Del Zivic is an eccentric puppeteer in the Puppetman pilot, played by Muppeteer Richard Hunt. He works with his friend Gary on the children's show Dragontime. Del's main puppet characters, Earl and Gertha, express different aspects of his personality. While Earl is jovial and easily endears himself to Gary's young son Zack, sarcastic Gertha delights in tormenting Rita, the conceited human lead of the show, deriding her alleged talent and musical background ("Yes, I ride in elevators").