The Muppet Show/Characters: Difference between revisions

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{{Characters need descriptions}}
{{quote| For Muppets that showed up after The Muppet Show ended, go [[The Muppets (Franchise)/Characters|here.]]}}
 
Characters from ''[[{{TOPLEVELPAGE}}]]'' include:
 
=== Kermit the Frog ===
{{quote| Jim Henson (1955–1990; deceased)<br />
Steve Whitmire (1990–present) }}
 
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* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: This was Kermit's original shtick to go along with his [[Only Sane Man]] persona. Later on his snarkiness was downplayed to highlight his sweetness but he still gets in on this once in awhile.
** Reinstated in the 2011 film, however.
* [[Early -Bird Cameo]]: Originally appeared on ''Sam and Friends'' (before he was a frog) and ''[[Sesame Street (TV)|Sesame Street]]'' as a regular, though he's far more well-known for his ''Muppet Show'' role.
* [[The Everyman]]
* [[Experienced Protagonist]]: Kermit has a lot of experience running ''[[The Muppet Show]]''. He's been a newscaster on ''[[Sesame Street]]'', an MC for decades, and a charismatic personality The problem is that ''nothing'' ever goes to plan and no sufficient wisdom will fix that: whether it's Gonzo's stunts going awry, Wayne and Wanda's special effects messing up their numbers or a guest deciding to be a troll, you can expect chaos. Nevertheless, Kermit pushes forward, in the original Muppet Show and its subsequent spinoffs.
* [[Freudian Trio]]: The Superego to Gonzo's Id and Fozzie's Ego.
* [[The Heart]]/[[Team Dad]]: No Kermit, no Muppets. It's been established again and again, the new movie especially.
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* [[Official Couple]]: Eventually with Miss Piggy.
* [[Only Sane Man]] and [[Only Sane Employee]]: Well, kind of.
{{quote| '''Kermit:''' Me not crazy? [[Fridge Brilliance|I hired the others.]]}}
* [[The Other Darrin]]: After Jim Henson's passing, Steve Whitmire took over the role. Reportedly, Henson himself was grooming Whitmire to take over, so that he could better handle his producing duties. Steve was a puppeteer all the way back since ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' when he would perform background characters.
** Whitmire initially didn't want to have any lines for his puppetry, since he didn't think he was a good actor, but eventually broke out with Rizzo late in the show. When Whitmire was told he would voice Kermit for ''[[A Muppet Christmas Carol]]'', he was apprehensive. He said he had a dream where he met up with Henson and Henson stated that he'd do fine. Whitmire then did the voice for Kermit, and the rest was history.
** At one point, Whitmire was unavailable to make an appearance, so they used a mostly unknown puppeteer (Artie Esposito). The reaction wasn't very positive.
* [[Southern -Fried Genius]]
* [[Species Surname]]: In the 2011 Movie, it's stated that his last name is "The Frog". <ref> It was something of a running gag back in the old days as well.</ref>
* [[Straight Man]]
* [[Supporting Leader]]: Even if he's not the focus of the story, he'll often be this. [[Muppets Fromfrom Space]] being a good example.
* [[Wild Take]]: With much amusing arm-waving.
 
=== Miss Piggy ===
{{quote| Frank Oz (1976-2002)<br />
Eric Jacobson (2001-present) }}
 
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The unholy spawn of [[Barbra Streisand]] and rack of pork. Hailing from the Midwest, she was living off of [[Beauty Pageant|Beauty Pageants]] before meeting Kermit. Has a chronic need for stardom, and will steal the spotlight from anyone, with violence if necessary.
 
* [[Abuse Is Okay When Its Female On Male]]: Pummels her co stars (usually Kermit) on a regular basis. Granted Miss Piggy isn't designed to be the most sympathetic character of the bunch though.
** Female guest stars weren't safe either, its just they couldn't [[Punched Across the Room|be sent flying]] as easily as the male Muppets.
* [[Acting for Two]]: Played all four Witches in The Muppets Wizard of Oz.
* [[Armor -Piercing Slap]]: More like Karate Chop!
* [[Badass]]
* [[Breakout Character]]: 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.
* [[Catch Phrase]]: Hi-ya! and ''Moi''.
* [[Cross -Dressing Voices]]
* [[A Dog Named "Dog"]]
* [[AbuseDouble IsStandard Okay When ItsAbuse (Female Onon Male)]]: Pummels her co stars (usually Kermit) on a regular basis. Granted Miss Piggy isn't designed to be the most sympathetic character of the bunch though.
** Female guest stars weren't safe either, its just they couldn't [[Punched Across the Room|be sent flying]] as easily as the male Muppets.
* [[Gratuitous French]]
* [[Hair of Gold]]: Recently revealed to be a wig (to avoid being mistaken for [[Angelina Jolie]]), at least [[Kayfabe|out-of-]][[Animated Actors|universe]].
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** The only people to survive a direct hit from Piggy are Charlie McCarthy (Solid oak!) and Christopher Reeve (He really is the [[Superman|Man of Steel!]]). And even Reeve doubled over in pain once Piggy stormed off.
* [[Interspecies Romance]]
* [[ItsIt's All About Me]]
* [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold]]: Vain and violent tempered prima donna. Don't ever imply she doesn't love her Kermy however.
* [[Large Ham]]: Both literally and figuratively.
* [[Mister Muffykins]]: Her dog Foo-Foo.
* [[Official Couple]]: With Kermit.
* [[Small Name, Big Ego]]
* [[Stalker Withwith a Crush]]: Her initial relationship towards Kermit.
* [[Tsundere]]
* [[White Dwarf Starlet]]: Hasn't really made it enough to be washed-up, but has the personality.
 
=== Fozzie Bear ===
{{quote| Frank Oz (1976-1999)<br />
Eric Jacobson (2002-present) }}
 
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* [[Butt Monkey]]: To Statler and Waldorf.
* [[Catch Phrase]]: Wocka Wocka!
** [[Gannon Banned]]: And just for the record, it's spelled "Wocka Wocka", not "Wokka Wokka" or "[[PacmanPac-Man|Wakka]] [[Final Fantasy X|Wakka]]".
* [[Characterization Marches On]]: 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.
* [[Couch Gag]]: First season.
* [[Cower Power]]: Whenever in a threatening situation, he tends to hide behind the much-smaller Kermit.which leads to ...
* [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]]: He actually does have his share of awesome when matters have fallen into his own hands.
* [[EverythingsEverything's Worse Withwith Bears]]: Averted, despite what [[Statler and Waldorf]] might think.
* [[Freudian Trio]]: The Ego to Gonzo's Id and Kermit's Superego.
* [[Funny Animal]]
* [[The Lancer]]: Often content acting as Kermit's sidekick, especially in ''[[The Great Muppet Caper]]'' and ''[[The Muppets (Filmfilm)|The Muppets]]''.
* [[Let's See You Do Better]]: Often does this to Statler and Waldorf. Usually backfires.
** And in one case, they actually did perform on stage with Fozzie intent on heckling them.
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* [[Produce Pelting]]: In ''[[Muppet Babies]]''
* [[Pungeon Master]]
* [[So Unfunny ItsIt's Funny]]: 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.
* [[Too Dumb to Live]]: In some of the early post-Henson productions such as ''[[Muppets Fromfrom Space]]''. He later returned to his regular level of intelligence.
* [[Verbal Tic]]: Frank 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.
 
=== Gonzo the Great ===
{{quote| Dave Goelz (1974-present)}}
 
[[File:gonzoTheGreat_9675.jpg|frame]]
 
[[John Cleese (Creator)|The ugly, disgusting little one who catches cannonballs]]. The only non-recognizable animal in Kermit's band (later revealed to {{spoiler|be an alien}}), and the stuntman of the Muppets. He doubles as a Vaudevillian singer.
 
* [[Amusing Injuries]]: Perhaps most notably, getting his arms and legs stretched out to ten feet long in a stunt gone wrong.
* [[Ascended Extra]]: Both in becoming a character in the show and becoming [[Those Two Guys]]/[[Narrator]] with Rizzo in the movies.
* [[Badass]]: [[Doing It for Thethe Art|Given the often death-defying nature of his art]].
** [[Badass Adorable]]
* [[Characterization Marches On]]: In early appearances, his craziness was more subtle, and was depicted as a more slightly more neurotic, pathetic star akin to Fozzie. He gradually became more happy go lucky and his torture became harder to imply, [[Too Kinky to Torture|given how much he enjoyed most of it]].
* [[Cloudcuckoolander]]
* [[Couch Gag]]: His trumpet.
* [[Early Installment Weirdness]]: The first season Gonzo puppet was [[Off -the -Shelf FX|recycled]] from a TV special, was a bit ratty-looking, and had [[Perpetual Frowner|a permanent frown on his face.]] It was rebuilt for the second season, and his base appearance was in place.
* [[Freudian Trio]]: The Id to Fozzie's Ego and Kermit's Superego.
* [[Gag Nose]]
* [[Interspecies Romance]]: While ''his'' species isn't known, he has a fetish for chickens, on another occasion a cow and on yet another, Big Bird.
** The movie ''[[Muppets Fromfrom Space]]'' revealed that he's an alien. Unfortunately, [[Don't Explain the Joke|this is also why]] that movie is essentially [[Canon Dis ContinuityDiscontinuity]].
* [[The Lancer]]: Well, kind of.
* [[Mad Artist]]: He's supposed to be a partial [[Expy]] of Salvador Dali.
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=== Scooter ===
{{quote| Richard Hunt<br />
David Rudman }}
 
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* [[Demoted to Extra]]: 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 likely to reverse this.
** During the 1990s, Scooter was damn near [[Unperson|unpersoned]]. Other characters without performers, like Rowlf and Dr. Teeth, at least made token unspeaking cameos, but Scooter was nowhere to be seen for just shy of a full decade. When the official Muppets website was launched, minor characters like Julius Strangepork got their own bios, but Scooter was only added after mass e-mails from angered fans. <ref>Some even called [[Unfortunate Implications]] at stonewalling away a character whose performer died of AIDS.</ref>
* [[Half -Identical Twins]]: With Skeeter in ''[[Muppet Babies]]''
* [[The Intern]]: During the first season.
* [[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.
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=== Rowlf ===
{{quote| Jim Henson, then Bill Barretta}}
 
[[File:rowlf_2516.jpg|frame]]
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* [[Author Avatar]]: A number commented that aside from his piano skills, Rowlf was very much like Jim - arguably even more than Kermit.
* [[Back -Alley Doctor]]: His role of Dr. Bob on ''Veterinarian's Hospital'' was "a quack who's gone to the dogs".
* [[Cool Old Guy]]
* [[Early -Bird Cameo]]: 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.
{{quote| "I used to be a big star then."}}
* [[Hurricane of Puns]]: Especially the ''Veterinarian's Hospital'' sketches.
* [[The Piano Player]]
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=== Sam The Eagle ===
{{quote| Frank Oz (1975-1999)<br />
Eric Jacobson (2005-present) }}
 
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* [[The Eeyore]]
* [[Fantastic Racism]]: Hinted, in one episode, he mentions that is displeased with his daughter for [[Interspecies Romance|dating an owl.]]
* [[Feigning Intelligence]]: He's probably smart ''academically'' (even hosting a "Muppet University" segment), but is a complete nutcase in terms of morals and values [[Know -Nothing Know -It -All|and refuses to believe that he is]].
* [[Flanderization]]: On ''[[The Muppet Show]]'', he started out as a general, pro-American detractor of the show's non-cultural content and a [["Stop Having Fun!" Guys|Stop Having Fun Guy]] with strong, exaggeratedly right-wing strawman views on various issues. In recent media, such as the [[Muppet Viral Videos]], he's been depicted as generally obsessed with Americana itself and not much else. (For instance, he starts singing<ref>actually sing-talking</ref> "American Woman" by The Guess Who just because it has "American" in the title, something that the old Sam would never do.)
* [[Know -Nothing Know -It -All]]
* [[Large Ham]]
* [[Moral Guardian]]
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=== Dr. Bunsen Honeydew ===
{{quote| Dave Goelz}}
 
[[File:bunsenHoneydew_6268.jpg|frame]]
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* [[Ambiguously Gay]]
* [[Absent -Minded Professor]].
* [[Eyeless Face]]: His glasses give the appearance of eyes, but his melon-like head is basically [[The Blank]].
* [[For Science!]]
* [[Jerkass]]: Towards poor Beaker, though not intentionally. He's just ''really'' inconsiderate.
* [[Mad Scientist]]
 
=== Beaker ===
{{quote| Richard Hunt, then Steve Whitmire}}
 
[[File:beaker_8680.jpg|frame]]
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=== The Swedish Chef ===
{{quote| Jim Henson (1976 - 1990)<br />
Bill Barretta (1996 - present) }}
 
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* [[Chef of Iron]]: It's not so much that he uses cooking utensils as weapons (although he does)- he actually "cooks" with weapons including a blunderbuss, [[An Axe to Grind|an ax]], and most recently, a [[Chainsaw Good|chainsaw]] and a bazooka.
* [[Carnivore Confusion]]: His sketches often deal with this trope. Half the time, he's trying to cook members of the ''cast''.
{{quote| '''Robin''': Uncle Kermit, ''help''!}}
* [[Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"]]
* [[Eyeless Face]]: He has no visible eyes, only bushy eyebrows where eyes should be.
* [[Fauxreigner]]: Is sometimes acknowledged to not really speak Swedish.
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* [[Funny Foreigner]]
* [[Lethal Chef]]: The very few times he does actually manage to complete a dish, it usually ends up something the non-suicidal would not want to put in their mouths.
* [[Once an Episode]]: Doing a little song and dance, then throwing some cooking utensils over his shoulder. Frank Oz had a [[Self -Imposed Challenge]] to try to knock over every single item on the back wall. He only ever managed it once.
* [[Non -Standard Character Design]]: The only Muppet to be designed to use the puppeteer's exposed hands. It takes a lot of dexterity to be that clumsy.
* [[Norse Byby Norsewest]]
* [[Team Chef]]
* [[The Unintelligible]]
 
=== [[Statler and Waldorf]] ===
{{quote| Richard Hunt and Jim Henson<br />
Steve Whitmire & Dave Goelz }}
 
[[File:statlerWaldorf_3872Snw 9715.png|frame]]
 
Two-man peanut gallery, and patron saints of [[Caustic Critic|Caustic Critics]] everywhere. They've never sat through a show that they didn't hate.
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* [[Greek Chorus]]
* [[Guilty Pleasures]]
{{quote| '''Statler:''' This show is awful.<br />
'''Waldorf:''' Terrible!<br />
'''Statler:''' Disgusting!<br />
'''Waldorf:''' See you next week?<br />
'''Statler:''' Of course. }}
* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]].
* [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold|Jerks With Hearts of Gold]]
* [[Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!|Screw Politeness, We're Seniors!]]
* [[Self -Deprecation]]
* [[Sour Supporter|Sour Supporters]]
* [[The Stinger]]
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* [[Demoted to Extra]]: 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.
* [[Fake Band]]
* [[Five -Man Band]]: Literally!
** [[The Hero]]: Dr. Teeth.
** [[The Lancer]]: Sgt. Floyd Pepper
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[[File:drTeeth_6844.jpg|frame]]
==== Dr. Teeth (keyboard) ====
{{quote| Jim Henson, then Bill Barretta}}
* [[Delusions of Eloquence]]
* [[Gold Tooth]]
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[[File:sgtFloydPepper_8558.jpg|frame]]
==== Sgt. Floyd Pepper (bass guitar) ====
{{quote| Jerry Nelson<br />
Matt Vogel }}
 
* [[Deadpan Snarker]]
* [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold]]
* [[Kid Withwith the Leash]]: He's the only one with any sort of control over Animal.
* [[New Age Retro Hippie]]
* [[Official Couple]]: With Janice.
* [[Second Love]]: In the first season, Janice was often seen with Zoot.
* [[Shout -Out]]: [[Pink Floyd|Guess what color Floyd is...]]
** There's also the [[The Beatles|Sgt. Pepper]] reference.
* [[The Stoner]]: He even smokes a hookah in the ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'' parody episode.
* [[Sunglasses Atat Night]]: First season only.
 
[[File:zoot_7747.jpg|frame]]
==== Zoot (saxophone) ====
{{quote| Dave Goelz}}
 
* [[Cloudcuckoolander]]: At times.
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* [[Divergent Character Evolution]] / [[Early Installment Weirdness]]: Something of an odd example. In the first season, Floyd Pepper made few appearances, due to the availability 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.
* [[Heavy Sleeper]]
* [[Informed Judaism]]: Revealed in ''[[A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa]]''
* [[Nice Hat]]
* [[Shy Blue -Haired Girl|Shy Blue Haired Guy]]
* [[Starving Artist]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAomKAMN2Pw Recently 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.
* [[The Quiet One]]
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[[File:animalMuppet_5128.jpg|frame]]
==== Animal (drums) ====
{{quote| Frank Oz<br />
Eric Jacobson }}
 
* [[All Drummers Are Animals]]: Possibly the [[Trope Namer]].
* [[Breakout Character]]: From ''[[Muppet Babies]]'' onwards, he's a 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!
* [[Cartoon Creature]]: Is he a human? [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin|An animal]]? A whatever? The most plausible explanation is that he's a [[Our Monsters Are Different|monster]] like the ones on ''[[Sesame Street (TV)|Sesame Street]]''.
* [[Dark Is Not Evil]]: He behaves like a complete psycho and tends to destroy things around him (hence his being kept in chains), but seems to be fairly close friends with his bandmates and the other Muppets. He even gets a ''major'' [[Big Damn Heroes]] moment in ''[[The Muppet Movie]]''.
* [[Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas]]: In the recent-ish Muppet rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, he only gets as far as "Mama..." Then he starts rushing around the stage shouting, "Mama," overjoyed at the prospect of seeing his dearest mother. Poor guy never does find her.
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[[File:janiceMuppets_7050.jpg|frame]]
==== Janice (guitar) ====
{{quote| Richard Hunt<br />
David Rudman }}
 
* [[Cross -Dressing Voices]]
* [[Eyes Always Shut]]
* [[Granola Girl]]
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[[File:lipsMuppets_3847.jpg|frame]]
==== Lips (trumpet) ====
{{quote| Steve Whitmire}}
 
* [[Chuck Cunningham Syndrome]]: Disappeared after ''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]''.
** [[The Bus Came Back]]: Reappears in ''[[The Muppets (Filmfilm)|The Muppets]]'', although completely divorced from the rest of the band.
* [[Eyes Always Shut]]
* [[Living Prop]]: They only made him so Steve Whitmire would have his own character in the band. He got no [[Character Development]], and the band still works just as well with the original five.
* [[Remember the New Guy?]]: They never bothered to explain why the band had a new member.
 
=== Rizzo the Rat ===
{{quote| Steve Whitmire}}
 
[[File:rizzoTheRat_1228.jpg|frame]]
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* [[Lovable Coward]]: Usually played up whenever he's with Gonzo, to better contrast Gonzo's [[Fearless Fool]] tendencies.
* [[Iron Butt Monkey]]: Nowhere near as bad as Beaker, but he's suffered a lot, sometimes alongside Gonzo, who isn't fazed in the slightest.
* [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold]]
* [[Those Two Guys]]: Most often with Gonzo, but sometimes with Pepe.
 
=== Crazy Harry ===
{{quote| Jerry Nelson<br />
Matt Vogel }}
 
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=== Beauregard ===
{{quote| Dave Goelz}}
 
[[File:beauregardMuppets_6657.jpg|frame]]
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* [[The Ditz]]
* [[Drives Like Crazy]]: As seen in ''[[The Great Muppet Caper]]''.
* [[Expy]]: Based off of [[Emmet OttersOtter's Jug Band Christmas|Wendell the porcupine]], whom Goelz also performed.
* [[Hidden Depths]]: He seldom takes the stage himself, but he has been shown to be a surprisingly gifted harmonica player.
 
=== Link Hogthrob ===
{{quote| Jim Henson<br />
Steve Whitmire }}
 
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* [[Lantern Jaw of Justice]]: With a cleft you could lose spare change in.
* [[Miles Gloriosus]]
* [[Small Name, Big Ego]]
 
=== Lew Zealand ===
{{quote| Jerry Nelson<br />
Matt Vogel }}
 
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=== Annie Sue ===
{{quote| Louise Gold}}
 
[[File:annieSue_5353.jpg|frame]]
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* [[Recurring Character]]: Whenever the writers felt like tweaking Piggy.
* [[Sitcom Arch Nemesis]]: 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.
* [[The Character Died Withwith Him|The Character Retired With Her]]: Ironically this makes her ''less'' likely to reappear than the characters whose performers have ''died''.
 
=== Robin the Frog ===
{{quote| Jerry Nelson<br />
Matt Vogel }}
 
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Kermit's adorable little nephew, Robin's role on the Muppet Show fit his status as the youngest of the cast members. Sometimes he would cutely win the crowd over, and other times he would ask embarrassing questions, make impolite comments, and pout when he didn't get his way. Robin also seems to be the Muppet character designed to appeal best to small children.
 
* [[A Day in Thethe Limelight]]: 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 a Top 40 hit), and starring in his own action game for the Playstation.
* [[Artifact Title]]: Why is he named Robin? In his first appearance, he was a human prince named [[Monty Python and Thethe Holy Grail|Sir Robin the Brave]] who had... [[The Frog Prince (Literature)|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 [[Animated Actors]] clause), but he kept his medieval-era name.
* [[Cheerful Child]]
* [[Innocent Prodigy]]
* [[Kid Appeal Character]]
* [[Little Miss Snarker|Little Mister Snarker]]: Sometimes.
* [[Lovable Coward]]: Has some elements of this, being a kid and all. You may think "Sir Robin the Brave" is a reference to [[Monty Python and Thethe Holy Grail|something]], but ''The Frog Prince'' [[Older Than They Think|predates that movie by a few years]].
* [[Morality Pet]]: If the Muppets ever need to dial down the chaos and get a little sentimental, Robin is usually front and centre.
* [[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. ''[[Muppet Babies]]'' 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 ''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]''.
* [[Not Allowed to Grow Up]]: He's been a kid for 45 years and counting.
* [[Odd Couple]]: He and Sweetums are the best of friends.
* [[Odd Friendship]]: With Sweetums. Really odd considering ''The Frog Prince'' story cast them as enemies.
** If [[Animated Actors]] applies to ''The Frog Prince'' maybe Sweetums is a case of [[Mean Character, Nice Actor]] ?
* [[Tagalong Kid]]
 
=== Sweetums ===
{{quote| Richard Hunt<br />
John Henson<br />
Matt Vogel }}
 
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* [[Fluffy the Terrible]]: This was played straight in his first appearance, but nowadays "Sweetums" is a [[Meaningful Name]].
* [[Gentle Giant]]: He looks big and mean, but it's just bluster 90% of the time. Just watch out for that remaining 10%...
** Except in "[[The Frog Prince (Literature)|The Frog Prince]]", which was also his first appearance. He repeatedly tried to eat or smash Robin. Speaking of...
* [[Huge Guy, Tiny Girl|Huge Ogre Tiny Frog]]: Often paired with Robin.
* [[Larynx Dissonance]]: His voice is deep, but he sounds more "big-city truck driver" than "man-eating monster".
* [[Lightning Bruiser]]: He is a ''fantastic'' dancer.
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=== Camilla ===
{{quote| Jerry Nelson<br />
Matt Vogel }}
 
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* [[Ascended Extra]]: She only appeared a few times on the show, but is well-known to fans of the movies.
* [[Cross -Dressing Voices]]
* [[Interspecies Romance]]: With Gonzo.
* [[Official Couple]]: With Gonzo.
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=== Pops ===
{{quote| Jerry Nelson}}
 
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 - [[Hilarity Ensues|hilarity often ensues.]]
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=== Uncle Deadly ===
{{quote| Jerry Nelson<br />
Matt Vogel }}
 
[[File:uncleDeadlyMuppets_4053.png|frame]]
 
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 ''[[The Muppets (Filmfilm)|The Muppets]]'', where he served as [[The Dragon]] to the [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] [[Big Bad]].
 
* [[Ascended Extra]]: Became a major character in ''[[The Muppets (Filmfilm)|The Muppets]]''.
* [[Badass]]: In [[The Muppets (Filmfilm)|the 2011 movie]], where {{spoiler|[[Crowning Moment of Awesome|he (a Muppet) pushes his boss (a human) off a building]]}}!
* [[Classically -Trained Extra]]
* [[Our Dragons Are Different]]: Resembles a dragon, and was referred to as one in [[The Muppets (Filmfilm)|the 2011 movie]]'s junior novelization.
* [[Our Ghosts Are Different]]: The ghost of a Shakespearean actor who was murdered... by the critics!
** [[Dracolich]]: A non-malicious example.
* [[The Phantom of the Opera|The Phantom of the]] [[Shout -Out|Muppet Theater]]
* [[Recurring Character]]: In the second and third season, would periodically star in on-stage skits, usually (and bizarrely) paired with Wayne after Wanda was dropped.
* [[Token Evil Teammate]]
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=== Dr. Julius Strangepork ===
{{quote| Jerry Nelson}}
 
''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.
 
* [[Demoted to Extra]]: Didn't appear much on the show outside of [[ThisPunctuated! IsFor! SpartaEmphasis!|PIGS ... IN ... SPAAAACE!]] anyway but has made a few background cameos here and there.
* [[Herr Doktor]]: The science officer in Pigs In Space.
* [[Only Sane Man]]: Trapped on a spaceship, facing constant hazards and hostile aliens, with no company other than two self-absorbed twits for years... poor Strangepork.
* [[Satellite Character]]: For Link. The official Muppets website even spelled this out in his bio.
* [[Shout -Out]]: To ''[[Dr. Strangelove]]''.
* [[You Keep Using That Word]] / [[Delusions of Eloquence]]: Not used by himself, but the narrator always introduces him in this way ("And the ubiquitous / inexplicable Dr Julius Strangepork!"
 
=== Marvin Suggs ===
{{quote| Frank Oz<br />
Eric Jacobson }}
 
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* [[Mad Artist]]
* [[Mustache Of Failed Heterosexuality]]: It's fake, too.
* [[Small Name, Big Ego]]
* [[What the Hell Is That Accent?]] (According to Frank Oz, he based Marvin's accent on an exaggerated version of a French friend's voice.)
** [[French Jerk]]
* [[You Do NOT Want to Know]]: 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."
 
=== The Newsman ===
{{quote| Jim Henson}}
 
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 Muppet's most slapstick characters.
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* [[Dead Line News]]: Or at least ''injured'' line news.
* [[Doom Magnet]]
* [[Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"]]
* [[Genre Blind]]: He ''never'' learns.
* [[I Have Many Names]]: The Newsman, the Newscaster, the Reporter...
* [[Once an Episode]]
* [[One -Scene Wonder]]
* [[Running Gag]]
* [[Speak of the Devil|Speak Of The Falling Cow]]
* [[This Just In]]
* [[Throw the Dog Aa Bone]]: 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!
* [[We Interrupt This Program]]
 
=== Wayne and Wanda ===
{{quote| Richard Hunt<br />
Erin Ozker }}
 
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** [[Relationship Upgrade|They were caught getting]] [[Unusual Euphemism|pretty un-platonic]] in the 2011 movie.
* [[Public Domain Soundtrack]]
* [[Put Onon a Bus]]: While Wanda's disappearance after the first season was unremarked at the time, she and Wayne reunited 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, [[Throw the Dog Aa Bone|re-hired them.]] When they sang out of joy, [[Yank the DogsDog's Chain|Kermit re-fired them.]] Amusingly, this successfully kept the pair out of the Muppets for the next three decades.
** [[The Bus Came Back]]: The pair finally rejoined 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!
* [[Running Gag]]: The first season of the show had more running gags than character pieces. When the writing staff changed, Wanda was dumped, as running gags were all she had. Wayne, however, sporadically appeared in skits during the second and third seasons, oddly paired now with Uncle Deadly!
* [[Small Name, Big Ego]]: One of the few times they were given any non-musical dialogue, they made rude remarks about Kermit until they realized that [[Right Behind Me|he was listening the whole time]].
* [[Speak of the Devil]]
 
=== Mahna Mahna ===
{{quote| Jim Henson}}
 
[[File:mahnaSnouthMuppets_5944.png|frame]]
Line 627 ⟶ 630:
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.
 
* [[Divergent Character Evolution]]: A Muppet on ''[[Sesame Street (TV)|Sesame Street]]'' sang "Mahna Mahna" on 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. <ref> Bip Bipadotta wears sunglasses and sings in English; Mahna Mahna doesn't wear sunglasses and speaks only in scat.</ref> This distinction is [[Serious Business]] amongst the fandom.
* [[Non Sequitur]]: His act basically makes no sense whatsoever, but it's extremely catchy to most people. In ''[[Muppets Tonight]]'', the song was presented as a mental disorder wherein the Snouths would appear from nowhere and sing whenever someone would say the name of the song. In ''[[The Muppets (Filmfilm)|The Muppets]]'', 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 "[[Mary Poppins|Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious]]"!
* [[Offscreen Teleportation]]
* [[One -Scene Wonder]]: That one sole skit on the first episode of ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' became so popular, all three characters made appearances on ''[[Muppets Tonight]]'', and all the way into ''[[The Muppets (Filmfilm)|The Muppets]]''!
* [[Pokémon -Speak]]
* [[Screwy Squirrel]]
* [[Sitcom Arch Nemesis]]: For the Snowths especially, but potentially ''anybody''.
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=== Hugga Wugga ===
{{quote| Frank Oz}}
 
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 [[Pokémon -Speak|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".
 
* [[Berserk Button]]: Creatures that sing anything other than "Hugga Wugga".
* [[Blow You Away]]: Shoots jets of air out of his nose whenever he gets angry.
* [[One -Scene Wonder]]
* [[Plant People]]: He looks rather like a ''[[Pikmin]]'' enemy.
* [[Pokémon -Speak]]
* [[The Unintelligible]]
 
=== Angus McGonagle ===
{{quote| Jerry Nelson}}
 
The original planned "guest star" for the ''[[Star Wars]]'' episode, Angus McGonagle is an ugly purple Scotsman whose main (and possibly only) talent is gargling [[George Gershwin]] compositions "gorgeously". For some reason, his act is widely hated among the Muppets and their intergalactic guests.
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* [[Brown Note]]: Gonzo (as Dearth Nadir) uses Angus' act to torture [[Star Wars|Luke Skywalker]]. Only a [[Gainax Ending]] is able to rescue him.
* [[Fiery Redhead]]
* [[Man in Aa Kilt]]
* [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot]]: His description reads like a [[Mad Libs]] game: he's a purple kilted Scottish gargoyle who gargles [[George Gershwin]] compositions for his act.
* [[Non -Singing Voice]]: One of the series' few examples, though you could hardly classify it as "singing"; his gargling is provided by Richard Hunt.
* [[One -Scene Wonder]]: It helps that his episode has the Star Wars cast.
* [[Overly Long Tongue]]
* [[Trrrilling Rrrs]]: "Yes sirrrrree, Scoo'er lil' buddy, I'm rrrrready t'gae!"
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=== J. P. Grosse ===
{{quote| Jerry Nelson}}
 
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 early seasons of the show, but finally appeared in person for the final season.
Line 680 ⟶ 683:
** However, the writers and performers eventually degreed that while Grosse was fun as an offscreen presence, in person he was too abrasive and threatening to be funny. Grosse was quickly [[Demoted to Extra]]. To see how they ultimately dealt with him, see below.
* [[Grumpy Old Man]]
* [[Killed Off for Real]]: If you take a deleted scene from ''[[ItsIt's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie]]'' as official word, Kermit inherited the theater after Grosse's death. Either way, he hasn't been seen since. It says something about how unsuccessful the character was that he was the only Muppet to be ''killed off''.
* [[Rich in Dollars, Poor In Sense]]
* [[Screw the Rules, I Have Money]]
* [[The Scrooge]]
 
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[[Category{{DEFAULTSORT:The Muppet Show]], The}}
[[Category:Characters]]