The category was established at the 2nd Children's and Family Emmy Awards in 2023, and is open to performers of all genders.
It is one of two categories to honor puppetry, alongside the Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Puppet Design/Styling.
The inaugural recipient, and current holder of the award is Ryan Dillon for his work as the puppeteer of Elmo in Sesame Street, which airs on HBO Max.
The organization cited an "explosive growth in the quantity and quality of children’s and family programming" as justification for a dedicated ceremony.
In a statement, National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences CEO Adam Sharp explained that “historically, puppetry performers would enter in the live action performer categories, so, if you were the handler of a puppet, then you would go up against a lead actor or lead actress, and that created for some odd pairings.