Whatnot (Muppet)

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. The characters became a household name after their appearance in the children's television program ''Sesame Street''. 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. Henson's company owned the characters created for ''Sesame Street'' until 2000; 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

Kermit the Frog

* Performed by Jim Henson (1955–1990), Steve Whitmire (1990–2016), Matt Vogel (2017–present)

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. Matt Vogel replaced Whitmire in 2017.

Miss Piggy

* Performed by Frank Oz (1976–2002), Eric Jacobson (2001–present)

A temperamental diva pig who is the Muppets' break-out and "authentic superstar". Until 2015, she was the romantic significant other of Kermit. Authors Maryanne Fisher and Anthony Cox call Piggy "uniquely strong and feminine", but "domineering and demanding." She was designed and built by Bonnie Erickson. Debuted in a 1974 Herb Alpert television special, where she was performed by Jerry Nelson. She is Oz's best-known character.

Fozzie Bear

* Performed by Frank Oz (1976–2000), Eric Jacobson (2002–present)

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. 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.

Gonzo

* Performed by Dave Goelz

An eccentric, hooked-nosed creature and stunt performance enthusiast who debuted in ''The Great Santa Claus Switch'' as the Cigar Box Frackle. Gonzo's species was originally 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 was finally revealed to be an alien. He was created by Dave Goelz, who has performed Gonzo since his inception.

Rowlf the Dog

* Performed by Jim Henson (1962–1990), Bill Barretta (1996–present)

An easygoing pianist dog who first appeared in Purina Dog Chow commercials. He was designed by Jim Henson. 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

Scooter

* Performed by Richard Hunt (1976–1991), Adam Hunt (voice only, 1999), Matt Vogel (2000), Julianne Buescher (2001), Brian Henson (2002–2003), Rickey Boyd (2005), David Rudman (2008–present)

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''.

Animal

* Performed by Frank Oz (1975–2000), Eric Jacobson (2002–present)

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", 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''.

Pepe the King Prawn

* Performed by Bill Barretta

A scheming and sassy Latino king prawn. Introduced in ''Muppets Tonight'', he and Seymour would often work as elevator operator 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

* Performed by Steve Whitmire (1980–2016)

A sly and witty brown rat from the inner city, that Whitmire describes as "a sarcastic kind of New York City character"; debuted in season four.

Supporting characters

Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem

A rock house band consisting of 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; and Animal, the crazed drummer. The trumpet player Lips was a later addition to the band. Other characters to perform with the Electric Mayhem on occasion were Rowlf the Dog on piano on many occasions, Rizzo the Rat 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

* Performed by Dave Goelz

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. Bunsen debuted during the first season of ''The Muppet Show'' and was joined by Beaker during the second season.

Beaker

* Performed by Richard Hunt (1977–1991), Steve Whitmire (1992–2016), David Rudman (2017–present)

A hapless lab assistant to Bunsen, who performs ill-fated experiments which often result in him getting seriously injured. He was designed by Jim Henson and built by Don Sahlin. Beaker debuted in the second season of ''The Muppet Show''.

Sam Eagle

* Performed by Frank Oz (1975–2000), Kevin Clash (2002–2003), Eric Jacobson (2005–present)

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, horepresents a conservative, nationalist Puritanism that makes him a snob and a prude." He was designed by Jim Henson and built by Don Sahlin. Debuted in '' The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence''. 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

* Statler: Performed by Richard Hunt (1976–1991), Jerry Nelson (1975, 1992–2003), Steve Whitmire (2002–2016), Peter Linz (2017–present)
* Waldorf: Performed by Jim Henson (1975–1990), Dave Goelz (1992–present)

Two elderly and grumpy gentlemen who constantly heckle the Muppets from the audience, specifically from an upper balcony box on ''The Muppet Show''. 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. Debuted in '' The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence''.

The Swedish Chef

* Performed by Jim Henson (1975–1990), David Rudman (1992), Bill Barretta (1996–present)

A chef that speaks in mock Swedish. Based on the "standard finger puppet", the Swedish Chef was originally a dual collaboration between Jim Henson and Frank Oz, who provided the hands. Oz would deliberately do unexpected things, like tossing chickens and juggling meat cleavers, that Henson would have to improvise through. He was designed by Michael K. Frith and built by Henson and Bonnie Erickson. Debuted in ''The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence''.

Walter

* Performed by Peter Linz

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

* Performed by Jerry Nelson (1978–2003), Alice Dinnean (2005), Matt Vogel (2008–present)

Camilla the Chicken is the female chicken 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.

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. In ''The Muppets' Wizard of Oz'', Gonzo mentions that he and Camilla are engaged, but this is never elaborated.

Bobo the Bear

* Performed by Bill Barretta

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

* Performed by Jerry Nelson (1976–1979), Matt Vogel (2011–present)

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

* Performed by Kevin Clash

Clifford is a cool lavender-colored, catfish-faced, sunglasses-wearing character with multicolored dreadlocks. He was created to be the bassist for Solid Foam, the band on ''The Jim Henson Hour''.

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'', since no one else wanted the job. In addition to being the host, his appearance was changed as well. Most notably, 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 eyes and will not perform Clifford again unless he is wearing his sunglasses.

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''.

Minor characters

Beauregard

* Performed by Dave Goelz

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 made 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.

Constantine

* Performed by Matt Vogel

Constantine is 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. 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. In the film, Constantine escapes a Siberian gulag 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.

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. 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''.

Crazy Harry

* Performed by John Lovelady (1974, 1976–1977), Richard Hunt (1975; 1981) Jerry Nelson (1976–2003), Rickey Boyd (2005), Matt Vogel (2008–present)

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

* Performed by Jerry Nelson (1978–2003), Bill Barretta (2002–2005), Matt Vogel (2008–present)

Lew Zealand is a tan humanoid Muppet with dark hair, a mustache, a red knobby nose, a ruff and a red suit. His name is a portmanteau 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 made cameo appearances in ''The Great Muppet Caper'', ''The Muppets Take Manhattan'', ''The Muppet Christmas Carol'', ''Muppet Treasure Island'', ''Muppets from Space'', and '' Muppets Haunted House''. 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."

Link Hogthrob

* Performed by Jim Henson (1977–1990), Steve Whitmire (2000–2016), Peter Linz (2017–present)

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 ("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