Charlie McCarthy

Charlie McCarthy is the famed ventriloquist dummy belonging to Edgar Bergen. Charlie was part of Bergen's act as early as high school, and by 1930, was attired in his famous top hat, tuxedo, and monocle. Charlie's personality was that of a mischievous little boy, who could crack wise, misbehave, and flirt shamelessly in a way that Bergen couldn't (much the same way that the Muppet characters behaved more outrageously than any of their human co-stars). The original McCarthy dummy was built by noted carpenter/dummy-maker Theodore Mack, and was later rebuilt by Frank Marshall.

Charlie appeared with Bergen and fellow dummy Mortimer Snerd on Episode 207 of The Muppet Show. Fozzie's dummy Chuckie is based on Charlie. Bergen and McCarthy made their final film apperances (in a career which had also included co-starring with Mickey Mouse in the 1947 Disney film Fun and Fancy Free) in The Muppet Movie, as guest judges of the beauty contest.