Turnip was a principal character. He was world-renowned. He embodied everything about Bill. When Bill passed away, the family appointed his understudy. Anytime the character appeared—whether on stage, screen, or in a photoshoot—they had the understudy perform it. They wanted to make sure the character had continuity. If you’ve performed a character for 25 years, I imagine that shouldn’t be an issue.
Then one day, it hit the news. Not just in the puppetry world, but in mainstream media. The puppeteer had been dropped—apparently over “creative differences.”
I found a few articles online, and the Benson kids were ripping into him. They were saying things like, “We never liked you performing this character,” and “You made him depressed.” Stuff like that.
Imagine that. You dedicate 25 years of your life to their father’s legacy, only to have his children publicly tear you and your work apart with that level of hostility.
To this day, I feel it was incredibly scummy how they treated him—everyone piling in with their two cents. It also felt like the other puppeteers he worked with turned their backs on him as well, probably worried that if they stayed in contact, their paychecks might be at risk. It’s sad.
From that moment, I realised—they’re scum.