Cheryl Wagner

Cheryl Wagner, the creator of The Big Comfy Couch, is a Gemini Award and Emmy award- winning Canadian children’s television writer, showrunner and producer who began her career as a performer in both theatre and on the screen. Her Halifax-based touring Merrytime Clown and Puppet Company in which Wagner worked as a clown and puppeteer from 1977 to 1980 provided a fertile ground for her later work as a producer and writer in children's entertainment.

Puppeteering

Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock lured Wagner to Toronto to work as a puppeteer for the full five years and 96 episodes of the series from 1982-87. Wagner was Jim Henson's right hand when he performed his Fraggle characters Cantus and Convincing John. For season 2 to season 5 (1984 to 1987), Wagner provided the voice for the character Ma Gorg.

In 1984, Wagner performed as the meddling social worker Miss Finch [body suit] for the CTW Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird.

Other television puppetry work included Annie on CBC's long-running preschool series Mr. Dressup and the role of Mrs. Pennypacker on TVO's Today's Special.