Skip to main content
Don Sahlin

Don Sahlin

Known for

Acting

Born

June 19, 1928

Birthplace

Stratford, Connecticut, USA

Died

February 19, 1978 (aged 49)

Biography

Donald George Sahlin (June 19, 1928 – February 19, 1978) was a Muppet designer and builder who worked for Jim Henson from 1962 to 1977. Muppets creator Jim Henson described Sahlin as “the man most responsible for the look of the Muppets.” Sahlin began making puppets at age 11, initially building a shadow theater and cardboard figurines. As an adult he built several puppets for Kukla, Fran and Ollie and created special effects sequences for films such as G.I. Blues and The Time Machine.

His first creation for Jim Henson was Rowlf the Dog, which he built in 1962 for a series of Purina Dog Chow commercials. Don would go on to design and build most of the Muppet characters, including Bert and...

Best known work

Spartacus

Spartacus

1960
Jim Henson Idea Man

Jim Henson Idea Man

2024
Time Piece

Time Piece

1965
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm

The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm

1962
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street

Christmas Eve on Sesame Street

1978
Big Bird in China

Big Bird in China

1983
The Muppets on Puppets

The Muppets on Puppets

1970
The Muppet Script

The Muppet Script

2025

Filmography

  1. 2025

    The Muppet Script

    as Self (archive footage)

  2. 2024

    Jim Henson Idea Man

    as Self (archive footage)

  3. 1983

    Big Bird in China

    Special Effects

  4. 1978

  5. 1970

    The Muppets on Puppets

    as Self – Puppet Builder

  6. 1965

    Time Piece

    as Comic, Special Effects

  7. 1962

  8. 1960

    Spartacus

    Special Effects

TMDBThis product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.Streaming availability data provided by JustWatch© 2026 FlickQueue · Privacy · Terms