Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - The Big Bird Fluffer

Episode Date: May 28, 2026

Conan talks to Micah in Atlanta about working as the collections manager at the Center For Puppetry Arts and her love of niche fan fiction.   Wanna get a chance to talk to Conan? Submit here: teamcoco.com/apply Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link: https://siriusxm.com/conan. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Conan O'Brien needs a fan. Want to talk to Conan? Visit teamco.com slash call Conan. Okay, let's get started. Hey, Micah, welcome to Conan O'Brien Needs a Fan. Hello, thank you. Hi, Micah, how are you? Good, how are you doing?

Where are you right now in the world, Micah? I am in Atlanta, Georgia at the Center for Puppetry Arts. Oh, you work with puppets. Maybe you've heard of it. Yes. I'm going to say I don't think I've heard of it. but tell me this is a puppet museum. What is it?

What are we doing here? Are we storing puppets? Are we displaying them? What's happening in your puppet world? Yeah, we're a museum, a puppet museum. We're also a performing arts center. So we have performances that involve puppets on stage, but then I work in the museum side of things.

So I'm the collections manager, which essentially just means I take care of the puppets in the museum. Okay, are we talking famous puppets here? Would these be puppets that I know? Yes, we have about 500 of the Jim Henson, original Jim Henson puppets. Oh, we call those Muppets, don't we? Yes, we do call them Muppet. Well, I'm sorry, we in the business puppetry call that Muppetry.

So you have Muppets, you have 500 Muppets? Yes, we do. We have 500 Muppets, Miss Piggy, Kermit, the Sassamy Streetcar, puppets from the dark crystal and labyrinth. Wow. Among others. So, yeah, stuff you would recognize. I had the honor and privilege of getting to meet Jim Henson a couple of times in, this is long

before I did my late night show or anything. When I was in college, his daughter, Lisa, was on the college humor magazine with me, and he would come by. And he once said to me, Conan, would you, would you, for the copy? it's humor magazine, would you guys like to have one of the thrones from dark crystal to keep in your building just for fun? Because we have it in our storage facility and I said, oh, God, yes, Mr. Hansen. And I rented a van and drove down to New York and picked up with some friends of mine this really cool, I think it was fiberglass, dark crystal throne and brought it back to the Lampoon building in Cambridge. and I believe it's still there.

Really? You think it's still there? I think it's still there. Might have to make a road trip to go get it. Yeah, you guys should come take it because I don't trust those idiots who are looking after it. You know, probably just holding a beer keg. But a lot of the dark crystal stuff and the labyrinth stuff

is really difficult to take care of just due to the materials. So some of it's not around anymore. It's incredible. So you have a lot of Jim Henson stuff. That's amazing. Any other famous puppets that I would know? Yeah, we have lamb chop. We just got a lamb chop and friends puppets, which so now maybe you remember from our childhood days.

I sure do. Do you a lamb chop? I was. What was her name? Her name was. Oh, God. What was the lamb chop? Sherry Lewis.

Sherry Lewis. Very famous. Yeah. And lamb chop was her puppet. Yeah. I remember lamb chop. Uh-huh. And we have the mystery science theater 3,000 puppets.

Oh, wow. Which you can see behind me. That's cool. Oh, look at that. Oh, Chuckie. You just moved your head a little bit, and Chuckie is there. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

Look at Chuckie. You just buried the lead. You have Chuckie. Is that the Chucky? It is the Chucky, A, the Chucky. There are multiples. This one is from the newer T-E-R-T-E. show on that was, I think, on sci-fi.

So it's a newer one. But yes, it is the techie. All of our puppets are original, usually performed before they're gifted to us. So, yeah. So what about an average Joe puppeteer? Can they donate their puppet to your museum? Yeah, we have a process, but we do take acquisitions. We do acquire things.

And so, yeah, we have, you know, in that 5,000 puppets, we have puppets from all over the world, you know, different puppetry traditions from all over the world, puppets that date back, you know, 1800s. And so, yeah, people can call me, write me, and offer me their puppets. This must happen sometimes. Someone comes to you and says, I'd like to donate my puppet. And the puppet is, oh, come on. It's like a paper plate and they cut a mouth in it.

And they, you know, it's just not good. Are you in the position of saying, I think we're okay? where, but thank you so much. Do you have to turn down puppets sometimes? Yeah, I do. I feel kind of bad doing it, but you're right. I mean, not everything is museum worthy, as much as people want their stuff to last forever.

Okay, Michael, let me ask you this. Micah, would you ever just to spare their feelings say, thank you, this is such a wonderful piece, and then when they leave, feed it into a shredder? Oh, boy. Oh, come on. What do you mean? We can't be shredding puppets.

Well, yes, you can. No, you can put them in a, box because why are you shredding them? Because you got it's going to run out of space. I'm just, I'm thinking you spare the old puppeteers feel. Yeah, why are we shredding them? That was the go-tube. Okay, well, all right.

Well, Micah, I mean, I think you're just repeating what Sona said. So I think you secretly agree with me, but you know you want to keep the puppet people on your side. Um, listen. Yeah. I, uh, I just dispose of them in an appropriate manner, I suppose. Sure. Yes. Yes.

We call that burning. Come on. Or just bury them. You know, it would be a good thing to do if you want to get rid of puppets is dip them in like a beef broth and then throw them into a pack of dogs. Oh, my God. You could never work at a puppet museum. To see a puppet torn limb from limb seconds after it was donated by a kindly old puppeteer. And then he comes back because he left his wallet.

He's like, oh, no. My little God. Gob gop. You're awful. Think about it, Micah. It's something you're going to want to do. And now that you've pictured it, you're going to do it. Yeah.

Micah, let's say it's, you're working there late, which I'm sure has happened sometimes. And it's getting dark. And you're walking around. There must be times when you think. Where's this going? There's a, I think I saw that Chucky Puppet move. Come on.

I saw, but I mean, it's I mean it's every third twilight zone these puppets come to life and they menace you. Have you ever been a little paranoid being around these puppets at night? And be honest. Be honest. Yeah. Okay. Well, there was one time where I did run and get a coworker. I'm pretty sure I heard a noise. Of course you did. I'm usually in here by

myself and the lights turn off automatically. After a while if you don't move around. Yeah. So, yeah, I didn't like to ask my coat. Which, be honest, which puppet do you think was moving? None of your, none of your lies, none of your lies. None of your chicanery or tomfoolery. Which puppet are you quite certain was moving? I think it was one of the skexies from the dark crystals.

Oh, God. Yeah, the skexies? Because they're in a back room by themselves. Yeah. And the light is always off back there. And I was walking back there, but the light doesn't turn on until I'm in the room because it catches my movement. And as I was walking back there, but before I was in the room, I definitely heard it.

Was it like, here she comes, here she comes. Oh, God, she's got beef broth. Oh, look out. I did feel a little silly when my coworker came in, obviously. There was nothing going on. Well, the thing is, these puppets aren't dumb. They know that when you bring someone else, they got to clam up. So that's what they do.

They freeze and they clam up. And then your friend leaves and they're like, yeah, we're going to get you. We're going to get you. Yeah. That's all I have Chuckie right here behind me. So that, you know, I figure if he's out in the open, I don't have to worry. I always know where he is. Yeah, why do you have your back to him the whole time, though?

That's the thing you're doing, Micah, that I would never do. You have him locate. Chuckie's right behind you. And I think he's holding a weapon. Is he holding a weapon? Yes. He is holding a knife. Yes.

What's that? Micah. But Miss Piggy is right next to him. Miss Piggy would fuck Chuckie up. She would. How do you know Miss Piggy doesn't also want to be freed from her human overlord? I mean, Miss Piggy might help. There's no chance.

What are you talking about? Miss Piggy doesn't want to... Miss Piggy would never do that. Miss Piggy would defend herself and everybody there because she's Miss Piggy. She is a puppet too. No, but that doesn't matter. She knows who's right and who's wrong. But I don't think she would want to share the spotlight with Chuck.

Yes, okay. That's the first sensible thing I'd. heard today. She's a diva, and she wouldn't want, you know, Chucky to get all the press for being the murderer. So if anything, it's going to be Miss Piggy who gets you and Chuckie who's just,

you know, watching in horror. I don't like this blasphemy at all. Not when it comes to Miss Piggy. I wanted, do you ever brush Miss Piggy's hair? No, I do occasionally have to fix the wigs that the puppets have, but

I do like weird things. Like, I have to fluff big bird occasionally. When you say fluff, Big Bird, what are we talking about here? She gets flat, you know, I mean. Yeah. Oh, I know. Oh, I know.

It gets a little limp, you know? Yeah. So. Yeah, I have to fluff him a little. Come on. We got a big shoot going on here, Big Bird. I'm going to fluff you up. It's a strange.

Time is money, Big Bird. Time is money. I'm going to tell you the most horrifying sight I've ever seen, Micah, which is one time I was asked to do something on Sesame Street. This is, you know, could have been like 25 years ago. And I went over to, I think they were in Brooklyn or I went over to Sesame Street. And they have to store the puppets wherever they can because, you know, space is limited. And they had lash snuff-a-luff-luffagus to the ceiling.

because it's a giant puppet and you've got to store it somewhere and it was lifeless, inanimate, limp, snuffaloficus and it was lashed to the ceiling like parts kind of hanging but other parts secured with ropes and it looked like Hannibal Lecter

had gone psycho on snuffalovagus and then nailed him to the ceiling in this ghastly performative Behold my proud masterpiece, my murder. That's what it looked like

and it was the most horrifying thing I've ever seen and kids were walking around so kids could see it too and I had to tell the kids oh my God I mean I had to make sense of it to them so I told him he wasn't careful and he was murdered I had to think of something

that's not cool well at least I got off of fluffing big bird Yeah. And took us to the mass murder. It's not great to see the puppets not like they're supposed to look. We've definitely got the puppets in somewhat poor condition. They had been used, obviously, for years.

And then in a warehouse. So we did have to do a lot of work. So part of my job is to make sure that they still look like the characters they're supposed to look like so we don't, you know, destroy children's lives. So some of these puppets you've got have been, you know, road hard and put away wet. They're like, these are fucked up puppets. God. No, I'm saying. They're like all worn out. They're all screwed up.

You know what I mean? They've got holes in them. What? Holes in them. Yeah, moth holes, stuff like that. You know, dismembered sometimes. Yes, yes. And so, I mean, it must be ghastly sometimes the puppets you get, you know? Yeah, well, it's, you know, they're just puppets.

But, yeah, you kind of want Elmo to look like Elmo. I don't want him to be like, No. It's like when, I mean, God forbid, but sometimes, you know,

you have to go to a wake and the person, you know, was in a bomb accident. And you just hope that the, they are, they look like themselves. You know what I mean?

So sometimes you are like the mortician for these puppets. You have to make them look presentable so their loved ones see them in the correct state and not like snufflovingus, all bashed, beaten and stabbed there. Mortician, plastic surgeon.

Yeah, we do actually take needles to some of the foam latex puppets. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it sort of dries out over time. Oh, trust me. I know.

I know. I know. Yeah. So the foam kind of dries up and they wither. These puppets wither. Yeah. They wringle. Yeah.

Oh, my God. Sort of like puppet Botox. Yeah. Puppet Botox. Well. And I just want to touch on this briefly because I know we don't have tons of time, but you're also very much into fan fiction. You love Harry Potter fan fiction, is that right?

So sometimes when you're with the puppets late at night and you're trying to calm down because you're nervous, because you're pretty sure you just saw Chuckie sharpening his knife. When you're in that situation, sometimes you read Harry Potter fan fiction, and you're a fan of, what is it, Dryona Minnie? Dry. What did I say wrong? Dramini? Dramian.

Oh, sorry for mispronouncing that. Oh, yeah, you're right. Dramiany. That word we all just spit out. Yeah, I'm sorry. If I'm ever pulled over for a DUI and they asked me to say Dronominy, I'm just going to say, hey, just take me, put me away for 30 years. Let's not even do the test. How do you pronounce it?

Yeah, I do listen to a lot of audio. podcast, audio books, and I got into, yeah, Germini fan fiction. And that goes for... Obviously, Hermione and who, what's the first part? Draco. Oh, Draco Malfoy. And why are you or anyone else, why do you want to come...

What is it about those two characters that is particularly appealing? Like, how come Harry Potter's not in this combo platter? Well, I think because, you know, who doesn't love a bad boy? And Draco's story didn't really get finished in the original. So, you know, it's fun to see people's imaginations of where does that go after, you know, the end of the books. I see. Where do those characters go as they become adults? Do you think that Draco and Hermione could have a love interest?

Is that what some of this fan fiction is exploring? Is that a couple that could really exist? I mean, who did Hermione ended up with, what was his name, Hubblebee, gubble, gubble. Ron. What's that? Ron. Oh, Ron. Okay.

So, Bubblebee? I don't know. It's been a while. I know. I'm just saying, I don't know. But I get what she said. Because I love fan fiction too. And there's so much stuff that comes out of it.

And it's just fun to like, you know, imagine two characters together and it's sexy. So it's great. And so, oh, is there a fan fiction where Draco and Hermione get it on? Is that, would that something that could happen? Guessing. I mean, if they're not. Oh, yeah. Definitely.

The first one that I read was Manacold, which is sort of a Handmaid's Tale meets Harry Potter fanfiction. So if you've read Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale or watched the TV show, sort of that situation. Okay, okay, I'm trying to picture this. You know, it's crazy. Go ahead. Behind you. Chucky just made the cuckoo-cuckoo! Get a load of this?

Oh, my God. Here she goes again. Hey, does Drumble, does Drumbledore, does Dumbledore, isn't he the wizard or something? Doesn't he, does he ever? Oh, yeah, right. But he's like the head wizard that really dresses like a wizard. The rest of them dress like they go to like Oxford College.

They're like, oh, look at me. Oh, I'm a wizard. Oh, really? Yeah, because I'm dressed like I go to Princeton. So do, um, he's like, the guy that's committing to I'm a wizard, you know? You're right. Of course I'm right.

I've not said one thing today that's wrong. Yeah, you're not wrong. So does Dumbledore ever walk in on Hermione and Draco and be like, what the hell's going on here? Does that ever happen in these scenarios? So far, I've not read one where Dumbledore is in it at all. You could write a new one. This could be a new one. Yeah.

He's not the sexiest character. Doubledore? It depends. Some people are into that. I don't know. Clearly you are. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

I like him old and bearded and wearing a moo-moo. So. People prefer to see Hermione end up with like, you know, a potentially attractive character. Like, Drake goes, potentially attractive. So is there a, I mean, this is, is there a consensus that Ron is just sort of a dud? Like, people are actively going out of the way to rewrite Harry Paul. so that it's not Hermione and Ron, Ron, it's Hermione and Draco. Like, that's much more exciting.

Don't you think? Yeah, I think so. I mean, no offense to Ron, but he's a wet noodle, you know? Yeah, exactly. He's no fun. Draco's a bad boy. Yeah, you can keep saying that. I'm just saying you want there to be like love.

It can't, they got to do it. And it has to be. And he's the lovers. It's the thing. What's that? What'd you say? You want the redemption arc. You want the enemies to lovers. Yes, that's the redemption art. And you don't get the redemption arc with Ron.

Oh, Ron. You know what I mean? Are you upset because he's like the redhead and you kind of see himself in him? I don't like the way redheads are portrayed in those tales. In those tails. Oh, it's a bunch of brothers with red hair. Where do they do? I don't know.

One of them gets killed and two of them kind of are go nowhere. You know? You know, they're both. stumbling, stumbling, they come from this goofy house. Yes, that's why I'm mad at these books. Redheads are completely ineffectual lovers. You know? Talk about needing a fluffer.

I think you know more about Harry Potter than you're letting on. Have you been reading some Harry Potter fan fiction on that? I read those books and I burned them because of the red-haired depiction. Oh, it's the Weasleys. Hey, what name should we give the redheads? Oh, I have it. The Weasleys. Oh, my God.

It's a shit show. All right. Micah, I'm really happy that you've got, your world involves both puppets and a reality where Hermione makes the correct choice, which is the blonde-haired evil guy over the red do-gooder. Micah, I salute you. And I think of myself as a human puppet. And I really am.

I mean, most people look at my work and they think you're just a giant. I'm kind of like a snuffaloficus, a big, goofy puppet, wouldn't you say? I would say more, I mean, you're famous for the string dance. So I'm thinking marionette. Yeah, Marionette. Yes. Yeah. Well, I, coming from you, that's a big compliment.

Yeah. And you have triumph who was a puppet. Puppet. Yeah, there's a lot of puppets on the old show. That's right. Tamara the ostrich. Well, if they need a home, the Center for Puppetry Arts is here.

Well, can you imagine triumph in your museum? That would be a disaster. All night long. You suck. You suck. Chuckie, you suck. Hey, there's another redhead. Chuckie.

There's another redhead rounding out the stereotypes. Our one murder puppets, the redhead. Well, Micah, it's a delight to talk to you. It really is. You seem like a really nice person And I love what you're doing And I hope to meet you in person someday That'd be fun

Yeah, you should come by the museum I'd love to have to come by at night I'll get them Yes Yeah Bring a little beef broth with me and some Rottweilers All right, Mike I just threatened your puppets I better get out of here

Yeah, I think we should end on that note Thank you Bye Micah, thank you That was really good Bye, thank you Nice to meet you Conan O'Brien needs a fan With Conan O'Brien, Sonam of Sessian, and Matt Gourley.

Produced by me, Matt Gourley. Executive produced by Adam Sacks, Jeff Ross, and Nick Leow. Incidental music by Jimmy Vovina. Take it away, Jimmy. Supervising producer Aaron Blair, Associate talent producer Jennifer Samples, Associate producers Sean Doherty and Lisa Byrne. Engineering by Eduardo Perez.

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