Damn #6 fraggles brings back memories.. Kinda explains why im into "Old School" soul + Rythem & blues.. and thats just the FR music let alone all the other things, Fraggle Rock FTW!

*The trash heap has spoken!*

OK, I agree that the Wiggles puppets are some of the scariest things I've ever seen and deserve to be in the number one spot, but the trash heap from Fraggle Rock should have been higher up. The trash heap's gender was always a mystery - sometimes it was a woman and other times it appeared to be really butch. It scared the crap out of me as a kid. My younger sister wouldn't go near a pile of leaves for a while.

Do Skeksis not count as puppets?

Howdy Doody is perhaps the only thing to scare Seinfeld's Kramer more than black people.

Nice!

I'd like to nominate the norwegian Pompel & Pilt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0kNJNe7HGE
I still have nightmares about this show... Janitor Gorgon scares the crap out of me even today.

Awesome list, Todd! Although, when I read the title, horrifying images of those puppets of Phil Collins and the rest of Genesis in that "Land of Confusion" music video entered my mind.

The "Don't put in your Mouth" puppets- hysterical! This was about oral sex, right?

What about "The Riverbottom Nightmare Band" from Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas Special? I seem to recall a creepy Muppet snake in the band, and hell, they did steal xmas. As an adult, I think they rock, though.

I'd never seen the Go Nagai puppet show, but the post mention goes a bit far to say he's responsible for "many of the things wrong with anime and manga". Come up with a list of ten things, and no, the crappy puppet show doesn't count.

Seeing the Genesis Puppets from "Land of Confusion" at age 4 may have caused severe trauma. And explains my utter contempt for Phil Collins.

As a mother of a young, impressionable preschooler, I have to submit the scary citizens of Lazytown. Much like in Peppermint Park, their rubbery-faced presence cause nothing but alarm and unease when the eyes look upon them. *shudders*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt9wteElPZI

@ Alex and Jayson

OMG, you are so right about that music video. I can still see the one eating his tongue like a hotdog. And the Marilyn Monroe puppet with the pair of lips for a navel. The who thing was creepy, which explains why I was so fascinated by it as a kid. Really, you could right a book on all the bizarre symbolism found in that video.

I'm still convinced the Ronald Reagan puppet was actually the real deal. :P

Wow, I remember the "don't put it in your mouth" ads. Damn Canadian television.

If you want to see some freaky puppets (though not the children's variety, nor are they English), I suggest you look up Tetes a Clacques. Human lips and eyes grafted onto stationary toy dolls. Speaking in backwater Quebec
French. They are truly uncanny.

#5 was my personal hell from this list. Those alien suckers gave me nightmares when I was a kid. I think it was the freaky way their mouths moved that really did it to me. Won't my wife be surprised to wake up to me screaming, "NO YIP YIPS!" tonight?

The Yip Yips scared the crap out of me, too. But I now sort of appreciate them for that. That's why I had to have this Yip Yips t-shirt made. It's one of our best selling Sesame Street tees.

Those goddamn Wiggles are probably going to give me nightmare, just like that awful decapitated dog video you put up earlier this week. Jesus.

Why do you hate my happiness, ToplessRobot?

OTOH, the Yip-Yips are awesome. I used to love them growing up.

Of course, my dad also had shown me Eraserhead before I started kindergarten, so I might be a bit biased.

Fruit Salad? Yummy Yummy!

I agree with vote #1. By far the creepiest puppets ever. If you aren't convinced by the photo, you need to watch the video.

Don't forget that ass-ugly puppet from kiddie-religious crapfest "Joy Junction". That monstrosity still creeps me the hell out.

And Star Fleet is some cool shit!

Hey, weren't the Yips named the second most underrated Muppets just last month on Topless Robot?

What about Miss Piggy? When I was little my parents used to tease me, saying I was in love with her, which never made any sense to me, she was one violent, terrifying bitch and my least favorite Muppet- and it's Frank Oz! My parents taped a poster of Miss Piggy to the ceiling over my bed while I was sleeping, and laughed like jackals when I woke to this evil shit. I jumped on the mattress tearing at the poster, until it was shredded. "Good Times"!

I always loved the yip-yip aliens, but holy shit, that Egyptian Ernie terrified me. I had completely forgotten about it, but seeing it again still gives me the creeps.

"Lady Elaine Fairchilde from Mr. Rodgers was the creepiest."

Thank You, I wanted to post that too, but couldn't remember the name. Still gives me the willies when my kids turn on Mr. Rodgers.

What about the Thunderbirds? I had nightmares from this show, and really couldn't watch a full episode until I was in my 30s.

They forgot the Letter People. They never creeped me out, but I remember being forced to watch them through grades K-2.

re Howdy Doody: I think it's odd that the show started on the radio, where you couldn't see any puppet.

I love the Yips Yips, despite how totally terrorfying they were. And I'd totally buy that Yip Yip shirt.

The Yip Yip martians are awesome - there was another mupet that was a box or machine and other mupets would put money in it and the machine had arms and would take off their eyes or nose and give them other peoples totaly rearanging the way they looked - most of the time they would run off screaming at the end of the skit - what was that Mupet called?

The Yip Yip martians are awesome - there was another mupet that was a box or machine and other mupets would put money in it and the machine had arms and would take off their eyes or nose and give them other peoples totaly rearanging the way they looked - most of the time they would run off screaming at the end of the skit - what was that Mupet called?

Does anyone else remember the "We're not candy" pill puppets? They were BI-zarre!

Does anyone else remember the "We're not candy" pill puppets? They were BI-zarre!

Apologies for the double post.

The Swedish Chef. He freaks me out. No eyes, big nose, and fleshy human hands. Bork bork bork!

Oh..my god..I had forgotten about the Ernie statue until I saw it, and it used to scare the hell out of me. It still creeps me out.

And the rest of those are equally as creepy...haha, with the exception of the Fraggle Rock trash heap, that just brought back memories. o_O It was still disturbing, I'll admit, however.

somewhat disappointed that any of the "muppets" from peter jackson's puppet opus "Meet The Feebles" didn't make it on this list... or greg the bunny for that matter, now that was one scary puppet...

Yep, Egyptian Ernie scared the crap outta me as a kid...

But as Nick said, the Letter People should be on this list. But unlike him, I *WAS* scared shitless of them.

Nothing like being home sick from school watching PBS, already plagued with fever dreams, only to have images of Tall Teeth coming at you.

Scariest, fucked-up puppet show ever...

Yep, Egyptian Ernie scared the crap outta me as a kid...

But as Nick said, the Letter People should be on this list. But unlike him, I *WAS* scared shitless of them.

Nothing like being home sick from school watching PBS, already plagued with fever dreams, only to have images of Tall Teeth coming at you.

Scariest, fucked-up puppet show ever...

I guess no one here has seen "Meet the feebles".
I'm not going to say what it's about but it is nsfw. Yes the movie is a niche sick naughty movie, but regardless those puppets are the most terrifying things ever.

What about Elaine Layne from Mister Rodgers Neighborhood. She scared the hell out of me as a kid and still does with those crazy red cheeks and voice.

Actually, come to think of it, all of Mr Rodgers puppets were creepy.

Todd,

THANK YOU!

For years I have been freaked out by the Wiggles puppets!!

I appreciate your validation of my feelings!

Michelle :)

Now that I think about it, my sister has serious fear factor of The Count from Sesame Street. Anyone else?

Oh God. Peppermint Park was the worst. Those things are proof that the Lord hates us.

The Wiggles puppet sounds like Foamy the Squirrel.

How did you decide that the Trash Heap doesn't have eyes. Look at that clip. You can see the eyes opening and closing. She just doesn't have the white parts.

The Yup Yups were AWSOME I used to annoy people for hours with that!!! All the others have now scarred me for life

What about HR Puffnstuff?

Did anyone see the Terra-Hawks? The creepiest puppet show ever created. Check them out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIQkjmpqQIA

I remember watching Fraggle Rock when I was very young and the Trash Heap scared the shit out of me. I also mistook the name as "Trash sheep" which deeply confused me.

Oh yeah, you did pick some good ones! LOL.

jess
www.privacy.es.tc

Mr Rogers always had the scariest puppets hands down. But I'm not sure if they count as puppets but those booba things scare me, and that look obscene. Oh and the yip yips never scared me I thought they were funny. :)

NOTHING from Greg the Bunny in this list?

Susan should be in the top 5, for sure!

My granddaughter has always loved monsters, in fact one of her first words was "monzer". The more deformed, twisted and disgusting the better. Monster, Inc. was her favorite animated movie. She is now 10yo and Alien is one of her favorite flix.
I was in the Howdy Doody / Buffalo Bob target audience and thought Howdy was really creepy - he looked like he had some deblitating neural disorder.

you totally forgot the "We're not candy" singing pill puppets from the 80's PSA:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xayd1c0wtOE

great list, though.

"Meet the Feebles" is possibly the sickest puppet movie ever - like Muppets on crack. If you don't know it, what the hell are you doing making a list like this?

Personally the most disturbing thing about this article is its title. For example, to label Howdy Doody as "Disturbing" is to demonstrate both a total lack of common sense and probably significant peraonal patholgy. What a shame people who write such disturbing trash can get it published. Hopefully, the average persons common sense will override the negative psychological effects of this type of article.

Recently there was a show on the Canadian Comedy Channel just for people who are freaked out by puppets- called "Puppets Who Kill". And they do- yes they do.

I would also add L'ananna and the dancing skeletons from the French kids show Telefrancais. Here is a link to a full episode.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KZlDHVLZwo&feature=related

Wow, this was a great list. The last four were truly disturbing.

I agree with the others- the Letter People deserve a spot. Mr. Z and his Zipping Zippers and Tall Teeth of Mr. T (I like the one who pities fools better) we definitely creepy. I think I could still sing the theme song as well.

As for the Yip-Yips- I used to love those guys!

Does anyone remember a very serious show that used to air on religious channels of bible stories acted out with puppets/marionettes? That used to freak me out on Sunday mornings- it was all "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" style, but just plain creepy. I'd take Xena over that any morning.

That Wiggles video was perhaps the single most awesome thing I've ever seen.

But, then again, I am really stoned, so...

Um, no Sifl and Ollie on your list? How embarrassing for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw2gBPzdSg8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te6mJQOBU9U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owouynBXC4g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obHTruq0BCQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzTz7npIYUk

Oh and how can you forget the California Raisins!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXzriJ2LDpI

Cyn,

Do you mean Davey and Goliath?

Gumby kinda creeped me out, especially the episode where his legs seemed to absorb a lot of water for some reason. Anyone rmember that?

The yip yip aliens? Those aren't really disturbing at all. No, you want to hunt for the Sesame Street sequence that occurs in a mouth. The set is composed of some fairly grotesque teeth and gums, with enormous furry octopus-like germs that appear, state their evil intentions, and then slurp maliciously on the teeth before a toothbrush shows up to smear white goop haphazardly on the teeth.

Here it is in Dutch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR5YEMaL55U
Unfortunately, you're missing out on the original slurping sounds, which were enough to send my younger brother into some kind of fear seizure.

You have fucked with my mind.

Now we're even.

You bastard.

P.S. Majory rocked.

And while we're on the subject of creepy Canadian puppeteering, here's Telefrancais:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBSflK1FTSY

nothing freaked me out like clutch cargo

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADIOOOOOOOOOO

Outstanding post! I think clowns and puppets have a lot in common. Kids are scared of both.

uhm i can not believe that these were not on the list:

Animal

Sweetums

Uncle Deadly

Those blue things that sang about putting things in your mouth scared the hell out of me when I was little. In fact, they still do. *shudder* Also, what's with the talking garbage heap?

Does anybody else remember that character Digit from the Jim Henson Hour? He was a grey, human looking dude. Honestly the scariest thing Henson has ever produced, which is saying something. Nobody ever remembers who he is, but when I show them a picture, they never forget.

HEyyy....
What about the singing "We're Not Candy" pills from that old PSA??

"We're not candy,
Even though we look so fine and dandy."

Anyone.....?
Anyone?

Meet the Feebles and the Skeksis of Dark Crystal were movies, not TV as the list qualifies.

Dood, Letter People! I'm Mister M, with the Munchy Mouth!

STOP IT WITH THE LETTER PEOPLE REFERENCES!!!!

It's too close to bed time!

Shudder...

The chick muppet with no eyes, big lips and that deep voice from uncle teeth's band still gives me the willies.

How about a little bit of not-so-subtle sexual innuendo from a group of children's puppets? From the classic British TV show "Rainbow" comes this horrible little gem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc6uMi8EA90

Let me just say that I am seventeen, and the image of that egyptian Ernie was THE FIRST thing that came to mind when I saw the name of this article. That creepy A*S sketch will be burned on my mind forver, along with The whole fraggle rock show.

Muppets are the most disturbing definitely. Although, all puppets are ugly.

I definitely remember the Yip-Yips as being rather creepy. But nothing, absolutely NOTHING, on television frightened me more than this segment from the first season of Sesame Street:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUUP0tAiziE

You have to watch the whole thing -- with the sound on. The evil nightmares of this nasty little bit still haunt me to this day.

These brings back terrifying memories, especially that trash heap thing.

scariest moment in #1 2:14 lower left corner.

what??? no puppets from "meet the feebles"??? also, i luv the yip-yips :D not a bad list :P

thats nothing compared to the puppets we had to watch as kids in britain try the riddlers or rosie and jim.

nothing freaked me out like clutch cargo

Oh yeah, you did pick some good ones! LOL..

According to my mother, the Yip-Yips were one of the very few things that could make me laugh as a baby (the other being the Sweedish Chef.) Apparently (and to anyone who knows me, unsurprisingly), I was a freak case.

No, THIS is the scariest Sesame Street segment of all time. An orange rolls around, eyeballs roll onto its head, and it sings an aria from Carmen--which sounds like otherworldly bizarre screeching to 4-year-olds without a lot of time spent in opera houses:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG-0_p_yefg

I loved the yip-yips but never knew that was what they were called. Weren't they really saying "yup" (and sometimes "nope"?)

Definitely add Land of Confusion! But not Sifl and Ollie, they weren't disturbing, they rocked!

I had never heard of the Wiggles and the first thing I saw was the puppet one. I stood there transfixed, not sure if it was the coolest or most terrifying thing I'd ever seen. I was bitterly disappointed when I found out the rest of it was all live action.

But the worst was in this kid's show, Oobi, where they just use bare hands with eyes on them as the puppets... That's fine, but one day they were doing a message about being nice to kids that are "different" or whatever and the kid-hand meets a retarded kid in the park - played by a foot. I came very close to shitting myself. (Subsequent googling seems to indicate the foot was supposed to be a younger kid, but at the time it seemed like it was depicting a birth defect-riddled hand).

87th!

88th!

89th!

Nice!!!

I didn't know the aliens on Sesame Street had names! I always loved them, they never disturbed me. and I always loved that "UNG!" sound they make. The blue one does it once in that clip. I remember that one from my childhood...but such an old-fashioned radio! I know sesame street started in the '70s...I thought they had better radios than that by then!

nothing freaked me out like clutch cargo..

uhm i can not believe that these were not on the list:

Animal

Sweetums

Uncle Deadly.

Okay - the Bert and Ernie Egyptian clip scared me as a kid! Also, I totally forgot about the Yip Yips - I too never realized they actually had names! But what about Mr. Crenshaw and Mrs. Pennypacker from "Today's Special?" They used to freak me out as well - also, I agree about the puppets from Mr. Rogers, but I think it was their voices that scared me more than anything.

What creeped me out as a kid was Rupert the bear. It was on in England back in the early 70's as a puppet/ stop motion like show, though I guess they redid it now as an animated series.
Those creatures just were not natural. Having watched some clips in the present on youtube in a soul searching effort to see why they terrified me so when I was 4 or 5 years old, it all came back to me. As the closing credits showing the names of people involved with the production are scrolled across the screen, they also had static shots of the puppet characters staring in the show. Understand that these were humanoids with animal heads pantomining human behavior through living in houses, driving cars, farming (with livestock which is kind of tainted in it's own right), shopping with currency, and wearing clothes.
Ok, thats all fine and dandy, but there were no acctual humans present within the stories. And as the closing credits displayed the static creatures of nightmare, there was a human little girl puppet flashed across the screen. She wasn't in any stories but there she was, and I found that a terror to behold. A child's imagination can go to dark places unchecked, and my mind concieved that these creatures had in fact transformed this poor girl into one of them. And the fact that she wasn't in the show itself made it an unspoken secret among these beings of the atrocities that took place when we the audience wasn't looking.
And the theme song cried out "Rupert, Rupert the Bear, everybody sing his name..." The blashamic chanting drowned my innocent conceptions of reality asunder. Ia Ia Rupert Naphagin, the bear with a thousand young! That which is not dead can eternal lie and with strange eons even death may die! Puppeted! Gahhhhh!

And it happened as a child that I was afflicted with an harsh bout of food poisoning. I was bed ridden and unable to hold down food. My fevered brain had hallucinations as the blood rushing in my veins dominated the silence. And I had nightmares of this foul bear coming to me in my weakened state. "Rupert!" I would awake screaming from frenzied fevered dreams.
And my worried mother in an attempt to lighten my spirits arrived at the foot of my bed with a gift to comfort me. With her hand behind her back she stated that she had a visitor for me. Smiling with all the love of the world in her heart and eyes mingled with the worry and pain that accompanies such emotion, her formally hidden hands revealed the visitor. It was a Rupert doll!
From the confines of the television it had emerged to claim me at last. The hateful eyes masked with a sadonic smile hiding it's intent glared at me in tryumph. It had me. It was all true, it had been watching me from the television and knew that I was aware of the little girl. And in price for this knowledge I was to recieve the same fate. It would now be my vialated body they would display at the end of the show. A little boy instead of a little girl.
I screamed and blacked out.
I did recover from the illness, and took to hiding the Rupert bear during daylight hours so it couldnt return at night. But as my loving mother tucked me in each night, she would say "oh, you forgot Rupert, I found him under the couch", and tuck him in next to me. The thing would dominate its own side of the bed.

When I once told my mom this in the present day when I got a chance to see her, which is far and few between due to the few thousand miles between us now, she said: "No no. You loved that bear, and would call out it's name in the middle of the night, and it had to be tucked in next to you because I would find it across the room when I checked up on you." So I leave it at that, she doesnt need to know how a cold chill still creeps down my spine at the mere mention of the thing in the television.

marjory may be a villain but she did sing a cool song

Theres nothing wrong with the yip yips my dad loved them plus i think that the real 5th disturbing puppet is THE BEAR FROM TELETUBBIES it should of been her and not the yip yips

Why does that Wiggles puppet continually point to his crotch?

How the hell did you not include Sweetums from the Muppets? A lot of the list items here were about innocent characters that kids feared due to what their imagination created. The running joke about Sweetums on the show is that he could/did eat people. And...well just look at the mofo. I still get the willies from him.

Not only did I love Today's Special, I still do! I watched several episodes on Youtube; even showed it to my girlfriend! Folks, I'm 27 and the show still holds up!

That Egyptian Ernie I don't remember from my childhood...but it was STILL ultra freaky, when I watched it just now!

But I tell ya- I love animatronic puppets, but they are freaky. I think there are few freakier, though...then the three game heads in Disney's Country Bear Jamboree.

I mean...game heads are disturbing enough, but these are animatronic game heads AND they insult the other cast members. I was disturbed-yet fascinated-by them as a kid. They're now some of my favorite WDW characters.

But that's not all! I used to work at a Chuck E Cheese, and one time, they brought the curtain down on the act...and forgot to turn the lights off; you could see the motionless animatronic characters behind the curtain; GOD it looked freaky.

You forgot the fantastic Bookworm from the Aussie kids show the Book place.

He looked like... well erm... a talking Penis!

The evil characters from Terrahawks should occupy every number on this list!!

As a small child, the like of Sram, Moid, Yuri, Yung-Star, Cy-Star and mama Zelda were absolutely terrifying!!

What happened to those incredibly creepy puppets from Mr. Roger's Neighborhood? You cannot tell me that the "people" in the land of make believe didn't freak you out a little bit.

Just as a side note--the 'Phil Collins video puppets' people have mentioned are part of a larger British production called 'Spitting Image'--a couple of their specials were shown on network years back (my favorite puppet is the Spock one--the way the ears bounce is silly). That said...the way they were used in Phil's video *is* very creepy. The bit that gave me the *serious* heebie-jebbies though is the sequence that has Reagan's head surfacing from a dimly lit pool of water--he looks quite literally demonic there. :-/

I dunno if hand puppets count, but Oobie creeps me the f$*k out!!! I showed a friend and we never look at those geico dollar bill stacks the same again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q9eEA5Uj5M

Oobi... eats your... soul.

While I cannot disagree with any of the included bits on this list, I have to add my 2 cents.

Teletubbies

I really thought that show was a fiendish plot to destroy the minds of our children. Still gives me the creeps just thinking about it....

Is it just me with my addled, drug fueled brain from 20 years ago, but does no one remember "Gigglesnort Hotel"?
I still have nightmares.

I'd like to nominate these childhood nightmares of mine...

The Hot Fudge Show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJtiAmPjYDY
Today's Special: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cxLfIs051c

Yes - Gigglesnort Hotel & HR Puffenstuff should be right up there at the top, along with that stupid fabric softener bear - he's the real evil in this world. The Angel puppet from Puppet Time was too cute to be disturbing, until he lost his nose. There's a ton of fanfic that goes along with fabric body parts - but those comments belong in a different thread now, don't they.

*Sees Wiggles video* Huh....
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Oh, I have QUITE a few
Yeah, the Mr. Rodgers puppets definately top the creep list. I mean their MOUTHS didn't even move, for crissake!
Yeah, those Yip Yips scared me too...S.S. also had this one drinking glass puppet-ish thing that was even worse. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdrBPJYfTC8
And yes, that whole Wiggles thing looked very sexual. I think a little into it, one of the "backup singer" puppets looked like he was getting some um...oral fun.
Anyway, now that we've all been scared witless, here is something happy from our (or at least my and my partner's) geeky childhoods:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2-LEBc2sO8&feature=related

I loved puppets as a kid. They didn't scare me at all.