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in: Muppet Characters, The Muppets Characters, Muppet Show Characters,
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Beauregard

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Beau-adjusted-colors
PERFORMER Dave Goelz
DEBUT 1978
DESIGN Michael Frith designer
  Mari Kaestle builder
Beauregard2
Beauregard1
Vets-hospital-beau

Beau shows off his acting chops on The Muppet Show

Beauregardsketch

Original sketch for Beauregard by Michael Frith.

MacysParade-Taxi

Beauregard (operated by Ed Christie)[1] in his taxi at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. His name is erroneously spelled with an "E" on the end on the cab.

Piggy-Beau

Beauregard assists Miss Piggy

Muppets-com103

Beauregard in "Better Living with Bobo the Bear"

Beau

Beau in 2009 on "Bohemian Rhapsody"

TheMuppetsKitchen-World'sBiggestSandwich-Beau

Beau in 2010 on The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora

Beauregard-full-body

Beauregard is the dim but lovable janitor at The Muppet Theatre who took over the mantle from George the Janitor beginning in episode 310 of The Muppet Show. He also does duty as one of the stagehands, sometimes assisted by Beaker. Although he tries to be helpful, his dimwitted efforts frequently result in disaster. Affectionately known as Beau (or Bo), his slow wit is often exploited by characters who use him to their own purposes. He has a characteristic blink and often turns to the camera and says, "Right." Bo has immense strength, which is illustrated by his ability to effortlessly lift and carry around objects that are far too heavy to carry, such as an anvil, couch or piano.

Bo appeared onstage in various sketches and skits, including an appearance in the Veterinarian's Hospital sketch in episode 501, and played harmonica in a handful of musical numbers. Other times, Beauregard appears accidentally on stage during productions, still working on the props until he realizes he is intruding and must either rush out of sight or attempt to blend in with the action.

However, Bo was more comfortable backstage. It was here that a bunch of rats convinced him that he was an honorary rat, so that he would let them eat food out of the refrigerator (episode 503). To his delight, they even elected him president. When Kermit delivered an ultimatum -- either the rats go or Beau does -- Beau heroically took the burden upon himself, offering to leave. However, Miss Piggy helped him realize how the rats were taking advantage of him, so he stayed.

Beauregard's most notable movie appearance was in The Great Muppet Caper, where he played a taxi driver. He brought Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo to the Happiness Hotel -- and right through the front door, into the lobby. Bo makes an oft-quoted joke in the film -- when Kermit says that they'll catch the thieves red-handed, Bo asks, "What color are their hands now?" It was also in this film that Beauregard once again displayed his heroic side by grappling with Nicky Holiday while the rest of the Muppets played "keep away" with the Fabulous Baseball Diamond.

Bo's other major role was in the 1990 special The Muppets at Walt Disney World, where he dragged Miss Piggy onto a series of thrill rides.

He has also made occasional cameo appearances in other Henson projects, including The Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppets Tonight, and The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years. He had a brief, non-speaking cameo in the 2002 TV-movie It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. Bo returned in a speaking role on Disney Xtreme Digital in 2009, teaming up with Bobo the Bear in a series of videos called "Better Living with Bobo". Beauregard also starred in a book, Bo Saves the Show.

It's revealed in the 1984 stage show The Muppet Show: On Tour! that he calls his mop "Belleregard." The pair performed the Irving Berlin song "Cheek to Cheek."

In The Muppets, Bo was found sweeping up in a closet of the Muppet Theatre; he had apparently been in there since the place was abandoned years prior, but was completely unaware of the theater's abandonment, asking Scooter where everybody had been.

In Muppets Most Wanted, Bo is the engineer of the train that guides the Muppets through their world tour. Upon leaving Los Angeles, he starts the train going backwards.

Beauregard returned to the background for the 2015 The Muppets, sweeping in the studio, but had a speaking part in Pepe's game show segment in the second episode of Muppets Now.

In Muppets Haunted Mansion, Bo plays the ghostly role of one of Constance Hatchaway's murdered husbands. Donning a very thick handlebar mustache, he serves as the special's counterpart to George, the last of Constance's husbands in the attraction.

Background[]

In the book Of Muppets and Men, Dave Goelz explains that Beauregard was based on the clumsy Wendell Porcupine from Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. He believes the main reason why Bo never became a star was because the writers thought he was too passive; he didn't desire anything, making Beauregard difficult to write for. "He's big and strong and clumsy, I love him..." Goelz said, "...but he's passive, we've never found a 'hook' for him. If you take Gonzo, on the other hand, he has an obvious 'hook.' Everything he does is inappropriate. That gives the writers plenty of active choices, and that leads to comedy."[2]

The Jim Henson's Muppets Annual 1981 provides a profile on Beauregard, which is revealed to be his last name; he'd forgotten his first name and "Bo" was relatively easy to spell. It further details that he's also forgotten who his parents are and where he originally lived. At the age of three, he was a lumberjack. Later in life, he accidentally boarded the wrong bus and wound up in the city. While looking for work, he stumbled upon the Muppet Theatre and took up the job of janitor. The profile also states he lives in a burrow, sustaining on food from a garden above.

In a 1986 strip of The Muppets comics, Beauregard reveals his father is the inventor of unleaded gasoline.

Notes[]

  • Beauregard was also the name of a character from Walt Kelly's Pogo, a comic strip that influenced the development of Jim Henson's Muppet characters.
  • Beauregard originally wore a gray jacket over his plaid shirt, which was then dropped during the fourth season. Since The Muppets in 2015, he has been seen wearing a red-colored plaid shirt instead.

Filmography[]

Book appearances[]

Merchandise[]

Sources[]

  1. ↑ The Barretta Brothers: Ep #07 Alton Brown, Ed Christie, Ed Eyth (01:25:56)
  2. ↑ Finch, Christopher. Of Muppets and Men. p. 41
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