Jeff Dunham – The Man Behind the Puppets

Who doesn’t love a good laugh?  What is even better than a good laugh, is one brought on by a dead terrorist puppet!  Somehow, the comedian Jeff Dunham manages to pull that off and has become one of America’s favorite comedians in the process.  Dunham was born in Dallas, Texas and on Christmas 1970, his parents gave him his first dummy, a Mortimer Snerd.  That was the start of a life path for Dunham who became enthralled with ventriloquism.

Jeff Dunham has had quite the career so far.  He began performing for audiences while still in school and landed in a local news story in 1976 about local talent.  He then began doing private shows.  By the time he was in collage, he was earning upwards of $70,000 a year for his shows!  Today, he has specials that air on Comedy Central as well as his very own show and is making millions.  Over four million DVDs of his routines have been sold, so it is safe to say he is an official “hit” with U.S. audiences.   

Of course, the real stars of the act are the dummies.  Achmed the Dead Terrorist is probably the most well known thanks to the 350 million hits from YouTube.  The suicide bombers catchphrase to the laughing audience has become “Silence!  I kill you!” Another popular puppet is Walter, a very grumpy old man that was inspired by the late great Bette Davis.  Walter has a biting sarcasm and does manage to channel a bit of Davis’ biting wit.  Other sassy politically incorrect dummies in Dunham’s acts include the purple “woozle” known as Peanut, Dunham’s pimp Sweet Daddy Dee, Jose Jalapeno on a Stick, and redneck Bubba J among many others.    

The year 2012 looks like it is going to be a good year for the standup comedian and his troop of funny dummies.  He is already touring across the United States, including stops in California, Florida, Texas and many other states.  Jeff really has brought back the lost are of ventriloquism, made it mainstream and made it funny!  If you could use a good laugh from a wise-cracking puppet, then don’t miss your chance to see Jeff Dunham in your hometown!

Categorized in: Comedy