The Muppets
The Muppets are puppet characters created by Jim Henson. The characters include Kermit the Frog and the Muppet cast of Sesame Street. Jim Henson started work with the Muppets in the 1950s and continued until his death in 1990. The Muppets are known for an absurd burlesque and humorous style of variety-sketch comedy.
The Muppets are now owned by The Muppets Studio and The Walt Disney Company. The term "muppet" is trademarked and owned by The Walt Disney Company. Muppets used in Sesame Street are still called muppets at times, and have special permission to use that name from The Walt Disney Company.
Jim Henson said the name "muppet" came from combining the words "puppet" and "marionette," but he also said that he just liked the way the word sounded. Many of Jim Henson's muppets have large eyes, round noses, and large mouths that go from one end of the face to the other (almost ear to ear). Muppets are often made out of foam with felt on top. Puppeteers usually control the muppet with one hand in the head and the other hand controls the muppets arms. Sometimes the arms have a stick that is used to move the hand and arm - this is called the "arm rod." Puppeteers hold the arm rod at one end and the other end touches the muppet hand. Some muppets have hands that are gloves. Puppeteers put their hands in the gloves of these muppets so the muppet can move its fingers. For this reason, most muppets appear to favor their left hands.
Muppeteers and their characters
Main Muppeteers
- Jim Henson - Kermit the Frog, Rowlf the Dog, Ernie, The Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth, Link Hogthrob, Guy Smiley, Bobo the Bear, Mahna Mahna, Waldorf, Two-Headed Monster (Left Head), Various
- Frank Oz - Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover, Sam the Eagle, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Various
- Jerry Nelson - Floyd Pepper, Robin the Frog, Gobo Fraggle, Emmet Otter, Count von Count, Marjory the Trash Heap, Lew Zealand, Pops, Uncle Deadly, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Herry Monster, Various
- Richard Hunt - Scooter, Statler, Don Music, Gunge, Two-Headed Monster (Right Head), Gladys the Cow, Sweetums, Blue Frackle, Sonny Friendly, Bobby Benson, Wayne, Various
- Eric Jacobson - Various
- Steve Whitmire - Rizzo the Rat, Bean Bunny, Wembley Fraggle, Lips, Various
- Fran Brill - Prairie Dawn, Zoe, Betty Lou, Little Bird, Various
- Alice Dinnean - Miss Piggy, Sherry Netherland, Phoebe, Various
- Julianne Buescher - Yolanda Rat, Janice, Sherry Netherland, Denise, Various
- Ryan Dillon - Various
- Stephanie D'Abruzzo - Curly Bear, Various
- Bill Barretta - Various
- David Rudman - Baby Bear, Mr. Johnson, Various
- Joey Mazzarino - Various
- Kevin Clash - Hoots the Owl, Various
- Matt Vogel - 80's Robot, Constantine, Crazy Harry, Various
- Martin P. Robinson - Telly Monster, Various
- Leslie Carrara-Rudolph - Abby Cadabby, Various
- Pam Arciero - Grundgetta, Various
- Carmen Osbahr - Rosita
- Jennifer Barnhart - Various
- Peter Linz - Walter, Various
- Noel MacNeal - Various
- Tyler Bunch - Various
- John Tartaglia - Phoebe, Various
- John Kennedy - Various
- Caroll Spinney as Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Bruno the Trashman, Various
Media
Cast and characters in adaptations
| Characters | Films | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Muppet Movie (1979) |
The Great Muppet Caper (1981) |
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) |
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) |
Muppet Treasure Island (1996) |
Muppets from Space (1999) |
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) |
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005) |
The Muppets (2011) |
Muppets Most Wanted (2014) |
Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021) | ||
Main characters (appear in all films) | ||||||||||||
| Kermit the Frog | Jim Henson | |||||||||||
| Miss Piggy | Frank Oz | Frank Oz (voice) Kevin Clash (puppetry) |
Frank Oz (voice) Peter Linz (puppetry) |
Eric Jacobson | ||||||||
| Fozzie Bear | Frank Oz | Frank Oz (voice) Kevin Clash (puppetry) |
Frank Oz (voice) John Kennedy (puppetry) |
Eric Jacobson | ||||||||
| The Great Gonzo | Dave Goelz | |||||||||||
| Statler | Richard Hunt | Jerry Nelson | Jerry Nelson (voice) Steve Whitmire (puppetry) |
Steve Whitmire | Peter Linz | |||||||
| Waldorf | Jim Henson | Dave Goelz | ||||||||||
| Dr. Bunsen Honeydew | Dave Goelz | |||||||||||
| Beaker | Richard Hunt | Steve Whitmire | David Rudman | |||||||||
| The Swedish Chef | Jim Henson | David Rudman | Bill Barretta | |||||||||
| Sam the Eagle | Frank Oz | Frank Oz (voice) Kevin Clash (puppetry) |
Frank Oz (voice) John Kennedy (puppetry) |
Kevin Clash (voice) John Kennedy (puppetry) |
Eric Jacobson | |||||||
| Animal | Frank Oz | Frank Oz (voice) Kevin Clash (puppetry) |
Frank Oz (voice) Rickey Boyd (puppetry) |
Eric Jacobson | ||||||||
Supporting characters (appear in more than one film) | ||||||||||||
| Rowlf the Dog | Jim Henson | |||||||||||
| Scooter | Richard Hunt | |||||||||||
| Rizzo the Rat / Ballroom Rat | Steve Whitmire | Bruce Lanoil | ||||||||||
| Pepe the King Prawn | Bill Barretta | |||||||||||
| Walter | Peter Linz | |||||||||||
| Dr. Teeth | Jim Henson | |||||||||||
| Floyd Pepper | Jerry Nelson | Jerry Nelson | Jerry Nelson (voice) | John Kennedy | Matt Vogel | |||||||
| Janice | Richard Hunt | Brian Henson | Tyler Bunch | David Rudman | ||||||||
| Zoot | Dave Goelz | Dave Goelz | Dave Goelz | |||||||||
| Lips | Steve Whitmire | Steve Whitmire | Steve Whitmire | Peter Linz | ||||||||
| Robin the Frog | Jerry Nelson | Jerry Nelson | Jerry Nelson | Jerry Nelson (voice) | Matt Vogel | Peter Linz | ||||||
| Sweetums | Richard Hunt | John Henson | Matt Vogel | |||||||||
| Lew Zealand | Jerry Nelson | Bill Barretta | Matt Vogel | |||||||||
| Beauregard | Dave Goelz | Dave Goelz | ||||||||||
| Pops | Jerry Nelson | Jerry Nelson (voice) | Matt Vogel | |||||||||
| Crazy Harry | Jerry Nelson | Jerry Nelson | Rickey Boyd | Matt Vogel | ||||||||
| Camilla the Chicken | Jerry Nelson | Jerry Nelson | Alice Dinnean | Matt Vogel | ||||||||
| Marvin Suggs | Frank Oz | Eric Jacobson | ||||||||||
| Link Hogthrob | Jim Henson | Steve Whitmire | ||||||||||
| The Newsman | Jim Henson | Steve Whitmire | ||||||||||
| Bobo the Bear | Bill Barretta | |||||||||||
| 80's Robot | Matt Vogel | |||||||||||
| Johnny Fiama | Bill Barretta | |||||||||||
| Sal Minella | Brian Henson | |||||||||||
| Bean Bunny | Steve Whitmire | Steve Whitmire | ||||||||||
| Miss Poogy | David Rudman | |||||||||||
| Big Mean Carl | Bill Barretta | |||||||||||
| Wayne | David Rudman | |||||||||||
| Wanda | Alice Dinnean (voice) Mat Vogel (puppetry) | |||||||||||
One-shot characters | ||||||||||||
| Constantine | Matt Vogel | |||||||||||
| Foo Foo | Steve Whitmire | |||||||||||
| Bobby Benson | David Rudman | |||||||||||
| Baby Boss | Bill Barretta | |||||||||||
| Carlo Flamingo | Bill Barretta | |||||||||||
| Manolo Flamingo | Peter Linz | |||||||||||
| Leprechaun Security Guard | Bill Barretta | |||||||||||
| Foozie | Tyler Bunch | |||||||||||
| Kermoot | Dave Goelz | |||||||||||
| Roowlf | Matt Vogel | |||||||||||
| Janooce | Matt Vogel | |||||||||||
| Joe Snow | Mel Brooks (voice) Allan Trautman (puppetry) |
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| Clifford | Kevin Clash | |||||||||||
| Dr. Phil van Neuter | Brian Henson | |||||||||||
| Bubba the Rat | Bill Barretta | |||||||||||
| The Birdman | Dave Goelz | |||||||||||
| Ubergonzo | Jerry Nelson | |||||||||||
| Cosmic Fish #1 | Steve Whitmire | |||||||||||
| Cosmic Fish #2 | Bill Barretta | |||||||||||
| Blind Pew | Jerry Nelson | |||||||||||
| Black Dog | Kevin Clash | |||||||||||
| Spa'am | Kevin Clash | |||||||||||
| Bad Polly | Kevin Clash | |||||||||||
| Mad Monty | Jerry Nelson | |||||||||||
| Clueless Morgan | Bill Barretta | |||||||||||
| Ghost of Christmas Past | Jessica Fox (voice) Rob Tygner, Karen Prell, William Todd-Jones(puppetry) |
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| Ghost of Christmas Present | Jerry Nelson (voice) Don Austen (puppetry) |
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| Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come | Don Austen, Rob Tygner (puppetry) | |||||||||||
| Emily 'Ma' Bear | Jerry Nelson | |||||||||||
| Old Joe | David Shaw Parker (voice) David Rudman (puppetry) |
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| Peter Cratchit | David Rudman | |||||||||||
| Betina Cratchit | Dave Goelz | |||||||||||
| Belinda Cratchit | Steve Whitmire | |||||||||||
| Chester Rat | Dave Goelz | |||||||||||
| Masterson Rat | Bruce Edward Hall | |||||||||||
| Tatooey Rat | Brian Muehl | |||||||||||
| Yolanda Rat | Karen Prell | |||||||||||
| Beth Bear | Bruce Edward Hall | |||||||||||
| Bill (frog) | Dave Goelz | |||||||||||
| Gil (frog) | Steve Whitmire | |||||||||||
| Jill (frog) | Kathryn Mullen | |||||||||||
| Ernie | Jim Henson | |||||||||||
| Bert | Frank Oz | |||||||||||
| Cookie Monster | Frank Oz | |||||||||||
| Oscar the Grouch | Caroll Spinney | |||||||||||
| Big Bird | Caroll Spinney | |||||||||||
Discography
- Opening themes
- "The Muppet Show Theme" (1976-2022)
- "Rock On" (2023)
- Closing themes
- "The Muppet Show Theme" (instrumental) (1976-2022) (except 2011)
- "The Rainbow Connection" (1979, 1986, 2001 and 2015 only)
- "Mahna Mahna" (2011 only)
- "Bright" (2015 only)
- "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" (2016 only)
- "The Muppets Mayhem End Credits" (2023)
The Muppets Media
Photo of puppeteer Jim Henson at the 41st Emmy Awards.
Songwriter Bret McKenzie won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2012 for "Man or Muppet" from The Muppets, winning the first Oscar for the franchise.
Kermit statue, BrickCon, 2013
Main cast of Muppet performers in 2012: (from left to right) Peter Linz, Bill Barretta, Matt Vogel, Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, David Rudman and Dave Goelz
Muppet*Vision 3D has operated at Disney's Hollywood Studios since 1991
The Muppets performing with CeeLo Green at Rockefeller Center in 2012
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Other websites
- Wikia has a wiki on this subject: The Muppets
- REDIRECT Template:The Muppets