65 Days Until "The Muppets"!

Lucas Ervin - Hey guys, I’m back... how about “The Pig With the Froggy Tattoo”? Pretty sweet huh? Now, onto this week’s sketches... The closing numbers have always been a major highlight of each episode of The Muppet Show, and there have been so many wonderful songs that have been done, I figured I’d take this week to select what I would consider the seven best closing numbers.

65.   Andy Williams - I think this one is really enjoyable because of the simplicity of the number. It’s just Andy and Kermit, sitting on stools and singing a medley of Andy’s hits, with a few new lines thrown in to include Kermit. What most people enjoy about this number, though, is that Kermit is sitting on a stool with no Jim in sight. What they did is take a mirror and bisected it between two of the legs so that it would look like a complete stool, so when you see Kermit sitting and singing, it looks real. Plus it almost looks like Andy is breaking the fourth wall when asking Kermit how he’s able to sit on the stool; “I knew toads could... surely you’ve heard of toadstools.”

64.   Lola Falana - In this episode, we find out Gonzo has been offered a movie deal in Bombay, India (which is a reference to The Muppet Movie) and this will be his last show. However, after finding out that the movie deal was for Gonzo The Mediocre, he rushes back to Kermit, begging for his old job again. After a brief interaction with Gonzo’s replacement, Trevor the Gross, Kermit gives him his old job back, with Gonzo adding, “I wouldn’t want to be anyplace else.” We couldn’t agree more. Here’s Lola Falana, backstage with Gonzo and the other Muppets, singing that lovely song, “United We Stand.”

63.   Paul Williams - I’m sure we all recognize this special guest star. He’s written songs for several Muppet productions, made a couple cameo appearances, and is one of the few guest stars who are almost the same height as the Muppets themselves. He’s been an important figure in Muppet history, and his most famous song, “The Rainbow Connection” will be sung yet again in The Muppets when it’s released in November. Here he is during the first season of the show, beside Rowlf at the piano, singing one of the most beautiful closing numbers in the show’s history, “Sad Song.”

62.   Linda Ronstadt - Miss Piggy always gets jealous when a female guest star shows up, but she really went over the line when Linda Ronstadt came on during the fifth season. Kermit, wearing a white suit, is really excited to meet the foxy singer until Piggy locks Kermit in a crate full of fungus. Sadly, Kermit and Linda don’t get to talk until the closing number, where they both express how they’re both happy to be together performing on the show, even if it’s just for a little while. With Rowlf once again on the piano, Kermit and Linda, as well as a chorus of other Muppets, sing “When I Grow Too Old To Dream.” And man, can this woman belt out a tune.

61.   Marty Feldman - When this British comedic actor came on to host, they spent the evening telling the Arabian Nights, and the final story told was Ali Bubu and the 3 Thieves. There was supposed to be 40 thieves, but Kermit didn’t have the budget for it... When Fozzie Bear finds out that the thieves get cooked in hot oil just before the closing number he runs out and starts to sing, “Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight.” After each verse, he hollers “Open Sesame,” and brings forth a bunch of characters from Sesame Street, including Ernie, Bert, Grover, and Cookie Monster, and they start singing their famous theme song. It’s also great seeing Cookie Monster here because he bears a striking resemblance to Marty...

60.   Ethel Merman - One of the greatest episodes of the first season was when that famous singer and Broadway star Ethel Merman came on. She had a fantastic voice and brought to us many famous show tune hits that were performed a lot during The Muppet Show’s five year run. As Fozzie is moping around backstage about a sour deal with his manager, Ethel reminds him that it shouldn’t matter because he’s doing what he loves to do. With that, she starts in on the uplifting and beautiful song, “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”

59.   Harry Belefonte - And finally, a guest star whose closing number still resonates with Muppet fans all around the world, and was even sung once again at Jim Henson’s memorial service... Harry tells the story about how he came to write the song, and how there are very few differences between us if you take the time to understand one another. It’s a very spiritual number with a powerful message for everyone. If we had more people like Jim Henson and Harry Belefonte, it wouldn’t really be that difficult to “Turn The World Around.”

65 Days Until The Muppets!!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

72 Days Until "The Muppets"

Lucas Ervin - Well, here we are, already 28 days in. Hope you guys are enjoying these. There are a ton of numbers on the show where we'll see an outstanding song performed by some of the most unique looking characters, and then we never really see them again. But just because these aren't main characters on the show doesn't mean that we're not singing these hit songs in the shower or on our way to work. So I'm calling this the One-Hit Wonders week, where I do exactly that.

72.   Java -  For just being two neatly-decorated pieces of vacuum hoses that were designed by Frank Oz, and performed by him and Jim Henson, this number was sure seen on plenty of shows: The Ed Sullivan Show, Today, The Tonight Show--but this is the only number you see these guys in. It fits well though; the trumpet played by Al Hirt sure is catchy, and it's great seeing the smaller hose get his revenge.

71.   Your Feet's Too Big - One of Kermit's favorite numbers, this ended up being quite suitable for Carroll Channing's episode where Piggy's shoes just weren't the right... um... style. Here's a number where the puppets are shown in full body, with live feet, and it's another fun number done by Jerry Nelson and Louise Gold. The male monster keeps insulting a female monster for her "pedal extremities" while she's just blissfully laughing at him, because his feet are just as giant.

70.   Ragg Mopp - As most Muppet fans know, before Beauregard came along, the janitor on the first season of The Muppet Show was George, a grumpy old man who would have fit perfectly between Statler and Waldorf up in the box. He was mostly seen backstage, but he put a few of his brooms together in the Lena Horne episode for an act, paying tribute to the Ames Brothers, and he gave us one memorable opening number.

69.   Snerfs - Here's another jazzy number done by some really weird characters called the Snerfs--not to be confused with the Smurfs, however they are blue. These long, furry characters with horns for noses played an instrumental tune that was at the top of the Bruce Forsythe episode. They look relatively small during this song, but when you see them backstage, they look as if they’re as tall as Kermit, or taller. Who wouldn't want to bring one of these guys home as a pet?

68.   Hugga Wugga - This number's also known as the Buggy Mugger number, and can be heard on The Muppet Show Album. This was originally done on Nancy Sinatra's Las Vegas show in 1971. Frank Oz performs Hugga Wugga, the green character is by John Lovelady, and the yellow alien who blows up Hugga is performed by Jerry Nelson. The music itself is done by Joe Raposo, who wrote the famous song, Bein' Green as well as plenty of other classic songs on Sesame Street.

67.   All of Me - Sadly, this number--originally done on the Paul Williams episode--was cut from Season One of The Muppet Show on DVD due to rights. It's a fantastic song, with beautiful visuals of a male monster giving the love of his life (a female monster) "all of him." I especially love that it's performed by Jerry Nelson, and that the monster literally removes all of his body parts and puts them in a box, plus it's all done in one take.


66.   Mahna-Mahna - Performed in the first episode of The Mup--hey, you know what? You're a Muppet fan. You've seen this sketch a million times. You sing it to your friends, you post it on Facebook, and you most likely know that it came originally from a Swedish skin flick. So why should I talk about it when you can just watch it once again? Do doo do doo it.

 72 Days Until The Muppets!!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

79 Days Until "The Muppets"

Lucas Ervin - If there's one species that seems to have the most occupancy on The Muppet Show--both  backstage and onstage--it's the pigs. They even seem to take up quite a few of the opening numbers over the years. There's Miss Piggy of course, along with Link Hogthrob, Annie Sue, Dr. Strangepork, Lydia the Tattooed Lady, and even that giant weird pig that danced with Rudolph Nureyev. So I figured this week let's enjoy some of their best numbers.

79.   Lullaby of Broadway - When Gilda Radner came on to host the show, Kermit decided to open up with what he called, "A traditional lullaby from beyond the Antarctic circle... or somewhere." The pigs do a great job in singing the famous song from the musical 42nd Street. They're also joined by a walrus, chicken and even the first Muppet penguin, which was built and performed by Brian Henson, Jim's son. It's definitely one of the musical numbers from the Show that's been highlighted the most throughout the years, even with the broken ig.

78.   Staying Alive - For a song that's originally sung by the Bee Gees, the pigs on the show certainly found a way to make this 70's hit song their own during this opening number of the Helen Reddy episode. Led by Miss Piggy, the song takes place in the Palace of Versailles, where she and the pigs make the song about how they are still standing, and nothing will stand in their way... that is, until they notice the giant guillotine at the end of the number...

77.   Yakety Yak - Here's a fun song that was done at the top of the Tony Randall episode. This song was originally sung by The Coasters, with Jerry Nelson and Louise Gold doing another fantastic song together as lead vocals. Here we have a pair of prehistoric pig parents telling their kids to clean the place up before going out. Also, I love the cherry on top of this song, which is Zoot in a snazzy leopard outfit, playing a sax that's made out of dinosaur bone.

76.   The Pig Calypso - "Bib and napkin, knife and fork is the only way that I'll touch pork." Enough said.


75.   Hawaiian War Chant - Keeping with a tropical theme, when Sylvester Stallone came on to host the show, they opened with a number that expresses the sounds and language of Hawaii, singing alongside some parrots and penguins as well. Also, Animal plays a mean set of drums in this number, while the gorilla tries taking some of the singers out with coconuts. This song is actually found on The Muppet Show's second album and is still one of the more notable opening numbers to this day.

74.   I Get Around - Another pig number led by Miss Piggy, a Beach Boys classic was once again turned up on its head and the Muppets found a way to make this their own. I like how everyone else has skulls and crossbones on their bike, except Miss Piggy, who has a picture of Kermit on hers. In the documentary Of Muppets & Men, you can actually see the behind the scenes of this number, with the performers underneath their characters moving back and forth to make it all look realistic. This is probably the only time people ever enjoyed road hogs.

73.   In The Navy - When Roger Moore came on to host, it would be the last episode of The Muppet Show ever filmed. How fitting is it, then, that the final opening number belongs to the pigs, where they emulate what the Scandinavian recruitment process must have been like. This can also be seen on Of Muppets & Men, where all the people working on this number take all day just to complete this one number, and they only spend three days shooting an entire episode of The Muppet Show. Hey, it was well worth it.

79 Days Until The Muppets!!!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

86 Days Until "The Muppets"

Lucas Ervin - For this third week, I would like to showcase some of the craziest characters on The Muppet Show that appeared many times over the show’s five year run. These characters also seem to show Jim Henson’s wicked sense of humor that he was so well known for. Everybody has their weird moments--even Kermit--but these guys are what gave The Muppet Show its crazy vibe. So this week, prepare for sick, weird and morally appalling characters who will make you laugh, sing and run for cover.

86.   Koozebanians
I decided to kick off with the Koozebanian characters because they’re featured more often than people might think. Kermit, dressed in the same reporter outfit from Sesame Street, interviewed many of the different species that inhabited the planet Koozebane, such as Phoobs, Spoobles and even covered a Koozebanian mating ritual. The crew from Pigs In Space have also landed on the planet a couple of times, including the Star Wars episode. They come in all shapes and sizes, and can be seen throughout the entire five-year run of the show. The link above shows Dom DeLouise during his visit to the planet, dealing with some mischievous Merdilops.

85.   Bobby Benson and His Baby Band
Richard Hunt was another Muppet performer who really understood Jim’s odd sense of humor, and he proved it by playing several questionable characters like Beaker, Sweetums, and, of course, Bobby Benson, a middle-aged man who smokes and somehow has a band of babies with him at all times, and apparently is returning in The Muppets in November. He always said, "That’s my babies!" But I’m pretty sure he just stole them from a daycare center, and the moms and dads never investigated it further. Of course, if their parents actually cared about their babies, then we wouldn’t have great numbers like "Pennsylvania 6-5000."

84.   Sam the Eagle
A Frank Oz character, the fact that Sam was always trying to instill moral and wholesome entertainment into the Show but always failing at his attempts to do so is exactly why he makes the list this week. He’s tried discussing the issues of nudity, stealing, and even has read the fable "The Ant and the Grasshopper," where, in this version, the story actually ends with the ant getting stepped on and the grasshopper drives down to Florida. He’s even tried censoring the show a couple of times, and failed miserably. He really doesn’t seem to get along well with anyone either. In fact, the only two people--aside from Wayne and Wanda--that he really can communicate with are Statler and Waldorf. He’s a pretty well-known character, has been around since the Sex & Violence pilot, and despite being a bit difficult towards the other characters, he’s still pretty lovable. In the hilarious clip above, Sam tries to talk to Kermit about his family tree.

83.   Wayne and Wanda
If there was one act Sam Eagle really enjoyed, it was this singing duo. The definition of insanity is someone who does the same thing over and over again, expecting different results, and during the first season of The Muppet Show, these two came back, week after week, singing a different song and hoping it would go smoothly. But as we all know, it never did. Kermit ended up firing the two singers (although Wayne would still appear in a melodrama or a song from time to time). The duo returned during Season 4, singing to Kermit for his birthday, but Kermit is reminded of why he fired them in the first place, and fires them again. And who knows? Maybe they’ll be fired for a third time when The Muppets hits theaters.

82.   Lew Zealand
I love Lew. It’s that simple. He’s silly, funny and has a very unique act; boomerang fish-throwing. He throws the fish awaaaaay... and they come back to him. He was supposed to only appear once in the Marisa Berenson episode, but Jerry Nelson and the writers enjoyed him so much, he stayed on. Lew has appeared in every theatrical and television Muppet movie. With his goofy laugh and his clown-like apparel, Lew gradually did more than just sling fish; he became a superhero, turned into a chicken, even sang a few memorable songs like "Goodnight, Sardine" and "Another Opening, Another Show." You could even say he was a pretty prominent character by the time the show ended, and from what I understand, he didn’t enjoy his previous job very much. Apparently he used to work with a porpoise just for the halibut, but then he lobster. Yeah, it’s funnier said than written. Anyway, the clip above shows one of Lew's greatest moments: throwing fish while Leslie Uggams sings.

81.   Marvin Suggs and the Muppaphone
When we first saw this guy performing "Lady of Spain" on his Muppaphone--a xylophone made of furry little orange and pink Muppet heads that, when you hit them with a mallet, cry "Ow!"--we knew Marvin Suggs sure was... something. He certainly provided some other unique moments, like when he portrayed the judge in Alice In Wonderland, or when he tried out a new act with a singing food chorus, doing his rendition of "Yes, We Have No Bananas." Most recently, he made an appearance in the OK GO music video of "The Muppet Show Theme Song," and is rumored to be making a comeback in The Muppets. When asked what he may be like off the show, Frank Oz once said, "I’ve always felt that Marvin lived in a skuzzy trailer park with his put upon wife, and he kept the Muppaphones in a cage and would beat them regularly." Whatever his off-camera life, Marvin is sure entertaining such as in the clip above, performing "Witch Doctor."

80.   Crazy Harry
Crazy is his first name. Crazy Harry--with his love of explosives and eerie laugh--has also been around since Sex & Violence but was originally named Crazy Donald, in reference to the famous puppet-builder Don Sahlin. Also, during the first season, he could be found in the orchestra pit playing the triangle, and was performed by John Lovelady. When Jerry Nelson took over the character in season two, Crazy Harry got that famous laugh and you had to be careful with what you said around him. For example, if Kermit were to say something like, "We’re starting the show off tonight with a bang," Harry would show up with his dynamite plunger, ask "Did somebody say BANG?!" blow Kermit up, and start in with his maniacal laughter. He was recently seen in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, blowing up an old house, made a dynamite appearance in the OK GO video, and, like many other lesser-known characters, he’ll appear in the new Muppet film in November. I honestly can’t wait to see him, because as Jean Stapleton sings in the clip above, I’m just wild about Harry.

86 Days Until The Muppets!!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

93 Days to The Muppets

Dear Subscribers and Casual Readers, this is a note from the 'Muppets Only' Online Petition for Ending Takeovers (MOOPET). We were devastated to see a site so utterly tustworthy under normal supervision being so casually handed over to clearly unfit ownership (The British Correspondent) who then turned our online Muppet Update experiences into something weird and unprofitable for all involved. We have subsequently blocked said British Blogger from accessing Ryan's Readership and normal service will now be readily reinstated. We'll begin with a regularly schedualed posting from Lucas Ervin. -- Kind regards, The 'Muppets Only' Online Petition for Ending Takeovers.

--

Lucas Ervin - Alright, I’m back, and I hope you guys enjoyed the first week. If not and you’re still reading this, then you’re obviously gluttons for punishment, sitting uncomfortably up in the theater box. Either way, this week, we have a list of sketches that center around some of the absolute funniest hosts that have ever worked with the Muppets. While I couldn’t fit all of the hilarious hosts into one week, I want to say that I’m sorry I can’t cover Gilda Radner, Dom DeLouise, Loretta Swit, George Burns, Jean Stapleton, James Coco, and several others. Having said that, let’s get on with Week Two of The Muppet Show clips…

93 - Madeline Kahn’s Beautiful Day- This sketch was originally done on The Ed Sullivan Show, but instead of Madeline Kahn they had a female Muppet character trying to find the positive aspects of her day, despite the rude interruptions of a nasty blue monster named Beautiful Day, hence the title of the sketch. Here Madeline tries enjoying a nice day in the park, even though the monster Doglion- performed by Jerry Nelson- is doing his best to ruin everything, like knocking over statues and shooting a bird. When Jim started making The Muppet Movie, he asked Madeline Kahn to make a cameo in the film, where she played a sketchy woman at a bar who tried picking up Kermit, and when he rejected her, she nearly got him beaten up by a sailor.

92 - Milton Berle vs. Statler & Waldorf- Speaking of handling problems, here’s Uncle Miltie on stage trying to do a comedy monologue but ends up being repeatedly heckled by Statler and Waldorf. At this time in his life, Berle had been doing stand-up for quite some time, having done vaudeville before television, so he’s prepared to deal with hecklers just in case. But Statler and Waldorf have had enough practice with making fun of Fozzie and the others, so it appears as if they may have their work cut out for them. Like several guest stars during the second season, Mr. Berle appeared in The Muppet Movie as a fast-talking car dealer who inadvertently sells Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo a car for $11.95, thanks to Sweetums.

91 - Steve Martin: Dueling Banjos- Probably still one of the most well-known actors and comedians of our time, Kermit actually had to cancel the show for the evening Martin was there due to some new acts he was opening auditions for. So with an empty house and a ticked-off guest star, the usual performers became the audience for Steve’s jokes and music in between Kermit holding the auditions. Steve Martin had such a wonderful time on The Muppet Show that Jim Henson asked him if he’d be up for making a cameo in The Muppet Movie where he played an irritated waiter during the scene where Kermit and Miss Piggy go on their first date while heading to Hollywood.

90 - Wally Boag’s Balloons- On July 17th, 1955, Mr. Wally Boag opened up the Golden Horseshoe Revue in Disneyland, California. He had done five shows a day ever since until 1986, and holds the Guinness Book of World Records for having done over 32,000 shows, the greatest number of theatrical performances, ever. He was an amazing balloon animal artist as well as quick on his feet with quick one-liners and slapstick humor. On top of that, he was also Steve Martin’s biggest influence in comedy, and had worked with Boag at Disneyland. So naturally, Jim Henson knew that he fit right in with the Muppets:

89 - Peter Sellers Talk Spot- Within 30 minutes- nay, 25- this guest star proved his amazing ability to slip in and out of several diverse and unique characters like the chameleon that he is; from Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther series to Dr. Strangelove, who is now a deeply disturbed massage therapist that ends up tying Link Hogthrob in knots, and every kind of character in between. Here, however, when Kermit tells him he can just be himself when they’re one-on-one, Sellers admits that it’s impossible for him to be himself, and starts tuning his chickens. He also once told Muppeteer Dave Goelz that Gonzo was his favorite, and he sees similarities between him and Clouseau.

88 - Spike Milligan on the Muppet News- A comedic actor who hails from England, this guy could easily pass as Robin Williams’ father. Even as an adult I still enjoy this episode quite a bit, and this also marked the time when The Muppet Show was being seen in 108 countries. Milligan is every bit as weird, audacious and hilarious as any of his Muppet counterparts in this episode, which made it difficult to choose which of his three bits to show for the countdown. I went with the International News, and Jim Henson does a terrific job of keeping up with Milligan’s antics. This is also the only time- save for during season one- where we actually see the Newsman interact with the host, which the Newsman later regrets.

87 - Carol Burnett’s Dancing Partner- During the final season of the show, one of the greatest comediennes ever came on to host, and she didn’t exactly receive the same kind of show Julie Andrews did. Gonzo is holding a dance marathon which irritates her, and later worries about Kermit’s lack of professionalism towards the guest star when he does nothing about it. But she pulls through and even manages to dance with Animal, but just when she’s about to finally do her Lonely Asparagus sketch, the show ends. Years later after Jim Henson passed away, Carol helped out with a Muppet special entitled The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson and talked about how the Muppets were like a family; “They played, they argued, they sang, they bickered, but through it all, they faced the world together.”

100 Days Until "The Muppets"

Today on The Muppet Mindset we are proud to debut a brand new weekly segment counting down the days until the November 23rd United States release date of The Muppets. Our friend Lucas Ervin has graciously agreed to take us through a trip on The Muppet Show ever Sunday leading up to the release of the movie with clips showcasing the awesome that is Muppets. Our intention is to have seven clips per post, thus one clip for ever day leading up to the movie. Enjoy!

Lucas Ervin - Hello everyone, I’m Luke. I’ve been a lifelong fan of the Muppets, and with the new Muppet film just a little over three months from now, I thought it’d be fun to show some highlights of The Muppet Show on the Mindset leading up to the release date.

As most of you are aware, this is unlike any Muppet film that’s been done in many, many years. Sure, we’ll have the main characters like Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Gonzo. But after 21 years, Rowlf  and Scooter are being made main characters again, as well as everyone from the Electric Mayhem... not just Animal! Plus we’re going to see the return of many characters that haven’t said a word since The Muppet Show went off the air, including Wayne and Wanda, Uncle Deadly, Link Hogthrob, Julius Strangepork, Beauregard, Thog, and many more. Just with the movie trailers alone, it feels like you’re going to visit a family you haven’t seen in awhile that you’re very excited to see them all again. And the best part about the whole thing? It’s essentially a movie about The Muppet Show.

Let’s start with the seven most famous recurring sketches on the show, starting with Piiiiigs iiiiiiin Spaaaaaaace!

100.   Pigs In Space - This sketch started during season two, with two new characters created specifically for this bit; Captain Link Hogthrob (performed Jim Henson) and Dr. Julius Strangepork (performed by Jerry Nelson). And of course, they had First Mate Miss Piggy (Frank Oz, of course), who usually had to deal with her slightly dim-witted counterparts. It was set up to poke fun at Star Trek and other sci-fi television shows that were on during the 70’s. The sketch was so popular that, in 1981, NASA used one of these sketches as a wake up call for the crew on Space Shuttle Columbia two mornings in a row. It’s also rumored that they will do a Pigs In Space sketch in the new movie. Here’s one of my favorite bits:



99.   Muppet Sports - Based off of famous sports broadcaster Howard Cosell, Lewis Kazagger (performed by Jerry Nelson) came along during season three, and was the announcer for The Wild World of Muppet Sports. He covered some absurd "sporting events" such as wig racing, blindfold sprinting, and horseshoe pitching. Sometimes he would even fall victim to the event that occurred. Here he is, finding out that only real poo is the best poo for a wig:



98.   Muppet News - Performed by Jim Henson, no other character on the show was more accident-prone than the Newsman. During the first season, however, he didn’t wear his glasses, he would sometimes interview the guest star, and his voice was much like Link Hogthrob’s. However, beginning in season two- with a voice more like Dr. Teeth’s, all of that changed, when every possible, horrible thing you could imagine started hitting him, falling on him, or blowing him up. He dealt with silverware, cattle, bowling balls, statues, rocks, chickens and even explosives, but still he’d come back again to report the news with great urgency. And it was always funny what happened next:



97.   Bear on Patrol - A sketch that parodied cop dramas that were famous during the 70’s and 80’s, Bear On Patrol put Link and Fozzie in silly scenarios that made the law enforcement on Dukes of Hazard look like NYPD Blue. Here’s the first sketch they did during the Leslie Uggams episode, where a pig is caught impersonating an officer:



96.   The Swedish Chef - I’m pretty sure that there are few people who don’t know who this guy is. He’s been around since the first episode, and is still one of the most famous characters in the bunch. He served chicken in the basket by shooting an actual chicken through a basketball hoop, made donuts by shooting a hole through a muffin with a blunderbuss and made a wedding cake entirely out of onions. Jim Henson always worked the head and voice while Frank Oz did the live hands. People on the set loved watching these two film the Swedish Chef bits the most because of all the improv that took place when shooting. Come for the food, stay for the insanity:



95.   Muppet Labs- Where the future is being made today! Few people know this, but before Beaker came along, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew (performed by Dave Goelz) was the only one around to fall victim to his short-sightedness. All that changed though when, in season two, his faithful yet abused assistant Beaker came along, who (performed by Richard Hunt) only spoke in “meeps” and “moops.” Bunsen seemed to always be oblivious to the fact that Beaker didn’t want to be the first to test his new experiments--whether it was edible paper clips, fireproof paper or an evil rabbit robot- but somehow Beaker would end up being shocked, blown up, or eaten. How Beaker survived so many years, we’ll never know:



94.   Veterinarian’s Hospital - Aside from the Swedish Chef spots, this was the only other sketch that lasted all five seasons of The Muppet Show. It starred Rowlf the Dog as Dr. Bob, who was always accompanied by Nurse Piggy and Nurse Janice. During the first season, Janice was performed by Erin Ozker. From season two on, however, Richard Hunt had picked her up and gave her the voice and personality she’s most known for today. Also during that first season, Richard Hunt and Frank Oz took turns performing Miss Piggy before Oz took her on full-time during the second season and solidified her as the diva of the show. Rowlf was always been performed by Jim Henson, and as Dr. Bob, he would show just how unprofessional of a doctor he was by insulting the patient and throwing out corny jokes to Piggy and Janice. They say laughter is the best medicine, which explains exactly why the quack had gone to the dogs:



We'll see you all next time on The Muppet Show!





The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com