Annie Sue

Annie Sue was a young girl pig singer on The Muppet Show. Miss Piggy saw the cute young singing pig as a rival for Kermit's attention, and the audience's affection. She was specially designed for her regular Muppeteer, Louise Gold.

Annie Sue appeared in the background during the second season, first in episode 214 in a group of hip Muppets (wearing a pink wig instead of her signature yellow curls).

She was then "introduced" as Miss Piggy's rival in episode 302. In this episode, Piggy is furious when Kermit hires a new girl pig singer, Annie Sue, especially when he introduces her as "the Muppets' delightful little lady of song." Annie Sue also helps Fozzie Bear with his memory act, easily winning over the crowd. When Kermit congratulates her, she modestly says, "I didn't do very much." To make Piggy feel better, Kermit lets her do the dramatic recitation she's always wanted to do, Wordsworth's "Daffodils," but the flowers on the set are filled with sneezing powder. Later, Piggy sees Kermit peck Annie Sue on the cheek, and she launches a vicious karate chop at him.

The Annie Sue threat popped up again in episode 306, when Annie Sue was given a part in the melodrama sketch. Annie Sue tearfully tells Kermit that she's too scared to go on, so Piggy volunteers to take her place. She's then tied to a railroad track, and Wayne, the hero of the sketch, doesn't save her in time.

Annie Sue took a supporting role a couple of episodes later, singing "The Rhyming Song" in episode 308 with Fozzie Bear, Scooter and Link Hogthrob.

After this, Annie Sue's star fell rapidly. She appeared periodically in the background throughout the rest of the series, and pops up in The Great Muppet Caper, but rarely had another featured role. Her one shining moment late in the series was appearing as Roger Moore's date at the end of Piggy's "On a Slow Boat to China" number in episode 524.

She did however feature in a number of Muppet books. Most notabley there was a page about her in The Muppet Show Annual 1978. While in the Muppet Gulch cartoon in Jim Henson's Muppets Annual 1980 she played a key role in helping Marshall Kermit to solve a mystery.

Louise Gold performed Annie Sue in the Muppeteers' tribute at Jim Henson's memorial service. She could also be seen in the audience on Muppets Tonight.

Trivia

 * In the script for Episode 224, she was listed as "Mary Louise," even though she was never referred to by that name. That was a popular name in the second season; there were two Whatnots also called Mary Louise in that season.


 * Annie Sue is an example of one of the few Right-handed Muppet characters, because her performer, Louise Gold is left-handed. Louise always puppeteered Annie Sue's head with her left hand, and used her right for Annie Sue's right hand (any pictures which show otherwise would have been flipped). There was however one scene in episode 302 when Annie Sue was puppeteered right-handed, namely for the number "Carbon Paper." The reason for this was that her rather inexperienced regular puppeteer wasn't actually puppeteering her in that scene (Frank Oz was filling in).


 * In several episodes of The Muppet Show (including episodes 301 and 302), Miss Piggy calls her Annabelle, although this is likely to be one of Piggy's usual affectations.

Filmography

 * The Muppet Show
 * Episode 214: Elton John ("Bennie and the Jets")
 * Episode 217: Julie Andrews ("The Lonely Goatherd")
 * Episode 221: Bob Hope ("Pig Calypso")
 * Episode 224: Cloris Leachman ("That's Entertainment")
 * Episode 301: Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge
 * Episode 302: Leo Sayer
 * Episode 306: Jean Stapleton
 * Episode 308: Loretta Lynn ("The Rhyming Song")
 * Episode 309: Liberace
 * Episode 310: Marisa Berenson ("Do-Re-Mi")
 * Episode 313: Helen Reddy ("Stayin' Alive")
 * Episode 316: Danny Kaye
 * Episode 320: Sylvester Stallone
 * Episode 401: John Denver
 * Episode 408: Arlo Guthrie
 * Episode 409: Beverly Sills
 * Episode 411: Lola Falana
 * Episode 414: Liza Minnelli
 * Episode 416: Jonathan Winters ("Golden Earrings")
 * Episode 419: Lynda Carter ("Wonder Pig")
 * Episode 424: Diana Ross
 * Episode 501: Gene Kelly
 * Episode 502: Loretta Swit
 * Episode 503: Joan Baez
 * Episode 512: Melissa Manchester ("Whenever I Call You Friend")
 * Episode 514: Mac Davis
 * Episode 515: Carol Burnett
 * Episode 520: Wally Boag ("Pecos Bill")
 * Episode 522: Buddy Rich ("Good Day Sunshine" / "Dancing in the Dark")
 * Episode 524: Roger Moore ("Slow Boat to China")
 * The Great Muppet Caper
 * The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years

Book appearances

 * The Comic Muppet Book
 * Muppets at Sea (1980)
 * Robin Hood (1980)
 * Jim Henson's Muppet Show Bill
 * The Muppet Show Comic Book
 * The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson
 * Muppet Snow White
 * The Muppet Show Annual 1978
 * The Muppet Show Annual 1979
 * Jim Henson's Muppets Annual 1980
 * Jim Henson's Muppets Annual 1981
 * Jim Henson's Muppets Annual 1982
 * Jim Henson's Muppets Annual 1983