Your Favorite Background Character

[PhsychoChimp]

Mine will always be, CatGut, Baskerville, Boppity, Gloat, Droop, Lenny, and Nigel, but what about you guys? Who do you like as a background character?

[minor muppetz]

Lips and Thog.

[Jon]

Uncle Deadley

The Hugga Wuggas,Snerfs,Javas,Gawky birds et all

Crazy Harry-( I grew up thinking he was titled Mad Harry.)

[Beauregard]

Beauregard, Crazy Harry and Uncle Deadly. Sometimes Link and Annie-Sue, if I am feeling gratuitous.

[theprawncracker]

Definitely Uncle Deadly. I love the phantom and really wish we could see him more often.

I'm also a big fan of Beauregard (both the Muppet and the member ;)).

[Jon]

I wonder if there even exists an Uncle Deadly puppet anymore?

[minor muppetz]

I wonder if there even exists an Uncle Deadly puppet anymore?

I wonder the same thing about Lips, Digit, Leon, Vicki, Lindberg, Droop, Hilda, and Nigel the conductor.

[minor muppetz]

I had started wondering... what is your definition of "background character"? Lips is definately abackground character, as he has only had three known speaking parts. Thog is also mostly a background character, but he didn't start out that way. He was a main character in his first appearance, The Great Santa Clause Switch. He also had a lot of major roles before The Muppet Show, in The Muppet Valentine Show and several variety specials. He normally had speaking parts in those productions. He became a background character on The Muppet Show, where he only made occasional appearances, it was rare for him to make more than one appearance each season (after the first season), and he only spoke in two or three episodes of The Muppet Show. He has probably appeared in the same number of episodes as Lips, who debuted in the last season, and although both characters were in the opening, neither character was in very many episodes.

There were quite a few scenes on The Muppet Show that featured most of the full-body monsters, but Thog was usually left out, and he was usually the only full-body monster not to be included. The only times I know of that Thog appeared alongside other full-body monsters were in the episodes with Paul Williams, Bernedette Peters, and Alice Cooper. It is surprising that he wasn't made into more of a main character, like Sweetums was. I don't know if Henson was against having two major monsters on the show. However, I wonder if Jerry Nelson had trouble performing the character. Thog is one of the biggest monsters, and looks a bit heavy, though after I watched the first season DVD I started to notice that he doesn't really look that heavy to be inside. And The Muppet Show began around the time that Jerry Nelson gave up the role of Mr. Snuffleupagus because his back hurt from the role. Yes, Snuffleupagus is bigger than Thog, but I wonder if Nelson wanted to take it easy on performing full-body characters, and if Henson didn't want Thog to have a different voice (though a lot of characters were given new voices when The Muppet Show began. Nigel was now performed by John Lovelady instead of Henson, Janice was performed by Eren Ozker, and then Hunt, instead of Fran Brill, and Statler was now performed by Hunt as opposed to Nelson, so Thog could have been given a new performer, or he could have been like most of the other monsters and not had a consistent performer).

Also, the person who started this thread listed characters who aren't strictly background. Catgut, Baskerville, Nigel, and to a lesser extent Droop all started out as main characters, and Baskerville did have quite a few speaking roles, though most of them were in UK spots. And I don't really think of Boppity as a background character, either. He had a lot of speaking parts, and plenty of somehwat "starring" rles (interrogating Ruth Buzzi, talking about having three feet in At the Dance, making a few more significant At the Dance cameos, being one of the lead singers in Once a Year Day, being the first Muppet to join Gonzo and Candice Bergan in You've Got to Have Friends, being one of the three main monsters in There Are Millions of Us Who Are Ugly, and so on). Boppity has probably had more major roles than Behemoth, Timmy, Thog, Gorgon Heap, Gloat, and Beautiful Day Monster.

[Beauregard]

I'm also a big fan of Beauregard ( the member ;)).

Oooh! I have a fan! Not that I ever doubted that fact...

[Squonk]

A little unclear on what is the definition of "background character." Anyhow, I think I'd go with The Flying Zuchini Brothers.

[Sgt Floyd]

I like Uncle Deadly. I cant think of any more that I like at the moment.

[PhsychoChimp]

My defenition of Background characters are like, Gloat and Boppity.
And Uncle Deadly could still be around, George and J.P. Grosse are still around. As is Baskerville, and surprisingly, Catgut made an appearance in the Fifth Season of the Muppet Show.
And also, background as in, can be preformed by anyone, I.E., Gloat being preformed by Frank, Jim, and others. Boppity by Richard, Goelz, Frank, Jim, and Jerry. Lenny by Jerry, Jim, and others. Excetra. :crazy:

[Kuriboh Man]

My favorites are Lenny the Lizard and the Afghan Hound.

[Drtooth]

Luncheon Counter Monster.... he even looks funny.

[FrogInTheGlen]

I loved that one eyed cat that hung around backstage on "The Muppet Show."

[Skekayuk]

I loved that one eyed cat that hung around backstage on "The Muppet Show."


That was Gaffer, puppeteered by Kathryn Mullen

[Skekayuk]

Hmm favourite background.
I'm not sure whether Annie Sue counts as background, I mean she was sort of boarderline being a fairly notable character in her own right in some episodes (Leo Sayer in particular). However, if we're including her as background then yes she's gotten be on my list.
Another one I really HAVE to include is Lou-The-Jugband-Lady. Her wilde hair and generally noticeable manner. And the fact that I think she might have been based on one of my favourite musical theatre actressess ("the hair proves it").

[Redsonga]

I've always loved Link and his full of himself-ness about being handsome that actually doesn't hold up when he is getting hit on back *lol*. But I'd actually call him a supporting character :\ A background character IMHO, is one that does not have hardly any spoken lines at all...

[Sgt Floyd]

I like the shiny silver triange head guy in the alice cooper episode :p He just looks cool

[ryhoyarbie]

Zippity Zap from Muppets Tonight.

I wouldn't mind if Bill Barretta brought the character back and have him speak a few lines.

[Xerus]

I like that unseen guy from behind the curtain. Sometimes Kermit goes to the curtain and asks if everything's okay back there and you'll hear a guy going, "Oh, yeah yeah yeah!" I always laugh whenever I hear that line. I believe that was Frank Oz voicing that guy.

[Kuriboh Man]

It was...he sounded like Cookie Monster.

[FrogInTheGlen]

That was Gaffer, puppeteered by Kathryn Mullen

Thanks....I never knew that he had a name!