Stephanie D’Abruzzo
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stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
Stephanie D’Abruzzo
@stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
2K followers 170 following 180 posts
* Showbiz hyphenate working at the feet of legends since 1993
* Character actor, puppets a specialty
* Provider of voices & vocals
* Writer
* Tony loser
* Craig Shemin’s wife
* she/her

I’m a Person, Not a Brand.™️

www.stephaniedabruzzo.com
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stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
I’m not one to horn-toot but I am so happy to have received my first Emmy nomination for this show and for these characters I love playing so dang much... and so very grateful to be sharing a category with my incredible friends.

I was convinced this would never happen.

I treasure this nomination.
A screenshot listing the Children's and Family Emmys nominations for: OUTSTANDING PUPPETRY PERFORMER Leslie Carrara-Rudolph as Abby Cadabby & Tango (Sesame Street/HBO Max) Frankie Cordero as Purple Panda, Turtle-Lou & Penguin Referee (Donkey Hodie/PBS Kids) Stephanie D'Abruzzo as Duck Duck, Harriett Elizabeth Cow, Mama Panda & Doc Skunk (Donkey Hodie/PBS Kids) Ryan Dillon as Elmo and Felix (Sesame Street/HBO Max) Carmen Osbahr as Rosita (Sesame Street/HBO Max)
November 19, 2025 at 9:35 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
Who the hell cares what I think but the NYC Board of Elections deserves a cookie for this little gem:
The “Halloween Voter 2025” sticker from Vote NYC, featuring a fantastic image of a pigeon in a witch’s hat, looking straight into your soul as it holds the handle of a little plastic trick-or-treat pumpkin pail in its beak, while tiny bats frolic with a witch flying on her broomstick in silhouette in the background… and tiny ghosts dot the outside border, in holiday hours of black, white, orange, and gray. A treat, indeed.
November 1, 2025 at 1:52 AM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
Poking my head out to say happy birthday to Jim Henson. I never met him but I owe my career to him.

You can celebrate by ordering the brand new SAM AND FRIENDS SCRIPT BOOK from Bear Manor Media! It features 60 of Jim Henson’s scripts, lovingly annotated by my husby (and designed by my sister!).
The cover of THE “SAM AND FRIENDS” SCRIPT BOOK: A COLLECTION OF SKETCHES FROM JIM HENSON’S FIRST TELEVISION SHOW, featuring a background of Jim Henson’s actual script pages (some handwritten on yellow legal pads, some typewritten on white paper), and the Muppet characters Sam (a wooden-headed fella donning a red-checkered sport coat and tie) and Harry (a hip brown-and-red jazz cat - but not actually a cat - sporting white-rimmed sunglasses, and seated at an upright piano) in the foreground. The book is edited and annotated by Craig Shemin, with a foreword by legendary Muppet Performer Dave Goelz.
September 24, 2025 at 4:07 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
Here’s hoping this is not a metaphor.
An NYC voting stylus pen, broken into its seven different components.
June 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
[counter-programming post]

It is always sad when things end, and yes, Season 3 of “Donkey Hodie” wrapped production on Friday, but hey, at least I got to eat a piece of one of my characters at the end of the night.
A square piece of marble sheet cake on a blue and white paper plate features the snout and mouth of Harriett Elizabeth Cow, a puppet character from “Donkey Hodie” on PBS Kids.
February 4, 2025 at 12:46 AM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
A little holiday gift for your timeline.

The Snoopy watch faces always bring me joy, but the special holiday ones are especially delightful… so here’s an edit.

(the only downside: whenever I go to check the time, I’m so distracted by Snoopy’s antics that I forget to register what time it is)
December 22, 2024 at 1:12 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
When you’re a Muppet Performer, sometimes you forget that you’re a bit different, like when you assume that a Connections category might be “Things That Are Thrown.” Since you’re a Muppet Performer, this means you include “chicken” in such a category…

…which makes sense only to Muppet folks…
A screenshot of the New York Times’ “Connections” game. Two categories have been solved so far: “Snack Cakes” (Devil Dog, Ding Dong, HoHo, Yodel) and “Kinds of Play Fights” (Food, Pillow, Snowball, Water Balloon). One mistake has been made. The remaining words are: Knock-Knock, Walkie-Talkie, Light Bulb, Bar, Satellite, Ham, AM, and Chicken.
December 18, 2024 at 1:00 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
I know things are bleak these days.

But when a character you love to play, a character who has quickly become your all-time favorite in your decades-long career, makes it onto the DONKEY HODIE Season 3 cast & crew shirt, I feel like you’re allowed to have a little moment of joy for a hot second.
Stephanie poses in front of her dressing room door at “Donkey Hodie,” a preschool puppet show on PBS Kids. Her name appears in black lettering on a white placard above her head, with a Spiffy Pictures logo patch (a yellow oval trimmed in black with black lettering, featuring a cute little cartoony face — a white oval head with black hair and a big black nose) attached to it. Stephanie wears a purple t-shirt featuring a drawn rendering of her puppet character Duck Duck. Duck Duck is lime green, with a little yellow belly, a pink stripe around her neck, and yellow and pink tail feathers. Her wings are outstretched and her orange beak is open in a wide excited smile. Stephanie smiles similarly as she holds the shoulders of her shirt happily.
December 13, 2024 at 6:16 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
I don’t know whose starter pack I wound up on, but thank you, and hello to my overnight followers!

I’ll try to establish my presence here soon after I clean up business and clear out of the other place…

…or maybe I won’t…

But for now, enjoy this nugget from the past, still ringing true today:
A screenshot of one of my old tweets, dated 8/20/13, which reads: “I seem to have run out of grits for you to kiss.” (one reply, one RT, three likes… that’s about right.)
November 20, 2024 at 1:53 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
This fork has seen some stuff, man.
This fork has STORIES.
set on a plain off-white background is a picture of an otherwise unremarkable fork… except the very tip of its far left tine is pinched and leaning towards the other three tines, as if it is telling them a secret, or huddling up with them in fear, or bowing to them, or getting a closer look at them, or reaching out to tickle the tine next to it, or…
November 12, 2024 at 4:43 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
This pale, pored, veined wrist of mine is attached to:

the hand that makes puppets go yakety-yak…
the hand that feeds me snack after snack…
the hand that writes…
and turns on lights…
and voted to never go back.

Please vote.
A close-up photo of Stephanie’s pale, pale, veined wrist, sporting Harris-Walz friendship bracelets (light tan beads with dark brown capital letters, strung on one blue and one black band).
November 5, 2024 at 3:04 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
Once again, shouting out my sweet Sky-less husby Craig Shemin, this time on his birthday…

…and sharing this Bluesky exclusive picture of him and Duck Duck to show how kind this sweet fella is to all creatures great and small and fictional…
Craig Shemin (a sweet balding grey-haired gentleman with a short grey beard and black-frame glasses, wearing a light-colored collared button-down shirt over a black T-shirt, grins a happy little no-teeth smile, resting his head contentedly on the head of Duck Duck, a small green duck puppet from the series “Donkey Hodie.” Duck Duck’s orange bill is open in a sweet smile, her large oval eyes bright, and very happy to meet Craig. They are both looking to camera as if to say, “aren’t we adorable?” (Yes. Yes they are.)
September 19, 2024 at 1:31 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
My darling husby Craig Shemin has chosen not to join us in the Sky, and I haven’t posted enough here to get many eyes on this, but I’m still poking my head into this platform to wish him a happy 29th wedding anniversary today… because love is bigger than likes.
Craig (wearing a charcoal grey jacket, light blue shirt and black, white and red tie) and Stephanie (wearing a red satin trench coat) smile as they get their heads close together for a portrait selfie in a lush green public space in New York City.
September 17, 2024 at 2:54 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
If you need some new heroes, check out these kick-ass trailblazers from the latest PBS American Experience documentary FLY WITH ME… you can watch the whole thing here: m.youtube.com/watch?v=AN0B...
February 22, 2024 at 2:46 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
My fella Craig Shemin & I do not often post our holiday card, but I think that folks may get some enjoyment from this year’s edition…

(abridged alt text)
Next to a photo of Craig & Stephanie on the picket line: CRAIG & STEPHANIE’S PERFECTLY REASONABLE DEMANDS FOR YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON OUR PROPOSAL: Joyous & merry festivities surrounded by loved ones THE GRINCH’S OFFER: Would not guarantee merriment. Limit of 2 loved ones US: Safe and smooth travels GRINCH: Luggage tag in Year 3 US: 12 days of Xmas, 8 nights of Hanukkah, 7 days of Kwanzaa. Option for Boxing Day GRINCH: Decreased number of days by 50%, only poultry-related days of Xmas retained (no gold rings). Offered Boxing Half-Day US: Protections against lumps of coal GRINCH: Lumps of coal US: Increased quality of hot chocolate. Option for toppings. Increase percentage of cookies by 50% for each of 3 years GRINCH: Cocoa mix, made with water. No marshmallows/whipped cream; 1 mini candy cane. Cookie increase of 25% in Year 3 US: Peace on earth and generosity to all humankind GRINCH: Rejected our proposal. Refused to counter Wishing you the delights you deserve…and better days in 2024
December 23, 2023 at 4:27 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
No better way to spend a cool, crisp Halloween in NYC than staying #SAGAFTRAStrong on the picket line and voting early.

Because nothing is scarier than losing the right to do either.
Yeah, it’s yet another selfie of Stephanie holding a SAG-AFTRA picket sign and sporting “SAG-AFTRA On Strike” swag (in this case, a button, since her black winter coat and scarf are covering her strike shirt). She also wears a black cloche hat, jack-o-lantern earrings, and a black jeweled spider ring on her Halloween-themed-manicured hand that holds the picket sign. Stephanie’s finger (sporting a black-and-white ghost on her fingernail and a black jeweled spider ring) points to her special, spooky NYC Board of Elections Halloween-themed “I Voted” sticker, which is stuck to her coat lapel just above her “SAG-AFTRA On Strike!” sticker.
October 31, 2023 at 5:40 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
Hell hath no fury like tired, hungry actors in their 103rd meal penalty.

So we’re being fed by our fury.

One day longer.
One day stronger.
As long as it bleeping takes.

#SagAftraStrong
Stephanie stands defiantly among her striking brethren at 30 Rock, “SAG-AFTRA on Strike” picket sign in hand.
October 24, 2023 at 5:25 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
Happy anniversary to my sweet fella Craig Shemin (to whom I’ve given a code… but he’s procrastinating).
A closeup photo of a very casual Stephanie and Craig, their heads leaned together, looking at the camera with the kind of contented smiles that only 28 happy years of a lovely marriage can convey.
September 17, 2023 at 3:05 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
I’m not the first to say it, but Jimmy Dean is not the only Jim who worked on “The Jimmy Dean Show” and eventually became associated with a famous pork product:
A black-and-white photo from anywhere between 1963 and 1966: A young Jimmy Dean looks at Rowlf the Dog (a Muppet held by Jim Henson, who smiles at the camera) as Rowlf leans on Jimmy’s shoulder, his right ear askew. Jimmy and Jim wear suits and ties. Rowlf, as always, is au naturel.
September 13, 2023 at 1:52 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
Last night, the best damn crew in Chicago wrapped Season 2 of DONKEY HODIE (on the non-struck Public TV contracts for both SAG-AFTRA & WGA). I’m keeping all extremities crossed that we get to come back for more seasons and more super duper big-time fun, but until then… goodnight, Someplace Else!
A picture of a wooden dressing room door with a simple white laser-printed sign on it, with black lettering that read: “Stephanie D’Abruzzo” At the bottom of the sign is the logo for the PBSKids show DONKEY HODIE.
September 9, 2023 at 3:23 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
Show me a picture on your phone that has your energy — no selfies.
A late-1960s Buddy Hackett sits behind the microphone in his square on “The Hollywood Squares,” resplendent in a brightly-colored (hot pinks, orange, blue, and black) psychedelic bell-sleeved tunic with huge pointed lapels, orange beading and gold braided trim on the wrists, topped with what appears to be a green, gold, and black sequined and beaded vest. It’s a lovely contrast to the set’s electric blue background. With his wavy jet-black bangs hanging far over his forehead, he stares at the camera, eyes bulging, with a look that can only be described as strait laced confusion.
September 2, 2023 at 1:50 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
Hey SAG-AFTRA & WGAEast & all union members who work in/love/support children’s & family TV:

Join us tomorrow, August 29, from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM at 30 Rock for a special solidarity picket, with:

Crafts!
Food!
Fun folks!
Marching!
Chanting!
Signs!
Noise!
Weirdos like me!
An illustrated image of a classroom chalkboard hanging over a bookshelf (with books, a plant, and a clock). The following is written on the chalkboard: CHILDREN’S/FAMILY TV WRITERS SOLIDARITY PICKET Join children’s/family TV writers, performers and crew to support TV writers in their fight for a fair contract! Tuesday, August 29 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM ET NBC Universal (30 Rock, 30 W. 49th St) RSVP: wgaea.st/family-tv
August 28, 2023 at 3:09 PM
stephaniedabruzzo.bsky.social
Less than a week on here and I’m already plugging…

Some pals & I will be on Stars in the House tomorrow night (Thursday 8/24, 8PM ET/5PM PT), singing through AVENUE Q to raise money for the Hawaii Community Foundation & the Maui Humane Society… watch us live at StarsInTheHouse.com!
An infographic that reads: “STARS IN THE HOUSE FOR MAUI! Avenue Q Sing-Thru with stars from the Broadway and Off-Broadway Production! Thursday 8/24 @ 8PM ET/5PM PT Watch LIVE at StarsInTheHouse.com A Benefit for the Hawaii Community Foundation & the Maui Humane Society with hosts Seth Rudetsky & James Wesley” The AVENUE Q logo is pictured with names of the songs: What Do You Do With A B.A. In English? It Sucks To Be Me If You Were Gay Purpose Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist The Internet Is For Porn Mix Tape I’m Not Wearing Underwear Today Special You Can Be As Loud As The Hell You Want (When You’re Makin’ Love) Fantasies Come True My Girlfriend, Who Lives In Canada There’s A Fine, Fine Line It Sucks To Be Me (Reprise) There Is Life Outside Your Apartment The More You Ruv Someone Schadenfreude I Wish I Could Go Back To College The Money Song School For Monsters The Money Song (Reprise) There’s A Fine, Fine Line (Reprise) What Do You Do With A B.A. In English (Reprise) For Now
August 23, 2023 at 1:22 PM