 | |
| PERFORMER | Alistair Fullarton |
| DEBUT | 1989 |
Death is a personification, from folklore and religion to popular culture, that comes when people's lives have ended. Death appears in an episode of The StoryTeller called "The Soldier and Death," clad in the traditional black cloak. When Death comes for the tzar of Russia, the soldier makes a bargain with him to go in his place. When the time comes, the soldier orders Death into his sack (thus causing the fact of death to cease in the world). The soldier finally releases Death, who now refuses to take him.
In popular culture, Death is often portrayed as, and labeled, the Grim Reaper. Frequently a skeleton or otherwise hidden by the cloak, the Grim Reaper carries a scythe with which to reap souls (borrowed from depictions of Father Time). One of the best known cinematic depictions was by Ingmar Bergman in 1957's The Seventh Seal, and many later pop culture and comedy depictions directly reference the Bergman version (sometimes down to giving Death a Swedish accent).
Other depictions[]
Senseless Death on Dog City.
In Muppets Most Wanted.
- Beaker appears as the "Angel of Death" in the Bergman-spoofing Silent Strawberries sketch in The Muppets Go to the Movies. He sticks to the popular conception of the Grim Reaper, in a black robe and wielding a scythe.
- While the Sesame Street parody of The Seventh Seal (First: Episode 2701) does not involve Death or death, the Swedish man does wear a hooded robe like that of the Grim Reaper.
- The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in The Muppet Christmas Carol, and most versions of A Christmas Carol, is modeled on the Grim Reaper. While he lacks a scythe, he is a sinister, silent figure in a black cloak who shows Ebenezer Scrooge his own death.
- The Dog City episode "Ya Gotta Have Hart" sticks Ace Hart in a parody of European art films, including an encounter with Death (played by Bugsy Vile as the Grim Reaper with scythe, though he adds "Senseless Death" with a chuckle).
- In the "We're Doing a Sequel" number from Muppets Most Wanted, the Swedish Chef pitches a Seventh Seal-style film in which he plays chess with Death. The Grim Reaper is seen again dancing for the song's finale.
- In The Muppets Mayhem episode "Drift Away," Dr. Teeth and Penny Waxman start their own video series tasting spicy foods. The video shown features the two performing the Satan's Blowout Hot Chip Challenge. Dr. Teeth reads on the packaging that a mortician is recommended, followed by an animated graphic of the Grim Reaper floating across the frame.