The 8 Most Underrated Muppets
Posted at 5:04 AM Nov 20, 2008
By Chris Cummins
Elmo can, to steal a line from Louis CK, suck a bag of dicks. In recent years, the diminutive Muppet with the grating voice and terminal case of manufactured cuteness has become the focus of Sesame Street. As irritating as he may be, Elmo has somehow captured the minds of tykes across the globe. So screw him for being the Muppet du jour when so many of Jim Henson creations that have never gotten their proper due. With the DVD releases of The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock and the amazing Sesame Street: Old School compilations, an entire generation can get acquainted with some Muppets that have been largely forgotten. It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights, it’s time to meet the most underrated Muppets of all time!
8) Uncle Traveling Matt
Uncle Traveling Matt differed from the rest of the denizens of Fraggle Rock, in that he got to venture out into “Outer Space” (better known as our world) and send postcards detailing his exploits back home. Always clumsy and confused, his misunderstanding of human society injected a bit of extra mirth into Gobo and the gang’s days. And he had wicked facial hair to boot.
7) Link Hogthrob
As the “intrepid and well-fed” captain of the USS Swinetrek during The Muppet Show’s “Pigs in Space” segments, Link Hogthrob projected egotism throughout the cosmos. Both a puppet equivalent of Ted Baxter and the precursor to Zapp Brannigan, Hogthrob possessed a swagger that made him the series’ greatest pig character—so bite it, Miss Piggy fans. When not narrowly avoiding death on foreign planets, he could be seen demonstrating his idiocy in other ways (most memorably as Fozzie’s commanding officer in the “Bear on Patrol” sketches). The character hasn’t been used much since the death of Jim Henson, something that will hopefully change in Jason Segal’s upcoming Muppet opus. Until then, we always have this:
It's all right, Mr. Hogthrob. We'd try to run, too.
6) Mr. Johnson
Also known as Fat Blue, Mr. Johnson is the bald, mustachioed Muppet in the business suit whose frequent run-ins with Grover prepared children everywhere for the ineptitude of waiters, cab drivers and other customer service providers. As a child, I thought it was hilarious how Grover constantly put the screws to him. But now that I know that life is full of Grovers just waiting to mess up your lunch order or put unnecessary charges on your cable bill, it’s not so funny.
5) The Muppet Newsman
Anderson Cooper? He’s a pretty boy. Katie Couric? Too serious. For my money, the greatest newscaster in the history of television is the Muppet Newsman. Think about it: he delivers the headlines with the sincerity of Walter Kronkite and stays on the air through the toughest of circumstances. Do you think Larry King would have the cojones to continue reading the events of the day after a piano hit him over the head? Not bloody likely.
4) Lefty
Since Cookie Monster is now so neutered that he is often seen munching on carrots, it’s inconceivable that there was once a Sesame Street character who was a pusher. Before the show was overwhelmed by political correctness, Lefty here would often be seen trying to sell the show’s characters letters, numbers or non-existent items from inside his trenchcoat. When parents began to complain that Lefty’s appearances encouraged children to talk to strangers, he was dropped from the show. His current whereabouts are unknown, but if you ever want to score a W or a 4, maybe check the docks near Sesame Street. You never know.
3) Uncle Deadly
If you ever had Muppet-inspired nightmares, chances are they had something to do with Uncle Deadly. A sinister looking blue creature, he haunts Kermit and the gang before embracing his role as the phantom of the Muppet Theater. What makes Uncle Deadly so memorable is design by Michael Frith that eschews the usual Muppet look for a more creepy aesthetic that kids found terrifying. Of course now that we’re older and less prone to pissing the bed, we can appreciate him for the badass that he truly is.
2) The Yip Yip Martians
Sorry E.T. fanatics, there have never been more lovable otherworldly visitors than The Yip Yip Aliens. Looking like the offspring of a mop and the Fry Guys, these Martians attempt to learn about Earth by examining ordinary objects, yip-yipping all the while. In one of the greatest tragedies ever to befall mankind, the Palisades Sesame Street action figure line was canceled before it got around to making these guys. Yip yip yip yip yip yip yip uh-huh uh-huh.
1) Roosevelt Franklin
Created by Sesame Street’s original Gordon, Matt Robinson, Roosevelt Franklin was a rhyming purple Muppet with spiky black hair and a red and yellow striped turtleneck who taught students about letters and numbers at the school that bore his name. Frequently breaking out into song (you owe it to yourself to check out his My Name Is Roosevelt Franklin LP), he brought some much needed funk to Sesame Street. Perhaps a bit too much for some viewers, as the character inexplicably vanished in the early 1970s. Was he yanked from the show because some felt that he reinforced negative African-American stereotypes? Or was it that parents didn’t think that a puppet who behaved so uproariously was a good role model for kids? Regardless of the real reason for his banishment from the street where everything is allegedly a-okay, he lives on in the hearts of true Muppet fans everywhere. Call him by his first and his last name, Roosevelt Franklin deserves your respect.
Comments
As soon as I saw Link Hogthrob in the list I thought of Zapp Brannigan and the similarities. Was nice to see you thought the same thing. Good call!
Posted 11/20/2008 at 05:24:56 AMThe Yip-Yip aliens were my all-time favorite!!! I had forgotten about Mr. Johnson however... Oh the hijinks, oh the shenanigans!
Posted 11/20/2008 at 05:44:44 AM"Call him by his first and his last name, Roosevelt Franklin deserves your respect."
Damn straight he does.
Damn straight.
Posted 11/20/2008 at 06:09:03 AMI was recently reminded thanks to kindertrauma of the "Beautiful Day Monster" I think he had only 2 appearances on Sesame Street. Just enough to scare the crap out of us.
Posted 11/20/2008 at 06:38:02 AMMy favorite muppet is one I only have vague memories of because I've never been able to find an episode of the Muppet Show he was in on DVD, but I do recall that there was a guy who used to play a sort of "xylephone" with "keys" made out of human baby heads which would go "wah!" in tune with the song when struck with a mallet. It was such a messed-up gag, I could sort of understand if the Henson company would prefer that people not remember it.
Posted 11/20/2008 at 06:38:39 AMd list but i was totally hoping that Bean Bunny, Bobo Bear, and Johnny Fiama were gonna get some recognition.
Posted 11/20/2008 at 06:40:08 AMHmm. Perhaps the Franklin Roosevelt sketches were retired because of lines like "We's all talkin' soft!" Bad grammar is fun!
And I'm kind of sad to hear that Link Hogthrob has been largely retired since Henson's death. He's one of my favorites, and I didn't realize his movie roles had been mostly silent of late. Reading on the Muppet wiki that his voice was one Henson used in real life, to joke with his family, I almost cried. I should see if they need anybody -- I do a not-bad Link.
Posted 11/20/2008 at 06:43:25 AM@Erudite Nosebreather:
i think you're thinking of two different acts from Sesame Street. there was Marvin Scruggs and his Muppaphones, a blue dude w/ a mustache who would whack little, tribble-like creatures with a giant mallet. each one screamed out in pain like a different piano key.
then there was Bobby Benson's Baby Band. Bobby Benson was a kind of shady looking muppet, and i think there was one bit where he was arrested for some reason, but he never hit the babies (at least, not on camera).
Posted 11/20/2008 at 07:27:49 AMMy favorite muppet is one I only have vague memories of because I've never been able to find an episode of the Muppet Show he was in on DVD, but I do recall that there was a guy who used to play a sort of "xylephone" with "keys" made out of human baby heads which would go "wah!"
I alwy toughtt they were oranges what he hit, now i'm confused
Posted 11/20/2008 at 08:02:11 AMI think that Roosevelt Franklin might possibly be cousins with Arrested Development's Gobs (Will Arnet) duet with his puppet Franklin
Posted 11/20/2008 at 08:33:13 AMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvgCvT9xX7A
Awesome list, Chris!!!
While they don't necessarily qualify as Muppets in THIS sense, I think the Skeksis are highly underrated.
Posted 11/20/2008 at 08:46:41 AM
Posted 11/20/2008 at 09:02:02 AMMy all time favorite underrated muppet is Lew Zealand, the boomerang fish thrower. What's cooler than throwing a fish and having it come back to you?
Uncle Deadly is Vincent Price as a muppet.
Posted 11/20/2008 at 09:09:40 AMI even had this feeling when I was six.
Ooooh the Yip Yips.
My ringtone is the "OoooOOOooh! Brrrrring! Brrrrrring! Yip yip yip yip yip."
Love those guys.
Posted 11/20/2008 at 09:44:15 AMAccording to my mother, as an infant, I didn't laugh much...so rarely, in fact, that she was getting nervous that I was autistic or something. Then, she left me sitting in front of Sesame Street. Pretty much the only things to tickle my funnybone enough to make me laugh out loud were the Yip Yip aliens and the Swedish Chef. They still leave me cackling.
Posted 11/20/2008 at 10:28:59 AMTHANKS FOR STEALING OUR IDEA/STORY DONE BY LUCY GLIB ON NOVEMBER 18TH, 2008: 10 MOST UNDERRATED MUPPETS
http://megasizzle.com/television-treats/the-tuesday-ten-ten-underrated-muppets/
YOU MUPPETS!
SLAPPY WHYTE
MEGASIZZLE.COM
Posted 11/20/2008 at 10:52:07 AMThis is odd. Are the underated Muppets in the news lately? Saw this post a few days ago at MegaSizzle: http://megasizzle.com/television-treats/the-tuesday-ten-ten-underrated-muppets/ . Your lists differ widely. I think we need to come to some common ground!
Posted 11/20/2008 at 10:55:06 AMGreat list, but could have used a cameo from that Unhappily Ever After Muppet
Posted 11/20/2008 at 10:56:42 AMSlappy,
Posted 11/20/2008 at 11:02:28 AMI think it's just coincidence, or if you prefer, good minds thinking alike as this piece was written/submitted for publication late last month.
Chris Cummins
OK Chris, I accept your apology :)
You guys write a month in advance? We are part-timers who write day-to-day ... must be nice.
Posted 11/20/2008 at 11:06:35 AMSlappy White — Indeed, TR's piece was assigned on October 8th, and turned in on October 21st, obviously, well before you ran your piece on November 18th. TR's Daily List backlog is rather large, so it usually takes a few weeks to run.
Indeed, great minds have thought alike, and although TR writers are all hideous nerds and I am in particular a bad man, none of us are plagiarists.
Posted 11/20/2008 at 11:09:30 AMSpeaking as a true Muppets geek, it's very nice to see some of the C-listers getting recognition. For the record, the "xylephone" was actually called a "Muppephone" and the guy that played it was named Marvin Suggs. Also, Uncle Deadly was featured prominently in the Vincent Price episode of the Muppet Show, so the comparison is completely valid.
Posted 11/20/2008 at 11:18:49 AMOutstanding list, amigo! (I had almost forgotten my good childhood friend Roosevelt Franklin!)
Posted 11/20/2008 at 11:26:16 AMI, too, love the Yip Yips, as they were just as awsome as watching the "Menop-Menop" cows.
This list would not be complete, however, without a mention of "Sweetums", the Man-sized Muppet with the rags for clothes and a face that belonged "where the Wild Things are". My favorite appearance had him helping with changing a tire, as people called him Jack, and he responded "'Jack' not name; 'Jack' JOB."
Too cool.
Very fun list. Guy Smiley, The Amazing Mumford and Sherlock Hemlock also deserve a nod. And even though he's become something of an over-exposed cult favorite, Mahna Mahna is pretty great too.
Posted 11/20/2008 at 12:00:53 PMcool list
Posted 11/20/2008 at 12:26:04 PMLew Zealand and his flying fish!
Posted 11/20/2008 at 02:47:49 PMAren't they saying "yep" as in the opposite of "nope" and not "yip" which is jibberish?
Posted 11/20/2008 at 03:45:13 PMDidn't Arrested Development pay homage to Roosevelt Franklin in a more absurd, wink-wink manner?
Posted 11/20/2008 at 05:05:53 PMErudite Nosebreather said:
My favorite muppet is one I only have vague memories of because I've never been able to find an episode of the Muppet Show he was in on DVD, but I do recall that there was a guy who used to play a sort of "xylephone" with "keys" made out of human baby heads which would go "wah!" in tune with the song when struck with a mallet. It was such a messed-up gag, I could sort of understand if the Henson company would prefer that people not remember it.
Posted 11/20/2008 at 11:16:50 PM>>That Muppet is known as Marvin Suggs. He is on the Muppet Show Dvds (season 1-3 if I am not mistaken.
Just looked it up, and Suggs is featured on all three of the (realeased so far) season of the Muppet Show.
By the way, those weren't human baby's they were Muppaphones.
Though I think he did use babies in one of his acts as well.
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Marvin_Suggs
http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Muppaphone
Posted 11/20/2008 at 11:22:57 PMYou think Lefty was bad? You forgot all about Crazy Larry!
BTW your web site is dynamite! (Did someone say dynamite!!!!??)
Posted 11/21/2008 at 08:19:44 AMGreat idea for a list. I never cared about the newscaster though. I would have replaced him with Madam Trashheap. I mean somebody should pay props to whoever can imagine a psychic pile of garbage.
Posted 11/21/2008 at 01:36:20 PMHerbert Fucking Birdsfoot.
c'mon
Posted 11/21/2008 at 02:06:53 PMThe Count was always number 1 in my book ... ah-ha-ha-ha-haa!!!
Posted 11/25/2008 at 04:18:30 AMFrazzle is missing from the list!
Posted 11/25/2008 at 06:49:21 AMThe ma-na ma-nu guy!
Posted 11/25/2008 at 07:56:48 AMOne word:
Posted 11/25/2008 at 08:24:20 AMZOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You think Lefty was bad? You forgot all about Crazy Larry!
Hey rv, his name was Crazy HARRY, and is by far the most underrated muppet. The end of The Muppet Movie couldn't have happened without him blowing a hole in the roof!
"Crazy Harry play with e-lec-tricity!!!!"
Posted 11/25/2008 at 08:29:44 AMI was expecting to see a muppet whose name I can't remember. He had black hair and a frilly collar and I think he was yellowish brown in color. He may have been a jester or something. Anybody know who I'm talking about?
Posted 11/25/2008 at 11:06:05 AMWhat, not even a passing mention of Bip Bipadotta?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb_gK4_Yink
(Now you can spend a few days trying to get the song out of your head.)
Posted 11/25/2008 at 12:48:52 PMLefty, Roosevelt Franklin, and the Yip-Yips are all to be cherished for ever.
Posted 11/25/2008 at 12:53:03 PMBut HOW can a list of under-rated muppets NOT include Ploobis and Scred from the first season of Saturday Night Live? Or even the Skeksis from The Dark Crystal?
You missed Pepe, the King Prawn.
Posted 11/25/2008 at 12:58:23 PMThis is my favorite article that I read today. So nostalgic and I was cracking up at the Yip Yip Martians. It's odd that I loved them as a kid, but now they frighten me a bit - these droopy aliens with echoing voices that look like they have unhinged jaws that could swallow me whole.
Posted 11/25/2008 at 01:30:45 PMI think I may be the one person in the world with this reaction, but the first time the Yip-Yip Monsters appeared on the show, my mother says I screamed loud enough to wake the dead (I was maybe eight months old at this point). They still scare the bejeezus out of me, more than 20 years later, and I am a reasonably well adjusted adult otherwise. Oh well.
Posted 11/25/2008 at 01:46:36 PMSam the Eagle! I love how everything just mortified him.
Posted 11/25/2008 at 02:43:53 PMI 2nd the Sam Eagle vote! His flabbergasted reactions to everything always cracked me up. And he was so earnest, lacking any sense of humor. A perfect foil for all other muppets.
Posted 11/25/2008 at 03:27:42 PMLew Zealand, folks. Lew Zealand.
Posted 11/25/2008 at 04:06:30 PMFor the love of GOD, can Somebody PLEASE get Henson to release "THE GREAT SANTA CLAUS SWITCH" ???
It's the best Muppet show EVER !!
Posted 11/25/2008 at 04:26:45 PMI never knew the blue scary guy had a name! Thanks! When I first read OTHELLO in high school, Uncle Deadly is how I pictured Iago.
Posted 11/25/2008 at 04:32:43 PMJohn A here is your muppet-Lew Zealand http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Lew_Zealand
My favorite underused Muppet is Doglion He is cool! http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Doglion
Posted 11/25/2008 at 08:21:36 PMWow, I remember all of these and they certainly deserve more mention!!
I can't believe what Sesame street has turned into. I bought many "8's" from strangers. I think they were 8's at least...
Posted 12/10/2008 at 09:36:09 PMNice little throwback
Posted 12/15/2008 at 12:17:00 PMNice little throwback
Posted 12/15/2008 at 12:17:28 PMDoglion, Rowlf, Beaker and Dr Strangepork
Posted 12/21/2008 at 04:32:50 PM^..^