| 1 | %% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | [[WMG:[[center:[-''Franchise/TheMuppets'' '''[[Characters/TheMuppets Character Index]]'''\ |
| 4 | '''''The Muppet Show''''' | ''Characters/MuppetBabies'' | [[Characters/TheMuppetsOthers Others]]-]]]]] |
| 5 | |
| 6 | Character sheets for ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. For Muppets that showed up after ''The Muppet Show'' ended, go [[Characters/TheMuppetsOthers here]]. For characters that debuted in ''[[WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984 Muppet]] [[WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies2018 Babies]]'', go [[Characters/MuppetBabies here]]. |
| 7 | ---- |
| 8 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 9 | !!Main Cast |
| 10 | [[folder:Kermit the Frog]] |
| 11 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kermit_6597.png]] |
| 12 | ->'''Performed by:''' Creator/JimHenson (1955-1990), Steve Whitmire (1990-2016), Matt Vogel (2017-present) |
| 13 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/FrankWelker (''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMuppetMonsters''), Creator/MattDanner (''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies2018'') [[labelnote: Foreign [=VAs=]]] Creator/RogerCarel (European French; 1976-1981), Jose Maria Iglesias (''Series/TheMuppetShow'', original Mexican dub), Hernan Choza (''Series/TheMuppetShow'', Argentinian dub), Creator/ArturoMercado (''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984''), Raul Aldana (''Series/MuppetsTonight'' and ''Series/TheMuppets2015''), Luis Leonardo Suarez (''Series/TheMuppetShow'', second Mexican dub and ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies2018'', as well as being his current official voice actor) Creator/YasuoYamada (Japanese; ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'', Laserdisc dub), Creator/AkiraKamiya (Japanese; ''Film/TheMuppetsTakeManhattan'', home video dub), Creator/KeiTomiyama (Japanese; ''Series/TheJimHensonHour''), Creator/KoichiYamadera (Japanese; ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol'' and ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland''), Creator/YoshitoYasuhara (Japanese; ''Series/MuppetsTonight''), Creator/MitsuakiMadono (current official Japanese voice actor) [[/labelnote]] |
| 14 | ->'''Debut:''' ''Series/SamAndFriends'' (1955) |
| 15 | |
| 16 | A banjo-playing amphibian from the DeepSouth and the show's eternal StraightMan. Upon being discovered in a swamp by a talent agent, he headed to Hollywood, collecting the other Muppets along the way like so many hangers-on. Regularly depicted as the long-suffering ex-boyfriend of Miss Piggy and the equally long-suffering best friend of Fozzie Bear. See also his entry on Characters/SesameStreetOtherMuppets. |
| 17 | ---- |
| 18 | * AccessoryWearingCartoonAnimal: He usually wears nothing but his collar, and will cover himself up if it's taken off. There are a few exceptions though: |
| 19 | ** He wears clothes a lot in the earlier seasons, usually during the discussion panels sketches. |
| 20 | ** When they do an underwater performance of Music/TheBeatles' "Octopus's Garden", he wears a bathing cap. |
| 21 | * TheAllegedBoss: A mix of all four types. He runs the performance... just barely. He takes a lot of abuse and exasperation from the other Muppets in stride, only occasionally trying to lay down the hierarchy. He does fire Miss Piggy and Beauregard on separate occasions where he ''really'' comes to the end of his tether, though recedes in both cases ([[MyGodWhatHaveIDone his reaction after the latter case]] implies that it was only meant to be a bluff). |
| 22 | * AngryCheekPuff: Kermit's reaction to anything annoying him was the puppeteer scrunching up his face in a way that looked like his cheeks were puffed out, as best seen in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYIRO97dhII this failed attempt]] to recite the alphabet. |
| 23 | * AuthorAvatar: He is often seen as one for Jim Henson, who at one point said, "[Kermit] can say things I hold back." Indeed, while Jim never lost his temper in real life, there's a limit to how far Kermit can be pushed before he erupts. |
| 24 | %%* BarefootCartoonAnimal: He's had a few stage costumes that applied this trope. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; which ones?) |
| 25 | * BenevolentBoss: While he does often lose his temper, he also lets the cast get away with a lot that would get most people fired or just outright imprisoned, ''especially'' Miss Piggy. Rare is the instance he's ever actually fired anyone. |
| 26 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: While he usually takes the antics of his co-stars with mild frustration at worst, there are rare occasions where he completely snaps. Miss Piggy, whose temper Kermit is usually at the constant brunt of, almost loses her job as a result in one episode. |
| 27 | %%* BigGood: As the kindly leader of the group, he sometimes fills this role when not taking the lead himself, such as in ''Muppet Treasure Island'' and the Muppets' titular 2011 film. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; how more specifically does he fit this trope in those works?) |
| 28 | * BreakoutCharacter: Kermit was originally one of several side characters in ''Series/SamAndFriends''. However, his enduring popularity and Jim's affection for the character would cause him to become more and more prominent, before ''The Muppet Show'' solidified him as TheLeader of the Muppets. |
| 29 | * ButtMonkey: He is this occasionally, often being eaten by monsters or predators. In some cases, he gets kidnapped and almost nobody notices. This characteristic is on full display in [[Recap/TheMuppetShowS4E10 the Kenny Rogers episode]]. It all begins when Beauregard accidentally pushes him too hard during a trapeze act, and he ends up hurting his flipper. Then, he gets launched by a hospital bed from Muppet Labs. During "Veterinarian's Hospital", he gets crushed by a light fixture. Finally, both he and Miss Piggy get accidentally launched by Gonzo's catapult into Statler and Waldorf's box. It's all been one big HumiliationConga for the frog to say the least. |
| 30 | * CharacterCatchphrase: |
| 31 | ** "Hi-ho, Kermit Dee Frog here..." |
| 32 | ** "YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!" |
| 33 | ** "Will you get out of here?!" |
| 34 | ** "Uh, yeah..." |
| 35 | ** "Sheesh!" |
| 36 | ** "See you next time on ''The Muppet Show!''" |
| 37 | * CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the pre-''Muppet Show'' days, he tended to be much more anger-prone than he would become. |
| 38 | * CharacterTics: |
| 39 | ** Flailing his arms around wildly like he's directing air traffic. One episode shows he got it from his drama teacher, who does the exact same thing. |
| 40 | ** His particular soundless laughter. Kermit almost never actually laughs out loud. |
| 41 | * ChasteToons: Has a nephew, but no children. [[note]]This isn't to say he's never expressed a healthy sex drive, especially with certain guest stars and ''sometimes'' with Piggy.[[/note]] |
| 42 | -->'''Kermit:''' What can I say? I'm attracted to pigs. |
| 43 | * ControlFreak: In ''The Muppet Show'' and beyond. Kermit does ''not'' like ad-libbing and handles very poorly under pressure. This is because ad-libbing in the Muppets actually is rather detrimental, with bizarre and unpredictable consequences. |
| 44 | * CoolUncle: His nephew Robin admires him and the two have a close and loving relationship. |
| 45 | * DeadpanSnarker: This was Kermit's original shtick to go along with his OnlySaneMan persona. Later on, his snarkiness was downplayed to highlight his sweetness, but he still gets in on this once in awhile. This trope was reinstated in the 2011 film. |
| 46 | * TheDogBitesBack: More like the ''frog'' bites back. Whenever he got a chance to mess with Miss Piggy, the results were often [[https://youtu.be/qJbJD-YQMFQ?t=650 gleeful, malicious, and very, very funny.]] |
| 47 | * DisapprovingLook: His trademark mouth-drooping scowl. Often [[NoFourthWall directed to the viewer]] as if to say "see what I have to put up with?" |
| 48 | * EarlyBirdCameo: Originally appeared on ''Series/SamAndFriends'' (before he was a frog) and ''Series/SesameStreet'' as a regular, though he's far better known for his ''Muppet Show'' role. |
| 49 | * EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: Not that you could tell due to the shows being in black and white, but on ''Sam and Friends'' he was somewhat turquoise. He also had a more simplified design and was depicted as being of indeterminate species (not being definitively established as a frog until his appearance in the 1968 special ''Hey, Cinderella!''). |
| 50 | * TheEveryman: One of the most normal Muppets. Well, 'normal' by Muppet standards. |
| 51 | * ExoticEyeDesigns: He has essentially BlackDotPupils with curved lines running through in the middle, mimicking the pupils of real frogs and serving as a recognizable part of his design. |
| 52 | * {{Flanderization}}: Originally, Kermit was the OnlySaneMan (being in charge of the Muppets) but was also not above getting into mischief, pulling pranks on others, telling lies, making wisecracks, putting himself out there and snarking about or criticizing the other performers himself because of all the craziness he'd have to put up with on a regular basis. However, eventually Kermit's wholesomeness ended up being played up more and more and overtook his personality, stripping him of his flaws and complexities and making him a blander and wussier character. And then ''Series/TheMuppets2015'' took Kermit in the exact ''opposite'' direction and made him more cynical than before. Newer productions like ''Series/MuppetsNow'' have tried to rectify his Flanderization somewhat by showing that he has a penchant for pranking and photobombing. |
| 53 | %%* FreudianTrio: The Superego to Gonzo's Id and Fozzie's Ego. |
| 54 | * GoodIsNotNice: If Kermit is unimpressed with someone's act, behaviour or idea, [[BrutalHonesty he lets them know clearly enough]]. He is no less beloved for it. |
| 55 | * HasAType: He came clean in an interview in 2015 that he likes pigs (their curly tails, in particular). This is why he had an on/off sort of relationship with Miss Piggy and briefly dated another pig, Denise. He showed this in the series by giving Lydia the tattooed pig a lingering look that earned him Piggy's ire. |
| 56 | ** Also blondes judging that the majority of the guest stars he flirted with were blondes. |
| 57 | * TheHeart: No Kermit, no Muppets. It's been established again and again, including the later movies. |
| 58 | * TheHero: Kermit takes up the role of the primary protagonist in most Muppet movie productions, being the one to directly organize the crew and set them in pursuit of whatever heroic goal that movie has. Even when he's not in the starring role, like in ''Muppet Treasure Island'' or ''Muppets in Space'', he tends to be the most noble of the Muppet characters and usually plays a big role in them triumphing over the film's main obstacle. |
| 59 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: Kermit is constantly shown hanging around with Fozzie and Gonzo, either backstage or when they're all "off the clock", despite how much the two of them can exasperate him. The first Muppet movie even characterizes him and Fozzie as brothers. |
| 60 | * TheHost: Kermit serves as ''The Muppet Show'''s emcee in all versions except ''Series/MuppetsTonight''. |
| 61 | * IAmNotWeasel: Kermit is immensely proud to be a frog. As such, he's quick to correct anyone who calls him a toad. |
| 62 | * TheIllegible: According to [[Recap/TheMuppetShowS4E8 the Arlo Guthrie episode]]. At the start of the episode, Scooter addresses said guest star as Arthur Godfrey. When he's corrected, he notes that he wishes that Kermit would learn how to type, since his handwriting's terrible. |
| 63 | * InterspeciesRomance: He's a frog who was pursued by a pig throughout most of his on-stage career, dated her for a while, then broke up with her and hooked up with another pig, only to break up with the second pig. |
| 64 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Kermit has been known to be a bit of a jerk and a wise guy, especially in the early days of ''The Muppet Show'', though not to the point where he becomes unlikable. He did TookALevelInKindness after the show and he becomes the kind-hearted and optimistic [[NiceGuy nice frog]] everyone knows and loves today. |
| 65 | * MrViceGuy: Kermit can get anxious, irritable, and can lose his temper on occasions when dealing with all the chaos but he is an extremely gentle, kind-hearted, and lovable person....or frog. |
| 66 | * NiceGuy: His flaws aside, it is very hard not to love Kermit. This trope applies to him more after the airing of the original Muppet show. |
| 67 | * NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: In a very roundabout way, his voice could be considered a loose impression of Creator/MarlonBrando, of all people. Henson based Kermit's voice on a comically nasal voice that Creator/StanFreberg used on a few of his records in TheFifties ("Sh-Boom" and "The Night Before Christmas" are good examples). Freberg, in turn, was parodying Brando's mumbly diction in ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' and ''Film/TheWildOne''. By the start of ''The Muppet Show'', the voice had undergone VocalEvolution that made the Freberg connection less obvious. |
| 68 | * NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Despite being from the DeepSouth, Kermit doesn't have any kind of southern accent. |
| 69 | * NoGuyWantsToBeChased: Throughout ''The Muppet Show'', he's usually very reluctant to return Piggy's feelings towards him, but whenever she focuses her attention on a male celebrity guest, most notably Creator/ChristopherReeve and Creator/PeterUstinov, he gets jealous. |
| 70 | * NotSoAboveItAll: Although Kermit may seem like the OnlySaneMan on the cast, he's capable of being just as kooky as the other Muppets. When Creator/LesleyAnnWarren comments that she thinks that Kermit is the only Muppet who doesn't seem to be nuts, Kermit's rejoinder is simple: |
| 71 | -->'''Kermit:''' Me, not crazy? I hired the others. |
| 72 | * OfficialCouple: Zigzagged. Kermit has been chased by an amorous Miss Piggy since the first episode of the Muppet Show, with it being left ambiguous as to whether or not Kermit reciprocated her feelings (with the movies complicating things further). They officially broke up for three years starting in 1990, and then broke up again [[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/miss-piggy-and-kermit-the-frog-break-up/ in 2015]]; there's been no official reconciliation since then. |
| 73 | * OhCrap: Good at these, and it happens quite often. When introducing Alice Cooper, he couldn't even say the man's name without stopping in terror. |
| 74 | * OnlySaneByComparison: Compared to the other Muppets, where the main acts include a BorschtBelt comedian who can't tell a joke to save his life, a plus-sized prima donna with delusions of grandeur, and a masochistic self-proclaimed "modern art performer", Kermit is a veritable beacon of sanity, marking him as the OnlySaneMan -- or, more specifically, the OnlySaneEmployee. However, the key thing to remember there is "compared to the other Muppets". Taken on his ''own'', Kermit is a neurotic, histrionic bumbler with a love of practical jokes. Lampshaded in the original ''Muppet Show'' series, where he famously responds to Lesley Ann Warren saying she thought he wasn't crazy like the other Muppets with: |
| 75 | -->'''Kermit:''' Me? Not crazy? I hired the others. |
| 76 | * PrecisionFStrike: In the 2015 series: |
| 77 | -->'''Kermit:''' My life is a bacon-wrapped hell on Earth. |
| 78 | * SouthernFriedGenius: He's from the Deep South, and one of the smarter and more rational members of the cast. Another highlighted similarity between Kermit and Jim Henson, as the latter was from Mississippi. |
| 79 | * SpeciesSurname: In [[Film/TheMuppets2011 the 2011 film]], it's stated that his last name is "The Frog". [[note]]It was something of a running gag back in the old days as well.[[/note]] |
| 80 | * StraightMan: One of the most sensible Muppets, although not entirely beyond their silliness. |
| 81 | * SupportingLeader: Even if he's not the focus of the story, he'll often be this. ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' being a good example. |
| 82 | * TaremeEyes: In so far as it's possible to give this look to a Muppet whose eyes are made out of two ping-pong balls, Kermit fits; the downwards slant of Kermit's eyes gives him a perpetual sad look, even when he's smiling broadly with his mouth, which contributes to the impression of sensitivity and vulnerability he gives off. |
| 83 | * TookALevelInJerkass: The 2015 series throws a rather less flattering light on his managing style than ever before, mostly because he and Piggy are now a ''former'' couple, causing him to take numerous passive aggressive potshots at her. He gets better after the first few episodes, though. |
| 84 | * TookALevelInKindness: While Kermit is known for his kindness, many people may be shocked that he could actually be a bit irritable as well as a wise guy in the original Muppet show. Later appearances though would portray him more as the lovable and kind-hearted frog we all know him for today. |
| 85 | * VetinariJobSecurity: It doesn't matter how pushy he is with his troupe; the series has proven he's the only person who can keep this bunch of lunatics working as a cohesive unit. The Muppets are already a pretty chaotic bunch, but if he's not around to manage them they become too chaotic to ''function.'' |
| 86 | * VocalEvolution: During the first 14 years of his career (1955-1969), his voice sounded deeper, softer, quieter and somewhat stuffy and dull. Beginning in 1969, his voice became louder, more rubbery and less stuffy. By the end of the '70's, Kermit's voice would fully become an extension of Jim Henson's natural speaking voice. When Steve Whitmire took over the role of Kermit after Henson's death in 1990, he made the character sound slightly higher in pitch, while Matt Vogel's interpretation, beginning in 2017, is much deeper, sounding reminiscent of Jim's 1955 Kermit voice. |
| 87 | * WhatTheHellHero: The other Muppets occasionally get carried away and commit all sorts of well-meaning anarchy. It's practically Kermit's ''job'' to say, "What the hey?!" |
| 88 | * WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief: As with all the other Muppets, but as the leader, he is the best example. It's one thing for a pure entertainer such as Creator/JohnnyCarson or Creator/RegisPhilbin to goof around with Kermit, but when a serious news person such as Creator/AndersonCooper or Creator/TedKoppel can talk to Kermit with a completely straight face as if he was any other guest, that's one of the signs of Henson's genius. |
| 89 | * WouldHitAGirl: At one point he tries to pull a karate chop on Miss Piggy. [[NoSell Not only does it not work]], she proceeds to show him how it's done, sending him flying across the room. |
| 90 | [[/folder]] |
| 91 | |
| 92 | [[folder:Miss Piggy]] |
| 93 | [[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/miss_piggy_transparent.png]] |
| 94 | ->'''Performed by:''' Creator/FrankOz (1976-2002), Richard Hunt (1976-1977), Eric Jacobson (2001-present) |
| 95 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/LaurieOBrien (''Muppet Babies (1984)''), Hal Rayle (''The Little Muppet Monsters''), Melanie Harrison (''Muppet Babies (2018)''), Creator/MichelineDax (European French; 1977-1981) |
| 96 | ->'''Debut:''' ''Series/TheTonightShowStarringJohnnyCarson'' (1974) |
| 97 | |
| 98 | The unholy spawn of Music/BarbraStreisand and a rack of pork. Hailing from the Midwest, she was living off of {{Beauty Contest}}s before meeting Kermit. Has a chronic need for stardom and will steal the spotlight from anyone, with violence if necessary. The only thing she loves almost as much as the spotlight is Kermit. |
| 99 | ---- |
| 100 | * AbhorrentAdmirer: While not generally considered unattractive in-universe, between her vicious temperament, clinginess, and general refusal to take (or accept) a hint, she's this for Kermit, and indeed any male guest star she's attracted to. Rudolf Nureyev actually smashes through a wall to escape her advances. |
| 101 | * AdaptationalNiceGuy: While still ambitious and vain, she's generally less selfish and abusive in the movies and much more affectionate towards Kermit. |
| 102 | * AffectionateNickname: Refers to Kermit as "Kermie". |
| 103 | * AscendedExtra: Miss Piggy was just one of about a dozen pigs intended to appear in a choral number early in the first season, but her voice and attitude amused the crew so much that they kept bringing her back. |
| 104 | * AttentionWhore: Deprive Piggy of her spotlight at your own risk. |
| 105 | * BadassAdorable: She's TheBigGuy for the team, a born diva, and a cartoony anthropomorphic pig. |
| 106 | * BerserkButton: Plenty of them, such as getting between her and Kermit or any kind of [[FantasticRacism pig stereotype]]. |
| 107 | %%* BigBeautifulWoman: She is usually treated as such, even though she's not a human woman. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; provide a specific example of her being treated as such) |
| 108 | * BigEater: While less extreme than some examples, she can occasionally be seen eating like... well... a pig. |
| 109 | * BrawnHilda: She can bend metal bars with alarming ease, and she is implied to be somewhat pudgy. |
| 110 | * BreakoutCharacter: She was a fairly minor bit character early on in the first season, but swiftly became one of the most important stars of the show. In real life, Miss Piggy was one of the most popular fictional celebrities ''in the entire world'' during the late 1970s and early 1980s. |
| 111 | * BrutalHonesty: When Beauregard is ready to let himself be fired rather than rid the theater of his beloved rats, it falls to Piggy to inform him that the rodents are just using him to get food. |
| 112 | %%* CannotTellAJoke: As seen in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoEdmKybRiU this 1984 Dick Clark special]]. (Administrivia/WeblinksAreNotExamples) |
| 113 | * CantTakeCriticism: She insists otherwise, but woe betide the idiot who actually tries taking her up on that one. If they're ''extremely'' lucky, she'll just storm off in a huff. If not, she will dedicate herself to hunting that person down and destroying them. |
| 114 | * CharacterCatchphrase: |
| 115 | ** Her karate chops are often accompanied by a "Hi-ya!" |
| 116 | ** She likes referring to herself as "moi" to make herself sound fancier and more sophisticated. |
| 117 | ** When Kermit starts annoying her, she'll warn him with a "Watch it, ''frog''!" |
| 118 | ** "Kissy kissy." Whenever she's trying to force a kiss from someone. |
| 119 | * CharacterTics: Running a hand through her hair. |
| 120 | * ClingyJealousGirl: Before her and Kermit's break-up at least. God forbid he ever so much as looks at another woman, and if he tries to flirt, he's almost certain to receive a karate chop. |
| 121 | * CoolAunt: Serves as an honorary one to Robin in ''Series/TheMuppets2015''. He's one of the few beings who can bring out her nicer side. |
| 122 | * CrossdressingVoices: In the original English version and Japanese. Other foreign dubs used female voice actresses until Disney started forced them to use male ones. |
| 123 | * CutenessProximity: When she's around her pet dog Foo-Foo, who no-one else in the cast can stand. |
| 124 | * DamselInDistress: At one point in ''Film/TheMuppetMovie''. Of course, in this case, she actively fights back against her captors, who evidently didn’t expect her to try attacking them. |
| 125 | * DeadpanSnarker: Especially when appearing as a guest on talk shows and the like; she'll snark about anything and everything. In the shows and films, this trait is not as apparent, but she still displays it from time to time. |
| 126 | * {{Determinator}} : Do NOT steal her purse whatever you do, she'll chase you all the way through Central Park if she has to.....on roller skates. And ''WHEN'', not ''if'', she catches you, she'll kick your ass.[[note]]See ''Film/TheMuppetsTakeManhattan''[[/note]] |
| 127 | * DistractedByTheSexy: While she did have a huge crush on Creator/ChristopherReeve throughout the entire episode, one special mention goes to the backstage segment. Her somewhat legitimate question about how Reeve got the role for ''Film/{{Superman|TheMovie}}'' degrades to "Wahaha!!!" when Reeve takes off his "Vets Hospital" costume, [[InnocentFanserviceGirl inadvertently showing off his muscles]]. |
| 128 | * ADogNamedDog: A piggy named Miss Piggy in this case. |
| 129 | * DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: |
| 130 | ** She pummels her male co-stars on a regular basis. Female guest stars weren't exactly safe either -- it's just they couldn't [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom be sent flying]] as easily as the male Muppets. In any case, it's all PlayedForLaughs. |
| 131 | ** She also regularly pummels Kermit, which, whilst it's PlayedForLaughs, is still kind of alarming given her professed affection for him. Indeed, her willingness to threaten or hit him was subtly implied to be ''why'' Kermit was unwilling to respond to her advances for a long time, as well as being cited as to why they broke up in 2015. |
| 132 | * TheDreaded: Piggy is usually a friendly, if feisty and self-absorbed, person, but when she gets mad, woe betide any Muppet or human in her vicinity. Even ''Uncle Deadly,'' '''''the Phantom of ''The Muppet Show''''''', is usually wary of the pig's temper! |
| 133 | * DrearyHalfLiddedEyes: Her seductive demeanor shows through her perpetual half-closed "bedroom eyes" expression. |
| 134 | * EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: Her puppet got a serious redesign between season 1 and season 2. |
| 135 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In the first season, Piggy was alternately portrayed by both Oz and Hunt. The latter would usually perform her when the former had to play a more prominent speaking character, such as Fozzie, Sam the Eagle or George the Janitor. It was only in rare occurrences, such as in "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song", that Oz voiced both Fozzie and Piggy. |
| 136 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: In the first official episode, staring Juliet Prowse, Piggy's first speaking lines involve her nakedly flirting with Kermit. Once the Muppet Glee Club decides to sing "Temptation", she pours her heart and soul into it, blatantly turning the song into an expression of her affections for the frog. |
| 137 | * FanDisservice: Piggy acts as the main chorus girl throughout the series and, like most performers in Kermit's troupe, has an inflated impression of her own talents (wearing clothes that are 30 pounds too small for her). |
| 138 | * FatComicRelief: Her weight is a RunningGag in the franchise. |
| 139 | * FauxFluency: She cannot actually speak French, but refuses to admit it. Some French-speaking guests have used this to toy with her. Which works fine provided Piggy doesn't find out, because then... hiii-''yaa!'' |
| 140 | * FeministFantasy: She was a major feminist icon of the 1980s, even gracing the cover of ''Ms.'' magazine more than once. |
| 141 | * {{Flanderization}}: When Oz was still performing her, the karate-chopping schtick was used sparingly (and usually took quite a bit of working up to, although casual sexism could get you there quicker) and her negative traits and attitude problems did not completely dominate her personality. In many of her appearances in the 2000's, however, her karate-chopping schtick became overused and her negative traits and attitude problems were over-emphasized. |
| 142 | ** A perfect example would be her OutOfCharacterMoment in the Muppets' ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie'' guest appearance, because prior to this appearance, she would rarely hurt or threaten children, especially human children. |
| 143 | ** Her original JerkWithAHeartOfGold personality was reinstated in the recent films, though. She's again Flanderized in the ''Series/TheMuppets2015'' once again, but she does slowly get better. |
| 144 | *** That one at least has an explanation - she's upset because Kermit dumped her and if she has to work with him every day, well... |
| 145 | * TheFriendNobodyLikes: None of the other Muppets like her very much, what with the egotism, karate-chopping, and her occasional tendency to threaten them with outright ''death'' in order to get her way. When it looked like she was going to leave in the Loretta Swit episode, they weren't terribly broken up. |
| 146 | ** They were more thrilled about being rid of Foo-Foo than being rid of Piggy, though. |
| 147 | * FurryReminder: She grunts and snorts when she's seriously worked up. Pointing this out is not healthy for anyone in arm's range. |
| 148 | * GagNose: Her snout is another one of those topics it's best not to mention around her. |
| 149 | * GirlyGirlWithATomboyStreak: Piggy is a fashionable, elegant and hyper-feminine diva. When she gets angry, however, she won't hesitate to get her hands dirty and is easily the most violent of the main ensemble. |
| 150 | * GonkyFemme: She's an anthropomorphic pig who acts like a vain celebrity diva--until you piss her off, at which point she starts acting more like a BrawnHilda. |
| 151 | * GratuitousFrench: She's fond of using French words to spice up her sentences, but she isn't very good at it, as she doesn't seem to know many words other than "moi" and "vous." At one point, Gonzo confides to Creator/ElkeSommer that "the only French she knows is what she learned from the back of perfume bottles." Also highlighted in the episode hosted by Christopher Reeve: |
| 152 | -->'''Piggy:''' Chrissy? May I have a word ''avec vous''?\ |
| 153 | '''Christopher Reeve:''' ''Oui, bien sûr. Entrez.'' [[note]]"Yes, of course. Come in."[[/note]]\ |
| 154 | '''Piggy:''' What? |
| 155 | * HairTriggerTemper: It doesn't take a whole lot to get Piggy to give you a smackdown. |
| 156 | * HaughtyHmph: She's rather fond of this, especially after beating the crap out of people with her martial arts, or when she's about to storm off after complaining about or being offended by something. |
| 157 | * HiddenHeartOfGold: Yes, she doesn't always show it, but she does have a good heart. |
| 158 | * HumbleGoal: On occasion (and for a character whose attitude and appearance scream everything ''but'' humble), often in the films, it's shown that despite being a diva ''par excellence'', Piggy would be happy just settling down with Kermit. |
| 159 | * HypercompetentSidekick: In the "PIIIIIGS! IN! SPAAAAAAACE!" sketches. Which should give a suggestion as to the intellectual batting average of everyone ''else'' in them. |
| 160 | ** Has gained one of sorts herself in the form of Uncle Deadly. |
| 161 | * IKnowKarate: The other Muppets fear her anger because of this. Although [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln07mhUTXCY#t=1m00s Chef's blocking technique is excellent]]. The only people to survive a direct hit from Piggy are [[Creator/EdgarBergen Charlie McCarthy]] (Solid oak!) and Christopher Reeve (he really is the [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Man of Steel!]]). And even Reeve doubled over in pain once she stormed off. |
| 162 | * ImprobableHairstyle: Sometimes sports these. She's also somehow able to go from bob to long hair and back in between scenes. |
| 163 | * InformedAttractiveness: Some (non-Muppet) humans, most notably [[Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper Nicky Holiday]], find her extremely hot. |
| 164 | * InterspeciesRomance: With Kermit the Frog, until they (seemingly) decisively broke up in 2015. Also attempted by [[Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper Nicky Holiday]] and [[Film/MuppetsMostWanted Jean Pierre Napoleon]]. |
| 165 | * InvisibleAnatomy: Despite being a pig, she doesn't have a visible tail... until an episode of ''The Muppets'' shows it. |
| 166 | * ItsAllAboutMe: Piggy is ''very'' narcissistic, but deep down is rather nice. |
| 167 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Vain and violent-tempered prima donna. Don't ever imply that she doesn't care about the other Muppets, however. |
| 168 | * LargeHam: Both literally and figuratively. (Please don't tell her that we described her using either of those words!) |
| 169 | * MaamShock: Her age is another "no go" area for her. |
| 170 | * MadLibsCatchphrase: "Watch it, [insulting name]." |
| 171 | * MegatonPunch: She routinely sends other Muppets ''flying'' with a single angry karate chop. One episode shows what happens when she hits something that's not a living being, when she hits Rowlf's piano, causing it to ''explode''. |
| 172 | * MisterMuffykins: Her dog Foo-Foo. The other Muppets can't stand her, and while they're mildly upset at the thought of Piggy leaving, they're ''jubilant'' that she's taking Foo-Foo with her. |
| 173 | * {{Narcissist}}: Would her constant desire for attention, vast variety of wardrobes and general attitude to others convince you that she was anything else? |
| 174 | * NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: |
| 175 | ** She was originally named "Piggy Lee", after the larger-than-life singer Peggy Lee. She was hastily renamed Miss Piggy when the show became popular, so as not to insult her namesake. |
| 176 | ** Following an ugly breakup with Kermit in the [=2000s=], Piggy somehow becomes the managing editor of ''Vogue''[='s=] Paris branch. This is a fitting nod to Anna Wintour (a.k.a. "[[MeanBoss Nuclear Wintour]]" for her management style). |
| 177 | * NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: To any man she's got an attraction to, nothing stops Piggy from trying to get a kiss or five... or more, usually grabbing hold of them and pestering them incessantly. |
| 178 | * NotGoodWithRejection: "Hiii-ya" kind of sums it up. |
| 179 | * NotSoInvincibleAfterAll: Though her karate skills are rightly feared, she has come off the worse for wear on a handful of violent occasions. Whilst the Swedish Chef famously blocked her karate chop in his hot dog sketch, other times include Link Hogthrob ducking to safety behind a closing metal door and the one time she tried to karate chop the ventriloquist dummy Charlie [=McCarthy=], leaving her holding her hand in pain. |
| 180 | * OfCorsetsFunny: The show gets a few jokes here and there about Ms. Piggy wearing clothes that are a size (or three) too small for her frame, such as in the Marisa Benson episode, which ends with Piggy getting catapulted across the room trying to shove herself into a wedding dress. |
| 181 | * OfficialCouple: Zigzagged. Whilst Piggy has been crushing on Kermit pretty much since her debut, Kermit has had a much more mixed reaction to her interest. Their exact status [[https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/complete-timeline-kermit-frog-miss-110420365.html has fluctuated considerably over the years]], with notable highlights including officially announcing they had broken up in 1990, reconciling and becoming domestic partners in 1993, and finally announcing that they were considering getting married in 2014... only to then officially break up in 2015. As of February 2024, they haven't officially gotten back together, maintaining more of a platonic relationship these days. |
| 182 | * PervertedPig: She's a much milder example. She isn't perverted or promiscuous, only overtly passionate in her affections toward Kermit the Frog. |
| 183 | * PunchedAcrossTheRoom: More commonly whacked across the room with a flick of her hair accompanied by an angry [[{{Kiai}} "Hi-Yah!"]], but she's done this with actual punches fairly regularly, too. |
| 184 | * PunnyName: In the first season of ''The Muppet Show'', she revealed that her (since-unused) full name is "Miss Piggy Lee", a reference to real-life chanteuse Peggy Lee. |
| 185 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Any time "Pigs In Space" gets too demeaning or ridiculous for her, she will bail. |
| 186 | * SinisterSwine: Downplayed. Miss Piggy isn't evil, but she can be an aggressive {{jerkass}} and [[ItsAllAboutMe often tries to get the spotlight]]. |
| 187 | * {{Slapstick}}: While she's more likely to dole it out to others, she does frequently end up on the receiving end of a lot of physical humor. In a 1985 feature on ''Series/YouCantDoThatOnTelevision'' in ''Muppet Magazine'', it was ''Piggy'' who ended up slimed, rather than Fozzie as one might expect. |
| 188 | * SmallNameBigEgo: Played with, depending on the episode. She sometimes is a big name, but her ego can be even ''bigger''. |
| 189 | * TheSmurfettePrinciple: She's the ''only'' major female character. The second-closest in terms of appearances and/or lines is Janice, and there's a pretty wide gap between them. Humorously, despite being the only woman (er, sow) among the main group, she's also the most likely to resort to violence and get her hands dirty when necessary; TheHeart she ain't. This trope is precisely why [[CanonForeigner Skeeter]] was created for ''WesternAnimation/{{Muppet Babies|1984}}''--the producers wanted a second female character to balance the gender ensemble. |
| 190 | * SoreLoser: The spinoff video games hint that Miss Piggy is this. An ad for the release of ''VideoGame/MuppetRaceMania'' and ''VideoGame/MuppetMonsterAdventure'' in 2000 featured Kermit tied up with a Platform/PlayStation controller and the copy: "Here's a tip. Let Miss Piggy win." Also, whenever she loses a race or battle in [=RaceMania=], she'll protest, "There must be some mistake." |
| 191 | * SpeciesSubversives: Miss Piggy is an anthropomorphic pig, but she's very high-class and posh. |
| 192 | * SpeciesSurname: Assuming that it isn't a stage name, the "Miss" implies that "Piggy" is indeed her last name. However, when she and Kermit appeared on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHzbPH19sIU WIRED]], she stated that Piggy ''isn't'' her last name, because she "has to have a little mystery". |
| 193 | * StalkerWithACrush: Her initial relationship towards Kermit, right down to a StalkerShrine in her dressing room. |
| 194 | * TenderTomboyishnessFoulFemininity: Piggy isn't nearly as friendly as the guitar-jamming Janice, and is far more narcissistic. |
| 195 | * TerritorialSmurfette: The Steve Martin episode shows Ms. Piggy will defend her position as the leading lady of the show by removing ''any'' potential female addition to the show. |
| 196 | * ThinksLikeARomanceNovel: Has a rather fantastic opinion as to what life with Kermit would be like. |
| 197 | * TookALevelInJerkass: While still the JerkWithAHeartOfGold of the franchise, her [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered]], [[SmallNameBigEgo egotistical]] demeanor is ramped up in ''Series/MuppetsNow''. In her ''Lifesty(le) with Miss Piggy'' segments, she makes little to no effort to give lifestyle tips and tends to have her assistant Deadly do all the work for her. |
| 198 | * TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The ridiculously feminine diva girly girl to Janice's rocking tomboy. |
| 199 | * TookALevelInKindness: While not without a violent streak, Miss Piggy tends to be kinder and less of a self-absorbed diva in the movies compared to the shows and her violence is usually kept to a minimum and saved for important scenes. |
| 200 | * {{Tsundere}}: She acts elegantly feminine though her ego is always detectable to most cast members, except Kermit. She's affectionate towards him, which makes her the Tsun-Tsun type. Although, not even he is immune to her diva fits. |
| 201 | * TheUnfettered: When Piggy wants something, nothing, ''nothing'', will stop her. Be that revenge, Kermit or getting on TV. In ''The Muppets'', it is she who organizes the abduction of Creator/JackBlack simply because she refuses to give up after travelling from France. |
| 202 | * UnlimitedWardrobe: Especially ridiculous (if somewhat justified) in the 2011 film, when she has a new outfit and hairstyle in every scene in which she appears. In-universe, she's been earning a good living since ''The Muppet Show'' years as an editor for a fashion magazine. |
| 203 | * TheVamp: She often presents herself this way in ''The Muppet Show'', especially in her musical numbers. |
| 204 | * VerbThis: Usually the immediate precursor to a karate chop. |
| 205 | * ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: She can be violent towards Kermit at times, but if anyone else so much as touched her frog, they could be in for a world of hurt. Averted since 2015, when Piggy and Kermit broke up. |
| 206 | * VocalRangeExceeded: She tries gamely, but her attempt at singing "Lo! Hear the Gentle Lark" with Jean-Pierre Rampal causes her voice to start breaking at the end. Statler and Waldorf figure continuing would probably kill her. Then they demand an encore. |
| 207 | * WhiteDwarfStarlet: Hasn't really made it enough to be washed-up, but has the personality. |
| 208 | * WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Bullies the other Muppets into joining Kermit's camping trip to his home swamp, only to get cold feet once she learns about the snakes. And spiders. And...''al-li-ga-torrs''. |
| 209 | * WorldsStrongestWoman: She's the strongest of the Muppets. |
| 210 | * WouldHurtAChild: She is not necessarily above hurting Robin to get what she wants, as seen in Linda Lavin's episode. Miss Piggy also attempted to karate-chop 6-year old [[Series/SesameStreet Big Bird]] in the Leslie Uggams episode just because he misunderstood her comments about her career as a joke. |
| 211 | * {{Yandere}}: Toward Kermit. She goes ballistic on him if he ever tries suggesting he's not interested in her. |
| 212 | * YouAreFat: She will sometimes receive jabs regarding her weight, usually by Floyd, or sometimes Kermit when he’s feeling a bit bold. [[BerserkButton Tread with caution however, for you are in dangerous waters.]] |
| 213 | * YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry: That goes without saying, although it's also hard to like her when she's ''not'' angry. |
| 214 | [[/folder]] |
| 215 | |
| 216 | [[folder:Fozzie Bear]] |
| 217 | [[quoteright:999:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fozzie_transparent.png]] |
| 218 | ->'''Performed by:''' Frank Oz (1976-2000), Eric Jacobson (2002-present) |
| 219 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Greg Berg (''Muppet Babies (1984)'' and ''The Little Muppet Monsters''), Creator/EricBauza (''Muppet Babies (2018)'') |
| 220 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1976) |
| 221 | |
| 222 | A hopelessly corny, porkpie hat-wearing showman and a magnet for tomatoes. Originally a failed comedian working out of the El Sleazo Cafe, he is the first to join Kermit's troupe. His personality is a send-up of the stereotypical BorschtBelt comic. |
| 223 | ---- |
| 224 | * AccessoryWearingCartoonAnimal: He may wear clothes if it's part of a costume, but usually, he only wears his porkpie hat and necktie. |
| 225 | * AmbiguouslyJewish: He's essentially a BorschtBelt comedian, and definitely neurotic, but his overt Jewish traits have mostly been forgotten over time. Also worth noting that his original performer was half Jewish. |
| 226 | %%* BarefootCartoonAnimal: He's had a few stage costumes that applied this trope. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; which ones?) |
| 227 | * BearyFriendly: Possibly the most genuinely ''nice'' member of the cast, and tries to be a friend and peacemaker to everyone. |
| 228 | * BearyFunny: He's the page image for this trope. And appropriately, the trope name is a pun! Wocka wocka! |
| 229 | * ButtMonkey: His attempts at comedy are constantly and mercilessly heckled by Statler and Waldorf, and he doesn't have much luck making anyone else laugh either. |
| 230 | * CannotTalkToWomen: Or one woman in particular -- he becomes a jabbering mess when in the same room as Raquel Welch. |
| 231 | * CharacterCatchphrase: |
| 232 | ** Wocka Wocka! And just for the record, it's spelled "Wocka Wocka", not "Wokka Wokka" or "[[VideoGame/PacMan Wakka]] [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX Wakka]]" or "[[Music/{{Shakira}} Waka Waka]]". "Wocka wocka" was first created for ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'', with Fozzie not actually saying the phrase on ''The Muppet Show'', except once on the Dizzy Gillespie episode. It was arguably ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984'' that ''really'' established this as Fozzie's trademark. |
| 233 | ** He also tends to open his sets with "Hiya hiya hiya!" or "Thank you, thank you, and thank ''you''", and respond to his own jokes with "AAAHHH! Fun-nee!" |
| 234 | * CharacterizationMarchesOn: |
| 235 | ** In the first season, he was intended to be the primary foil of Kermit and everyone else backstage. As a result, in the earliest episodes he tends to come off as abrasive, pushy, and obnoxious. They soon found a different, more neurotic, sweet, and vulnerable vibe for him, allowing the previous personality to be quietly discarded. |
| 236 | ** "Wocka wocka" was only introduced in ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'' and was just spoken once by him on ''The Muppet Show''. Later movies and specials solidified it as his CharacterCatchphrase. |
| 237 | * CharacterTics: |
| 238 | ** Holding his hat in one hand while he tells his jokes, and waggling his ears. (The latter was phased out because the mechanism that made Fozzie's ears wiggle made the puppet too heavy, and was removed.) |
| 239 | ** Prodding Kermit in the chest when he's got an idea. |
| 240 | ** Biting his fingers when he's nervous. So, often. |
| 241 | * CowerPower: Whenever in a threatening situation, he tends to hide behind the much-smaller Kermit. Which leads to... |
| 242 | %%* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Okay, Fozzie is more often than not just very naive rather than a moron, but he actually does have his share of awesome when matters have fallen into his own hands. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; give a specific example) |
| 243 | * {{Determinator}}: Fozzie's act may not get a lot of laughs from the audience, but he never stops trying, and no matter how tough things get, he'll do anything to help his friends. |
| 244 | * DemotedToExtra: He doesn't really do much in ''Muppets Most Wanted'' until he and Walter discover the truth about Constantine. |
| 245 | * DrearyHalfLiddedEyes: His half-lids fit his SadClown persona. |
| 246 | %%* FatIdiot: He's got a bit of a gut on him, and while not a total idiot, he can be a doofus. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; give a specific example) |
| 247 | * FreudianTrio: The alternately sensible and comical Ego to Gonzo's Id and Kermit's Superego. |
| 248 | * FunnyAnimal: An anthropomorphic bear. |
| 249 | * GratuitousRap: Fozzie got a rap number in the 1984 touring ''Muppet Show'' stage production. |
| 250 | * HerosClassicCar: He's one of the main Muppets, and arguably the nicest one on that, and with a 1951 Studebaker in ''The Muppet Movie'' and a 1960s convertible in the 2015 series, he has a taste for vintage iron. |
| 251 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: Fozzy is constantly shown hanging around with Kermit and Gonzo, both between skits and when they're not working. |
| 252 | %%* TheLancer: Often content acting as Kermit's sidekick, especially in ''Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper'' and ''Film/TheMuppets2011''. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; how does he complement or contrast Kermit?) |
| 253 | * MommasBoy: [[Recap/TheMuppetShowS2E16 The Cleo Laine episode]] has him doing everything he can to be on-stage because his mom's in the audience, and he wants to show off to her, going as far as sneaking his way onto that week's "Pigs in Space" sketch in disguise as Ms. Piggy. [[spoiler:It turns out at the end to be a ShaggyDogStory, since his mom fell asleep some time ago.]] |
| 254 | * NiceGuy: He's a generally friendly and upbeat bear who likes to make people laugh. Which he's not particularly good at, but still... |
| 255 | * OutOfFocus: |
| 256 | ** In the 1990s, Fozzie ended up being this due to [[Film/WhatAboutBob Oz]] [[Film/{{Housesitter}} being]] [[Film/TheIndianInTheCupboard busy]] [[Film/InAndOut directing]] [[Film/{{Bowfinger}} films]], as well as performing in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequel trilogy. He still showed up, but as a very minor character in ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol'' (he's only in two scenes, with dialogue in only one), and while he has a larger role in ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'', he's strictly a secondary character. He was usually absent on ''Series/MuppetsTonight'', only appearing in a few inserts, and he only gets one line in ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' until it's time to go and rescue Gonzo. |
| 257 | ** In ''Series/TheMuppets2015'', he starts off being fairly prominent, but after the show's {{retool}}, he's suddenly a minor character who doesn't do much. |
| 258 | * PieInTheFace: Often on the receiving end of this, after telling a bad joke. |
| 259 | * ProducePelting: In ''WesternAnimation/{{Muppet Babies|1984}}'', whenever he makes one of his jokes, people throw food at him. |
| 260 | * PungeonMaster: He loves puns. Most of his jokes contain play-on-words. |
| 261 | * SadClown: Being the show's resident comedian, of course Fozzie is always cracking jokes, but behind the scenes, he's deeply insecure and often second-guesses himself in terms of his act. |
| 262 | * SoUnfunnyItsFunny: He was (in theory) the show's stand-up comedian. Most of the humor of these skits came from how terrible he was at his job. |
| 263 | * SpeciesSurname: He's a bear with "Bear" as his surname. |
| 264 | * StraightMan: He might not get the laughs but Fozzie can ''make'' a sketch. See his luncheon counter skit with Nancy Walker, for instance. He even gets a regular spot out of it, "Bear on Patrol", playing it straight to Link Hogthrob and the VillainOfTheWeek. |
| 265 | * ThrowTheDogABone: On occasion, he'd actually get a laugh out of Statler and Waldorf, rather than taunts. |
| 266 | * TookALevelInDumbass: Fozzie has never been a genius, but he's normally not stupid, just incredibly naive. However, quite a few of the films -- ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'', ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'', and ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted'' in particular -- derail him into a complete idiot. |
| 267 | * VerbalTic: Oz gave Fozzie a series of weird noises (the closest you could come to writing them out would be something along the lines of "Daaaaaaaagh" and "Agghaahaahaa") that he uses to convey certain emotions. |
| 268 | * VocalEvolution: In the original pilot, Fozzie's voice was much, much deeper, especially in the "Cowboy Time" sketch. To explain the different voice, a scene was added where Fozzie asks Kermit if it sounds like he's doing an impression of Creator/JohnWayne. He also sings with this deeper voice in "Close to You" in the second episode with Creator/ConnieStevens. |
| 269 | [[/folder]] |
| 270 | |
| 271 | [[folder:Gonzo the Great]] |
| 272 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gonzoTheGreat_9675.jpg]] |
| 273 | ->'''Performed by:''' Dave Goelz |
| 274 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/RussiTaylor (''Muppet Babies (1984)''), Hal Rayle (''Little Muppet Monsters''), Creator/BenDiskin (''Muppet Babies (2018)'') |
| 275 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Great Santa Claus Switch'' (1970, as Snarl) / ''The Muppet Show'' (1976, as Gonzo) |
| 276 | |
| 277 | In the words of Creator/JohnCleese: 'The ugly, disgusting little one who catches cannonballs.' The only non-recognizable animal in Kermit's band[[note]]''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' centers on him finding out he's an alien, though [[https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Becoming_Real:_A_Muppeteer%27s_Journey_with_Dave_Goelz Gonzo later said in a Q&A that this was just made up for the movie]][[/note]], and the stuntman of the Muppets. He doubles as a Vaudevillian singer. |
| 278 | ---- |
| 279 | * AbhorrentAdmirer: In the first season, he had a crush on Miss Piggy, who found him repulsive. This trait carried over into ''WesternAnimation/{{Muppet Babies|1984}}''. |
| 280 | * AmbiguousGenderIdentity: Although Gonzo is usually referred to with "he/him" pronouns, it's been hinted a few times that "male" might not totally encapsulate his gender identity. [[https://toughpigs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/gonzo-bathroom.jpg One comic strip]] from 1984 shows Gonzo walking past women's and men's bathrooms in favor of the "whatever" room, and the ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies2018'' episode "Gonzo-rella", Gonzo wants to wear a PimpedOutDress to the ball, and the Gonzo-rella alter ego is addressed with "they/them" pronouns. |
| 281 | * AmusingInjuries: Perhaps most notably, getting one arm stretched to about twelve feet in length in an ill-advised cannonball-catching act, and then turning for assistance to special guest star Creator/JohnCleese, who kept misunderstanding Gonzo's requests and stretched his other limbs to match. |
| 282 | * AscendedExtra: Both in becoming a character in the show (the puppet was first created as a background extra among many other weird monsters in the Christmas special ''The Great Santa Claus Switch'') and becoming ThoseTwoGuys[=/=]{{Narrator}} with Rizzo in the movies. |
| 283 | * AshFace: One swing at the gong, and... KABOOM!! (Happened at least once when he tried tooting his trumpet.) |
| 284 | * BadassAdorable: He's an adorable critter who is good at stunts. |
| 285 | * BetaCouple: Gonzo and his love affair with Camilla the chicken is the second of the great romances in the Muppet series, and ironically their relationship has been ''far'' less rocky than that of Kermit and Piggy. |
| 286 | * BunnyEarsLawyer: Nutjob he may be (okay, ''is''), but of the Muppets, he's one of the few in ''The Muppets'' who's actually managed to make some success out of himself in the time the gang was apart, becoming a moderately successful plumbing salesman... until he blows it all up on a whim. |
| 287 | * CartoonCreature: Whilst many other indescribable or indeterminate Muppets appear as background characters, Gonzo is the only "main star" character whose species is completely fictitious. Exploited into a minor RunningGag, with other characters commenting on how they have no idea what he is. Even Gonzo doesn't seem entirely certain what he is, though everyone's best guess is some sort of bird-creature (usually something turkey-like). ''The Great Muppets Caper'' has him just labelled as a "whatever", and in ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984'', he's regularly referred to as a "weirdo", almost as if it's a species in itself. ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' established him as [[spoiler:a lost alien]], but this was quickly {{retcon}}ned into not being true for the greater Muppet canon, due to the [[FanDislikedExplanation severe fan backlash]]. A later comic cemented this by having Scooter spend an ''entire issue'' trying to figure out what Gonzo was, only for him to say "An artist" (though the writer said in an interview that if you wanted, you could always just assume that the comic takes place BEFORE ''Muppets From Space''). |
| 288 | * CharacterCatchphrase: Sometimes angrily refers to his disapproving audience as "Yokels!" and "Rubes!" in early episodes. Became an AbandonedCatchphrase later on as he became gleefully masochistic and thus hard to fluster with abuse. |
| 289 | %%** "What a ''terrific'' idea for an act!" (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; in what context does he say it?) |
| 290 | * CharacterizationMarchesOn: In early appearances, his craziness is more subtle, and he's depicted as a slightly more neurotic, pathetic star akin to Fozzie, frustrated that the ''Muppet Show'' audience can't appreciate his "art". He gradually became more happy-go-lucky and his torture became harder to imply, [[TooKinkyToTorture given how much he enjoys most of it]]. |
| 291 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He's practically the ''king'' of Cloudcuckooland! Gonzo's a ''meshuggener'', and he's damn proud of it! Just to give a few examples, he collects fungus and mildew, he comes up with acts like reciting from ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'' while hanging by his nose from a feather boa nine feet in the air or eating a rubber car tire with ''The Flight of the Bumblebee'' as background music, and after Creator/HalLinden and Robin sing "If I Ruled the World" in [[Recap/TheMuppetShowS5E17 the former's episode]], he chimes in with, "If ''I'' ruled the world, clothing would be edible!" |
| 292 | * CollectorOfTheStrange: Gonzo's got a vast collection of fungus and mildew, which he keeps in a trunk. |
| 293 | %%* {{Cuckoosnarker}}: Just because he's proudly weird doesn't mean he's above being a little sarcastic at others' expense, ''especially'' when paired with characters like Rizzo and Pepe. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; give a specific example) |
| 294 | * DemotedToExtra: Aside from the opening song, the running of the bulls gag, and [[spoiler:keeping Constantine's helicopter from taking off with his nose]], Gonzo doesn't really do much in ''Muppets Most Wanted'' (he gets a considerably larger amount of things to do in the extended edition, though). |
| 295 | * DrearyHalfLiddedEyes: In his early years, he had heavy eyelids that gave him a sad expression. As his personality became more manic, controls were added to open the eyes for more wild-eyed expressions, but his default expression still has a slight droop. It makes him look confident or depressed depending on his mood. |
| 296 | * TheEeyore: [[CharacterizationMarchesOn In the first season]], Gonzo's eyes are perpetually half-lidded; that, combined with his sour frustration about no one understanding his "art", makes him a rather glum fellow. This disappeared in the second season, and he became manic and jovial, though ''Series/TheMuppets2015'' swung him back towards his original characterization somewhat. |
| 297 | * FlashStep: It's a RunningGag with Gonzo that he'll turn up with a "whoosh" if given an entrance cue, especially if someone mentions a ridiculous or insane idea. |
| 298 | * FreudianTrio: The daredevil, thrill-seeking, girl-crazy Id to Fozzie's Ego and Kermit's Superego. |
| 299 | * GagNose: His long, trunk/beaklike nose is a source of many jokes. |
| 300 | * HasAType: He generally likes chickens, but really, any bird will do, even if they're not female (he once hit on Big Bird)... except [[FantasticRacism penguins]], which disgust him. Judging by some of his other comments, he also likes 'em big. The bigger the better. |
| 301 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: When he's not working, whether between sketches or just out of the theater/TV studio, Gonzo likes to hang out with Kermit, Fozzie, or Rizzo. Even during sketches, if he's partnering up with anyone, it's likely to be one of those three. |
| 302 | * InterspeciesRomance: While ''his'' species isn't known, he has a fetish for chickens, on another occasion a cow and on yet another Big Bird. He even had a crush on Miss Piggy in earlier episodes of ''The Muppet Show''. |
| 303 | * {{Keet}}: Gonzo's acts almost never go according to plan (and the basic ideas behind them make one wonder whether he has a death wish), but you gotta give the guy points for enthusiasm... |
| 304 | * TheLancer: He's the most manic and unpredictable of the main group, making him the biggest contrast to OnlySaneMan Kermit. |
| 305 | * LargeHam: Gonzo's over-the-top energy resonates from his rambunctiousness and kooky nature. |
| 306 | * LiteralMinded: [[CharacterizationMarchesOn Again, in the first season]], one of his {{Running Gag}}s was that he said and took everything ''literally'', often to somebody's detriment. This trait was dropped in the second season. |
| 307 | * MadArtist: He's supposed to be a partial {{Expy}} of Creator/SalvadorDali. |
| 308 | * MadHatter: Completely and utterly unashamed of being crazy. |
| 309 | * MadeOfIron: Performs dangerous stunts (and fails) buts walks away unscathed. Futhermore, if he ends up in an accident, no matter how horrible, he usually shrugs it off if not openly enjoys whatever he just went through. |
| 310 | -->''(after having just been thrown from a moving vehicle)'' It's okay! I landed on my head! |
| 311 | * MeanCharacterNiceActor: Has played a number of on-stage villains during the show. |
| 312 | * MeaningfulName: "Gonzo" means crazy or eccentric. |
| 313 | * NiceGuy: Usually a pretty kindhearted and chipper fellow. The only time he's ever held the JerkassBall thus far is ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted''...and even ''then'', it's only because he and the other Muppets were misled into believing that Constantine was Kermit, on the account that he promised to give them what they thought they wanted. |
| 314 | * NightmareFetishist: If it sounds like something no sane person would subject themself to, Gonzo is up for it. |
| 315 | * NoodleImplements: He gets booed off the stage before we can see what he was going to do with a flaming torch, a tire swing and a cow. The act was originally going to use a typewriter instead of a cow, but he couldn't get one in time. |
| 316 | * OfficialCouple: With Camilla the Chicken. |
| 317 | * PaperThinDisguise: Occasionally acts like (or believes) his costumes for sketches hide who he is, even though his nose and voice are dead giveaways. |
| 318 | -->'''Gonzo:''' ''[dressed up as "the Black Knight"]'' The world will forever wonder who I am!\ |
| 319 | '''Kermit:''' Though some may harbor suspicions. |
| 320 | * PerformanceArtist: Gonzo is a bizarre, thrill-seeking daredevil who will employ props like a rubber tire, highly explosive bombs, etc. while simultaneously reciting poetry, a Shakespearean sonnet, or to the accompaniment of classical music. |
| 321 | * SadClown: If Gonzo isn't making you laugh, he's making you wipe away tears. |
| 322 | * SmallNameBigEgo: On occasion, he tends to think he's a bigger deal than the oddball of a second-rate variety act that he is, holding the fact he's called "the Great" over guests heads. |
| 323 | * StageMagician: Usually not magic, but is a showman called Gonzo "the Great". |
| 324 | * TooKinkyToTorture: Implied in his stage acts in the show, directly invoked in ''Muppet Treasure Island''. |
| 325 | * TrueArtIsIncomprehensible:[[invoked]] On ''The Muppet Show'', his shtick was performing bizarre performance art acts, like demolishing an antique car to the tune of "The Anvil Chorus"... or wrestling a brick, blindfolded. In case you're wondering, it was no contest. The brick took him down early in the first round. |
| 326 | * VocalEvolution: His original voice was much more high pitched and raspy, and had something of an accent, though gradually became closer to Goelz's natural voice as years passed. Just watch the first episode of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' and then an episode of ''Series/TheMuppets2015''. |
| 327 | * WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Despite his fearless reputation, Gonzo has one consistent and distinct fear of being alone. It's established in ''Muppets from Space'' and then reinforced in ''Muppets Haunted Mansion'' when he's forced to confront it by facing the fate of never seeing his friends again. |
| 328 | * WasntThatFun: He finds many painful and/or dangerous things entertaining. This makes him a terrible judge of what ''audiences'' would find entertaining. |
| 329 | [[/folder]] |
| 330 | |
| 331 | [[folder:Rizzo the Rat]] |
| 332 | [[quoteright:3500:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rizzo_8.png]] |
| 333 | ->'''Performed by:''' Steve Whitmire |
| 334 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Ben Diskin (''Muppet Babies (2018)'') |
| 335 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1980) |
| 336 | |
| 337 | Self-interested, sarcastic and snide, Rizzo basically hangs around with the Muppets, making a [[{{Pun}} pest]] of himself and shoehorning himself into every act he can just for the attention. Even when ''Series/MuppetsTonight'' gave him a job, he didn't change much. He likes eating, wooing female rodents, and having laughs at his castmates' expense, although a softer side of him does come out, especially when with his best pal Gonzo. |
| 338 | ---- |
| 339 | * AscendedExtra: |
| 340 | ** Rizzo started out as an anonymous member of a group of rats, but thanks to Steve Whitmire's performance soon emerged as the central rat character, started getting solo appearances and in the final season of ''The Muppet Show'' began popping up everywhere, usually as a background character and often in skits he had no place in. He was a pivotal supporting character in ''Film/TheMuppetsTakeManhattan''. Then, in ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol'' he made the jump to main star when writer Jerry Juhl discovered just how well the Gonzo/Rizzo team worked, and since then has either been among the main characters or at least had a notable appearance in every major Muppet production. He also got what was pretty much Scooter's role on ''Series/MuppetsTonight''. |
| 341 | ** After being mostly absent from the two movies, he became an AscendedExtra again in the [[Series/TheMuppets2015 2015 TV series]]. |
| 342 | * BigEater: Despite his small size. |
| 343 | * ButtMonkey: Lots of bad stuff happens to him. |
| 344 | * DeadpanSnarker: With a Brooklyn accent, no less. |
| 345 | * DemotedToExtra: As Steve Whitmire began focusing more on playing Kermit, this started happening to him. In ''Film/TheMuppets2011'', Rizzo doesn't have a single line, only appearing in crowd scenes. He did get one scene in ''Muppets Most Wanted''... in which he complains that he's been DemotedToExtra. |
| 346 | * HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: He wears a jacket and ballcap but no pants. |
| 347 | * IronButtMonkey: Nowhere near as bad as Beaker, but he does suffer a lot, sometimes alongside Gonzo, who isn't fazed in the slightest. |
| 348 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's gluttonous, prankish, and mean, although he's one of Gonzo's best pals. |
| 349 | * LovableCoward: Usually played up whenever he's with Gonzo, to better contrast Gonzo's FearlessFool tendencies. |
| 350 | * PutOnABus: He has yet to be recast following the firing of Steve Whitmire, though he is one of the most commonly-seen recurring characters on ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies2018'', where he's voiced by Ben Diskin, and one of the IM messages to Scooter in the first episode of ''Series/MuppetsNow'' is from him. In a bit of a PetTheDog moment, he's one of the few Muppets (along with Rowlf, Walter and the Newsman) who are purely being positive and supportive about the show; most of the others are just complaining about Scooter uploading their segments too soon, insisting that changes need to be made, asking technical questions and so on. |
| 351 | * ThoseTwoGuys: Most often with Gonzo, but sometimes with Pepe. |
| 352 | * UnlimitedWardrobe: During his ''Muppet Show'' days, Rizzo would sport a different outfit for just about every scene he was in. Starting with ''Muppets Tonight,'' this was {{inverted|Trope}} when Rizzo got his red-and-beige jacket and white tee-shirt, which [[LimitedWardrobe became his trademark outfit.]] |
| 353 | * YouDirtyRat: Largely subverted as Rizzo is a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, but he still has a few of the trademark characteristics, mostly his cowardice, gluttony and poor personal hygiene. |
| 354 | [[/folder]] |
| 355 | |
| 356 | [[folder:Scooter]] |
| 357 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scooter_6331.jpg]] |
| 358 | ->'''Performed by:''' Richard Hunt (1976-1991), Brian Henson (2002-2003), Rickey Boyd (2005), David Rudman (2008-present) |
| 359 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Greg Berg (''Muppet Babies (1984)''), Adam Hunt (''Film/MuppetsFromSpace''), Matt Vogel (''Muppet [=RaceMania=]'') , Creator/OgieBanks (Muppet Babies 2018) |
| 360 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1976) |
| 361 | |
| 362 | The Muppets' stage manager. Originally portrayed as a childish {{Jerkass}}, he grows over the show's run to be a dependable assistant of Kermit and co. |
| 363 | ---- |
| 364 | * AuthorAvatar: Richard Hunt reportedly based his performance on how he acted when he was younger. Scooter's voice was also basically Hunt's natural speaking voice pitched a little higher. |
| 365 | * BeleagueredAssistant: The framing device of ''Muppets Now'' is Scooter running himself ragged trying to get the show uploaded in time. He's also this to Pepe during the ''Pepe's Incredible Game Show'' segments, since the latter constantly changes the game's rules or makes up new, bizarre rules on a whim. |
| 366 | * BunnyEarsLawyer: In spite of his {{Nepotism}} induced employment and overall naiveté, compared to the other Muppets backstage, Scooter is regularly shown to be halfway efficient at his job. |
| 367 | * CharacterCatchphrase: "Fifteen seconds to curtain!" |
| 368 | * CrazyEnoughToWork: During the Johnny Cash episode, he saves the show from being overrun by an obnoxious radio host by saying the first thing that came to mind, namely that the guy's horse had been punctured, and locking the doors behind him once he's out. |
| 369 | * [[ParentalIssues Daddy Issues]]: In ''Series/TheMuppets2015'' episode "Pig's In A Blackout" he calls Kermit [[AFatherToHisMen "Father"]] accidentally. |
| 370 | * DemotedToExtra: |
| 371 | ** Following Richard Hunt's death, Scooter was used far less often -- not appearing in most productions and having minimal screentime in others. The 2011 movie appears to reverse this. |
| 372 | ** During the 1990s, Scooter was nearly {{unperson}}ed. Other characters without performers (like Rowlf, Dr. Teeth and Janice) at least made token unspeaking cameos, but Scooter was nowhere to be seen for just shy of a full decade. |
| 373 | * FanOfTheUnderdog: Noticed as one of few that actually enjoys Fozzie's jokes and eagerly performs with him on occasion. |
| 374 | * ForgotFlandersCouldDoThat: Inverted. As he became more of a fixer [[CharacterDevelopment in his own right]], he made fewer mentions of his uncle-who-owns-this-theatre until the gag was seemingly phased out. So in later seasons it is something of a jolt to hear him manipulate Kermit by playing the uncle card, such as in the Anne Murray episode in season 4. |
| 375 | * GoshDangItToHeck: In ''Series/TheMuppets2015'', he's not even comfortable with saying phrases like "Good grief." |
| 376 | * HalfHumanHybrid: He was originally intended to be a simple “human-type Muppet”, but when pressed will admit his mother is a parrot and his father’s species is unknown. |
| 377 | * HalfIdenticalTwins: With Skeeter in ''WesternAnimation/{{Muppet Babies|1984}}'' |
| 378 | * InnocentlyInsensitive: He has moments of being naively blunt or inconsiderate, despite being otherwise well meaning. In early episodes, it's left rather ambiguous whether or not he's deliberately intimidating the others with his uncle's control over the show or just oblivious to their fear of him. |
| 379 | * TheIntern: During the first season, he is an inexperienced newbie whom Kermit was forced to hire as a gofer because his uncle owned the theater. Several early episodes feature Scooter coming to Kermit with ridiculous "fresh new ideas" for the show that Kermit puts into action against his will for fear of losing his lease. As the show went on, Scooter's antagonistic side was dropped and his uncle was barely ever mentioned. |
| 380 | * InterspeciesRomance: Implied as part of his backstory. When Kermit inquires as to his species: |
| 381 | -->'''Scooter:''' My mother was a parrot. We never knew my father. It was during the war! |
| 382 | * KarmaHoudini: Never suffers any known comeuppance for assisting Ms. Piggy in tricking Kermit into forcibly marrying her. |
| 383 | * ManipulativeBastard: A very mild case considering other examples, but back in the Muppet Show days, if Kermit ever vetoes any ideas he has for the show, all he has to do is say is that his uncle, who owns the theatre, likes the idea, and Kermit instantly caves in. |
| 384 | %%* MommasBoy: Became one in ''Series/TheMuppets2015''. |
| 385 | * {{Nepotism}}: His uncle owns the theater and got him his job. Before developing a solid friendship with him, Scooter was quick to remind Kermit of this whenever he wanted something. |
| 386 | * NerdGlasses: He wears a pair of stereotypical nerdy glasses, to emphasize his "go-fer" nature. |
| 387 | * NiceGuy: Loyal, helpful, and likes everything. |
| 388 | * OnlySaneMan: Well, it depends. Scooter can be just as crazy as the other Muppets, (except Kermit, usually), but he often can be this trope as well, albeit to a lesser extent than Kermit. Besides, all the chaos around him is what makes him funny. |
| 389 | * RankUp: He starts working at the Muppet Theater as a simple "gofer" (an employee who runs errands). In later episodes, he has been promoted to the stage manager. |
| 390 | * RedheadInGreen : He has orange hair and wears a green jacket |
| 391 | * TheReliableOne: With all the craziness going on at the theater, Scooter is often the guy Kermit can count on the most to do his job right. |
| 392 | * SeriousBusiness: "The Ex-Factor'' shows he treats painting ceramics like this. |
| 393 | * {{Sidekick}}: To Kermit, sort of. |
| 394 | * TheSmartGuy: Well, he is a nerd. He even did a lecture at 2012's TED conference. [[https://blog.ted.com/scooter-at-ted2012/ Really]]. The 2011 movie reveals that he got a job at Website/{{Google}} after the Muppets went their separate ways. |
| 395 | * TookALevelInBadass: Back during the early years, he was just a gofer. These days, you're likely to find him acting as a producer and coordinator for the troupe as a whole. |
| 396 | * TooDumbToLive: Early on, he doesn't realize that BrutalHonesty around Ms. Piggy is a ''bad'' idea, earning him and Kermit an ass-kicking. |
| 397 | * VagueAge: While considered to be one of the youngest of the main characters (after Robin, of course), his age is never really determined. Throughout ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', everyone refers to him as a kid and his uncle got him the job at the theatre, so he would probably be somewhere in his teens. By ''Series/TheMuppets2015'', he appears to be at least in his early 20s, seeing that he can go to a bar without getting kicked out, and some of the others tease him for still living with his mother. |
| 398 | * VocalEvolution: Richard Hunt's voice for Scooter evolved from a nerdy voice in 1976, to an extension of his own voice by his final years. |
| 399 | [[/folder]] |
| 400 | |
| 401 | [[folder:Rowlf the Dog]] |
| 402 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rowlf_2516.jpg]] |
| 403 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jim Henson (1962-1990), Bill Barretta (1996-present) |
| 404 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KatieLeigh (''Muppet Babies (1984)''), Creator/MattDanner (''Muppet Babies (2018)'') |
| 405 | ->'''Debut:''' Purina Dog Chow Commercials (1962) |
| 406 | |
| 407 | Originally a mascot for Purina Dog Chow, later rising to prominence as a TV sidekick to Jimmy Dean. (No, not ''[[Creator/JamesDean that]]'' Jimmy Dean. The country singer and pork magnate.) Rowlf's stint as a ''Jimmy Dean Show'' regular blossomed into national stardom. |
| 408 | |
| 409 | The in-universe Rowlf is a bluesy musician whom Kermit discovered in a piano bar. Since TheNineties, it's been a popular gag to pair Rowlf up with famous musicians, leading him to branch out into rock. |
| 410 | ---- |
| 411 | * AnimalJingoism: He interrupts a show when he sees a cat on stage. He even apologizes, before admitting that it's a dog thing. See a cat, chase a cat. |
| 412 | * AuthorAvatar: Aside from his piano skills, Rowlf was very much like Jim Henson -- arguably even more than Kermit. |
| 413 | * BackAlleyDoctor: The "Veterinarian's Hospital" sketches put him in the role of Dr. Bob, "a quack who's gone to the dogs". |
| 414 | * BarefootCartoonAnimal: It's hard to tell since he's usually behind the patient's bed, but as Dr. Bob in "Veterinarian's Hospital", he wears [[DressedToHeal medical scrubs with a stethoscope around his neck]], but no shoes. |
| 415 | * TheBartender: He serves this role in ''Series/TheMuppets2015'', where he runs a tavern and offers advice to the other characters while serving them drinks. |
| 416 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: Even Rowlf's not above snarking at Fozzie's terrible act. |
| 417 | * CharacterTic: He tends to chew on his paws when nervous or upset. |
| 418 | * CluelessDetective: As Sherlock Holmes in "The Case of the Disappearing Clues". It takes some kind of special detective to not notice that the main suspect is not only ''eating'' the evidence, but also your witnesses and sidekick. He comes to the conclusion that since there's no evidence, the murder obviously didn't happen. |
| 419 | * CoolOldGuy: While he's ageless like the other Muppets, he occasionally references his past career with Jimmy Dean in the '60s. |
| 420 | * DeadpanSnarker: Especially during his ''Jimmy Dean Show'' days. |
| 421 | * DemotedToExtra: |
| 422 | ** In the 1960s, Rowlf was pretty much the main star and leader of the Muppets, with Kermit being more of a second-tier character. In the 1970s, when Kermit officially became a frog and his personality was fully realized, Rowlf turned those leadership duties over to the frog and became more of a secondary character, yet remained a prominent character in Muppet productions. |
| 423 | ** After Jim Henson's death, his appearances became limited to mostly brief non-speaking background cameos. When Bill Barretta started performing the character, he gradually returned to regular speaking roles and core character status. |
| 424 | * EarlyBirdCameo: |
| 425 | ** Rowlf first appeared in Purina Dog Chow commercials in 1962. A year later, he began making regular appearances on ''The Jimmy Dean Show'' and proved to be quite popular. He also co-hosted the pitch reel for ''Series/SesameStreet'' with Kermit, and had a cameo appearance in one of the "Song of _____" films from that show's first season. |
| 426 | ** During the "At the Dance" segment in the ''Sex and Violence'' pilot, he mentions his time on the Jimmy Dean show and regrets that "no one remembers me anymore." In ''The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years'', after Kermit notes that Rowlf became the first Muppet to gain national fame, he states to [[Series/SesameStreet Ernie]], "I used to be a big star then." |
| 427 | * HiddenDepths: He is a licensed therapy dog. |
| 428 | * HurricaneOfPuns: Especially the "Veterinarian's Hospital" sketches. |
| 429 | %%* LargeHam: During his ''Jimmy Dean Show'' days. |
| 430 | * LaughingAtYourOwnJokes: Tends to be the one laughing hardest at the gags in "Veterinarian's Hospital". Which he tells. |
| 431 | * NiceGuy: Said to be the closest to Creator/JimHenson himself. Rowlf can be snarky sometimes but is nevertheless a kind, easygoing, and friendly character. |
| 432 | * OnlySaneMan: He might be closer to the sane line than Kermit. He's certainly calmer. |
| 433 | * ThePianoPlayer: He's never been the focus of an entire episode's plot in the original series as his main job is playing piano. |
| 434 | * SickEpisode: Rowlf once had a 24-hour bug on ''The Jimmy Dean Show'', and Dean served as Rowlf's physician. At one point, Rowlf mentions his doctor already giving him a flu shot, but not on his right arm or his left arm. Both Rowlf and Dean look at each other and say, [[AssShove "Exactly."]] Rowlf further remarks that now, when he goes to the movies, "it's standing room only." |
| 435 | * StraightMan: In a cast of crazies, Rowlf is generally very calm and laidback. Even Kermit has been known to go to him for advice. |
| 436 | * TaremeEyes: Makes sense, since they go with his kind, quiet, soft, calm, easygoing personality. Also very cute with Baby Rowlf. |
| 437 | * TheVoiceless: After Jim Henson's death, Rowlf quickly became this until a new performer (Bill Barretta) was found. Many people mistakenly thought that his silence was going to be eternal, as a tribute to Jim. His first words after Jim's death? "Oh, yeah!" (uttered in the second episode of ''Series/MuppetsTonight'' guest-starring Music/GarthBrooks) |
| 438 | [[/folder]] |
| 439 | |
| 440 | [[folder:Sam the Eagle]] |
| 441 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/samjpg0bd0c34e6e5fa7e7976038398d51219e.jpg]] |
| 442 | [[caption-width-right:350:''"You are all '''weirdos'''."'']] |
| 443 | ->'''Performed by:''' Frank Oz (1975-2000), Kevin Clash (2002-2003), Eric Jacobson (2005-present). |
| 444 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/EricBauza (''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies2018'') |
| 445 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence'' (1975) |
| 446 | |
| 447 | True to his name, Sam is an uber-patriotic wet blanket who acts as the Muppets' censor. He strives to crack down on "lowbrow humor" and bring dignity to the proceedings, without much success. |
| 448 | ---- |
| 449 | * AmericanEagle: He's a walking, talking stereotype of American patriotism and "family values". He's so American that when he plays a British character in ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol'', he starts talking about how business makes America great and has to be reminded by Gonzo that he's British. |
| 450 | * ArchEnemy: He has a particular enmity towards Dr. Teeth. In one skit, Dr. Teeth is playing "Mack the Knife" and Sam stops him, claiming he thinks the song is too violent. Dr. Teeth then replies that Sam is misinterpreting the lyrics and suggests that they might be slang. |
| 451 | * BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Sam wants 'culture' on the show, but there's no way that The Muppets are going to do something cultural in a serious way. So Rudolf Nureyev is going to dance with a giant pig and Dr. Teeth is going to play Chopin, and there's nothing he can do about it. |
| 452 | * BigOlEyebrows: One great big unibrow going across his head, which helps to accentuate his PerpetualFrowner look. |
| 453 | * CharacterCatchphrase: Frequently calls other Muppets (and namby-pamby conservationists) "weirdos". |
| 454 | * TheComicallySerious: The major source of Sam's comedic value comes from how incredibly seriously he takes himself and everything else, despite both the general absurdity surrounding him and his own frequent ineptitude. |
| 455 | -->(After a sketch where Rowlf has got Sam to read the lyrics 'tit-willow' whilst he sings and plays the song of the same name from Theatre/TheMikado) |
| 456 | -->'''Sam:''' Why are they laughing? |
| 457 | * DemotedToExtra: His role tends to get reduced in the movies compared to the show, although he had fairly major roles in ''Muppet Treasure Island'' and ''Muppets Most Wanted''. |
| 458 | * DitzyGenius: He's ''academically'' smart (even hosting a "Muppet University" segment), but is a complete nutcase in terms of morals and values [[KnowNothingKnowItAll and refuses to believe that he is]]. |
| 459 | * TheEeyore: He's not very fun. Kermit even calls him the studio's "resident grump" at one point. |
| 460 | * {{Facepalm}}: A common response of his to the madness he must witness. |
| 461 | * FantasticRacism: Hinted, in one episode, he mentions that he is displeased with his daughter for [[InterspeciesRomance dating an owl.]] |
| 462 | * {{Flanderization}}: On ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', he started out as a general, pro-American detractor of the show's non-cultural content and a [[TheKilljoy killjoy]] with strong, exaggeratedly right-wing strawman views on various issues. In recent media, such as the WebVideo/MuppetViralVideos, he's been depicted as generally obsessed with America itself and not much else. (For instance, he starts singing[[note]]actually sing-talking[[/note]] "American Woman" by The Guess Who just because it has "American" in the title, something that the old Sam would never have done.) Fortunately, ''Series/TheMuppets2015'' put him back in his original role as the Muppets' censor. The 2011 film also depicted him as a pundit anchoring at a thinly-veiled Fox News Channel parody before rejoining the others. |
| 463 | * FlatWhat: above. Sometimes Sam just cannot cope with the weirdness. |
| 464 | -->'''Kermit:''' And now, a classical Chopin scherzo...\ |
| 465 | '''Sam:''' Culture at last!\ |
| 466 | '''Kermit:''' As performed by... Dr. Teeth?\ |
| 467 | '''Sam:''' ''What.'' |
| 468 | * FreudianExcuse: Apparently threw himself into his self-appointed censor role due to his rocky home life -- namely, he couldn't remember his wife's name, she flew the coop and later divorced him, his son is studying taxidermy and his daughter's dating an owl. |
| 469 | * TheFriendNobodyLikes: Most of the other Muppets tolerate him at best and consider him an annoying pest at worst. |
| 470 | * HypocriticalHumor: His editorials ran on this, as he railed against some subject, only for him to realize he's affected or part of the "problem", causing him to leave the stage embarrassed. |
| 471 | * InterspeciesRomance: Gains a (one-sided) crush on Janice in ''Series/TheMuppets2015''. |
| 472 | * JawDrop: Another of his usual reactions to the sick, weird things he witnesses. |
| 473 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Spends all his time complaining about everything and calling his fellow Muppets weirdos, but at least his intentions are good. |
| 474 | * TheKilljoy: He thinks ''everyone'' in the rest of the cast are... ''weirdos''. And he's ''appalled,'' '''[[ChewingTheScenery appalled]]''' I tell you, that guest stars of talent are demeaning themselves by appearing on ''The Muppet Show.'' And have you saluted the flag today? Just as he suspected! Shocking. Shocking. |
| 475 | * KnowNothingKnowItAll: For someone who claims to value culture, Sam is a complete ignoramus about the arts. For example, in the Rudolf Nureyev episode he was thrilled that the show would be featuring someone with culture, but referred to Mr. Nureyev (a ballet dancer) as "my favorite opera singer" and didn't recognize him in street clothes. In another episode, he believes Ludwig van Beethoven is a playwright. And in yet another instance, he fell for someone's very transparent lies that he wrote Shakespeare's plays. |
| 476 | * LargeHam: Sam enjoys to chew the scenery. |
| 477 | * MeaningfulName: What better way to show his super-patriotism than by naming him [[UncleSamWantsYou Sam]]? |
| 478 | * MoralGuardians: A walking parody of this trope, as he acts as a censor who rails against the supposedly lowbrow nature of the other Muppets' performances and tries to make things more "cultured" and "dignified", but he never has any real success. |
| 479 | * NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Particularly in his earlier appearances, Sam bears more than a passing resemblance to UsefulNotes/RichardNixon. |
| 480 | * OnlySaneMan: Not quite. Sam views himself as the only beacon of morality, decency, and culture among the Muppets... but he's actually just a huge [[TheKilljoy killjoy]] whose PatrioticFervor goes far beyond the norm. |
| 481 | * PatrioticFervor: "World Wide Web? Is there a way to only show it on the American parts?" |
| 482 | * PerpetualFrowner: Not much of a smiley guy. |
| 483 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In one episode, he announced he was disassociating himself from the show, and joined Statler and Waldorf in their box. |
| 484 | * StrawPolitical: He's a strawman of the Nixon era and the sentiments of conservative MoralGuardians, though like everything else on the show, it's taken to humorous extremes, such as in his monologue about people being naked underneath their clothing. His personal favorite act is Wayne and Wanda, who he feels give the show some class. |
| 485 | * SuddenlyShouting: Upon learning that Rudolf Nureyev is doing ''Swine Lake'': |
| 486 | -->'''Sam:''' Culture. Dignity at last... [penny drops] ''SWINE LAKE?!'' |
| 487 | * SurroundedByIdiots: He thinks every other muppet on the show is a weirdo. Admittedly, he's not exactly wrong, but he doesn't seem to understand that ''he's'' a weirdo too. |
| 488 | * ThisIsGonnaSuck: As the first season goes on, even he starts to realize Wayne and Wanda are more disaster prone than thirteen black cats who've just smashed up a mirror factory, and his introductions for them become increasingly dread laden. |
| 489 | * WhatExactlyIsHisJob: Just what he was hired to do at the theater isn't really made clear on ''The Muppet Show''. Mostly, he works as the show's censor, but that's a self-appointed role. Even Kermit doesn't actually know what his job is. |
| 490 | * WrongGenreSavvy: Believes he's the OnlySaneMan surrounded by a cast of weirdos and freaks. In truth, he's just as eccentric as they are, and nowhere near as fun (at least to the other Muppets). |
| 491 | [[/folder]] |
| 492 | |
| 493 | [[folder:Dr. Bunsen Honeydew]] |
| 494 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bunsenHoneydew_6268.jpg]] |
| 495 | ->'''Performed by:''' Dave Goelz |
| 496 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Howie Mandel (''Muppet Babies (1984)'' seasons 1-2), Dave Coulier (''Muppet Babies (1984)'' seasons 3-7), Creator/BobBergen (''Little Muppet Monsters''), Eric Bauza (''Muppet Babies (2018)'') |
| 497 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1976) |
| 498 | |
| 499 | An addled-brained scientist with a head shaped like a melon. Invariably, his experiments result in nearly immolating his assistant Beaker. |
| 500 | ---- |
| 501 | * AbsentMindedProfessor: His absent-mindedness causes problems for [[ButtMonkey Beaker]]. |
| 502 | * AmbiguouslyGay: Among other things, he finds Beaker "hauntingly attractive" in one episode, "very cute" in another, and is jealous of him spending time with a model in ''A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa''. [[https://www.toughpigs.com/weird-science/ Tough Pigs]] and [[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Bunsen_and_Beaker%27s_relationship Muppet Wiki]] both have articles with more on the subject. |
| 503 | * BadBoss: He treats Beaker appallingly, not realizing the guy's frantic gestures are him trying to beg off being used as a guinea-pig. |
| 504 | * CharacterCatchphrase: "Greetings again from Muppet Labs, where the future is being made today!" |
| 505 | * CharacterTics: Wiggling his fingers when he says his catchphrase. |
| 506 | * DissonantSerenity: He maintains a confident, cheery demeanor at all times. |
| 507 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In the Muppet Labs segments of Season 1, Bunsen was the only Muppet taking part in the sketches and had a tendency to test his inventions himself. When it became apparent that this didn’t work for his character, Beaker was brought in for the first segment of Season 2 and remained for the rest of the show. |
| 508 | * EyelessFace: His glasses give the appearance of eyes, but his melon-like head is basically TheBlank. His eyes have only been seen once, in ''[[Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper The Great Muppet Caper]]'' as the result of a BlindingCameraFlash. |
| 509 | * ForScience: His entire characterization for his skits revolves around his desire to perform scientific experiments, no matter how absurd, with absolutely no regard for possible consequences. |
| 510 | * HeroicComedicSociopath: His apathetic behavior towards Beaker is played for comedy. |
| 511 | * IdiotHoudini: After enlisting Beaker, his bungled inventions nearly always backfire onto him instead, with Bunsen none the wiser to what went wrong. On odd occasions however, an [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty Idiot Houdini Warranty]] occurs. |
| 512 | * InnocentlyInsensitive: He doesn't mean to be a {{Jerkass}} to poor Beaker. He's just ''really'' inconsiderate. |
| 513 | * InventionalWisdom: Some of his inventions seem like they ''might'' be useful. After all, who wouldn't want protection from the heartbreak of gorilla invasion, and a robot politician might be handy. But even if they worked (big "if")... the rest of them, not so much. |
| 514 | * IRejectYourReality: Insists that the gorilla attacking him cannot possibly be a gorilla, because otherwise his gorilla detector would warn him, even as the gorilla is throttling him. Only once Bunsen has been subdued does it turn out the detector has in fact detected the gorilla, just... too late to save the lab. |
| 515 | * MadScientist: While he's not evil, and usually not hammy, he still invents crazy contraptions and experiments that end up blowing up in his (or more accurately, Beaker's) face. |
| 516 | * MeaningfulName: From three sources: Bunsen burners, honeydew melons, and Honeywell International, a huge aerospace/engineering firm that advertised heavily in the 1970s. |
| 517 | * MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Sees absolutely nothing wrong with performing dangerous scientific experiments or tests on other Muppets. |
| 518 | * NoOSHACompliance: Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's lab is an ''incredibly'' unsafe working environment, mostly because he actively uses his assistants as guinea pigs and test subjects for experiments. |
| 519 | * PetTheDog: According to ''Muppets Now'', he actually made Beaker a cake when he started working for him. Then he blows this out of the water by trying to destroy the cake ForScience. |
| 520 | * RuleOfSymbolism: He's named after and has a head shaped like a honeydew melon. A "melon head" being a term for an idiot which is pretty apt for him. |
| 521 | * ThoseTwoGuys: With Beaker. |
| 522 | * SignatureLaugh: His hissing sounding snicker, usually when Beaker ends up in some kind of mishap. |
| 523 | * TookALevelInJerkass: In ''Muppets Now'', he is much more deliberately cruel towards Beaker, verbally berating him and intentionally doing things that he knows will emotionally devastate Beaker. |
| 524 | [[/folder]] |
| 525 | |
| 526 | [[folder:Beaker]] |
| 527 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/beaker_full_body.png]] |
| 528 | ->'''Performed by:''' Richard Hunt (1977-1991), Steve Whitmire (1992-2016), David Rudman (2017-present) |
| 529 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Frank Welker (''Muppet Babies (1984)''), Matt Danner (''Muppet Babies (2018)'') |
| 530 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1977) |
| 531 | |
| 532 | Lab assistant to Bunsen Honeydew, whose face sports a perpetual look of shock. Only Honeydew (and in one episode, the Swedish Chef) can understand his "meep meeps." |
| 533 | ---- |
| 534 | * AsideGlance: A few times, after hearing Bunsen say something completely out-of-left-field, he'll look at the camera, as if to say "What?". |
| 535 | * AmbiguouslyGay: In the "Flowers on the Wall" [=YouTube=] video, he has a romantic dinner with a fake Bunsen, and constructs a Bunsen-shaped house of cards with hearts in its eyes. Most blatantly, in ''Series/TheMuppets2015'' episode "Pig Out", he and Bunsen arrive at work in each others' clothing and refuse to talk about it. His original portrayer Richard Hunt (who was gay himself) also speculated that Beaker tolerated all of the abuse from Bunsen because of some kind of romantic devotion to him. |
| 536 | * BodyHorror: |
| 537 | ** Testing Bunsen's edible paper clips caused Beaker's nose to fall off. |
| 538 | ** A Halloween web video has him get stuck in an automatic Jack o'Lantern carver, which turns his head into a pumpkin with holes cut out for his eyes, nose, and mouth; this pumpkin head is also hollow, as he's able to stick a finger in and out through his eye socket. |
| 539 | * ButtMonkey: Played with in so many ways, often when the experiments go wrong: losing body parts, getting electrocuted, being eaten by a giant germ, and so on. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcXiUSZPuWA Even when he gets turned into a ghost]], he '''still''' doesn't get any respect from Honeydew. In an online skit, he tries to sing and gets [[InternetJerk trolled by commenters]] who laugh as he eventually sets himself and the room on fire. |
| 540 | * CharacterizationMarchesOn: In his first appearance he was a nervous wreck. This was gone by his third. |
| 541 | * TheChewToy: People feel sorry for him, but at the same time, getting hurt is the point of his character. |
| 542 | * CuteButCacophonic: Especially in his ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984'' incarnation; Beaker has a goofy charm and a lot of charisma despite his unfortunate work life, but good lord, can he ever ''screech''. |
| 543 | * TheDogBitesBack: |
| 544 | ** After accidentally cloning himself in one episode, Beaker spends most of the episode chasing Dr. Honeydew all over the theater. |
| 545 | ** While being electrocuted by the Muppet Labs Nose-Warmer, he grabs Dr. Honeydew and adds him to the circuit. |
| 546 | ** In ''Muppets Now'', after Honeydew tries replacing him with Beak-R, who repeatedly insults him, Beaker snaps and places the not-Alexa in an incinerator, destroying her. |
| 547 | * GotVolunteered: He "volunteers" to test Dr. Honeydew's inventions, alright. The poor guy literally can't say "no", and Honeydew is oblivious to his total panic and frantic gestures. |
| 548 | * HiddenDepths: In some episodes of ''The Muppet Show'', Beaker was implied to be into costuming, as he would occasionally dress up for certain lab demonstrations (ex. as a tourist when demonstrating the luggage compressor). |
| 549 | * TheIgor: With great reluctance. Partly because he's always the one expected to subject himself to the [[invoked]]ObviousBeta invention that's being demonstrated. |
| 550 | * MadeOfIron: Beaker has been shrunk, electrocuted, squished flat, set on fire, hit with many different objects, has lost body parts at least thrice, and yet every episode, he returns to Muppet Labs in perfect condition, ready to be experimented on yet again. |
| 551 | * MotorMouth: When inventions go awry (ex. the elevator shoes, the edible paper clips), Beaker will meep rapidly in a panic. |
| 552 | * NervousWreck: He looks perpetually terrified, probably because he is. |
| 553 | * OneWordVocabulary: His ''only'' phrase is "Meep". But you'd be surprised how much you can communicate with that. |
| 554 | * PaperThinDisguise: Once managed to get out of a Muppet Labs sketch by wearing a lampshade over his head. Since he was dealing with Dr. Honeydew, this worked. [[YankTheDogsChain He still got hurt, though.]] |
| 555 | * PerpetualFrowner: Is always seen with a nervous and unhappy frown on his face. |
| 556 | * ProperlyParanoid: In the original skits, Beaker's always convinced that demonstrating the invention of the week will go horribly wrong. |
| 557 | * RedheadInGreen: Beaker has fluffy red hair and wears a mint green labcoat. |
| 558 | * SuddenlySpeaking: After two seasons of nothing but meeping and indistinct mumbles, Beaker finally says his first coherent words, "Bye bye!", in Crystal Gayle's episode (Season 4, Episode 2). |
| 559 | * ThoseTwoGuys: With Bunsen. |
| 560 | * TheUnintelligible: To quote Miss Piggy: |
| 561 | -->'''Miss Piggy''': Beaker. I told you never to talk to me like that. (beat as Beaker exits) Because I can't understand it. |
| 562 | ** Honeydew is primarily the only one who can understand him when he talks, but in the aforementioned episode where Beaker was cloned, the Swedish Chef understood him just fine, with Beaker likewise understanding his "Swedish". |
| 563 | * VocalEvolution: |
| 564 | ** Richard Hunt's Beaker tended to be very mumbly. When Steve Whitmire inherited the role, his "meeps" became much clearer, and beginning with the 2010s, he began to speak real words more frequently (see: ''Wrestling/WWERaw'', "ESPN Tournament Selections"). |
| 565 | * WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises: He was designed to perpetually have this look on his face. Given his ButtMonkey status, it's pretty well-founded. |
| 566 | * WhenHeSmiles: In "Little Muppet Monsters" he's seen smiling for once. |
| 567 | * WildHair: And it [[{{Wrestling/Sheamus}} runs in the family.]] |
| 568 | * YankTheDogsChain: He actually enjoys Bunsen's edible paper clips, in a rare moment where it seems a sketch might end with both of them on top. Then his nose falls off. |
| 569 | [[/folder]] |
| 570 | |
| 571 | [[folder:The Swedish Chef]] |
| 572 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/swedishChef_1625.jpg]] |
| 573 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jim Henson (1975-1990), David Rudman (1992), Steve Whitmire (1999), Bill Barretta (1996-present) |
| 574 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Matt Danner (Muppet Babies 2018) |
| 575 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence'' (1975) |
| 576 | |
| 577 | A parody of TV chefs. Like to gesticulate with his hands a lot, uses some ''very'' strange cooking equipment, and keeps up a steady stream of Swedish-sounding gibberish as he cooks. |
| 578 | |
| 579 | [[SelfDemonstrating/SwedishChef See also his self-demonstrating article.]] |
| 580 | ---- |
| 581 | * AdaptationalIntelligence: His ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies2018'' counterpart is much more level-headed and less accident-prone than his adult form. |
| 582 | * AngryChef: The Swedish Chef is known for his bad temper and constant tantrums aggravated by his GratuitousForeignLanguage. |
| 583 | * AnimalsHateHim: ...because he wants to cook them. In one sketch he tries to cook a turtle for some turtle soup, which culminates in the turtle revealing a cannon in its shell and shooting him, knocking him down. |
| 584 | * AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: The language he speaks is explicitly referred to at least once as "mock Swedish"; it was once claimed that his actual native language is "mock Japanese". He occasionally uses English words and a bit of coherent Danish, but is otherwise just making a lot of nonsensical noises. |
| 585 | * BadassUnintentional: Once held up a pot lid for self-defense and became the first Muppet to ever block one of Miss Piggy's karate chops. |
| 586 | * BatterUp: He keeps a "cakensmoosher" (a baseball bat) in the kitchen, which he once used to deal with a rather loudmouthed cake. |
| 587 | * BerserkButton: |
| 588 | ** Don't make disparaging remarks about the ancient Vikings, as Kermit learned the hard way. |
| 589 | ** Don't insult Sweden either. |
| 590 | ** As evidenced by his appearance on ''Series/SportsCenter'', don't ask him for a hamburger. |
| 591 | * BigOlEyebrows: There's nothing up there ''but'' eyebrows. See EyelessFace below. |
| 592 | * BilingualBonus: His actual name, "Tom", is Swedish for "Empty". |
| 593 | * BlazingInfernoHellfireSauce: In one skit, he cooks up a batch of pepper sauce that sends steam shooting out of his ears. He adds even more spices and succeeds in blowing his toque -- and the top of his head -- clean off. |
| 594 | * BoisterousBruiser: He has a very jolly persona, singing a cheerful song in his intro, laughing a bit, and being very enthusiastic about his cooking, but he's also willing to use weapons or get into physical fights with his food, if necessary. |
| 595 | * BuffySpeak: Tends to refer to his cooking implements / weapons by nonsensical terms which aren't their correct names in English or Swedish. For instance, a gun gets called a "boom-boom" and a baseball bat gets called a "cakensmoosher". |
| 596 | * ButtMonkey: Nearly every episode ends with his ingredients or equipment getting the better of him. |
| 597 | * CharacterCatchphrase: Bork Bork Bork! (Accompanied by the Chef throwing aside whatever he is holding at the moment.) |
| 598 | * ChefOfIron: It's not so much that he uses cooking utensils as weapons (although he does)- he actually "cooks" with weapons including a "cakensmooscher" (a [[BatterUp baseball bat]]), a "boom-boom" (a [[GunsAndGunplayTropes blunderbuss]]), an ax, and more recently, a [[ChainsawGood chainsaw]] and a [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill bazooka]]. |
| 599 | * ChildishBangs: In his ''Muppet Babies'' appearances, he has long, shaggy bangs covering his eyes in place of his adult counterpart's bushy eyebrows. |
| 600 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: His over-the-top Swedish gibberish and his odd nicknames for his cooking equipment more than qualifies him to be the leader of Cloudcuckooland's kitchen. |
| 601 | * ComicallyMissingThePoint: "Piggy eaty ''hot doggy''?" |
| 602 | * CrazyPrepared: He keeps a battle ax, a chainsaw, and a bazooka in his kitchen ''on the infinitely small chance someone suggests he use them to cook''. |
| 603 | * CuteButPsycho: Swedish Chef is a likable character whose cooking segments are nothing short of charming but boy is this guy ''nuts''. So many of his individual shows involve him trying to cook animals who ''are still alive!''. He even tried to teach people how to cook frog legs by ''cutting off Robin's legs''. Thankfully, Kermit saved the day on that one. |
| 604 | * DependingOnTheWriter: Exactly how coherent he is varies wildly; sometimes, he'll be completely unintelligible (to the point of nearly saying "herp derp" ''verbatim''), while other times, his speech is just a slightly more gibbered version of English. |
| 605 | * TheDitz: He once offered Miss ''Piggy'' a ''hot dog''. Whilst she was looking for her missing dog Foo-Foo, no less. |
| 606 | * EvenTheSubtitlerIsStumped: Oftentimes, his dialogue will be subtitled as simply "(speaking gibberish)", with only the coherent English words in his speech being subbed properly. |
| 607 | * EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Everyone calls him "Swedish Chef" or just "Chef", although on the episode featuring Danny Kaye, the chef's Uncle (played by Kaye) revealed his actual full name, which was a string of mock Swedish syllables; he then admitted that the family just calls the Chef "Tom". |
| 608 | * EveryoneHasStandards: Plans to cook up Big Bird for ''A Muppet Family Christmas''...until he's personally touched by Big Bird's even bigger heart, and serves up some shredded wheat instead. |
| 609 | * EyelessFace: He has no visible eyes, only bushy eyebrows where eyes should be. His eyes have only been seen once in ''Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper'' as the result of a BlindingCameraFlash gag. It's every bit as unsettling to see as it sounds. |
| 610 | * EyesOutOfSight: His eyes are covered by his BigOlEyebrows. As a child in ''Muppet Babies'', they're instead covered by long bangs. |
| 611 | * {{Fauxreigner}}: Is sometimes acknowledged to not really speak Swedish. A 1985 VHS release claims that he was actually born in Denmark. |
| 612 | * FunWithSubtitles: His segment in ''Sex and Violence'' is subtitled in Chinese that has been mirrored left-to-right. |
| 613 | * FunnyForeigner: He's Swedish, and his humor comes from his Swedish-sounding gibberish and bizarre, ineffectual recipes. |
| 614 | * TheGhost: He wears a wedding ring as of 2007 and his wife has been mentioned a few times, but she never appears in person. |
| 615 | * IntelligibleUnintelligible: Whether or not most of his other co-workers can understand him is based on [[RuleOfFunny whatever is funnier]], but he has been shown on several occasions to be able to communicate with the equally unintelligible Beaker and {{Hulk Speak}}er Animal. |
| 616 | * {{Irony}}: In the Swedish dubbing, he is in fact the only character who '''doesn't''' speak Swedish. |
| 617 | * LethalChef: The very few times he does actually manage to complete a dish, it usually ends up as something the non-suicidal would not want to put in their mouths. Although he did make two seemingly fine pumpkin pies once, [[spoiler:with a bazooka]]. |
| 618 | * LiteralMinded: One time, he tried to make chocolate mousse by putting chocolate on a live moose. It was one of the few times Kermit had to cut his sketch short. |
| 619 | * NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: There's controversy over whether he's based on any specific person. Actual Swedish chef Lars Bäckman claims that the sketch was inspired by a disastrous cooking demonstration he did on an episode of ''Good Morning, America'' in TheSeventies, but writer Jerry Juhl denied this. Chef Tell, a longtime TV personality with a huge mustache and thick German accent, has also been suggested. Jim Henson himself told an interviewer that the chef's accent was inspired by the acting in Creator/IngmarBergman's films. If so, Henson may well have been familiar with ''Film/TheDove'', a 1968 American short film that was an AffectionateParody of Bergman's work, with all the dialogue in goofy subtitled mock-Swedish (like translating "cow" as "moo-ska"). |
| 620 | * NonStandardCharacterDesign: The only Muppet to be designed to use the puppeteer's exposed hands, which Frank Oz performed while Jim Henson did the voice and worked the head. While other Muppets are operated by two performers at a time, and the process of one performer playing both hands of a Muppet is also used for Rowlf and Dr. Teeth, those involve the hands performer wearing gloves. In the Chef's case, it takes a lot of dexterity to be that clumsy. Promotional pictures, such as the one above, are the only times he's depicted with fabric hands. |
| 621 | * NorseByNorsewest: [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative Perhaps the most famous Scandinavian puppet character in the world]]. He once danced merrily and sang a Swedish song when Kermit introduced Victor Borge as the episode's guest star, only to then get angry when Kermit reminded him that [[MistakenNationality Victor Borge is not Swedish, but Danish]]. Almost certainly an intentional jab at foreign countries' tendency to mix up Sweden, Norway and Denmark, if they even remember the latter exists at all. |
| 622 | * NotTheIntendedUse: He does this all the time, using items such as firearms, sports equipment, and hand tools to cook his dishes. |
| 623 | * OncePerEpisode: Doing a little song and dance, then throwing some cooking utensils over his shoulder. Frank Oz challenged himself to try to knock over every single item on the back wall. He only ever managed it once, though he also hit at least one of the plates on a few occasions. |
| 624 | * RunningGag: In one episode, after becoming angry with a chicken for laying ping pong balls instead of eggs, he decides to cook it instead, resulting in him chasing the bird for the remainder of the episode, even into other sketches (before the chicken started chasing him back). |
| 625 | * TeamChef: He seems to actually cook food ''for'' the cast as well as on-stage. There are a couple of gags where other cast members suggest ordering out for pizza instead after one of his mishaps. |
| 626 | * TheUnintelligible: Mostly speaks in Swedish-sounding gibberish. |
| 627 | * VocalEvolution: Bill Barretta's voice for the Chef is deeper and huskier than Jim Henson's original performance. Matt Danner's take on him for ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies2018'' is higher-pitched and prone to cracking. |
| 628 | [[/folder]] |
| 629 | |
| 630 | [[folder:Statler and Waldorf]] |
| 631 | [[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/statlerWaldorf_3872.png]] |
| 632 | ->'''Statler performed by:''' Richard Hunt (1976-1990), Jerry Nelson (1975, 1992-2003), Steve Whitmire (2002-2016), Peter Linz (2017-present) |
| 633 | -> '''Statler voiced by:''' Dave Coulier (''Muppet Babies (1984)''), Eric Bauza (''Muppet Babies (2018)'') |
| 634 | ->'''Waldorf performed by:''' Jim Henson (1975-1990), Dave Goelz (1992-present) |
| 635 | -> '''Waldorf voiced by:''' Dave Coulier (''Muppet Babies (1984)''), Matt Danner (''Muppet Babies (2018)'') |
| 636 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence'' (1975) |
| 637 | |
| 638 | Two old men who sit in the balcony of the Muppet Theater, Statler and Waldorf have become the patron saints of {{Caustic Critic}}s everywhere. They've never sat through a show that they didn't hate. Statler sits on the viewer's right, with gray hair and thick eyebrows; Waldorf, on the viewer's left, has white hair and a mustache. |
| 639 | |
| 640 | [[JustForFun/StatlerAndWaldorf See also their own article.]] |
| 641 | ---- |
| 642 | * AudienceParticipation: Anytime the two appeared onstage on ''The Muppet Show''. They aren't actually part of ''The Muppet Show'''s staff; they're just audience members. In a different sense, any time they heckled the stage also qualifies. |
| 643 | ** When they DID get on stage, they proved they could back up their big mouths, like when they did a rousing performance of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2YqBO_rofA/ "Varsity Drag"]] and when they knocked it out of the park with their soulful version of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBChe4XQEvs/ "It Was A Very Good Year."]] Like any real critic, they know from whence they heckle. And any time a performance went full Vaudeville, they were the first to sing along with the chorus. |
| 644 | * BeenThereShapedHistory: A relatively minor case -- Statler claims to have inspired the 1957 song "Fire Down Below". |
| 645 | -->'''Waldorf:''' Ah, "Fire Down Below" -- great number. |
| 646 | -->'''Statler:''' Thanks. |
| 647 | -->'''Waldorf:''' "Thanks"? You didn't write "Fire Down Below". |
| 648 | -->'''Statler:''' No, but the guy who did had just had a bowl of my chili! |
| 649 | * BileFascination: InUniverse. They keep complaining how awful the show is, but they attend it every night just to give negative comments on it. |
| 650 | * CaptiveAudience: One episode ends with them calling for Kermit to unlock the doors and let them out; ''Ride/MuppetVision3D'' has them state that they're bolted to the seats. |
| 651 | * CausticCritic : On the rare occasions when they enjoy a number, they'll complain about the fact that the show is ruining its reputation -- for uniformly ''bad'' material. |
| 652 | * CharacterCatchphrase: Doh-ho-ho-ho-Hoh! ... though they never actually use this version in the show proper. |
| 653 | * CharacterizationMarchesOn: In ''The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence'' pilot, the two talked a lot more slowly and sounded like a couple of weak, tired, dying old men. When ''The Muppet Show'' proper began, they started talking and reacting a lot quicker and became more lively and energetic. Their gimmick was also different -- they just sat in a living room talking with each other and making quips at whatever they felt like. It wasn’t until ''The Muppet Show'' began airing that the two got their proper roles as a pair of hecklers who didn’t like much of what they saw. On the 1990s revival ''Series/MuppetsTonight'', they were living in a retirement home and watching the show on TV, but still kept reeling off their snarky comebacks. |
| 654 | * DeadpanSnarker: The whole point of their existence is for them to snark at everything. |
| 655 | * DirtyCoward: Statler, as proven when the ''Titanic'' sank... He still has the dress he used to get onto the lifeboat. |
| 656 | * TheDragAlong: One episode suggests they stick around because Kermit locks the doors on them. |
| 657 | * EveryoneHasStandards: They'll regularly heckle the performers and gloss over everything that happens with a joke, but in the Kenny Rogers episode when Kermit gets hurt during a stunt, Statler at least shows some genuine concern and hopes he's ok. |
| 658 | ** Statler is genuinely solemn (albeit for a few moments) when Fozzie makes a joke about the ''[[UsefulNotes/RMSTitanic Titanic]]''. |
| 659 | --->'''Waldorf:''' That's pretty funny. |
| 660 | --->'''Statler:''' No, it isn't. |
| 661 | --->'''Waldorf:''' Hmm? |
| 662 | --->'''Statler:''' I was on that ship. [[DudeNotFunny It wasn't funny then and it isn't funny now]]! |
| 663 | ** Even they can't help but jubilantly sing along to "Turn the World Around." |
| 664 | * EvilOldFolks: Not usually, since they’re just rude hecklers and not actually evil, but in the ''Muppet Spies'' GBA game, they’re the final boss. |
| 665 | * {{Flanderization}}: In ''The Muppet Show'', they were audience members who constantly complained about the show. However, while they complained a lot during the show, they didn't complain about everything. Indeed, when it came to classic vaudeville numbers, they were positively enthusiastic and would even sing along, and rarely had anything negative to say about the guest stars. They show up in various roles later, where they complain about everything and seem to have never had a positive experience in their lives. It reaches its zenith in ''Film/TheMuppetsAtWaltDisneyWorld'', where they complain about having nothing to complain about. |
| 666 | * GoodOldWays: They love the more old-fashioned vaudeville and burlesque acts, even performing a few themselves. Their whole heckling style is an old vaudeville bit as well. |
| 667 | * GreekChorus: They'll comment on the numbers just completed, usually managing to work in a pun or joke themselves. |
| 668 | * [[GrumpyOldMan Grumpy Old Men]]: Their entire shtick is complaining about pretty much everything. |
| 669 | * GuiltyPleasures: It's why they show up: for all their purported disdain for the show, they love it all the same, if only because they can mock and jeer at the performers. |
| 670 | -->'''Statler:''' This show is awful.\ |
| 671 | '''Waldorf:''' Terrible!\ |
| 672 | '''Statler:''' Disgusting!\ |
| 673 | '''Waldorf:''' See you next week?\ |
| 674 | '''Statler:''' Of course. |
| 675 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: They're almost always seen together. Both men are also married -- Waldorf's wife Astoria appears alongside him in one episode, while Statler mentions a wife multiple times (including a "third wife" in the Linda Lavin episode) and has an infant grandson appear in one episode. |
| 676 | * HiddenDepths: The two of them can speak perfect Mock Swedish, demonstrated in one of their scenes with the Chef himself in their booth. |
| 677 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Their hearts are in the right place despite their rudeness. |
| 678 | * LiteralMinded: On a few occasions, such as Waldorf calling for a tea break and Statler promptly knocking a teacup off the balcony so it breaks on the floor below (Waldorf even lampshades it: "Literal chap, isn't he?"). In another episode, they agree to "flip for it" ("it" being the chance to go backstage and meet the episode's guest), and instead of flipping a coin, Statler does a backflip. Later, Waldorf comments that "Sometimes, I tickle myself." While the phrase is normally metaphorical, he then proceeds to actually tickle himself. |
| 679 | * NotSoAboveItAll: While they're the first to complain about the show's quality, there are also quite a few instances where they'll happily join in with numbers, particularly if the songs are classic vaudeville tunes; "Simple Melody," "Varsity Drag," and "Wotcher Knocked 'Em in the Old Kent Road" are just a few examples. They even ''led'' a performance of "Take Ten Terrific Girls" in one episode! |
| 680 | * SarcasticDevotee: They may be hecklers, but they're members of the Muppet family all the same, and that will never change. |
| 681 | %%* ScatterBrainedSenior: As sharp as their wit may be, sometimes they can also be confused. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; please provide a specific example) |
| 682 | * ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Loud catcalls and heckling from the old men in the balcony. |
| 683 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: They've actually tried fleeing the theatre if they think the act's bad enough. Danny Kaye's episode ''begins'' with them doing this. They don't come back until the episode's over. |
| 684 | * SelfDeprecation: They make fun of ''everything'', including themselves. |
| 685 | -->'''Statler:''' Hey, we look like members of the rock age.\ |
| 686 | '''Waldorf:''' No, we look more like members of the Stone Age. |
| 687 | * SignatureLaugh: Their ever famous "Doh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!" |
| 688 | * {{Sour Supporter}}s: They almost constantly complain about the show, but they still show up to watch it every week. |
| 689 | * ThemeNaming: Named after hotels, of course. Waldorf's wife (who looks like Statler in drag) is named Astoria, completing the set. |
| 690 | * ThoseTwoGuys: You know what they say: misery loves company! |
| 691 | * VitriolicBestBuds: They heckle each other, too. "You old fool" is practically a pet name between them. |
| 692 | -->'''Waldorf:''' I have a good mind to leave!\ |
| 693 | '''Statler:''' If you had a "good mind" you wouldn't be here in the first place! |
| 694 | [[/folder]] |
| 695 | |
| 696 | !!The Electric Mayhem |
| 697 | [[folder:The band as a whole]] |
| 698 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/electricMayhem_9013.jpg]] |
| 699 | |
| 700 | A rock band consisting of Dr. Teeth on vocals and keyboards, Animal on drums (which he sometimes eats), Sgt. Floyd Pepper on bass guitar, Janice on guitar, and Zoot on saxophone. Lips later joined the band on trumpet. |
| 701 | ---- |
| 702 | * ArtistAndTheBand: Defied, but also discussed InUniverse. The band was originally known as “Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem”. Dr. Teeth frequently sings lead vocals, but in ''The Muppets Mayhem'' he insists that they're a democracy and he doesn't consider himself their leader. When the rest of the band admit they were never happy with the name, he decides that they should officially shorten it to The Electric Mayhem. |
| 703 | * AscendedExtra: ''Series/TheMuppetsMayhem'' focuses entirely on the band as they attempt to record their very first album. |
| 704 | * BunnyEarsLawyer: They're all spacey and disorganized to various degrees; but they're naturals when it comes to performing. |
| 705 | * DemotedToExtra: Throughout the '90s -- with only Animal maintaining a steady presence and involvement in stories. Likely a result of Jim Henson and Richard Hunt's passings. |
| 706 | * FakeBand: Sort of a fictional equivalent of the Saturday Night Live orchestra. |
| 707 | * FallenOnHardTimesJob: In ''The Muppets'', everyone save Animal has wound up busking. Animal's in therapy. |
| 708 | * HippieVan: ''The Muppets Movie'' gave them a bus painted with a psychadelic mural. ''Series/TheMuppets2015'' saw them switch to a smaller VW Microbus with an equally groovy paintjob. The Microbus was eventually destroyed in ''The Muppets Mayhem'', and they rediscover their original bus in the first season finale[[note]]The bus in this show is actually a replica as the original was sold after ''Muppets In Space'' and reportedly destroyed in a fire in 2009[[/note]]. |
| 709 | * MusicalThemeNaming: Most of them are [[NamedAfterSomebodyFamous named after famous musicians]]. |
| 710 | * OnlyOneName: Until ''The Muppets Mayhem'', only Floyd's full name was given. The aforementioned series revealed that Dr. Teeth’s full name is Dr. Gerald Teeth Jr., but the rest of the band members are still only known by singular names. |
| 711 | * TheStoner: It's occasionally implied that they're all this way, especially Zoot, who always seems kind of spaced out. In the 2015 series, Scooter and Bobo both note how the band is always happy... legally now. |
| 712 | [[/folder]] |
| 713 | |
| 714 | [[folder:Dr. Teeth]] |
| 715 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/23fc4458cb3bde0608c3a9d9f1728ac6.jpg]] |
| 716 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jim Henson (1975-1990), John Kennedy (1991-2003), Bill Barretta (2005-present) |
| 717 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence'' (1975) |
| 718 | |
| 719 | * CommitmentIssues: Whether in songwriting or relationships, he is ''terrified'' of putting any sort of anchor down. It turns out that this is because of his lifelong fear of being forced to give up the musical live he loves and go take over his parents' dental practice like he once promised them he would; he psychologically associates any commitment with the terror caused by that commitment. |
| 720 | * DelusionsOfEloquence: The cause of most of his WordSaladLyrics. |
| 721 | * EyeTake: Does them when he's surprised, causing his glasses to shoot up as well. |
| 722 | * TheGift: Even though Floyd spent years and years honing his craft between their meetings and Teeth's [[MyBelovedSmother overbearing mother]] prevented him from so much as touching an instrument in the meanwhile, Teeth could always keep up with him because of his raw natural talent for music. |
| 723 | * HisNameReallyIsBarkeep: ''The Muppets Mayhem'' reveals that the "Dr. Teeth" moniker isn't just a stage name; his full name is Gerald Teeth Jr., DDS, and he's actually a licensed dentist since his parents expected him to take over the family practice. |
| 724 | * MeaningfulName: He's one of the few Muppets with a full set of teeth, and his most prominent feature is his gold tooth cap. Also as revealed in ''The Muppets Mayhem'', he's technically a licensed dentist. |
| 725 | * NeverBareheaded: Until the action figure came out in 2002, he was never seen without a hat, often wearing his usual hat when dressed or or playing the role of The Cheshire Cat, and wearing a night cap when wearing pajamas (while the rest of the band didn't wear hats). The action figure had a removable hat, revealing that the character has a bald spot. The actual puppet wasn't seen hatless until a late-2000s group photo, and the first actual production to show him without his hat is ''Film/TheMuppets2011''. In the latter two cases, he's shown at angles where the bald spot can't be seen. |
| 726 | * NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: A parody of legendary New Orleans pianist[=/=]singer Dr. John, from his appearance, down to his voice, mannerisms and love of [[PerfectlyCromulentWord cromulent language]] (one classic Dr. John song is called "Mos' Scocious"). |
| 727 | * PerfectlyCromulentWord: Dr. Teeth struggles to get through a conversation without at least one vaguely comprehensible portmanteau. |
| 728 | * PimpDuds: His 'stage clothes' are vivid, striped and include those odd little shades. |
| 729 | * TheQuietOne: He doesn't tend to say a lot on the show if he's not singing (being voiced by Henson, who was usually busy doing Kermit, probably contributes a lot to that). Averted in ''The Muppets Mayhem'' where he gets plenty of lines due to the smaller cast size. |
| 730 | * ShrinkingViolet: Believe it or not, he was one in his youth, before meeting Floyd; he was a shy, subservient kid who followed everything his parents said with "Yes, Mama", until his passion for music caused him to gain confidence. |
| 731 | * StrongFamilyResemblance: His parents are introduced in ''The Muppets Mayhem''; while he gets his red hair from his mother, he mainly looks a lot like his father. |
| 732 | [[/folder]] |
| 733 | |
| 734 | [[folder:Sgt. Floyd Pepper]] |
| 735 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/floyd_thoughtful.jpg]] |
| 736 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jerry Nelson (1975-2003), Matt Vogel (2008-present) |
| 737 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence'' (1975) |
| 738 | |
| 739 | * AuthorAvatar: Of Jerry Nelson, somewhat. Nelson imagined that Floyd had taken an artistic path similar to his own, starting as a beatnik who loved jazz and poetry, then transitioning to being a hippie and finally to mainstream rock and roll "because he needed a job," but drawing the line at punk. Floyd even [[InkSuitActor resembles Nelson to a degree]]. |
| 740 | * BullyingADragon: Has an unfortunate tendency to bait Miss Piggy. He can't even ''compliment'' her without doing this (see ''Film/AMuppetFamilyChristmas''). |
| 741 | * CloudCuckoolander: Has shades of this in the 2015 series -- for example, he believes that the Earth revolves around the Moon and that's why winter occurs. |
| 742 | * DeadpanSnarker: He's full of snarky comments and lampshades. In one episode he even takes over for Statler and Waldorf for a while. |
| 743 | * DemotedToExtra: Downplayed, but on the show, Floyd was the band member most involved with episode plots and backstage events, while in the movies, he's just one of the band. |
| 744 | * HiddenDepths: He may not seem like the outdoor type but he knows how to pack for a swamp camping trip. After all, he ''was'' an actual sergeant once. |
| 745 | * HisNameReallyIsBarkeep: The "Sgt" isn't just a stage title; he really ''was'' in the army, though he was dishonorable discharged for turning "Taps" into a jazz number. |
| 746 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Not afraid to poke fun at others, but he still is plenty nice. |
| 747 | * KickTheDog: He shoves Miss Piggy's dog into a drawer just because he couldn't be bothered looking after it, sending Miss Piggy into a panic, while he cackles about it. Once she found her dog again... well, Floyd probably felt sorry after she was done with him. |
| 748 | * KidWithTheLeash: He's the only one with any sort of control over Animal. A literal ''chain'' leash, mind you. |
| 749 | * LeadBassist: He frequently sings lead vocals and is usually the one that deals with Kermit in backstage scenes. ''The Muppets Mayhem'' establishes that he was the one that encouraged Dr. Teeth to get into music, effectively making him the founding member of the band. |
| 750 | * MeaningfulName: His name is Floyd and he's [[Music/PinkFloyd pink]]. There's also the [[Music/TheBeatles Sgt. Pepper]] reference. |
| 751 | * TheNicknamer: For example, he has dubbed Kermit "Green Stuff", "Green Thing", "[[CanisLatinicus Frogis amphibius]]" and "Swamp Brother". |
| 752 | * OfficialCouple: With Janice. |
| 753 | * OnlySaneMan: At least at first. Of the members of the band he's the least eccentric, and even among the entire cast he's typically the "laid back, normal one." Many of his appearances on ''The Muppet Show'' involve him watching and making snide comments as craziness goes on around him. In later series, however, he became somewhat sillier -- see CloudCuckooLander. |
| 754 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: He tried quitting in the first season, because he didn't like the theme song. Which he ''wrote'', by the way. |
| 755 | * SecondLove: In the first season, Janice was often seen with Zoot. |
| 756 | * SignatureLaugh: His wheezing "Ahhh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh". |
| 757 | * SillyWalk: A distinctive, pronounced strut. |
| 758 | * TheStoner: He even smokes a hookah in the ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'' parody episode. |
| 759 | * SunglassesAtNight: First season only. |
| 760 | * TeamDad: ''Series/TheMuppetsMayhem'' expands on his role as Animal's "handler" to establish him as this. Flashbacks show that ''he'' was a mentor figure to ''Dr. Teeth'', encouraging him to get into music as a young man; and that he essentially adopted Animal as a baby. |
| 761 | * TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: Invoked. He mentions in one episode that he hates composing, because he doesn't like the music that results. |
| 762 | --> '''Floyd:''' If I didn't ''know'' I was a genius, ''I'' wouldn't listen to the trash I write! |
| 763 | [[/folder]] |
| 764 | |
| 765 | [[folder:Zoot]] |
| 766 | [[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zoot.png]] |
| 767 | ->'''Performed by:''' Dave Goelz |
| 768 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence'' (1975) |
| 769 | |
| 770 | * CameraFiend: ''The Muppets Mayhem'' sees him constantly taking pictures with his Polaroid camera and using the pictures to decorate the ceiling of their van and bus. TheStinger for each episode is a new CouchGag of him trying to take a picture and having something funny happen. |
| 771 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He's very much stuck in his own little world a lot of the time, and as a result he barely ever seems to pay attention to anything that goes on around him. If he says anything, it's 99% guaranteed to be a NonSequitur. |
| 772 | * CoolShades: He wears his sunglasses at all times. |
| 773 | * CouchGag: During TheStinger, he'd blow a loud, off-key final note on his sax. Sometimes something... odd... would happen. |
| 774 | * DivergentCharacterEvolution / EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Something of an odd example. In the first season, Floyd Pepper made few appearances, due to the unavailability of his performer. During this time, Zoot essentially played Floyd's role on the show outside of musical numbers, which is why he is much more verbal during this period, as well as dating Janice. When Floyd became a full-time cast member, Zoot rescinded his duties and became the silent, low-key character we know today. |
| 775 | * ForgetfulJones: Zoot forgets things easily, even his own name. His CameraFiend habit is a way of helping himself remember things. |
| 776 | * HeavySleeper: It's implied he once slept for three months straight. |
| 777 | * InformedJudaism: Revealed in ''Film/AMuppetsChristmasLettersToSanta'' when he's shown with a menorah. |
| 778 | * PerpetualFrowner: Often has this look, thanks to the natural downcurl of his mouth when he's not speaking, and the fact his shades hide his eyes. |
| 779 | * TheQuietOne: He was far more talkative in the first season of ''The Muppet Show,'' but later on evolved into this. He'll make the occasional comment -- sometimes, like in ''Series/TheMuppetsMayhem'' he can be downright chatty when he's in the mood -- but for the most part he leaves the talking to the others, expressing himself with music rather than words. |
| 780 | * [[ShyBlueHairedGirl Shy Blue Haired Guy]]: Unlike the other band members, he hardly ever talks. |
| 781 | * StarvingArtist: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAomKAMN2Pw Revealed]] that he's been sleeping in a phone booth for three months. This isn't quite an example, though; Zoot seems to imply that he's been sleeping for the entirety of those three months. |
| 782 | * TheStoner: Even more so than Floyd. |
| 783 | -->'''Floyd:''' Uh-oh. Zoot skipped a groove again! |
| 784 | [[/folder]] |
| 785 | |
| 786 | [[folder:Animal]] |
| 787 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/animal_eat_drums.png]] |
| 788 | ->'''Performed by:''' Frank Oz (1975-2000), Eric Jacobson (2002-present) |
| 789 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/HowieMandel (''Muppet Babies (1984)'' seasons 1-2), Creator/DaveCoulier (''Muppet Babies (1984)'' seasons 3-7), Hal Rayle (''The Little Muppet Monsters''), Creator/DeeBradleyBaker (''Muppet Babies (2018)'') |
| 790 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence'' (1975) |
| 791 | |
| 792 | [[SelfDemonstrating/{{Animal}} See also his self-demonstrating article]]. |
| 793 | ---- |
| 794 | * AggressiveNegotiations: His idea of discussing the band's discontentment with Kermit... well, you can probably guess. He attacks Kermit, throttles him and squashes him. |
| 795 | * AllAnimalsAreDogs: Whatever Animal is (besides a Muppet), he displays many dog-like attributes, like a need for walks, and a tendency to chase cars. |
| 796 | * AllDrummersAreAnimals: [[invoked]] A comment about him by Buddy Rich is the {{Trope Namer|s}}. According to legend, he was based upon [[Music/TheWho Keith Moon]]. |
| 797 | * BarefootCartoonAnimal: He usually only wears a front-open T-shirt and tattered pants. |
| 798 | * BerserkButton: |
| 799 | ** Don't suggest he's getting replaced. [[Recap/TheMuppetShowS4E7 Dudley Moore learns that one the hard way]], as does the band in ''The Muppets Mayhem'' after he runs away enraged after hearing an offhand comment about how with a drum machine, they don't need Animal anymore. |
| 800 | ** Don't ask him to play classical music. He'll ''try'', but Animal just can't take it for very long. |
| 801 | * BigEater: He has an endless appetite, even for things that [[ExtremeOmnivore aren't food]]. |
| 802 | * BreakoutCharacter: From season two of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' onwards, he's a prominent part of the main Muppet cast, gets more merchandise than ''Kermit'', and is the member of the Electric Mayhem seen most often without his bandmates (he's probably the second-biggest example of this next to Miss Piggy). He was even the mascot of the U.S. snowboarding team for the 1998 Winter Olympics! |
| 803 | * BunnyEarsLawyer: The biggest example out of the band; he's a crazed... well, Animal; but he has naturally perfect rhythm, making him a fantastic drummer. It also extends into other areas, like hibachi cooking and Tik-Tok dances. |
| 804 | * CartoonCreature: Is he a human? [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin An animal]]? A whatever? The most plausible explanation is that he's a [[OurMonstersAreDifferent monster]] like the ones on ''Series/SesameStreet''. |
| 805 | * CharacterCatchphrase: Whenever he messes something up: |
| 806 | -->"Sorrrrrry!" |
| 807 | * DoorstepBaby: ''The Muppets Mayhem'' establishes that he was dumped on Floyd's doorstep as a baby, locked in a cage with a note saying "KEEP". Floyd still has the note tucked into his guitar case. |
| 808 | * DumbAndDrummer: Once, when Kermit was too busy to answer a knock, he asked Animal to get the door. Animal [[LiteralMinded got it by ripping it off its hinges and bringing it to the frog]]. |
| 809 | -->'''Animal:''' Here door! |
| 810 | * EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: |
| 811 | ** In the Muppet rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, he only gets as far as "Mama..." Then he starts looking for her and shouting "Mama!" overjoyed at the prospect of seeing his dearest mother. When he doesn't find her, he begins searching for his father. |
| 812 | ** Later, they made a short celebratory video when the Bohemian Rhapsody parody won a Webby Award. The episode is just Animal calling his mama and excitedly telling her they won a Webby... the punchline being that he only caught her voice mail. The implications are that the second he heard his mother's voice, he completely geeked out with excitement. That is ADORABLE. |
| 813 | ** A picture book from 1983, "The Case of the Missing Mother," also revolves around Animal trying to find his mother, in this case because she moved and he lost her new address. |
| 814 | * EvilDetectingDog: Well, not a dog (probably), but similar mentality. In ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted'', when Constantine replaces Kermit, he's the only one to realize it right away, and doesn't trust him. |
| 815 | -->'''Animal:''' Bad froggy! |
| 816 | * ExtremeOmnivore: He even tries to eat his drums sometimes. |
| 817 | * FieryRedhead: Has orange fur and is wild. |
| 818 | * TheHeart: ''The Muppets Mayhem'' makes it clear to which degree he is this to his band. While he's a lot wilder and more uncontrollable than most examples of the trope, he's also very sweet underneath all that wildness, and the other band members treat him like their rowdy but lovable kid brother. In "[[Recap/TheMuppetsMayhemS1E3Track3ExileOnMainStreet Track 3: Exile on Main Street]]", they even refer to him as "the heartbeat of the band" and find themselves unable to play when he's not there. [[spoiler:It's also telling that Animal is the one who gets everyone back together in the last episode.]] |
| 819 | * HiddenDepths: Has a love for Impressionist paintings with Pierre-Auguste Renoir being his personal favorite. |
| 820 | * HulkSpeak: Usually Animal tends to speak in short sentences, often just one or two words shouted at the top of his voice. |
| 821 | * LargeHam: So much so that Miss Piggy almost seems subdued by comparison. |
| 822 | * LiteralMinded: Asking Animal to get the door was not Kermit's smartest decision. |
| 823 | * OnlySaneMan: Of all people, he's [[EvilDetectingDog the only one to know from the start that Constantine isn't Kermit]] in ''Muppets Most Wanted'', and Walter eventually starts to become suspicious as well. |
| 824 | * RealMenWearPink: Even Animal cries at weddings... provided he's been told he's supposed to cry, first. |
| 825 | * SignatureLaugh: "AH-HA-HA-HA-HA." Yep, Animal even ''laughs'' in Hulk Speak. |
| 826 | * SoreLoser: Not one to take defeat lightly, as Buddy Rich finds out when he beats Animal in a drum-off. Animal throws a drum at his head. |
| 827 | * SpeakOfTheDevil: Some guest stars are afraid to mention him by name, just in case it sets him off. |
| 828 | * SucksAtDancing: "ONE, TWO, THREE, '''''[[WrestlerInAllOfUs DIP!!!]]'''''" |
| 829 | * TooKinkyToTorture: At the end of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_IpgKzy75E Fever]]", his duet with Creator/RitaMoreno, she smashes him in the face with cymbals. His response? |
| 830 | -->'''Animal:''' '''''MY KIND OF WOMAN!!!''''' |
| 831 | * TheUnfettered: Not in the literal sense, of course. He's the one cast member who regularly has to be chained down. |
| 832 | * TheUnintelligible: Sometimes, though some of the guests understand him anyhow. He's actually ''more'' eloquent when he's like this than not. |
| 833 | [[/folder]] |
| 834 | |
| 835 | [[folder:Janice]] |
| 836 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/janice_m15.jpg]] |
| 837 | ->'''Performed by:''' Fran Brill (1975), Eren Ozker (1976-1977), Richard Hunt (1977-1991), Brian Henson (2002-2003), Tyler Bunch (2005), David Rudman (2008-present) |
| 838 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Dave Coulier (''Muppet Babies (1984)''), Matt Vogel (''Muppet [=RaceMania=]'') |
| 839 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence'' (1975) |
| 840 | * CharacterCatchphrase: While she has a lot of ValleyGirl-related speech patterns, "Fer sure" tends to stick out as this for her. In ''The Muppets Mayhem'', her Instagram followers (who later become an outright cult) call themselves the "Fersurleans". |
| 841 | * CharacterTics: She tends to sway from side to side when she speaks, except in Veterinarian's Hospital, where there's not as much room to maneuver, so she doesn't. |
| 842 | * CrossdressingVoices: Averted in the ''Sex and Violence'' pilot and the first season of ''The Muppet Show,'' when she's played by actual women (Fran Brill for the pilot and Eren Ozker for the show proper). From the second season on, she was passed over to Richard Hunt, who created her ValleyGirl persona, and ever since then she's been a prime example of the trope. |
| 843 | * EyesAlwaysShut: Her original concept drawing actually had ''no'' eyes, but the actual puppet became this. That said, she's been seen with her eyes open twice -- once in her chicken form when a Cluckitus epidemic spread on ''The Muppet Show'' and the other time was in ''Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper'' as the result of a BlindingCameraFlash gag. |
| 844 | * GenderFlip: Also, her original concept drawing indicated that she was male and heavily inspired by Music/MickJagger. |
| 845 | * GranolaGirl: Especially in later productions, she's heavily into New Age, spiritual endeavors. In ''The Muppets Mayhem'', her food orders are vegan. |
| 846 | * LivingLieDetector: It's revealed in ''Series/TheMuppetsMayhem'' that she's allergic to lies, and starts sneezing excessively when people lie to her. |
| 847 | * OfficialCouple: With Floyd. Though she was paired with Zoot in the first season. |
| 848 | * TheSmurfettePrinciple: Downplayed. While she isn’t the only female Muppet, she is the only female on the Electric Mayhem's roster. |
| 849 | * TenderTomboyishnessFoulFemininity: She's certainly more laid-back and friendly than Miss Piggy, that's "fer sure". |
| 850 | * ThoseTwoGuys: In the Veterinarian's Hospital, Janice is one of Dr. Bob's nurses alongside Ms. Piggy. |
| 851 | * TomboyAndGirlyGirl: By contrast to the ridiculously feminine diva Miss Piggy, Janice is more likely to hang out and jam with The Electric Mayhem. |
| 852 | * ValleyGirl: "Like, you know, fer sure!" |
| 853 | * VerbalTic: She tends to start a lot of her sentences with "Oh, wow!". |
| 854 | [[/folder]] |
| 855 | |
| 856 | [[folder:Lips]] |
| 857 | %% |
| 858 | %%Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1662148548079501100 |
| 859 | %%Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread. |
| 860 | %% |
| 861 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lips_8.png]] |
| 862 | ->'''Performed by:''' Steve Whitmire (1980-2016), Peter Linz (2017-present) |
| 863 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1980) |
| 864 | |
| 865 | * TheBusCameBack: |
| 866 | ** Reappears in ''Film/TheMuppets2011'', although completely divorced from the rest of the band. |
| 867 | ** Before that, he returned as part of The Electric Mayhem in the 2009 ''Christmas at Rockfellar Center'' appearance. |
| 868 | ** He rejoined the Electric Mayhem in ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted''. |
| 869 | ** And in ''Series/TheMuppetsMayhem'' he's a major character, getting more screen time and development than ever before. |
| 870 | * ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Disappeared for more than a decade after ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol'', but was phased back in again starting in 2009... in true Muppet fashion, with no explanation as to where he had been all those years. |
| 871 | * EyesAlwaysShut: The only times Lips' eyes have been seen open is in ''Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper'' as the result of a BlindingCameraFlash gag and in ''Series/TheMuppetsMayhem'' during a hallucination. |
| 872 | * HistoryWithCelebrity: ''The Muppets Mayhem'' reveals that, while the band as a whole has history with various other musicians, Lips in particular has a surprising number of connections. Some examples are convincing Music/{{Kesha}} to drop the dollar sign from her name, inspiring Music/TheBangles' song "Walk Like an Egyptian", babysitting Music/SofiaCarson, and introducing Music/PaulaAbdul to MC Skat Kat. |
| 873 | * LivingProp: When Steve Whitmire was playing him. They only made him so Steve Whitmire would have his own character in the band. He got no CharacterDevelopment, no characterization, and virtually no dialogue, and the band still works just as well with the original five. He grew out of the role after Peter Linz took him over, becoming more of the [[TheUnintelligible semi]]-dispenser of wisdom, as well as the most resourceful and well-connected of the band. |
| 874 | * PhotographicMemory: Apparently he has a perfect memory for lyrics, assuming you can understand what he's singing. |
| 875 | * TheQuietOne: The number of times he spoke can be counted on the fingers of one hand. This is because Steve Whitmire wanted him to have a Music/LouisArmstrong voice, but was worried it might come off as offensive. |
| 876 | * RememberTheNewGuy: They never bothered to explain why the band had a new member. |
| 877 | * TheUnintelligible: Kind of downplayed, but as of ''Series/TheMuppetsMayhem'', he speaks in a semi-indecipherable mumble. You can make out bits of his dialogue, but key words tend to be incomprehensible to all except the other band members... and [[AscendedFanboy Moog]]. |
| 878 | [[/folder]] |
| 879 | |
| 880 | !!Pigs in Space |
| 881 | [[folder:Link Hogthrob]] |
| 882 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/actor_link_hogthrob_20322_large.jpeg]] |
| 883 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jim Henson (1977-1990), Steve Whitmire (2000-2016), Peter Linz (2017-present) |
| 884 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Bob Bergen (''Little Muppet Monsters'') |
| 885 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1977) |
| 886 | |
| 887 | Imagine Creator/WilliamShatner with double the ego, half the brains, and a pig's snout. Link, star of the ''Pigs In Space'' sketches, considers himself a gifted actor, a brave action star, and irresistible to the lady pigs. Needless to say, he falls short in all of those categories. |
| 888 | ---- |
| 889 | * AmbiguouslyGay: As much as a TV show in the 70s-80s could allow. When a female guest flirts with him and invites him to dance, he gets very nervous and tries to beg off. There was that time he flirted with Fozzie when the bear was disguised as Miss Piggy, when the rest of the time he barely tolerates his co-star. And then there's leading a gang of pigs in singing "Macho Man" in full leather get-up... |
| 890 | * BrainlessBeauty: He considers himself handsome, though he isn't very smart. |
| 891 | * TheBusCameBack: He returns in the 2011 movie, appearing regularly in the background or in group scenes. He even has a major role in the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" musical number, singing as a member of the Muppet Barbershop Quartet with Sam, Rowlf and Beaker. As a result, this is the biggest role that Link has ever had in any of the theatrical Muppet films to date. Link also has a good amount of lines and screentime in ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted''. |
| 892 | * TheCaptain: In the ''Pigs in Space'' sketches, to the extent where he even says this to the faces of the crew members on occasion. |
| 893 | * DaChief: In the ''Bear on Patrol'' sketches with Fozzie. |
| 894 | * DemotedToExtra: If your familiarity with the Muppets is only with the movies, it comes as a surprise to see what a major character this guy was on ''The Muppet Show'' proper. After Jim Henson died, however, Link pretty much [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome disappeared.]] |
| 895 | * DodgyToupee: The wig he wears isn't his real hair, a clear nod to one of Shatner's most infamous quirks. |
| 896 | * FakeUltimateHero: He calls himself brave. Nothing could be further from the truth. |
| 897 | * FantasticRacism: He's a little ''too'' proud to be a pig. |
| 898 | %%* GeneralFailure |
| 899 | * IdiotHero: He is very stupid. Case in point, when the ''Swinetrek'' is hit by dummo rays, they only afflict the stupid. Dr. Strangepork and Ms. Piggy are entirely unfazed, while Link is rendered a vegetable. |
| 900 | * LanternJawOfJustice: With a cleft you could lose spare change in. |
| 901 | * MommasBoy: A few jokes here and there, such as his response to bad situations being calling for her, and the fact she still sews his name into his underwear for him. |
| 902 | %%* MilesGloriosus |
| 903 | * NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Quite a number of people consider him to be a parody of Creator/WilliamShatner. |
| 904 | * OfCorsetsFunny: It's revealed he wears one, as part of his vain personality and Shatner-esque qualities. |
| 905 | * SmallNameBigEgo: He considers himself to be a lady's man, smart, gifted, etc. |
| 906 | * StayInTheKitchen: He's got some pretty archaic ideas about a woman's duty on the ship. Even though Miss Piggy is his first mate, he expects her to do things like the laundry. |
| 907 | [[/folder]] |
| 908 | |
| 909 | [[folder:Dr. Julius Strangepork]] |
| 910 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dr_julius_strangepork.png]] |
| 911 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jerry Nelson (1977-2003), Matt Vogel (2009-present) |
| 912 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Greg Berg (''Little Muppet Monsters'') |
| 913 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1977) |
| 914 | |
| 915 | ''Pigs in Space'''s German-accented science officer, forever the bearer of bad news, and the only crewman on the ''Swinetrek'' who takes his job seriously. Outside of this role, Julius' performances are few and far between. |
| 916 | ---- |
| 917 | * DelusionsOfEloquence: Not used by himself, but the narrator always introduces him in this way ("And the ubiquitous / [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness sesquipedalian]] / inexplicable Dr Julius Strangepork!" |
| 918 | * DemotedToExtra: Didn't appear much on the show outside of [[PunctuatedForEmphasis PIGS ... IN ... SPAAAACE!]] anyway but has made a few background cameos here and there. |
| 919 | * HerrDoktor: The science officer in Pigs In Space. |
| 920 | * OnlySaneMan: Trapped on a spaceship, facing constant hazards and hostile aliens, with no company other than two self-absorbed twits for years... poor Strangepork. |
| 921 | * SatelliteCharacter: For Link. The official Muppets website even spelled this out in his bio. |
| 922 | [[/folder]] |
| 923 | |
| 924 | [[folder:The Announcer]] |
| 925 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/characterannouncer_1.jpg]] |
| 926 | ->'''Performed by:''' John Lovelady (1976-1977), Jerry Nelson (1976-2011), Matt Vogel (2016-present) |
| 927 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1976) |
| 928 | |
| 929 | The announcer for ''Pigs In Space'', ''Veterinarians' Hospital'' and ''Bear on Patrol''. |
| 930 | ---- |
| 931 | * LemonyNarrator: Some of his announcements are quite strange, such as telling the audience to tune in in two weeks time... to miss the previous week's episode. |
| 932 | * NarratorAllAlong: In the series finale (with Creator/GeneKelly), the narrator reveals to be a blue whatnot muppet. |
| 933 | * PunctuatedForEmphasis: PIGS! IN! SPACE! |
| 934 | [[/folder]] |
| 935 | |
| 936 | !!Other Characters |
| 937 | [[folder:Crazy Harry]] |
| 938 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/crazyHarry_219.jpg]] |
| 939 | ->'''Performed by:''' John Lovelady (1974, 1976-1977), Richard Hunt (1975), Jerry Nelson (1977-2003), Rickey Boyd (2005), Matt Vogel (2008-present) |
| 940 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppets Valentine Show'' (1974) |
| 941 | |
| 942 | A wacko even by the Muppets' standards, Harry doesn't do much other than detonate random explosions, laughing all the while. Needless to say, he's something of a fan favourite. His personality was based on Muppet builder Don Sahlin, who had a similar fondness for wacky pranks that, yes, involved explosions. |
| 943 | ---- |
| 944 | * AxCrazy: The description for the trope is "a deranged character prone to random violence". Harry [[MadBomber more than fits]]. |
| 945 | * CrazyPrepared: Harry is constantly seen detonating explosives... Explosives that logically would need to be set up ahead of time. |
| 946 | * CreepyShadowedUndereyes: A prominent part of his design. |
| 947 | * EpicFail: In ''The Muppets'', he's so out of practice, his attempts to blow stuff up only blows himself up. |
| 948 | * EveryoneHasStandards: |
| 949 | ** A subtle example. During the song "Comedy Tonight", a monster is seen chasing and terrorizing a little girl. Harry looks at the scene for a few seconds before blowing the monster up. |
| 950 | ** Another segment focuses on him and some Whatnots doing target practice with a cannon… And naturally shooting everything ''except'' the target. The final shot winds up going into the wall near Statler and Waldorf’s theater box, and Harry looks genuinely upset about it. |
| 951 | * HiddenDepths: He's in the theatre's band. He plays the triangle. |
| 952 | * LaughingMad: Half the time he does nothing but laugh while blowing things up. |
| 953 | * MadBomber: His entire personality is blowing stuff up when you least expect him to. |
| 954 | * PlungerDetonator: He always carries one of these around with him, all the better to set an explosion off. |
| 955 | * SlasherSmile: His default expression is a wide, toothy grin appropriate for someone who loves nothing more than blowing things up. |
| 956 | * SpeakOfTheDevil: Words like boom or dynamite often prompt him to appear pull his plunger. |
| 957 | -->'''Crazy Harry:''' Did someone say "Dynamite"? ''[Kaboom!]'' |
| 958 | * StuffBlowingUp: What he specializes in. He'll show up whenever someone says "dynamite". Or "explosion". Or, at one point, "fish". He then presses down on a plunger trigger, and things go boom. Presumably, the entire stage is always wired, just in case. |
| 959 | [[/folder]] |
| 960 | |
| 961 | [[folder:Beauregard]] |
| 962 | [[quoteright:621:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/beauregard.png]] |
| 963 | ->'''Performed by:''' Dave Goelz |
| 964 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1978) |
| 965 | |
| 966 | A dopey, hard-toiling fellow, Beauregard is the loyal janitor of the Muppet Theater. He's generally agreeable and obliging, although his bumbling has spelled disaster for more than a few sketches. |
| 967 | ---- |
| 968 | * BarefootCartoonAnimal: He wears a blue flannel shirt and grey jeans, but no shoes. |
| 969 | * TheBigGuy: He doesn't do any fighting given the show's genre, but he does do a lot of the physical work around the Muppet Theater. He can carry ''pianos'' around by himself! |
| 970 | * CartoonCreature: He's some sort of brown... lump. |
| 971 | * DemotedToExtra: Used to be a prominent character on the show, movies, and TV specials, but fell out of use because the scriptwriters, while liking him as a character, had problems with finding material for him. (The problem, according to one of them, was that Beauregard "has no desires; he doesn't want anything.") Nowadays, you're lucky to find someone who remembers him. [[note]]His last major role was in ''The Muppets at Walt Disney World'', a special that's been rarely seen since its initial broadcast due to Jim Henson's death ten days after its premiere. In the special, he's paired with Miss Piggy, tricking her into riding thrill rides instead of shopping and dining.[[/note]] |
| 972 | %%* TheDitz: He's not the smartest member of the Muppets by a long shot. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; give a specific example) |
| 973 | * DrivesLikeCrazy: As seen in ''Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper''. He gets his directions mixed up, such as making an abrupt U-turn when told to go straight. He does this in ''open traffic'', causing all others cars to take evasive action. After arriving at the intended destination (''by driving through the front door'', no less) he is told to make a U-turn to leave. What does he do? Drives straight through! |
| 974 | %%* {{Expy}}: Based off of [[Literature/EmmetOttersJugbandChristmas Wendell the porcupine]], whom Goelz also performed. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; in what way does he resemble him?) |
| 975 | * HiddenDepths: He seldom takes the stage himself, but he has been shown to be a surprisingly gifted harmonica player. |
| 976 | * SimpletonVoice: He has a deep, goofy sounding voice. |
| 977 | [[/folder]] |
| 978 | |
| 979 | [[folder:Lew Zealand]] |
| 980 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lewZealand_5434.jpg]] |
| 981 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jerry Nelson (1978-2003), Bill Barretta (2002-2005), Matt Vogel (2008-present) |
| 982 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1978) |
| 983 | |
| 984 | A goofy clown who throws fish all over the place. Only on the Muppets would this act be considered ''boring''. Lew's act hasn't changed at all over the decades, but he's still trying relentlessly for the chance to show the world his comedic genius. |
| 985 | ---- |
| 986 | * AccidentalHero: Lew wasn't trying to save Kermit from being forcibly married to Miss Piggy, he just wanted to show off his fish, and Kermit needed a distraction so he could escape. |
| 987 | * AscendedExtra: Originally created as a one-shot character, he appeared multiple times on ''The Muppet Show'' and in the movies. |
| 988 | * CharacterCatchphrase: I throw the fish away! And they come BACK to me! |
| 989 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Even for the Muppets, he's quite, quite weird. |
| 990 | * CompanionCube: His fish, one of which he calls "Seymour" and treats like it's alive (which, given it's a fish out of water, is... unlikely, but with the Muppets you can never be sure). |
| 991 | * FlatCharacter: 99% of Lew's appearances consist of variants on his boomerang fish act or talking about fish. He's still really funny. |
| 992 | * ICallItVera: But with boomerang fish. |
| 993 | * NonIronicClown: Lew dresses and acts like a vaudevillian clown. His act is presented as ridiculous, but he's not [[MonsterClown evil]] or [[SadClown sad]]. |
| 994 | * SimpletonVoice: Even his voice sounds silly. |
| 995 | [[/folder]] |
| 996 | |
| 997 | [[folder:Annie Sue]] |
| 998 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/annieSue_5353.jpg]] |
| 999 | ->'''Performed by:''' Louise Gold |
| 1000 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1978) |
| 1001 | |
| 1002 | A child prodigy, Annie Sue was introduced as Miss Piggy's understudy, known as the most hazardous position in the industry. Despite Piggy's scarcely-veiled animosity towards her, Annie Sue remained cheery and never failed to please the crowd. This, of course, only enraged Piggy even more. |
| 1003 | ---- |
| 1004 | * AscendedExtra: Had turned up as a generic female pig used in various production numbers, but didn't get featured as a named character until season 3. |
| 1005 | * TheCutie: She's cute as a button, much to Piggy's chagrin. |
| 1006 | * DemotedToExtra: She hasn't put in a major appearance in a long while. After two minor starring roles in season 3, she spends most of her time on the show as a background part in sketches. |
| 1007 | * TheIngenue: Oh, so ''very'' much. |
| 1008 | * NotSoAboveItAll: She's just as capable of goofing up as anyone else, as seen with partaking in "the Rhyming Song", or the disastrous rendition of "Do Re Mi". Also sums up the relationship between Annie Sue's performer, Louise Gold, and her fellow, male, Muppeteers. |
| 1009 | * RecurringCharacter: Whenever the writers felt like tweaking Piggy. |
| 1010 | * SitcomArchNemesis: As Miss Piggy's younger, prettier and very talented understudy, this is how Miss Piggy saw her. It didn't help that Kermit found her to be quite charming and the theater audience ''adored'' her. |
| 1011 | * UnknownRival: Shows no sign of perceiving any ill will from Piggy. |
| 1012 | [[/folder]] |
| 1013 | |
| 1014 | [[folder:Robin the Frog]] |
| 1015 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/robinTheFrog_1484.jpg]] |
| 1016 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jerry Nelson (1971-2003), Matt Vogel (2008-2017), Peter Linz (2017-present) |
| 1017 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Russi Taylor (''Muppet Babies (1984)'') , Creator/EricBauza (''Muppet Babies (2018)'') |
| 1018 | ->'''Debut:''' ''Film/TalesFromMuppetlandTheFrogPrince'' (1971) |
| 1019 | |
| 1020 | Kermit's adorable little nephew, Robin's role on ''The Muppet Show'' fits his status as the youngest of the cast members. Sometimes he cutely wins the crowd over, and other times he asks embarrassing questions, makes impolite comments, and pouts when he doesn't get his way. Robin also seems to be the Muppet character designed to appeal best to small children. |
| 1021 | ---- |
| 1022 | * ArtifactName: Why is he named Robin? In his first appearance, he's a human prince named [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail Sir Robin the Brave]] who has... [[Film/TalesFromMuppetlandTheFrogPrince well, we all know this story]]. After this, he was retooled as Kermit's nephew (the whole Frog Prince thing could probably fall under the AnimatedActors clause), but he kept his medieval-era name. |
| 1023 | * AscendedExtra: From the mid-1980s to the early 2000s, Robin became one of the core cast of Muppets, gaining a major role in ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol'', introducing the segments of the Nickelodeon short series ''Muppet Time'', and even starring in his own video game, ''VideoGame/MuppetMonsterAdventure''. |
| 1024 | * CheerfulChild: He's a good-natured, optimistic kid. |
| 1025 | * TheCutie: Between his tiny size and good nature, he's incredibly adorable. |
| 1026 | * DemotedToExtra: Along with Rizzo in ''Muppets Most Wanted''. Depressingly {{lampshade}}d by Rizzo and Robin before they just leave the movie entirely. |
| 1027 | * ADayInTheLimelight: Robin may be a relatively minor character, but he's had two opportunities to take the spotlight all for himself: his performance of "Halfway Down The Stairs" (which became an international Top 10 hit), and starring in [[VideoGame/MuppetMonsterAdventure his own action game]] for the Platform/PlayStation. |
| 1028 | * DistressedDude: At one point winds up in the Swedish Chef's frying pan, but thankfully Kermit stops the sketch before anything bad can happen to him. |
| 1029 | * HeightAngst: In the storybook adaptation ''Two for the Show'', Robin is told that he can't be in that night's show because he's too little. Similarly, Sweetums is barred because he's too ''big''. They end up in the show after all, when that night's planned guest star is fired. |
| 1030 | %%* InnocentProdigy |
| 1031 | %%* KidAppealCharacter |
| 1032 | %%* [[LittleMissSnarker Little Mister Snarker]]: Generally, he's one of the sweeter characters, but he has his moments. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; name a specific one) |
| 1033 | %%* LovableCoward: Has some elements of this, being a kid and all. You may think "Sir Robin the Brave" is a reference to [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail something]], but ''The Frog Prince'' [[OlderThanTheyThink predates that movie by a few years]]. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; name a specific example) |
| 1034 | * MoralityPet: If the Muppets ever need to dial down the chaos and get a little sentimental, Robin is usually front and centre. Notably, in the episode featuring Music/AliceCooper, they have Robin sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". In an episode full of irreverent humor, ghosts, monsters, and the most controversial guest star to date, they had that one sweet, innocent moment. |
| 1035 | * {{Nephewism}}: The second season firmly established Robin as Kermit's nephew. His parents are never seen, but his father was mentioned once on this show. ''WesternAnimation/{{Muppet Babies|1984}}'' later referred to his mother being Kermit's older sister. This trope is so evident that Robin played the Tiny Tim role to Kermit's Bob Cratchit in ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol''. |
| 1036 | * NiceGuy: See CheerfulChild. |
| 1037 | * NotAllowedToGrowUp: He's been a kid for 45 years and counting. |
| 1038 | * NotNowKiddo: Sometimes on the receiving end, due to his youth and the fact he is tiny, and therefore easily overlooked when madness is unfolding. |
| 1039 | * OddCouple: He and Sweetums are the best of friends. |
| 1040 | * OddFriendship: With Sweetums. Really odd considering Sweetums spent much of ''The Frog Prince'' trying to ''eat'' Robin. |
| 1041 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Robin seriously considers leaving at one point, feeling unnoticed and unappreciated. One heartwarming musical number later and he stays. |
| 1042 | * TagalongKid: For the Muppets, being the youngest. Even in the original ''Muppet Babies'' series, Robin appears as a ''tadpole''. |
| 1043 | [[/folder]] |
| 1044 | |
| 1045 | [[folder:Sweetums]] |
| 1046 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sweetumsMuppets_69.jpg]] |
| 1047 | ->'''Performed by:''' Richard Hunt (1976-1991), John Henson (1991-2005), Noel [=MacNeal=] (2008), Matt Vogel (2009-present) |
| 1048 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Carl Banas (''Tales from Muppetland: The Frog Prince''), Jerry Nelson (''Muppet [=RaceMania=]'') , Creator/DeeBradleyBaker (''Muppet Babies 2018'') |
| 1049 | ->'''Debut:''' ''Tales from Muppetland: The Frog Prince'' (1971) |
| 1050 | |
| 1051 | Sweetums first appeared as one of the main villains in Jim Henson's ''The Frog Prince'' special, but deep down inside, he's actually [[GentleGiant quite sweet]] despite his intimidating looks. He's a large, full-bodied ogre who's often paired with Robin. |
| 1052 | ---- |
| 1053 | * BarefootCartoonAnimal: He wears a tattered brown shirt with matching pants, but no shoes. |
| 1054 | %%* ButtMonkey: He gets picked on a lot for such a nice guy. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; give some specific examples) |
| 1055 | * ExtremeOmnivore: In [[Recap/TheMuppetShowS1E15 the Candice Bergen episode]], he eats Candice's camera, saying, "I've tasted better." When she complains to Kermit, he says, "You're lucky. [[ToServeMan Last week he ate the guest.]]" |
| 1056 | * FaceOfAThug: Being an ogre, his features are incredibly deformed from his eyes to his teeth, but in spite of that, Sweetums is by all account a nice guy. |
| 1057 | * FluffyTheTerrible: This was played straight in his first appearance, where he was an evil ogre who planned to eat Robin, but nowadays "Sweetums" is a MeaningfulName. |
| 1058 | * GentleGiant: After repeatedly trying to eat or smash Robin in his first appearance in ''Film/TalesFromMuppetlandTheFrogPrince'', he was reimagined as this. He looks big and mean, but it's just bluster 90% of the time. For example, in ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'', he's initially part of Long John Silver's crew of evil pirates, but switches sides to the good guys in the final battle. When Kermit questions this, he replies, "Are you kidding? I love you guys!" |
| 1059 | * LightningBruiser: He's a huge ogre who towers over even the human guests on the show, and he's also a ''fantastic'' dancer. |
| 1060 | * OddFriendship: With Robin, considering their contrasting sizes and personalities, Sweetums being a huge, boisterous monster while Robin is a mild-mannered little frog child. It's even weirder if you've seen ''The Frog Prince'', where they're enemies (Sweetums being the henchman of the witch who turns Sir Robin into a frog). |
| 1061 | * VocalDissonance: His voice is deep, but he sounds more "big-city truck driver" than "man-eating monster". |
| 1062 | * YouNoTakeCandle: Occasionally dips into this. |
| 1063 | [[/folder]] |
| 1064 | |
| 1065 | [[folder:Camilla]] |
| 1066 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/camillaMuppets_2947.jpg]] |
| 1067 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jerry Nelson (1978-2003), Alice Dinnean (2005), Matt Vogel (2008-present) |
| 1068 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Frank Welker (''Muppet Babies (1984)'') , Melanie Harrison (''Muppet Babies (2018)'') |
| 1069 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1978) |
| 1070 | |
| 1071 | A chicken, and a non-anthropomorphic one at that. Despite this handicap, Camilla hasn't let that stop her from being a singer and an actress in many acts on the show. It's also won her the love of the Great Gonzo, although her boyfriend's roving eye for all manner of fowl has often put a strain on their relationship. |
| 1072 | ---- |
| 1073 | * AscendedExtra: She only appeared a few times on the show, but is well-known to fans of the movies. |
| 1074 | * BetaCouple: Gonzo and Camilla have one of the more consistent romance in Muppet media. They have troubles of their own, like any couple, but that hardly amounts to much when the main pairing is Kermit and Piggy. |
| 1075 | * CharacterizationMarchesOn: Camilla only had a few appearances on ''The Muppet Show'', and the puppeteers couldn't always recall which chicken puppet they had designated as Camilla. So the joke became that not even Gonzo could tell the chickens apart and selected one at random to call "Camilla". The chickens, being non-anthropomorphic animals, didn't care either way. Over time, Camilla has become her own bird with her own personality in a consensual relationship with Gonzo. They are the only ones who fully understand each other (literally on [[TheUnintelligible her end]]), and Camilla is right beside him in a whole array of crazy endeavors, just as he supports her music. |
| 1076 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Shares a lot of Gonzo's wild interests, especially in the Disney World special. |
| 1077 | * CrossdressingVoices: Played by Jerry Nelson and Matt Vogel. |
| 1078 | * DartboardOfHate: She has a dartboard with a picture of [[UsefulNotes/KentuckyFriedChicken Colonel Sanders]] on it in her dressing room. |
| 1079 | * InterspeciesRomance: With Gonzo. |
| 1080 | * OfficialCouple: With Gonzo. The 2015 series establishes that they split up shortly before the start of the show when Gonzo wanted to get more serious, but they get back together later in the first (and final) season. |
| 1081 | * TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Those glamourous eyes of hers. |
| 1082 | * TheUnintelligible: Only speaks in chicken sounds, though occasionally, she will get captions to explain what she's saying. Gonzo is the only one who can understand her, and usually acts as her translator to the other characters. |
| 1083 | * WomanScorned: When Gonzo dumps her to go to Bollywood, she leads the other chickens in singing "Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair". In Chicken, obviously. |
| 1084 | [[/folder]] |
| 1085 | |
| 1086 | [[folder:Pops]] |
| 1087 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/74_pops_doorman_8612.jpg]] |
| 1088 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jerry Nelson (1980-2002), Matt Vogel (2011-present) |
| 1089 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1980) |
| 1090 | |
| 1091 | The Muppet Theater's crotchety, semi-senile old doorman. In the show's final season, guest stars had to get through him to get on the show -- [[HilarityEnsues hilarity often ensues.]] |
| 1092 | ---- |
| 1093 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: "There's something terrible in this coffee! ...oh, heh heh, it's my finger." |
| 1094 | * EyesAlwaysShut: Behind transparent glasses, no less! |
| 1095 | * OohMeAccentsSlipping: He's voiced by Oklahoma native Jerry Nelson, and so sometimes slips into a Southern accent for no real reason. |
| 1096 | * SeniorSleepCycle: He's an elderly doorman who can often be seen sleeping before someone interrupts him. |
| 1097 | [[/folder]] |
| 1098 | |
| 1099 | [[folder:Uncle Deadly]] |
| 1100 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/uncleDeadlyMuppets_4053.png]] |
| 1101 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jerry Nelson (1976-1979), Matt Vogel (2011-present) |
| 1102 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1976) |
| 1103 | |
| 1104 | The "Phantom of the Muppet Theater", Uncle Deadly is some sort of refined, British dragon-ghost-thing known for performing Shakespeare. He was murdered by the critics and spent his time afterwards scaring the theater's crew just for fun. He became more well-known after ''Film/TheMuppets2011'', where he served as TheDragon to [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Tex Richman]], and later series portray him as Miss Piggy's patient but very [[BeleagueredAssistant beleaguered]] assistant and wardrobe supervisor. |
| 1105 | ---- |
| 1106 | * AscendedExtra: After only making occasional appearances in ''The Muppet Show'' and then losing even that, he became a major character in ''Film/TheMuppets2011''. After receiving a much smaller role [[Film/MuppetsMostWanted the following film]], he gained a decent presence in [[Series/TheMuppets2015 the 2015 TV series]] and became one of the main characters of ''Series/MuppetsNow''. |
| 1107 | * BarefootCartoonAnimal: He's a blue reptilian-like creature that wears tattered Victorian-style morning dress with spats, but no shoes under said spats. |
| 1108 | * BeleagueredAssistant: As Miss Piggy's assistant, while he does usually manage to survive her demands, and is capable of keeping her focused, he's still the poor sod stuck with dealing with her day-in, day-out. |
| 1109 | -->'''Taye Diggs:''' She scares me.\ |
| 1110 | '''Uncle Deadly:''' You have ''no'' idea... |
| 1111 | * TheBusCameBack: After the show's conclusion, Deadly went decades without a speaking appearance (or, after 1990, any appearance at all) until ''Film/TheMuppets2011'', where he returned as a prominent supporting character. |
| 1112 | * BuffySpeak: In one of Walter's Muppet Masters interviews, Deadly describes his acting knowledge in stage fighting by describing the terms which trained actors use to describe each part of the weapon Walter is showing off. Said terms include calling the hilt of a sword the "grabby bit" and the tip the "stabby end". |
| 1113 | * CharacterTics: He makes a lot of hand gestures, twirling and swooping them around. |
| 1114 | * ClassicallyTrainedExtra: He was introduced in ''The Muppet Show'' as a refined actor who used to perform Shakespeare at the Muppet Theater before he was murdered by the critics. In his later appearances, he still has a love for performing in the theater, but he's stuck as Miss Piggy's BeleagueredAssistant. |
| 1115 | * CharacterizationMarchesOn: Following ''Film/TheMuppets2011'', his evil and creepy characterization was dropped in favor of portraying him as a refined Brit who acts as Miss Piggy's HypercompetentSidekick. |
| 1116 | * DastardlyWhiplash: Has this role in the Muppet Melodrama sketches, where he's an evil villain putting Miss Piggy into classic melodrama perils like dangling from a cliff unless she agrees to marry him. |
| 1117 | %%* DeadpanSnarker: In his role as Miss Piggy's assistant. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; give a specific example) |
| 1118 | * DemotedToExtra: In ''Muppets Most Wanted''. He goes from a fairly major character in the previous film to just a brief cameo near the end. |
| 1119 | * {{Dracolich}}: Maybe. He's generally modeled after a dragon, and he's supposedly a ghost. |
| 1120 | %%* TheDragon: He serves the role in ''Film/TheMuppets2011'', until his HeelFaceTurn. (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample; what does he do that makes him fit this trope.) |
| 1121 | * EvilBrit: Subverted and defied in ''Film/TheMuppets2011''. He has, in his own words, "an evil English accent" and initially works for the film's villain Tex Richman, but then he makes a HeelFaceTurn and eventually settles into a benign role as Miss Piggy's assistant in future works. |
| 1122 | * KnowWhenToFoldEm: He's more bold than most of the cast about snarking about Ms. Piggy in front of her, however even he knows not to push his luck too far. |
| 1123 | -->'''Piggy:''' What would you say is my biggest flaw?\ |
| 1124 | '''Deadly:''' [[MortonsFork I don't want to play this anymore.]] |
| 1125 | * HeelFaceTurn: Turns his back on Richman due to him mistreating him [[NoodleIncident over the years]] and drops him off a tower, refusing to take down the Muppet Show. |
| 1126 | -->'''Uncle Deadly:''' Enough! Just because I have a [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast terrifying name]] and [[EvilBrit an evil English accent]] does not preclude the fact that, in my heart, I am a Muppet, not a Moopet! |
| 1127 | * HypercompetentSidekick: He's one to Miss Piggy in the 2015 series and ''Now'', his most important job being to manage the pig's temper. |
| 1128 | -->"I've woven such a cocoon of lies, she has no idea of her size, weight, or even how old she is." |
| 1129 | * LargeHam: Well, he ''was'' an actor. |
| 1130 | * OddFriendship: |
| 1131 | ** With Wayne. The Melodrama sketches they starred in would always get diverted into the two bonding over a CommonalityConnection, much to the annoyance of Miss Piggy (who played the DamselInDistress). |
| 1132 | ** Most recently, with Piggy herself. One look at the two together can leave you wondering as to why Piggy and Deadly would make a good partnership, as the two look absolutely nothing alike; they could not be more opposite.[[note]] While Piggy is always seen with some elaborate wardrobe combo, a stylish hairdo, a fancy-looking face, and could easily be described as a fashion model by her fans, Deadly has a demon-like head, pea-shaped eyes deep in pitch black sockets, a crooked, dragon-like face, a ragged, beige cape (at least in his earliest appearances), and is easily thought of as one of the ugliest-looking Muppets ever known. [[/note]] Despite this, if one were to examine their personalities, they are almost mirror reflections of each other; both have a strong flair for the dramatic, and have a fantastic fashion sense; also, their attitude can often become quite sassy and haughty, which they express in a restrained manner through their DeadpanSnarker tendencies. |
| 1133 | * OurDragonsAreDifferent: He resembles a dragon, and was referred to as one in [[Film/TheMuppets2011 the 2011 movie's]] junior novelization. |
| 1134 | * OurGhostsAreDifferent: The ghost of a Shakespearean actor who was murdered... by the critics! |
| 1135 | * RecurringCharacter: In the second and third season, would periodically star in on-stage skits, usually (and bizarrely) paired with Wayne after Wanda was dropped. |
| 1136 | * TheatrePhantom: In [[Recap/TheMuppetShowS1E21 the Twiggy episode]], he is "the Phantom of the Muppet Show". One by one, the Muppets tell Kermit 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 Theatre/{{Othello}} until he was killed... by the critics. |
| 1137 | * TokenEvilTeammate: He ain't called "Uncle Deadly" for nothing. Somewhat subverted in that he isn't exactly evil in most cases. Just creepy and macabre. |
| 1138 | * {{Troll}}: Not above messing with Piggy's head, even knowing what the inevitable results might be. |
| 1139 | * WaistcoatOfStyle: Tends to wear some very fancy looking waistcoats. |
| 1140 | [[/folder]] |
| 1141 | |
| 1142 | [[folder:Marvin Suggs]] |
| 1143 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marvinsuggs.jpg]] |
| 1144 | ->'''Performed by:''' Frank Oz (1976-1981), Eric Jacobson (2011) |
| 1145 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1976) |
| 1146 | |
| 1147 | One of the show's stranger recurring characters, Marvin Suggs is a crazy little blue man with a silly accent who enjoys making music by beating on an instrument made up of sentient furballs (the Muppaphones). Despite his unusually cruel act, he rarely got any sort of comeuppance. |
| 1148 | ---- |
| 1149 | * BlackComedy: Most of his comedy tends to center around his abysmal treatment of the sentient muppaphones. |
| 1150 | * CharacterCatchphrase: "SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT UP!" (to his Muppaphones, whenever they started complaining or getting restless) |
| 1151 | * ComicallyMissingThePoint[=/=]EvilCannotComprehendGood: When Leslie Ann Warren upbraids Suggs for hitting living creatures, he exasperatedly responds, "Of course they're alive. You can't make music by hitting DEAD creatures!" |
| 1152 | * {{Expy}}: This is a somewhat less psychotic version of the Creator/MontyPython "Mouse Organ" sketch. |
| 1153 | * FrenchJerk: His accent sounds french, and he's rather unpleasant. |
| 1154 | * IResembleThatRemark: "I am not a cruel man!" ''(Muppaphones start grumbling)'' "SHUUUUUUT UP!" Then he hits them some more, for good measure. |
| 1155 | * {{Jerkass}}: He's rather sadistic. |
| 1156 | * KarmaHoudini: Except twice -- first when he himself gets clobbered with a gigantic mallet and second when a witch doctor gave him a well-deserved KarmicTransformation. |
| 1157 | * KarmicTransformation: At the end of his performance of "Witch Doctor", the enraged witch doctor in question turns his head into a muppaphone. |
| 1158 | * KickTheDog: His poor Muppaphones...[[note]]Frank Oz imagined that they had an even worse private life, at home with Marvin.[[/note]] |
| 1159 | * LargeHam: "SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT UP!" |
| 1160 | * MadArtist: He has a bizarre act that no one understands, and is quite strange and aggressive himself. |
| 1161 | * SmallNameBigEgo: Quite the egotist. |
| 1162 | * WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: According to Frank Oz, he based Marvin's accent on an exaggerated version of a French friend's voice. |
| 1163 | * YouDoNotWantToKnow: Marvin once told Kermit that the Muppaphones have to be replaced after a while because they go flat (literally). When Kermit asks him what happens to the old Muppaphones, Marvin replies, "I don't think you want to know." |
| 1164 | [[/folder]] |
| 1165 | |
| 1166 | [[folder:The Newsman]] |
| 1167 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/newsman_1.jpg]] |
| 1168 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jim Henson (1976-1989), Jerry Nelson (1996), Brian Henson (2001-2003), Steve Whitmire (2008-2016), Eric Jacobson (2017-present) |
| 1169 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1976) |
| 1170 | |
| 1171 | A bespectacled, stone-serious journalist, the Newsman never hesitates to break the latest news story... and the subject of the latest story never fails to break ''him''. One of the Muppets' most slapstick characters. |
| 1172 | ---- |
| 1173 | * ButtMonkey: Whenever he talks about news stories, you know that the Newsman will get attacked by the subject. |
| 1174 | * ChangingOfTheGuard: Basically taking over Kermit's news reporter job from ''Series/SesameStreet'', since Kermit is occupied with running the show. |
| 1175 | * CharacterCatchphrase: "This / here is a Muppet news flash!" |
| 1176 | * CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the first season, he just reads out silly news bits. It's only later on that the news starts happening to him. |
| 1177 | * DeadLineNews: Or at least ''injured'' line news. |
| 1178 | * DoomMagnet: When he breaks news stories, bad luck will happen to him. |
| 1179 | * DropTheCow: Cows are just some of the many objects that have been dropped on him. |
| 1180 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: His earliest sketches had him interviewing characters played by the guest stars or reporting weird news stories without getting attacked or injured. In one segment, he even said, "There is no news tonight" and walked off! |
| 1181 | * EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Only ever called "The Newsman". |
| 1182 | * GenreBlindness: He ''never'' learns, and continues with his newscast even when he really shouldn't. |
| 1183 | * GenreSavvy: |
| 1184 | ** In one of the skits made for the Disney website in 2010, he reports on a plane carrying freshly-printed cash having technical difficulties. A bag full of cash promptly drops onto the desk. Realizing the possibility, [[RetroactiveWish he promptly says he wishes for a sack of priceless diamonds]] and said item also falls onto the desk. He then asks for a 32 ounce t-bone steak, medium rare. And a beautiful brown-eyed blonde! ([[ExactWords The last one ends up]] [[DropTheCow being a cow, though]], and he notes [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor he should've been more specific on that last request.]]) |
| 1185 | ** In another Disney website skit, he began to report on a story involving bowling balls, but then notes "everytime I do one of these stories, I get hit with something." So he decides to recite "Mary Had a Little Lamb" instead. Mary promptly drops on him followed by her sheep; the Newsman says "I should've gone for the bowling ball", and said object promptly knocks him out. |
| 1186 | * IHaveManyNames: The Newsman, the Newscaster, the Reporter, Muppet Reporter... |
| 1187 | * RunningGag: Whatever he's reporting on ''will'' come back to bite him. |
| 1188 | * SpeakOfTheDevil: Almost anything he reports on will promptly either appear and attack him or just fall out of the sky onto him. |
| 1189 | * StupidestThingIveEverHeard: People suddenly turning into ducks. He doesn't get halfway through saying it befo-QUACK! Quack, quack quack! |
| 1190 | * TemptingFate: His entire act revolves around this. |
| 1191 | * ThisJustIn: The Muppet Newsman repeatedly parodies this -- he's always delivering "a Muppet News Flash", seemingly important news... and is [[DeadlineNews often injured by the stories he's reporting]] (while sitting behind a newsdesk). |
| 1192 | * ThrowTheDogABone: In the 2011 movie, the Muppets allow the Newsman to participate in their telethon, running the phone lines. Not only does nothing bad happen to the Newsman for once, but at the end of the film, he is able to report a news story in full, suffering no injuries! |
| 1193 | * WeInterruptThisProgram: He interrupts the Muppet Show (but always between sketches) to deliver a Muppet News Flash... most of them silly and nonsensical. |
| 1194 | * WhoWritesThisCrap: After one interview with a woman who's trying to break the world record for the most jumps in a row (motivating herself by standing on a hot plate), the Newsman calls someone to ask "Where do we get these nuts?" In many other sketches, while he doesn't say it aloud, his expression just ''screams'' the trope name. |
| 1195 | [[/folder]] |
| 1196 | |
| 1197 | [[folder:Wayne and Wanda]] |
| 1198 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wayne_and_wanda.JPG]] |
| 1199 | ->'''Wayne performed by:''' Richard Hunt (1976-1981), David Rudman (2011-present) |
| 1200 | ->'''Wanda performed by:''' Eren Ozker (1976-1977), Kathryn Mullen (1979), Alice Dinnean (2011), Julianne Buescher (2017) |
| 1201 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1976) |
| 1202 | |
| 1203 | A pair of snobby singers who would frequently take the stage to sing tired old ballads -- only to abruptly have some strange fate befall them, always foretold by the song's lyrics. None of the Muppets seemed to like them much, except Sam the Eagle, who was forever trumpeting them as the only respectable act on the show. If only they could finish a number... |
| 1204 | ---- |
| 1205 | * ActuallyPrettyFunny: Wayne is left laughing after a ton of snow is dumped on him and Wanda during their "Let It Snow" number. She is less amused. |
| 1206 | * AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Wayne's shtick in the Muppet Melodrama segments, his role is to rescue Miss Piggy's character from Uncle Deadly, but the two always get distracted bonding over some CommonalityConnection, much to the ire of Miss Piggy. |
| 1207 | * TheBusCameBack: The pair finally rejoin the Muppets in the 2011 movie. While their return was a mild surprise in and of itself, nobody expected them to get one of the biggest laughs in the film! |
| 1208 | * TheChewToy: Invariably their duets ended with one or both of them injured. |
| 1209 | * EpicFail: Their whole thing. The poor pair can't even get ten seconds into most songs without disaster striking, up to and including Wayne being ''eaten alive''. Or that time they managed to sink a fake boat... |
| 1210 | * FlatCharacter: What happened to them was funnier than the characters themselves actually were, which is probably one of the reasons the act got drop after the first season. Downplayed for Wayne after he became a PunchClockHero foil for Uncle Deadly in the Muppet Melodrama segments. |
| 1211 | * GoneHorriblyRight: Technically, when they did "Indian Love Call", they didn't fail as such. Rather, their singing inexplicably summons an actual Native American Muppet. |
| 1212 | -->'''Muppet:''' Hey, baby, you called? |
| 1213 | * HollywoodToneDeaf: A nice aversion. Richard Hunt and Eren Ozker were both talented singers, and they gave Wayne and Wanda voices like those of modestly talented performers overconfidently pushing their vocals harder than they could handle. |
| 1214 | * TheMoralSubstitute: "They're also church people", according to Sam. |
| 1215 | * MusicalisInterruptus: The whole point of their sketches was that they’d try to sing a song but something would happen to prevent them from completing it. On one occasion they got further than they usually did, only for bad luck to end the number yet again. |
| 1216 | * NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Based on old Hollywood musical sweethearts Nelson Eddy and Jeanette [=MacDonald=]. |
| 1217 | * OddFriendship: Wayne finds a lot of mutual ground with [[PunchClockVillain Uncle Deadly]] in the Muppet Melodrama segments, much to the detriment of the act itself, and frequently of Miss Piggy acting as the damsel. |
| 1218 | * PassiveAggressiveKombat: They're very sarcastic toward Kermit about how their life is after he ''fired them''. Oh, they may be scraping by in menial jobs and what Wanda's mother provides, because Kermit ''fired them'', but they're happy. Even though Kermit ''fired them''. |
| 1219 | * PlatonicLifePartners: Given their limited personalities, it was hard to pin down their relationship in their old days; they seemed pretty chaste for a pair known for singing love songs to each other. [[RelationshipUpgrade They were caught getting]] [[UnusualEuphemism pretty un-platonic]] in the 2011 movie. |
| 1220 | %%* PublicDomainSoundtrack |
| 1221 | * PutOnABus: Wanda disappeared after the first season without mention, until she and Wayne reunited and reappeared a couple years later as part of a ''This Is Your Life'' show for Kermit's birthday. They revealed that Kermit had fired them, and they were now scraping by on minimum-wage jobs. Kermit, appalled that he could have done such a thing, [[ThrowTheDogABone re-hired them.]] When they sang out of joy, [[YankTheDogsChain Kermit re-fired them.]] Amusingly, this successfully kept the pair out of the Muppets for the next three decades. |
| 1222 | * RunningGag: The first season of the show had more running gags than character pieces. When Jerry Juhl replaced Jack Burns as head writer, Wanda was dumped, as running gags were all she had. Wayne, however, sporadically appeared in skits during the third and fifth seasons as a solo performer. |
| 1223 | * SmallNameBigEgo: One of the few times they were given any non-musical dialogue, they made rude remarks about Kermit until they realized that [[RightBehindMe he was listening the whole time]]. |
| 1224 | * SpeakOfTheDevil: Their injury is usually related to whatever they're singing about. |
| 1225 | [[/folder]] |
| 1226 | |
| 1227 | [[folder:Vendawish]] |
| 1228 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vendawish.jpg]] |
| 1229 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jerry Nelson |
| 1230 | |
| 1231 | An arcade machine who grants wishes. |
| 1232 | ---- |
| 1233 | * JackassGenie: He fulfills one man's wish to be taller by physically stretching him out. |
| 1234 | * MakeAWish: Well said! As a Muppet drops a coin in, they will have their wish granted. |
| 1235 | [[/folder]] |
| 1236 | |
| 1237 | [[folder:Bobby Benson and his Baby Band]] |
| 1238 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bobby_benson.jpg]] |
| 1239 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Richard Hunt (1978-1979), David Rudman (2014-present) |
| 1240 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1978) |
| 1241 | |
| 1242 | An act consisting largely of bad-tempered babies, who usually start fights with each other in between their acts. |
| 1243 | ---- |
| 1244 | |
| 1245 | * BlackBeadEyes: The babies all have small, beady black eyes. |
| 1246 | * {{Gonk}}: They are not cute-looking babies, what with their mostly bald, potato-like heads, BlackBeadEyes, and matching mouths. |
| 1247 | * KarmaHoudini: They help Constantine and Dominic at one point in ''Muppets Most Wanted'', but don't get any consequences. [[spoiler:They are shown in the gulag with the Muppets and various celebrity cameos during the finale, but it's not said whether they are there because of their crime or just there to be part of the finale, although they aren't wearing Gulag clothes.]] |
| 1248 | * TheKidWithTheLeash: Bobby is the only one who can keep the babies in line, and even then. |
| 1249 | * SinisterShades: Bobby is always wearing sunglasses, and is at the very least heavily suggested to be a criminal. Probably the babies too. |
| 1250 | * TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Left to their own devices, the babies will start attacking one another. In ''Muppets Most Wanted'', they assist Constantine and Dominic in their thievery. In ''Muppets Now'', Fozzie and Seth Rogen are run ragged trying to keep two of them from hurting themselves, either accidentally or deliberately (via ''swordfighting''). |
| 1251 | [[/folder]] |
| 1252 | |
| 1253 | [[folder:Mahna Mahna]] |
| 1254 | [[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mahnaSnouthMuppets_5944.png]] |
| 1255 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jim Henson (1969-1976), Bill Barretta (2001-present) |
| 1256 | ->'''Debut:''' ''Series/TheEdSullivanShow'' (1969) |
| 1257 | |
| 1258 | A scruffy, hyperactive little guy who joins in musical numbers unannounced and uninvited. He pops all over the place, either yammering in incoherent scat or playing an obnoxiously loud instrument. There's no stopping him, and it's foolish to try. |
| 1259 | ---- |
| 1260 | * DivergentCharacterEvolution: A Muppet on ''Series/SesameStreet'' sang "Mahna Mahna" in its first season, and was retained for future musical numbers. This character is ''not'' Mahna Mahna, but a different Muppet named Bip Bipadotta; although one could be forgiven for confusing them, as the two characters look very similar, and are both played by Jim Henson using the same voice. [[note]]Bip Bipadotta wears sunglasses and sings in English; Mahna Mahna doesn't wear sunglasses and speaks only in scat.[[/note]] This distinction is SeriousBusiness amongst the fandom. |
| 1261 | * {{Flanderization}}: While many of his early appearances were in performances of the song, many of his early appearances also had him doing other things. In a sketch on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', he played the drums and provided wisecracks (and spoke coherent English) in the "String Quartet" sketch. In the "Sax and Violence" number he played the triangle bell and stole the show. And on occasion you could spot him in the audience. But in recent years, his appearances are almost always performances or parodies of "Mahna Mahna". Even his ''Sesame Street'' counterpart, Bip Bipadotta, shouted "Mahna Mahna!" when he made a cameo in a 2009 episode. |
| 1262 | * NonSequitur: His act basically makes no sense whatsoever, but it's extremely catchy to most people. In ''Series/MuppetsTonight'', the song was presented as a mental disorder wherein the Snowths would appear from nowhere and sing whenever someone would say the name of the song. In ''Film/TheMuppets2011'', it's played during the end credits. Some people say it to break the ice in a conversation when they don't know what else to say, in the same vain as "[[Film/MaryPoppins Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious]]"! |
| 1263 | %%* OffscreenTeleportation |
| 1264 | * PokemonSpeak: He's called "Mahna Mahna" because that's all he ever says, apart from {{scatting}}. |
| 1265 | * {{Scatting}}: Either that or some weird language. |
| 1266 | * SitcomArchNemesis: For the Snowths especially, but potentially ''anybody''. |
| 1267 | %%* {{Troll}} |
| 1268 | * TheUnfettered: Let's put it this way; he once made ''Zoot'' angry. |
| 1269 | * TheUnintelligible: Can only say his name. |
| 1270 | [[/folder]] |
| 1271 | |
| 1272 | [[folder:Hugga Wugga]] |
| 1273 | [[quoteright:162:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hugga_wugga.jpg]] |
| 1274 | ->'''Performed by:''' Frank Oz |
| 1275 | ->'''Debut:''' ''Movin' with Nancy: Nice 'n Easy'' (1971) |
| 1276 | |
| 1277 | One of the best-remembered "one-sketch" characters (possibly second to Mahna Mahna), Hugga Wugga is some sort of purple alien who wanders around an alien swamp [[PokemonSpeak chanting his name]]. He gets angry at creatures who try to sing anything else and tries to "assimilate" them, but is ultimately given his just desserts by a happy yellow creature that sings "You Are My Sunshine". |
| 1278 | ---- |
| 1279 | * BerserkButton: Creatures that sing anything other than "Hugga Wugga". |
| 1280 | * BlowYouAway: Shoots jets of air out of his nose whenever he gets angry. |
| 1281 | * {{Jerkass}}: He gets really angry at anyone singing a different song. |
| 1282 | * LaserGuidedKarma: The happy yellow creature that sings "You Are My Sunshine" gives him his just desserts at the end of the sketch. When we see the yellow creature leaving the sketch, George is shown carrying Hugga on his shoulder, meaning he got knocked out cold. |
| 1283 | * PokemonSpeak: People call him "Hugga Wugga" because that's all he ever says. |
| 1284 | %%* TheUnintelligible |
| 1285 | [[/folder]] |
| 1286 | |
| 1287 | [[folder:Angus [=McGonagle=]]] |
| 1288 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/angus.JPG]] |
| 1289 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jerry Nelson |
| 1290 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1980) |
| 1291 | |
| 1292 | The original planned "guest star" for the ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]'' episode, Angus [=McGonagle=] is an ugly purple gargoyle Scotsman whose main (and possibly only) talent is gargling Music/GeorgeGershwin compositions "gorgeously". For some reason, his act is widely hated among the Muppets and their intergalactic guests. |
| 1293 | ---- |
| 1294 | * BrownNote: Gonzo (as Dearth Nadir) uses Angus' act to torture [[Franchise/StarWars Luke Skywalker]]. Only a GainaxEnding is able to rescue him. |
| 1295 | * TheDragon: Acts as this to Dearth Nadir ([[BlatantLies not Gonzo in a Darth Vader outfit]]). |
| 1296 | * FauxHorrific: His gargling is painful enough to psychologically torment a Force-sensitive human and a fully-grown Wookiee. |
| 1297 | * FieryRedhead: Has red hair and a red beard, and gets quite passionate and angry about his... umm, "art". |
| 1298 | * FunnyForeigner: His Scottish-ness serves no real purpose other than to make him funnier and more random.[[note]]George Gershwin was an American composer of Eastern European Jewish ancestry, not Scottish.[[/note]] He's apparently from Argyll, Scotland, making him an [[{{Pun}} Argyle gargoyle]]. |
| 1299 | * {{Gonk}}: He's pretty ugly. According to 2014's Muppets Character Guide, he ''is'' an actual gargoyle. |
| 1300 | * ManInAKilt: Has only been seen in full Scottish regalia. |
| 1301 | * NinjaPirateZombieRobot: His description reads like a MadLibs game: he's a purple kilted Scottish gargoyle who gargles Music/GeorgeGershwin compositions for his act. |
| 1302 | * OurGargoylesRock: A purple Scottish one with the [[FauxHorrific terrifying power]] of gargling jazz tunes. |
| 1303 | * OverlyLongTongue: Has a longer tongue than most Muppets, all the better to gargle with. |
| 1304 | * PurpleIsPowerful: He has purple skin, and his [[FauxHorrific Gershwin-gargling]] is the greatest threat to the Rebel Alliance in the Muppets' universe. |
| 1305 | * TrrrillingRrrs: "Yes sirrrrree, Scoo'er lil' buddy, I'm rrrrrarrring t'gae!" |
| 1306 | * ViolentGlaswegian: Played with. He gets angry, but the worst he actually does is gargle. His gargling is then played as [[FauxHorrific horrific]]. |
| 1307 | [[/folder]] |
| 1308 | |
| 1309 | [[folder:J.P. Grosse]] |
| 1310 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jpgrosse.JPG]] |
| 1311 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jerry Nelson |
| 1312 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1977) |
| 1313 | |
| 1314 | Scooter's uncle, the owner of the Muppet Theater, and the man who Kermit has to keep happy at all costs. He was an unseen presence in the first season of the show, but made appearances in person for the second season, only to disappear again. |
| 1315 | ---- |
| 1316 | * CigarChomper: Always seen with a cigar whenever he actually appears. |
| 1317 | %%* CorruptCorporateExecutive |
| 1318 | %%* TheDreaded |
| 1319 | * EvilUncle: Subverted. His nephew was the only one he was nice to. |
| 1320 | * TheGhost: As noted, at first the mere mention of him was usually enough to cow Kermit into giving in to Scooter or Muppy's demands. In the second season, there was an attempt to use him as a regular character. However, the writers and performers eventually agreed that while Grosse was fun as an offscreen presence, in person he was too abrasive and threatening to be funny. Grosse was quickly DemotedToExtra. |
| 1321 | %%* GrumpyOldMan |
| 1322 | * HeWhoMustNotBeSeen: The gag of Scooter mentioning him to get what he wants was gradually phased out. He does actually appear a couple of times during the second season, but on the whole the writers felt that he worked better as an off-screen presence. |
| 1323 | * HiddenDepths: He always wanted to be a singer himself. When he gets a chance in one sketch, he turns out to be not half bad. |
| 1324 | * RichInDollarsPoorInSense: The Muppets often bow to his demands, because he's got the money, but some of those demands are... not really in keeping with a vaudeville style show. Such as insisting they include some lady wrestlers. |
| 1325 | %%* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney |
| 1326 | * TheScrooge: He's usually characterized as tight-fisted, although he lets the Muppet Theater fall behind on their rent regularly. |
| 1327 | [[/folder]] |
| 1328 | |
| 1329 | [[folder:Thog]] |
| 1330 | [[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thog_circus.jpg]] |
| 1331 | ->'''Performed by:''' Jerry Nelson (1970-1980), Tyler Bunch (2011) |
| 1332 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Great Santa Claus Switch'' (1970) |
| 1333 | |
| 1334 | A furry blue nine-foot-tall monster who loves to sing and dance. |
| 1335 | ---- |
| 1336 | * TheBusCameBack: He's resurrected in the 2011 film ''The Muppets'' after having been absent since the end of the original show. |
| 1337 | * GentleGiant: He's humongous and completely harmless. |
| 1338 | * HiddenDepths: He's quite well read, with Balzac being a favorite author, preferably in the original French. |
| 1339 | * PutOnABus: He initially stopped making appearances in Muppet productions after ''The Muppet Show'' ended. |
| 1340 | * TheQuietOne: In many of his appearances, he doesn't speak at all. His scene with Creator/HarveyKorman revealed that he has a fussy, lisping little voice. |
| 1341 | -->'''Maurice the Magnificent:''' [[ChewingTheScenery Speak, you demon! Speak!]]\ |
| 1342 | '''Thog:''' I hardly know where to begin. [[HiddenDepths I was reading Balzac the other day]] -- only in translation. |
| 1343 | * YourSizeMayVary: When Thog was rebuilt in 2011, the new version of him ended up being 2 and a half feet taller than the original 1970 Thog costume. This was due to the puppet builder not having enough reference material of the original puppet to determine his proper height. |
| 1344 | [[/folder]] |
| 1345 | |
| 1346 | [[folder:Astoria]] |
| 1347 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/astoria.jpg]] |
| 1348 | ->'''Performed by:''' Bob Payne |
| 1349 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1979) |
| 1350 | |
| 1351 | Waldorf's wife. She filled in once when Statler was sick and was unable to come see the show. |
| 1352 | ---- |
| 1353 | * IdenticalStranger: She looks like Statler in drag. |
| 1354 | * OneShotCharacter: She only appeared in the Dizzy Gillespie episode. |
| 1355 | * ThemeNaming: She and her husband Waldorf form the name of the famous Waldorf-Astoria hotel. |
| 1356 | [[/folder]] |
| 1357 | |
| 1358 | [[folder:Hilda]] |
| 1359 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hilda_ha_ha.jpg]] |
| 1360 | ->'''Performed by:''' Eren Ozker |
| 1361 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' |
| 1362 | |
| 1363 | The Muppet Show's seamtress/wardrobe mistress. She only appeared in the first season of the show. |
| 1364 | ---- |
| 1365 | * BlatantLies: In the Phyllis Diller episode, she claimed to be thirty-five, leading Fozzie to quip "only around the waist!" |
| 1366 | * ADayInTheLimelight: When Phyllis Diller guest-starred, she decided to give herself a makeover. |
| 1367 | * DemotedToExtra: Was the Muppets' main female character in the first season; when Eren Ozker left the show, she was relegated to a background puppet and hasn't had a speaking role since. |
| 1368 | * TheDitz: Lost her glasses while she was ''wearing'' them. |
| 1369 | * JustTheWayYouAre: Kermit says so after her [[ItMakesSenseInContext girdle explodes]], leading Hilda to conclude "this old gray mare is ''just'' what she used to be." |
| 1370 | * {{Malaproper}}: Prone to these, like when she said Scooter was driving her "to bananas!" |
| 1371 | * TheSmurfettePrinciple: At first she was the main female Muppet until Piggy took that role. |
| 1372 | * TeamMom: We first meet her when Gonzo is asking her to fix his teddy bear. |
| 1373 | * UnexplainedAccent: Speaks with a generic Eastern European accent. The Creator/VincentPrice episode confirmed she was Transylvanian. |
| 1374 | [[/folder]] |
| 1375 | |
| 1376 | [[folder:The Talking Houses]] |
| 1377 | ->'''Performed by:''' John Lovelady (House #1), Jerry Nelson (House #2), Frank Oz (House #3), and Eren Ozker (House #4) |
| 1378 | ->'''Debut:''' ''The Muppet Show'' (1976) |
| 1379 | |
| 1380 | Four anthropomorphic houses who appeared in the first season telling jokes about their relatives. |
| 1381 | ---- |
| 1382 | * ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: They disappeared after the first season. |
| 1383 | * FlatCharacter: They were one-note characters who showed no character development, and by their final appearance, their jokes started to get stale and predictable. No wonder they were dropped after one season. |
| 1384 | * SapientHouse: They're all houses that can think and talk, with windows for eyes and doors for mouths. |
| 1385 | [[/folder]] |
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