A list of all the characters of The Muppet Show and related works
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.
These characters have been owned by
The Muppets Studio
, a division of
The Walt Disney Company
, after Disney acquired the characters from
The Jim Henson Company
in 2004.
Main characters
[
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]
Kermit the Frog
[
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]
A pragmatic frog who is the
straight man
protagonist
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]
Miss Piggy
[
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]
A temperamental
diva
pig who is the Muppets' break-out and "authentic
superstar
".
[1]
: 28
Until 2015, she was the
romantic
significant 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
Fozzie Bear
[
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]
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
Gonzo the Great
[
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]
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.
Rowlf the Dog
[
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]
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
Scooter
[
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]
The loyal
stage manager
and
gofer
of the Muppet Theatre.
Richard Hunt
based Scooter's voice and personality on how he remembered himself when he was younger. He was designed by
Michael K. Frith
. Debuted in the first season of
The Muppet Show
.
[1]
: 83
Pepe the King Prawn
[
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]
A scheming and sassy
Latino
king prawn
,
[12]
Pepe was introduced in
Muppets Tonight
, where he and Seymour would often work as
elevator operators
and commissary
cooks
. His first theatrical film appearance was in
Muppets from Space
. Pepe became the spokesman of restaurant chain
Long John Silver's
in 2002.
Rizzo the Rat
[
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]
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
Animal
[
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]
The wild, frenzied monster drummer for
Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem
. Author Christopher Finch calls Animal "the ultimate representation of a long line of Muppets who personify unbridled appetite",
[9]
: 103
both "carnivorous beast" and "physical manifestation of pure
libido
." He was designed by
Jim Henson
and built by
Dave Goelz
. Debuted in
The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence
.
[1]
: 77
Supporting characters
[
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]
Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem
[
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]
A rock
house band
consisting of six members:
Dr. Teeth
, the gravelly-voiced leader and
keyboard
player of the band;
Floyd Pepper
, the cynical "
hippie
"
bass player
;
Janice
, the
lead guitar
player with a
flower child
personality;
Zoot
, the laid-back
saxophone
player;
Animal
, the crazed
drummer
; and
Lips
, the mumbling
trumpet
player. Other characters to perform with the Electric Mayhem on occasion were Rowlf the Dog on piano on many occasions, Rizzo on cymbals in the "
Paul Simon
" episode, Beaker on vocals in the "
Diana Ross
" episode, Scooter in
The Muppet Movie
, Clifford in
The Muppets at Walt Disney World
, and Crazy Harry as part of the band in the first episode and later.
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew
[
edit
]
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
Beaker
[
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]
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
Sam Eagle
[
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]
A patriotic
bald eagle
and the group's self-proclaimed delegator of
disciplined manners and values
. Critic Jordan Schildcrout describes Sam as "a cross between
Uncle Sam
and the bald eagle (which is the U.S. national bird and symbol) with a dash of
Richard Nixon
, [who] represents a
conservative
, nationalist
Puritanism
that makes him a snob and a prude." He was designed by Henson and built by
Don Sahlin
. Debuted in
The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence
.
[15]
: 832
Most recently, Sam has appeared alongside Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Gonzo in
The Muppets Present...Great Moments in American History
at the
Magic Kingdom
theme park in
Orlando, Florida
.
Statler and Waldorf
[
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]
Two elderly and grumpy gentlemen who constantly
heckle
the Muppets from the audience, specifically from an upper balcony box on
The Muppet Show
.
[16]
: 40
Statler and Waldorf
were named after two
New York City
hotels: the
Statler Hilton
and the
Waldorf-Astoria
. They were designed and built by Bonnie Erickson. They debuted in
The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence
.
[16]
: 43?44
The Swedish Chef
[
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]
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
Walter
[
edit
]
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
[
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]
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
[
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]
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
[
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]
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 is 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 and not a Moopet. 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
[
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]
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
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]
When
Muppets Tonight
ended in 1998, Clifford was returned to his original sunglasses look for his last two appearances in
Muppets from Space
and
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz
.
Recurring characters
[
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]
Beauregard
[
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]
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.
He has also had minor roles and cameo appearances in later projects, including
The Muppets Take Manhattan
,
Muppets Tonight
,
The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
, and
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
. In the book
Of Muppets and Men
, Goelz explains that Beauregard was based on the clumsy Wendell Porcupine from
Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas
. The main reason why Beauregard never became a star was because the writers thought he was too passive; he did not desire anything. This made Beauregard difficult to write for. In
The Muppets
, Beauregard is found by
Scooter
living in the janitor's closet of the old Muppet Theatre, seemingly unaware that
The Muppet Show
is no longer on the air. In
Muppets Most Wanted
, Beauregard is the engineer of the train that is used for the Muppets' world tour.
Crazy Harry
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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.
Lew Zealand has had supporting roles and cameo appearances in
The Great Muppet Caper
,
The Muppets Take Manhattan
,
The Muppet Christmas Carol
,
Muppet Treasure Island
,
Muppets From Space
, and
Muppets Haunted Mansion
. Lew Zealand has a supporting role in
The Muppets
, where after rejoining the group to help save the Muppet Theatre from Tex Richman, Lew assists in kidnapping
Jack Black
to be the telethon's celebrity host. He later encourages Kermit not to give up on the Muppet Theatre. Lew reappears in
Muppets Most Wanted
, joining the rest of the Muppets on their world tour.
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
[
edit
]
Link Hogthrob
is a dim-witted pig possessing traits of a stereotypical
leading man
, with wavy blond hair, a manly
cleft
chin
, 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 ("
La 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
.
Since Henson's death, Link has mostly remained a non-speaking Muppet, although he has since appeared occasionally in silent
cameos
in such productions as
The Muppet Christmas Carol
,
Muppet Treasure Island
,
Muppets Tonight
and
Muppets from Space
. His only speaking roles from 1990 to 2011 were in the video games
Muppet RaceMania
and
Muppets Party Cruise
, as voiced by
Steve Whitmire
. Whitmire performed Link for the 2011 movie
The Muppets
. The appearance featured the first speaking appearance of the puppet ever since Henson's death. Link appears in several scenes in the background and gets a moment in the spotlight as part of a
barbershop quartet
, singing "
Smells Like Teen Spirit
". In
Muppets Most Wanted
, Link returned to prominence for the first time in decades, having several lines of dialogue and his own scene with
Usher
.
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
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-video
Muppet 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
[
edit
]
- Performed by
Jerry Nelson
(1971, in-suit performer, 2000),
Carl Banas
(1971, voice only),
Richard Hunt
(1976?1991),
John Henson
(1991, 1996?2005),
Victor Yerrid
(2005),
Noel MacNeal
(2006?2009),
Matt Vogel
(2009?present)
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.
Other characters, recurring characters and minor characters
[
edit
]
Frackles
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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.
- Nicky Napoleon (performed by James Kroupa) ? A penguin from
Muppet*Vision 3D
and
Little Muppet Monsters
who is the leader of the band Nicky Napoleon and His
Emperor Penguins
.
- 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
[
edit
]
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]
Additional characters, recurring characters and minor characters
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
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a
b
c
d
e
f
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- ^
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Ask Henson, Question #38