This article is about characters from The Muppet Show and related works. For Sesame Street characters, see List of Sesame Street Muppets.
The Muppets cast in The Muppet Show.
The Muppets are an ensemble group of comedic puppet characters originally created by Jim Henson. The Muppets have appeared in multiple television series, films, and other media appearances since the 1950s. The majority of the characters listed here originated on The Muppet Show, a television series that aired from 1976 to 1981. Since then, several more characters have been introduced in other television series, as well as theatrical films.
The first Muppet characters appeared in Sam and Friends, a Washington, D.C.–based show which was broadcast from 1955 to 1961. Kermit the Frog was one of the show's regulars, and thus was one of Henson's first Muppet creations.[1] The characters became a household name after their appearance in the children's television program Sesame Street.[1] Henson was initially reluctant to become involved with Sesame Street because he feared being pigeon-holed as a children's performer, but agreed to work on the show to further his social goals.[2]:5 Henson's company owned the characters created for Sesame Street until 2000;[3] since 2001, they have instead been owned by Sesame Workshop and are now considered a separate franchise.
A pragmatic frog who is the straight manprotagonist and de facto leader of the Muppets. Created by Jim Henson and introduced in 1955 on Sam and Friends, Kermit, arguably Henson's best-known character, quickly became the de facto face of the franchise, including regularly appearing on Sesame Street, sometimes as a reporter. He starred on The Muppet Show, as the showrunner, responsible for managing the show's production, and has appeared in every Muppet-branded production since.
Jim Henson was Kermit's performer from his debut until Henson's death in 1990. Steve Whitmire assumed the role and continued to perform Kermit until 2016.[4]Matt Vogel replaced Whitmire in 2017.[5]
A temperamental diva pig who is the Muppets' break-out and "authentic superstar".[1]:28 Until 2015, she was the romanticsignificant other of Kermit.[6][7] Authors Maryanne Fisher and Anthony Cox call Piggy "uniquely strong and feminine", but "domineering and demanding." She was designed and built by Bonnie Erickson. During the first season of The Muppet Show, she was sometimes performed by Richard Hunt. Debuted in a 1974 Herb Alpert television special, where she was performed by Jerry Nelson.[8] She is Oz's best-known character.[9]:103
An insecure, stand-up comic bear introduced in The Muppet Show. Fozzie's characterization was created by Frank Oz, who performed the character from his debut in 1976 until Oz's retirement in 2000. Eric Jacobson has performed the character since then.[10] Finch calls Fozzie "a sweetly insecure and absolutely terrible comedian". According to Oz, Fozzie is such a bad comedian that he "can't afford good joke writers, and he can't write good jokes himself but still a good character". He was designed by Michael K. Frith.[9]:102
An eccentric, hooked-nosed creature and stunt performance enthusiast who debuted in The Great Santa Claus Switch in 1970 as the Cigar Box Frackle. A running gag is that Gonzo's species is unknown. In past Muppets films and series, he was called a "whatever" and in Muppet Babies, Gonzo was known as a weirdo. In Muppets from Space, Gonzo is shown to be an alien. He was created by Dave Goelz, who has performed Gonzo since his inception.
An easygoing pianist dog who first appeared in Purina Dog Chow commercials. He was designed by Jim Henson.[11] He then appeared in The Jimmy Dean Show, as Jimmy Dean's sidekick. Finch calls Rowlf "the first fully rounded character performed by Jim Henson", and also calls him "wonderfully down-to-earth, with a dry, self-deprecating sense of humor" and "a master of the double take." He was built by Don Sahlin[9]:32–33
Rizzo is a sly and witty brown rat from the inner city that Whitmire describes as "a sarcastic kind of New York City character"; he debuted in season four.[13]:80
An inventive yet absent-minded scientist who frequently performs science experiments and invention demonstrations that typically go awry and has an "affable cluelessness" whenever his assistant, Beaker, is a victim of these presentations. Bunsen serves as a foil for Beaker.[1]:85 Bunsen debuted during the first season of The Muppet Show and was joined by Beaker during the second season.[14]:96–97
A hapless lab assistant to Bunsen, who performs ill-fated experiments which often result in him becoming the victim and seriously injured. He was designed by Henson and built by Don Sahlin. Beaker debuted in the second season of The Muppet Show.[14]:96–97
A non-sensical chef that speaks in mock Swedish. Based on the "standard finger puppet",[17]:77 the Swedish Chef was originally a dual collaboration between Henson and Oz, who provided the hands. Oz would deliberately do unexpected things, like tossing chickens and juggling meat cleavers, that Henson would have to improvise with a reaction. He was designed by Michael K. Frith and built by Henson and Bonnie Erickson. He debuted in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence.[9]:102
A shy, soft-voiced human-like Muppet and obsessive fan of the Muppets. Introduced in the film The Muppets (2011), Walter is the younger brother of Gary (Jason Segel) in the film. Along with Gary and his girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams), Walter assists Kermit in reuniting the Muppets as an effort to raise enough money to regain control of the Muppet Theater from oil tycoon Tex Richman (Chris Cooper). After his successful contributions to the telethon with his lauded whistling act, Walter is accepted as a member of the Muppet ensemble. Walter returns in Muppets Most Wanted (2014), where he is instrumental in discovering Constantine's intentions and in rescuing Kermit.
Camilla the Chicken is the hen that is Gonzo's longtime love interest on The Muppet Show. This chicken with hay fever was performed by veteran Muppet performer, Jerry Nelson, and is seen frequently on The Muppet Show, but also makes appearances on the various full-length Muppet movies such as The Muppets Take Manhattan where she hyperventilates after attacking a villain and needs "mouth-to-beak resuscitation", and The Muppet Movie as Gonzo's plumber girl and is in the back of the car for the whole movie. She also appeared in TV specials such as A Muppet Family Christmas where she is seduced by the turkey who was invited to the family gathering by the Swedish Chef.
On Muppet Babies, Camilla was Baby Gonzo's stuffed yellow chicken doll. She was voiced by Frank Welker, and subsequently Dave Coulier and Russi Taylor when she came to life in Gonzo's imagination.
In The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, the Tin Thing (played by Gonzo) mentions that he and Camilla are engaged, but this is never elaborated with the actual Gonzo. Camilla appears as Gonzo's business partner in the 2011 film The Muppets, where she and her chicken companions also perform "Forget You" in the big Muppet reunion show.
Bobo the Bear is an imposing yet easily amused and befuddled brown bear, though his appearance is less anthropomorphic than other animal characters such as Fozzie Bear. Bobo has been in several Muppet films as a major character and others as just a background character. One of his appearances was on Muppets Tonight as the security guard, where he was a seemingly clever and lovable character, with his tagline of "Have a good day, sir!" His character in Muppets from Space was named Rentro. The character appeared in the television special A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, appearing alongside Nathan Lane as a pair of airport security personnel.
In The Muppets, Bobo appears as a henchman of oil tycoon Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), who wants to demolish the Muppet Theater and drill for oil on the site. Along with fellow henchman Uncle Deadly, Bobo is not fully aware of the scheme that Richman is doing; at one point, he even turns to Uncle Deadly asking, "So, you think we're working for the bad guy?" He was seen partaking in the finale version of "Life's a Happy Song" where he was seen with Tex Richman's showgirls.
In the television series The Muppets, he plays a key role as the stage manager for the talk show Up Late with Miss Piggy.
Uncle Deadly is a sinister-looking, blue dragon-like monster who lurks around the Muppet Theater. He was originally performed by Jerry Nelson on The Muppet Show. In his first full part on the show, in episode 121, he was known as "the Phantom of the Muppet Show". Although he made his first appearance alongside Vincent Price on episode 119 of The Muppet Show, Uncle Deadly did not receive his proper introduction until episode 121. One by one, the Muppets tell Kermit the Frog that they have seen a phantom, but Kermit refuses to believe them until he sees Uncle Deadly with his own eyes. Once revealed, Uncle Deadly explains that he used to perform at the Muppet Theater, where he played Othello until he was killed...by the critics. Uncle Deadly sang a handful of songs on the show, including singing a bar of "You're Just in Love" with Ethel Merman and "Sheik of Araby", and performed in the Muppet Melodrama sketches with Miss Piggy and Wayne in season three. Although he did not have a major role in any of the Henson-helmed Muppet movies, Uncle Deadly did appear in the final group scenes at the end of The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan. He also appeared on The Tonight Show in 1979 when Kermit hosted.
Uncle Deadly made his first appearance in over 20 years in The Muppets, in which he was performed by Matt Vogel. He and Bobo the Bear are the henchmen of oil tycoon Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), who wants to demolish the Muppet Theatre and drill for oil on the site. As Richman tries repeatedly to stop the Muppets from raising the funds to buy the theater, Deadly realizes his mistake and decides he too is a Muppet. He forces Richman off the theatre roof before he can cut the wires on the transmission tower and joins the group. Uncle Deadly is seen during the finale version of "Life's a Happy Song". Uncle Deadly later appears in Muppets Most Wanted as the organist at Miss Piggy's wedding, performed again by Vogel.
In the 2015 TV series, Uncle Deadly is Miss Piggy's wardrobe supervisor and plays a featured part in the show, a role he continues in Muppets Now and the live shows the Muppets performed at the Hollywood Bowl and the O2 Arena. On the Muppets' YouTube page, Uncle Deadly is the host of its "Muppet Thought of the Week" segment where he also contributed some thoughts.
He appears as the Justice of the Peace in the 2021 Halloween special Muppets Haunted Mansion.
Clifford is a cool lavender-colored, catfish-faced, sunglasses-wearing character with multicolored dreadlocks.[18] He was created to be the bassist for Solid Foam, the band on The Jim Henson Hour (1989).
When The Jim Henson Hour was canceled, Clifford was the only major character (beyond the classic Muppet Show characters) to make further appearances. In 1990, he appeared as a member of The Electric Mayhem in The Muppets at Walt Disney World television special. In that special, Clifford played glockenspiel, tambourine, and cowbells. Months later, he then appeared in The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson, in which he read one of the fan letters about Jim Henson's death. Clifford also made appearances on The Arsenio Hall Show (alongside Henson in his last television appearance) and VH1. He also co-starred with Kermit in a sing-along video and appeared in a music video.
In 1996, Clifford became the host of Muppets Tonight. In addition to being the host, his appearance was changed as well.[18] He had visible eyes instead of his sunglasses and wore a suit and necktie instead of a Hawaiian shirt. The puppet's head was also built slightly bigger. In 2001, at a Muppet fan convention, Kevin Clash revealed that he disliked the visible eyes and will not perform Clifford again unless he is wearing his sunglasses.[19]
Beauregard is the Muppets' backstage janitor and stagehand of indeterminate species. Debuting in season three of The Muppet Show, Beauregard originally wore a gray jacket over his plaid shirt, but in the fourth season, he stopped wearing the jacket. It is revealed in The Muppet Show On Tour that he calls his mop "Belleregard." Beaker occasionally assists Beauregard with stagehand duties. He tries to be helpful, but his dimwitted efforts frequently result in disaster. His slow wit is often preyed upon by other characters who use him to their own purposes. He has a characteristic blink and often turns to the camera and says, "Right". Beauregard has superhuman strength, which is illustrated by his ability to effortlessly lift and carry around objects that are far too heavy to carry, such as an anvil, couch or piano.
Beauregard appeared on the stage in various sketches and skits. Other times, Beauregard appears accidentally on stage during productions, still working on the props until he realizes that he is intruding and must either rush out of sight or attempt to blend in with the action. However, Beauregard was more comfortable backstage.
Beauregard also appeared in The Great Muppet Caper in 1981, where he played a taxi driver. He brought Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo to the Happiness Hotel, and right through the front door, into the lobby. Beauregard's other major role was in the 1990 special The Muppets at Walt Disney World, where he dragged Miss Piggy onto a series of thrill rides.
Crazy Harry is a pyrotechnician obsessed with explosives, who first appeared in The Muppets Valentine Show and later, The Muppet Show. Crazy Harry has black scruffy hair, an uncombed chin curtain beard and huge, egg-shaped baggy eyes. Early in season one, he played triangle with the pit band. He usually carried a plunger box which would activate a hidden charge, often to his victim's chagrin. Once he assisted Gonzo the Great in a cannonball-catching act but perhaps overdid it on the powder, which resulted in an absurdly stretched right arm for Gonzo. In episode 28 he provided the "Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta!" chorus of "Chanson d'Amour", happily blowing the stage and performers to smithereens with his little plunger and cackling. Harry also played solo backup for Jean Stapleton's performance of "I'm Just Wild About Harry", with a collection of plunger boxes forming an "explodaphone", providing explosions at the end of every verse of the song. In the show's first couple of seasons, Harry's appearances were a regular running gag. After those first seasons, the gag was shelved along with Crazy Harry for the remainder of the show's run.
Crazy Harry also appeared in The Muppet Movie, complete with his explosive equipment, as one of the many Muppets in the audience to whom Kermit the Frog screened the film. He appeared in The Muppets Take Manhattan as a wedding guest. In 2009, he appeared in the Muppets' music video "Bohemian Rhapsody". In 2011, he appeared in The Muppets, blasting his likeness onto Mount Rushmore—destroying Abraham Lincoln's face in the process—during the film's montage. In 2014, he appeared in a Toyota Highlander commercial, blasting Gonzo from a cannon, like a human cannonball, through the sunroof. In 2014, he appeared in Muppets Most Wanted, in which a criminal uses the noise of Harry's explosions to cover the sounds of a break-in.
For the commercials for the then-new TNT cable channel, Crazy Harry would be featured at the end of the commercials, prefixing his use of his plunger with the question "Did someone say TNT?"—followed by a maniacal laugh after the explosion. In the Dresden Files novel Blood Rites, several references are made to the "Bolshevik Muppet with all the dynamite". The phrase "Bolshevik Muppet" was then used as a warning by Harry Dresden to his allies just prior to setting off a large explosion.
Lew Zealand is a tan humanoid Muppet with dark hair, a mustache, a red knobby nose, a ruff and a red ringmaster's suit. His name is a portmanteau of New Zealand and Lew Grade, the distributor of The Muppet Show. Lew started out as a Whatnot before a permanent puppet was made of him. Lew has an obsession for throwing fish, which are unique in that they return to him once thrown—hence the term "boomerang fish". His catchphrase is: "I throw the fish away, and it comes back to me!" Lew appears on The Muppet Show from season three onward trying to promote his Boomerang Fish act. He is also able to play a fish organ (a line of fish that, when squeezed, each gargle a different note). The sketches he appears in usually end with the entire stage in an uproar. In the "Marisa Berenson" episode, he played a major part in that episode by using his timely boomerang fish to prevent Kermit the Frog from being tricked into a real marriage during Miss Piggy's "wedding sketch". In the "Leslie Uggams" episode, Lew Zealand told Leslie how to be a great boomerang fish thrower by saying that "Well, you've got to have sole. And if you can't get sole, get halibut." In the "Lynn Redgrave" episode, he played a member of the Merry Men in the Robin Hood sketch.
The Whatnot head construction for Lew Zealand was done by Dave Goelz and Lew Zealand's character finishing was done by Amy van Gilder. Jerry Nelson considered Lew Zealand to be a tribute to Frankie Fontaine. Nelson stated in an interview, "He had that dopey voice, but he could sing beautifully. We never did that part of it on the show, but just the idea of this guy who had a boomerang fish act. There were some really ridiculous acts on the show, and that was one of the all-time dopey ones."[20]
Link Hogthrob is a dim-witted pig possessing traits of a stereotypical leading man, with wavy blond hair, a manly cleftchin, and a high opinion of himself. In The Muppet Show, Link is best known as the captain of the Swinetrek on the recurring sketch Pigs in Space where his unbridled machismo is often a source of conflict with his co-star, First Mate Piggy. Unlike Dr. Julius Strangepork, whose role on The Muppet Show would primarily be on Pigs in Space, sketches including "Wonder Pig", Link would feature regularly both in the show's onstage acts and backstage mayhem. Link's singing talents featured a number of times in solos (such as "Sonny Boy"), duets ("Là ci darem la mano"), and group numbers. Starting in the show's third season, Link was also featured as the police chief in the recurring Bear on Patrol sketches, where his dimwittedness was often the source of physical trauma to patrol officer Fozzie Bear. Henson's son, Brian Henson, recalled that his father often used Link's deep-throated, pompous voice when performing some stereotypically masculine chore, such as carving the Thanksgiving turkey.
Link was later one of the few classic Muppet Show characters to be used regularly in the Muppet Central control room on The Jim Henson Hour.
An animated version of Link was seen in Pigs in Space segments in Little Muppet Monsters (voiced by Bob Bergen) and an episode of Muppet Babies. A walk-around version of Link was created for The Muppet Show on Tour. An action figure of Link was produced in 2003 as part of Series 4 of Palisades Toys' line of Muppet action figures.
Marvin Suggs is a flamboyant musician that wears a frilly, multicolored shirt. He is best known for playing an instrument known as a Muppaphone,[21][22] a group of small, round, furry pink and orange Muppets that emit a tonal "ow" (voiced by Henson and Jerry Nelson[23]) when Marvin strikes them on the head with his mallet. During season three of The Muppet Show, Suggs and the Muppaphone were part of an "explicit criticism of violence" with Suggs being explicitly punished for his violence in an episode where a witchdoctor turns Suggs' head into a Muppaphone.[22] The act has been compared to the sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus called "Arthur Ewing and His Musical Mice".[23] He was designed by Rollie Krewson.[9] He appears in 2011's The Muppets.
The Newsman is the bespectacled newsman for The Muppet Show, who tries to deliver the news with accuracy, but is visibly flummoxed on camera by the day's latest bizarre story or interview. Interviews were a more common part of the Muppet News Flash segments in its first season, where the interviewees were portrayed by the show's guest star. From the second season onward, he would almost invariably suffer some calamity related to the story, such as having items dropped on his head or the newsroom destroyed.
Pops is an elderly doorman at the Muppet Theatre in The Muppet Show. He greeted the week's guest star in every episode of the fifth season. He also had a major part as the innkeeper of the Happiness Hotel in The Great Muppet Caper. Since then, he has only had a couple of supporting roles, minor roles and cameo appearances.
Robin the Frog is Kermit's young, sweet-voiced nephew. He has appeared in most Muppet productions since The Muppet Show. He loves to spend time with his Uncle Kermit, his best friend Sweetums, and his boys' club, the Frog Scouts. Robin first appeared in The Frog Prince as Sir Robin the Brave. One of his most famous moments was singing "Halfway Down the Stairs", a song based on a poem by Winnie the Pooh creator A. A. Milne. He also has an important role in episode 212 of The Muppet Show, when he was feeling sad for being so small until the guest star Bernadette Peters and all Robin's Muppet friends sing the song "Just One Person" to cheer him up. In the animated Muppet Babies series, Robin appeared as a tadpole in a fish bowl, as all the characters were younger versions of their live-action selves, and was said to be the son of Kermit's (unnamed and unseen) big sister.
Robin's roles in the Muppet movies varied from supporting roles, minor roles and cameos to large roles, though he has not appeared in many Muppet movies. In The Muppet Movie (1979), he had a minor role at the beginning of the movie at the film screening where he asks Kermit if the movie is about how the Muppets got started. He also had a few other scenes and is with the other Muppets in the finale. In the TV special John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together (1979) Robin helps sing many of the Christmas Carols with the other Muppets and John Denver. In the TV movie Rocky Mountain Holiday (1982) Robin plays a more major role as he tries to help out as a Frog Scout and bonds with John Denver through the process. In The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), he only appeared in the audience at the wedding. In A Muppet Family Christmas, Robin discovered the Fraggle hole in the basement, taking Kermit with him and meeting the five main Fraggles.
Robin played the role of Tiny Tim in The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), his largest role to date. His next appearance was in the direct-to-videoMuppet Classic Theater (1994) where he appeared in "The Emperor's New Clothes" sketch in a minimal role, realizing Fozzie (the emperor) was not wearing clothes. He also appeared alongside Kermit in The Elves and the Shoemaker sketch where he took on the role of the shoemaker's nephew. He had a minor role (with dialogue) in Muppets From Space (1999) in the boarding house. His final role with Jerry Nelson as his performer was in 2002's It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, which was arguably his second-largest role to date; he appears in the Muppet Theatre in a few scenes and in the Moulin Scrooge scene as the green fairy. After a five-year absence, Robin returned in A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, performed by Matt Vogel. He wore his Tiny Tim attire in a 2009 appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and made a non-speaking cameo appearance in the film The Muppets. Robin, along with his Uncle Kermit, appeared again on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to sing "When the River Meets the Sea" on December 23, 2011, once again, performed by Matt Vogel. He also made a minor role in 2014's Muppets Most Wanted, again performed by Vogel. Robin (voiced by Vogel) is the "guest star" of the February 23, 2016 episode of The Muppets titled "Little Green Lie". In the episode, Kermit and Miss Piggy pretend to still be in a relationship so as not to upset Robin, whose parents are divorcing.
Sweetums is a very large, imposing and hairy ogre about nine feet tall. Despite appearing physically intimidating, he is often depicted as friendly and harmless. Sweetums has very thick blondish-brown hair all over his body. He has a very large lower jaw, similar to a bulldog, which juts out, revealing two pointy tusk-like teeth. He has thick, brown eyebrows over his large yellow eyes and large nose. He often wears a shabby, burlap-like brown shirt. Many are fooled by his intimidating appearance, but he is very nice and humble, hence his name, "Sweetums".
Sweetums first appeared on the television special The Frog Prince (based on the story of the same name) in 1971 as the henchman of a full-bodied Taminella Ginderfall (who was previously seen in the pilots to Tales of the Tinkerdee and The Land of Tinkerdee). There he tried to eat the hero, played by Kermit's nephew Robin. He later performed a duet with Robin and the two appeared together on merchandise as best friends. During his first appearance, Sweetums was performed by Muppeteer Jerry Nelson and voiced by voice veteran Carl Banas, but soon after, Richard Hunt made the character his own. Hunt gave life to Sweetums throughout the run of The Muppet Show and the first two Muppet movies. During the making of Muppet*Vision 3D when Hunt's health deteriorated, Muppet creator Jim Henson's son, John Henson, did the puppetry, while Hunt did the voice. After Richard Hunt died, John Henson eventually took over both the voice and puppetry.
Sweetums also played a car jack in a used-car lot in The Muppet Movie where a salesman introduced him as his Jack. When called "Jack" by Kermit, he replied, "Jack not name; jack job!". After Kermit and his friends ask him if he wants to go to Hollywood with them, he shouts "Hollywood!" repeatedly and runs away, only to come back with his suitcase shortly after the group has left. He pursues the group for the duration of the movie, finally making it to Hollywood, bursting through the movie screen, shouting "I made it!!" During the montage of the Muppets getting back together again in The Muppets, Sweetums is shown working at the same lot and is again forced to chase after the group's car. He also has supporting roles and minor roles in The Great Muppet Caper, Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets from Space, The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, and various other Muppet specials. Sweetums was performed by Matt Vogel in 2011's The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted. The character also appears at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disneyland's Disney California Adventure in Muppet*Vision 3D. He is the only Muppet to appear "live" in the show. All other Muppets that appear in the theater are audio-animatronics. The character was seen in an episode of Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony. In the 2015 TV series, Sweetums is in charge of the cue cards for the show.
Frackles are a classification of Muppet monsters. They first appeared in a television special called The Great Santa Claus Switch. They would then appear in later franchises, such as The Muppet Show. Characteristics of a Frackle include fur and toothy or toothless beaks. They are normally small to medium size in stature, but there are exceptions. The Frackles became nameless, utility characters without personalities. They often changed appearance, performer, name and gender depending on the sketch and show. Gonzo originated as a Frackle living in a cigar box in The Great Santa Claus Switch.
Penguins
The Muppet version of the Penguins are often seen in various Muppet productions.
While most of them are nameless, there had been some known Penguins that were named:
Gloria Estefan Penguin (performed by Peter Linz[24]) – A Magellanic penguin chick who has a fondness for drinking martinis that debuts in the TV series The Muppets. Gloria was adopted by Miss Piggy during her trip to Argentina and quickly forms a bond with Uncle Deadly.
Winky Pinkerton (performed by Steve Whitmire in the "Loretta Lynn" episode) – A penguin who does bird impressions and is the first known Penguin to appear in The Muppet Show before the generic Penguins came into view. He was built by Brian Henson.
The 2018 version of Muppet Babies introduced Summer Penguin (voiced by Jessica DiCicco) who is the Muppet Babies' residential artist and the shortest of the group.
Whatnots
The Whatnots are Muppets extras designed with blank heads and faces, clothes, and hair that can be customized for different roles.[25][26] Similar generic puppets used for Sesame Street are known as Anything Muppets. The characters of Scooter, Lew Zealand, and Marvin Suggs were originally created using Whatnot puppets before permanent puppets were made for them. The Muppet Whatnot Workshop at FAO Schwarz opened in 2008,[27] which allowed people to purchase a custom Whatnot with chosen clothes and facial features.[28][29][30] Whatnot kits were later sold through Toys 'R' Us after the chain acquired FAO Schwarz.[31]
A 1980s-esque robot chauffeur and servant who debuted in The Muppets. In the film, he lives in Kermit's mansion, after the breakup of the Muppets. '80s Robot also functions as a chauffeur and uses his databanks and search engine to locate the Muppet troupe. Created by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, the character—as his name implies—resembles the many robots who dominated the toy, novelty, and pop culture landscape in the 1980s. He uses slang from the era and offers such beverages as Tab and New Coke. '80s Robot is said to bear an uncanny resemblance to Omnibot 2000, a robot toy made by Tomy in the 1980s that was used to portray Robin Sparkles' sidekick in a television series Segel was on.[32][33] '80s Robot was designed by Legacy Effects. He subsequently reappears in Muppets Most Wanted.[34]
A young female pig who is Miss Piggy's innocent rival. She first appeared in episode 214 of The Muppet Show, but was given a proper introduction in episode 302.[citation needed]
A small, shaggy, brown dog with glasses and a pointed snout, who was originally created in 1962 as a foil for Rowlf the Dog in a series of Purina Dog Chow commercials.[citation needed]
A bluish-gray monster who debuted on The Ed Sullivan Show and appeared on the first season of Sesame Street as the central antagonist. He is known by that name by the creators because he purposely sabotaged a girl's beautiful day, using magic and eating flowers and killing birds. On Sesame Street, his character has been named “Snuki”, “Harry,” and “Ralph”, and he had a more villainous edge, as he terrified viewers (mostly children), while Kermit demonstrated a lecture on how to make the letter B sound “BUH!”, the monster roared “BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH,” which caused Kermit to run away from him, and as an exclamation point, a spooky light effect was used. He was taken off of Sesame Street because of his behavior. [citation needed]
A shaggy, horned monster who enjoys consuming objects, other Muppets, normal animals, and, very rarely, even humans. He first appeared on the Muppet Meeting Films segment "Think Bigger" as the Chairman Blodgett, and as different occupations in Muppets Tonight. In the TV series The Muppets, Carl acts as the receptionist at the studio where Up Late with Miss Piggy is filmed. Besides being a Francophile, Big Mean Carl has a similar-looking sister named Big Mean Carla; she is also carnivorous, and works in the real estate business. The puppet also appeared with a different, suessified styling as the Grox on The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss episode "There is Nothing to Fear in Here".[citation needed]
Gord Robertson (1989–1997), Dave Goelz (1997–present)
A nerdy technician who first appeared on The Jim Henson Hour where he was the technician of Gorilla Television. In the TV series The Muppets, Chip worked as the IT Technician for Up Late with Miss Piggy. He also appears on Muppets Now.[citation needed]
An evil Russian frog who is considered to be the "World's Most Dangerous Frog", Interpol's most wanted criminal, and a doppelgänger for Kermit.[36] Appearing in Muppets Most Wanted, Constantine differs slightly from Kermit in physical appearance as his eye pupils line up differently, and he has a shorter neck collar, and a distinctive mole on the right side of his face.[37] In the film, Constantine escapes a Siberiangulag becoming a fugitive from the main prison warden Nadya (Tina Fey). Constantine collaborates with Dominic Badguy (Ricky Gervais) to conduct robberies all across Europe, framing the Muppets as culprits until the two of them are defeated and arrested by the police.[38]
The filmmakers tasked in designing Constantine originally planned to have him be a paler shade of green than Kermit. However, early camera tests revealed that the color differed too greatly from Kermit's, clashing with the filmmakers' intentions of having Constantine bear a strong resemblance to him.[36] Instead, Constantine's neck collar was made shorter and with wider spikes. Following a suggestion by director James Bobin, Vogel based his performance on the Russian antagonist, General Orlov, in Octopussy.[36]
A dark purple Muppet monster with dog-like ears who has an appetite for flowers.[citation needed]
The Flying Zucchini Brothers
Various performers
An Italian acrobat/daredevil act on The Muppet Show. They also appeared in The Muppet Show On Tour. The Zuchinni Brothers are best known for their Human Cannon Ball act. This act is mostly performed by three Zuchinni brothers and one cannon, although the Wally Boag episode features six brothers and five cannons. Some of the Zuchinni Brothers' names are Biondo (episode 412), Marco, Giuseppi, Luigi, Lorenzo, and Heathcliff (the "Mama's Boy" of the group). The Zuchinni Brother puppets are Whatnots; they tend to look a little differently in each episode, although their design remains basically the same.[citation needed]
A crusty old custodian on The Muppet Show who has no affection for anyone or anything except his mop. Frequently appeared onstage as part of the regular dancing sequence.[citation needed]
A purple Muppet monster who is one of the Muppets who eat other Muppets. His appearance has shifted between a live-hand puppet form and a full-bodied puppet form.[citation needed]
A rich food-loving pig. His puppet was previously used for one of the native pigs from Muppet Treasure Island. Howard Tubman also makes a cameo as a guest at Miss Piggy's wedding in Muppets Most Wanted. In the season one finale of The Muppets. Howard Tubman hooked Scooter up with some acts that he represents.[citation needed]
A duo, with Johnny modeled after Frank Sinatra and Sal as a vest-wearing chimpanzee and Johnny's bodyguard. Johnny and Sal Minella (whose name is a pun on salmonella) made their first appearances in Muppets Tonight. Johnny Fiama's surname is an anagram of mafia. His name suggests Johnny Fontane, the Sinatra-like character in The Godfather. Johnny appears in Muppets from Space (1999), after the cancellation of Muppets Tonight where he is seen as being roommates with Sal. He has a quick scene with a few lines of dialogue at Gonzo's party; when Sal cuts the cake meant for Gonzo's family, and Gonzo gets mad, they pretend not to have done so and go around asking who cut the cake. Johnny was a part of the main cast for It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) where he is seen exchanging gifts with Sal in the opening while singing "Jingle Bells". He is also seen trying to cheer Kermit up, along with some of the more prominent Muppets. Johnny's next film role was The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005) with Sal yet again. The two have quite a large role (though not as large as the previous film) as one of many of the Wicked Witch of the West's (Miss Piggy) flying monkeys, though they appear multiple other times as well. After a 12-year absence, they returned as the ghosts of Constance Hatchway's exes in Muppets Haunted Mansion.[citation needed]
A street-themed Muppet tribute band based at a casino in Reno. They consist of Miss Poogy, Kermoot, Foozie Bear, Janooce, Roowlf the Dog, and Animool (a man dressed as Animal).[citation needed]
A musical instrument made up of pink and orange living balls of fluff. These creatures, members of an as yet unnamed species, are played by Marvin Suggs, who strikes them with mallets in order to elicit the cries of pain that form the Muppaphone's music ("Ow, ow, ow, ow...").[citation needed]
A character who is primarily seen in the background of several Muppet productions. Pokey's most significant role to date has been that of the studio director in The Muppets Take Over Today. The character (performed by Stephanie D'Abruzzo) was named in this appearance on-screen by Joe Michaels, The Today Show director, whom Pokey replaced during the takeover of the show.
Pokey's earliest appearance with the Muppets was in episode 201 of Muppets Tonight in a Tales from the Vet sketch. Later, Pokey would appear in the post office in A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa during "Delivering Christmas", and in background scenes of The Muppets, Muppets Most Wanted, Muppets Haunted Mansion, and as part of crowds in various commercials and promos. In 2017, Pokey appeared with Luncheon Counter Monster and Mo Frackle as Beaker's internet friends in the Muppet Labs sketch from The Muppets Take the Bowl, which was later reprised in The Muppets Take the O2.
A green, pink-feathered creature with wheels for feet who only appeared in The Muppet Show episode starring Don Knotts, singing the song The Windmills of Your Mind and getting injured.[citation needed]
A small yellow creature with a red ring of fur around his neck. He was first seen in The Muppet Show in episode #118, during the "Hugga Wugga" sketch.[citation needed]
A large, blue full-bodied minotaur-like monster with droopy ears. A sweet disposition who first appeared in The Great Santa Claus Switch. While originally shown to be 9 1/2ft., he appeared 11 1/2ft. in The Muppets where he couldn't fit through the arches.[42]
A female purple Whatnot whom is the description used in scripts of The Muppet Show for the female trumpet player in the Muppet Orchestra.[citation needed]
A goth woman who worked for Gorilla Television on The Jim Henson Hour and appeared on "The Real World Muppets" segments on Muppets Tonight, where she spoke with a British accent and was renamed to Darci.[citation needed]
Statler and Waldorf are a pair of Muppet characters from the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show, best known for their cantankerous opinions and shared penchant for heckling. The two elderly men first appeared in The Muppet Show in 1975, where they consistently jeered the entirety of the cast and their performances from their box seats.
The Jim Henson Hour is an American television series that aired on NBC in 1989. It was developed as a showcase for The Jim Henson Company's various puppet creations, including the Muppet characters.
Muppets Tonight is an American live-action/puppet family-oriented comedy television series, created by Jim Henson Productions and featuring The Muppets. The series ran for two seasons between March 1996 to February 1998, originally airing on ABC, before later being aired and rerun on the Disney Channel. The show was a continuation of The Muppet Show, with Kermit the Frog and the Muppets running their own television channel and studio, only to request one of their own to run a new show to fill in a timeslot in their channel's scheduling.
The Muppet Movie is a 1979 musical road comedy film directed by James Frawley and produced by Jim Henson, and the first theatrical film to feature the Muppets. A co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, the film was written by The Muppet Show writers Jerry Juhl and Jack Burns. Produced during the third season of The Muppet Show, the film tells the origin story of the Muppets, as Kermit the Frog embarks on a cross-country trip to Los Angeles, encountering several of the Muppets—who all share the same ambition of finding success in professional show business—along the way while being pursued by Doc Hopper, a greedy restaurateur with intentions of employing Kermit as a spokesperson for his frog legs business.
The Muppets Take Manhattan is a 1984 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Frank Oz and the third theatrical film featuring the Muppets. The film stars Muppet performers Jim Henson, Oz, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, as well as special appearances by Art Carney, James Coco, Dabney Coleman, Gregory Hines, Linda Lavin, Liza Minnelli, Joan Rivers, and Brooke Shields. Filmed in New York City during the prior summer, it was released theatrically on July 13, 1984, by TriStar Pictures. A fantasy sequence in the film introduced the Muppet Babies, toddler versions of the lead Muppet characters.
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie is a 2002 American musical fantasy comedy television film directed by Kirk R. Thatcher and written by Tom Martin and Jim Lewis. The film premiered November 29, 2002 on NBC and is the first television film featuring the Muppets.
Rizzo the Rat is a Muppet character from the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show, created and originally performed by Steve Whitmire until 2016.
Muppet*Vision 3D is a 3D film attraction located at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. The attraction also formerly operated at Disney California Adventure. Directed by Jim Henson, the attraction consists of a pre-show which then leads into Kermit the Frog guiding park guests on a tour through Muppet Studios, while the Muppets prepare their sketch acts to demonstrate their new breakthrough in 3D film technology. The show, however, completely unravels when Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's experimental 3D sprite, Waldo, causes mayhem during the next portion of the show.
The Great Muppet Caper is a 1981 musical heist comedy film directed by Jim Henson and the second theatrical film featuring the Muppets. The film stars Muppet performers Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, and Steve Whitmire, as well as Charles Grodin and Diana Rigg, with special cameo appearances by John Cleese, Robert Morley, Peter Ustinov, and Jack Warden. The film was produced by ITC Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company and distributed by Universal Pictures. In the plot, the Muppets are caught up in a jewel heist while investigating a robbery in London.
Muppets from Space is a 1999 American science fiction comedy film directed by Tim Hill, written by Jerry Juhl, Joseph Mazzarino, and Ken Kaufman, produced by Brian Henson and Martin G. Baker, and the sixth theatrical film featuring the Muppets. The film stars Muppet performers Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, Bill Barretta, and Frank Oz, as well as Jeffrey Tambor, F. Murray Abraham, David Arquette, Josh Charles, Hollywood Hogan, Ray Liotta, Rob Schneider and Andie MacDowell. In the film, Gonzo attempts to discover his origins. After he and Rizzo the Rat are captured by government officials during his search, Kermit the Frog and the rest of the Muppets set out to rescue them.
The Muppets at Walt Disney World is a television special starring Jim Henson's Muppets at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The special aired on NBC as part of The Magical World of Disney on May 6, 1990, ten days prior to Henson's death. It was the last Muppet project completed by Henson.
Rocky Mountain Holiday is a television special and a soundtrack album of songs from the special, performed by American singer-songwriter John Denver and The Muppets. The show has Denver playing host to the extended Muppet family; he takes them up into the scenic Rockies for an excursion that includes fishing, hiking, and camping. The soundtrack album was released in November 1982, and the special itself aired May 12, 1983, on ABC. In 1984, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Album for Children, but lost to Michael Jackson's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial storybook.
A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa is a 2008 American television special directed by Kirk R. Thatcher featuring The Muppets in a Christmas mission to personally deliver three letters to Santa Claus, accidentally diverted by Gonzo, to the North Pole. The special aired on NBC on December 17, 2008. The special, shot in Brooklyn and Midtown Manhattan, was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on DVD in 2009.
The Muppet Show is a comic book series based on the variety television series of the same title created by Jim Henson and featuring The Muppets. The series was written and drawn by Roger Langridge and published by Boom! Kids, an imprint of Boom! Studios. In 2011, the Boom! license with Disney Publishing Worldwide expired. Disney's own comic book publishing subsidiary, Marvel Comics, renamed the series Muppets and published four issues in 2012.
The Muppet Show is the first soundtrack album released from the TV show of the same name. It reached number one in the UK Albums Chart in the week ending 25 June 1977. In 1979, the album won The Grammy Award for Best Album for Children.
The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years is a one-hour special starring Jim Henson's Muppets. It was shot in Toronto, Ontario in 1985 and aired January 21, 1986 on CBS.
The Muppets: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack is a soundtrack album released by Walt Disney Records on November 22, 2011 for the musical comedy film The Muppets. The soundtrack features five original songs, four re-recordings and remasterings of popular Muppet songs, two cover versions of existing songs, two standalone songs, and fifteen dialogue tracks. It also features the song "Man or Muppet", which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The soundtrack was also nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 55th Grammy Awards.
The Muppets Go Hollywood is a one-hour television special that promoted The Muppet Movie, the first theatrical film in The Muppets franchise. It first aired May 16, 1979 on CBS, six weeks before the American release of The Muppet Movie.
The Muppets Go to the Movies is a one-hour television special starring Jim Henson's Muppets. It first aired May 20, 1981 on ABC as promotion for The Great Muppet Caper, which was released in the United States a month later.
The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson is a one-hour musical special that aired on CBS on November 21, 1990. The program was a tribute to Muppet creator Jim Henson, who had died earlier in 1990 due to toxic shock syndrome caused by a streptococcus infection, and featured characters from The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, and Sesame Street.
↑ Fisher, Maryanne; Cox, Anthony (2009). "The Uniquely Strong but Feminine Miss Piggy". In Garlen, Jennifer C.; Graham, Anissa M. (eds.). Kermit Culture: Critical Perspectives on Jim Henson's Muppets. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p.181. ISBN9780786442591.
↑ Parish, James Robert (2006). Jim Henson: Puppeteer And Filmmaker. Ferguson Pub. p.52. ISBN978-0-8160-5834-1. It was Don Sahlin whom Jim [Henson] assigned to create Rowlf the Dog (and his sidekick Baskerville) for the company's new client, Purina Dog Chow
↑ Schildrout, Jordon. (October 2008). "The Performance of Nonconformity on The Muppet Show—or How Kermit Made Me Queer." The Journal of Popular Culture, 41:5, p. 832. Quoted in Kermit Culture, pp. 121–122.
1 2 Schneider, Lynne D. (2009). "Stuffed Suits and Hog-Wild Desire". In Garlen, Jennifer C.; Graham, Anissa M. (eds.). Kermit Culture: Critical Perspectives on Jim Henson's Muppets. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN9780786442591.
↑ Stoessner, Jennifer (2009). "From Puppetry to Muppetry". In Garlen, Jennifer C.; Graham, Anissa M. (eds.). Kermit Culture: Critical Perspectives on Jim Henson's Muppets. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN9780786442591.
↑ Lee, Jennifer (December 1, 2008). "A Muppet Entirely Your Own". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
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