What Muppets were not played by their original puppeteers?
I can see on IMDB that many of the puppeteers who starred in The Muppets (2011) have been working with those characters for decades. Most, if not all, were involved in the original Muppet Show from the 70s and 80s, and even in earlier appearances by The Muppets. It seems like most of the Muppets in the recent movie were played by the puppeteers who 'originated' their roles, of course with the notable exception being Kermit the Frog and anyone Jim Henson created.
So, what other Muppets were performed in the 2011 movie by someone other than the originator of the role?
Best Answer
Steve Whitmire has been performing as:
- Kermit since 1990 (following Jim Henson)
- Beaker since 1992 (following Richard Hunt)
- Statler since 2002 (following Jerry Nelson)
- Rizzo the Rat (original performer)
- Link Hogthrob (since 2011; following Jim Henson)
- The Newsman (since 2011; following Jim Henson)
Eric Jacobson has been performing as:
- Miss Piggy since 2001 (following Frank Oz)
- Fozzie Bear since 2002 (following Frank Oz)
- Sam the Eagle since 2005 (following Frank Oz)
- Marvin Suggs since 2011 (following Frank Oz)
- Animal since 2002 (following Frank Oz)
Dave Goelz has been performing as:
- Gonzo (original performer)
- Dr. Bunsen Honeydew (original performer)
- Zoot (original performer)
- Beauregard (original performer)
- Waldorf since 1992 (following Jim Henson)
Bill Barretta has been performing as:
- The Swedish Chef since 1996 (following Jim Henson)
- Rowlf the dog since 1996 (following Jim Henson)
- Dr. Teeth since 2005 (following Jim Henson)
- Pepe the King Prawn (original performer)
- Bobo the Bear (original performer)
- Mahna Mahna since 2011 (following Jim Henson)
David Rudman has been performing as:
- Scooter since 2008 (following Richard Hunt)
- Janice since 2008 (following Richard Hunt)
- Wayne since 2011 (following Richard Hunt)
Matt Vogel has been performing as:
- Floyd Pepper since 2008 (following Jerry Nelson)
- Camilla the Chicken since 2008 (following Jerry Nelson)
- Sweetums since 2009 (following John Henson)
- Lew Zealand since 2008 (following Jerry Nelson)
- Uncle Deadly since 2011 (following Jerry Nelson)
- Crazy Harry since 2008 (following Jerry Nelson)
The only Muppets to be performed by their original puppeteer in 2011's "The Muppets" are:
- Rizzo the Rat
- Gonzo
- Bunsen
- Zoot
- Beauregard
- Pepe
Many characters were dusted off for 2011's "The Muppets," thus meaning that this film marks their first appearance with a new puppeteer. These Muppets are:
- Link Hogthrob
- The Newsman
- Mahna Mahna
- Wayne
- Uncle Deadly
All of this exhaustive info came from the Muppets Wiki.
Pictures about "What Muppets were not played by their original puppeteers?"
Is Kermit the Frog the only Muppet on Sesame Street?
According to this Wikia page, Kermit is the only muppet to appear on Sesame Street, but some Sesame Street characters have appeared on The Muppets. For example, episode 318 of The Muppets featured Big Bird.Why did Frank Oz leave the Muppets?
In a 2007 interview, Oz explained why he distanced himself from Muppet performing: I had done this for 30 years, and I had never wanted to be a puppeteer in the first place. I wanted to be a journalist, and really what I wanted to do was direct theatre and direct movies.Why was Kermit puppeteer fired?
The Muppets Studio have said they fired Steve Whitmire, who had voiced Kermit the Frog for 27 years, for "unacceptable business conduct". Last week it was announced Whitmire was to be replaced but no reason was given.How many puppeteers does Kermit have?
Performance. Kermit the Frog is a rather simple hand-rod Muppet, and is usually controlled by one puppeteer.Sesame Street Puppeteers Explain How They Control Their Puppets | WIRED
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Images: Ann H, Brett Sayles, Julia Volk, Monstera