyclopedia
Wim T. Schippers is a Dutch
artist, comedian and voice actor, loosely related to the international Fluxus
-movement.
He demonstrated his ' a-dynamic' ideas on a number of Fluxus-festivals, notably in Scheveningen, The Hague, in 1964.
In 1986 he drew some international attention as theater director, with Going to the dogs, a 'play' of 46 minutes with six well-trained Alsatian dogs, reading newspapers, watching TV, barking at the screen when they saw another dog on it, and occasionally relieving themselves.
Furthermore, Schippers is responsible for the voices of Ernie
, Kermit the Frog
, Guy Smiley
, and Count Von Count
on Sesamstraat
, the Dutch co-production of Sesame Street
, since Sesamstraat's first season in 1976. Paul Haenen
delivers the role of Bert. Together, Schippers and Haenen have recorded a whole series of self written Bert and Ernie record albums. Reportedly, Jim Henson
was so impressed by Schippers' and Haenen's performances, that they are the only Bert and Ernie in the world who are allowed to write their own material. In the beginning, Schippers' Ernie voice was an imitation of Jim Henson's Ernie. In later seasons when the American sketches became a little more fast-paced, Schippers' voice grew a lot higher and energetic.
Apart from his work for Sesamstraat, Schippers was also the presenter of the National Science Quiz on Dutch television for many years.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
artist, comedian and voice actor, loosely related to the international Fluxus
Fluxus
Fluxus—a name taken from a Latin word meaning "to flow"—is an international network of artists, composers and designers noted for blending different artistic media and disciplines in the 1960s. They have been active in Neo-Dada noise music and visual art as well as literature, urban planning,...
-movement.
He demonstrated his ' a-dynamic' ideas on a number of Fluxus-festivals, notably in Scheveningen, The Hague, in 1964.
In 1986 he drew some international attention as theater director, with Going to the dogs, a 'play' of 46 minutes with six well-trained Alsatian dogs, reading newspapers, watching TV, barking at the screen when they saw another dog on it, and occasionally relieving themselves.
Furthermore, Schippers is responsible for the voices of Ernie
Ernie
Ernie is a fictional character, a Muppet on the Public Broadcasting Service's long-running children's television show, Sesame Street. He and his roommate Bert form a comic duo that is one of the program's centerpieces, with Ernie acting the role of the naïve troublemaker and Bert the world-weary foil...
, Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
, Guy Smiley
Guy Smiley
Guy Smiley is a character on Sesame Street who was dubbed "America's favorite game show host." His skits are among those on the show that parody commercial media. Guy has also hosted parodies of This Is Your Life called "Here Is Your Life." Guests who were profiled included a loaf of bread, a tooth...
, and Count Von Count
Count von Count
Count von Count, often known simply as "The Count", is one of the Muppet characters on Sesame Street, performed by Jerry Nelson. The Count is a vampire modeled after Bela Lugosi's interpretation of Count Dracula.-Description:...
on Sesamstraat
Sesamstraat
Sesamstraat is a children's television show in the Netherlands, spin off the popular U.S. children's program Sesame Street. In its early days the show was broadcast in Flanders as well. It is the second longest running foreign adaptation of Sesame Street without interruptions, behind only...
, the Dutch co-production of Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
, since Sesamstraat's first season in 1976. Paul Haenen
Paul Haenen
Paul Haenen is a Dutch comedian and voice actor.Paul Haenen is a well-known comedian in the Netherlands and also provides the voices of Bert, Grover and other minor characters on Sesamstraat, the Dutch co-production of Sesame Street, since Sesamstraat's first season in 1976. Wim T...
delivers the role of Bert. Together, Schippers and Haenen have recorded a whole series of self written Bert and Ernie record albums. Reportedly, Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
was so impressed by Schippers' and Haenen's performances, that they are the only Bert and Ernie in the world who are allowed to write their own material. In the beginning, Schippers' Ernie voice was an imitation of Jim Henson's Ernie. In later seasons when the American sketches became a little more fast-paced, Schippers' voice grew a lot higher and energetic.
Apart from his work for Sesamstraat, Schippers was also the presenter of the National Science Quiz on Dutch television for many years.