PERFORMER | Dave Goelz |
DEBUT | 1989 |
Digit was a semi-robotic person who appeared on The Jim Henson Hour. As MuppeTelevision's Technical Director, he helped Kermit run the station as smoothly as possible - although Digit was just as likely to be malfunctioning as anything else in the station. He was also the keyboard player for the show's resident band, Solid Foam.
Digit appears briefly in JHH's opening scenes, and in every episode that featured events at Muppet Central. Episodes revolving around Digit include episode 101, in which he discovers that he can pick up shows broadcast from other planets, and episode 105, in which he suffers a variety of malfunctions, for example, saying "yes" when he means "no" (and vice-versa).
Digit originally appeared, with a different voice, in the "Inner Tube" pilot. He joined other Jim Henson Hour characters in The Cosby Show episode "Cliff's Nightmare." His most recent appearance was a vocal cameo in the Muppets Party Cruise game as the host for the "Short Circuit" mini-game.
Notes[]
- In footage used for an early show reel for The Jim Henson Hour, various mechanical sounds accompanied Digit's every move.
- At a Q&A session with Steve Whitmire at the Union Square Barnes & Noble in 2003, one questioner asked Whitmire (playing Kermit) what ever happened to Digit. Kermit's initial response was, "How do you know who Digit is?" After Whitmire explained who the character was, Kermit replied saying Digit taught himself to play the keyboard without touching the keys.
- Dave Goelz based the character in part on Christopher Lloyd's character Reverend Jim from Taxi and David Byrne.[1] He also developed a backstory to go along with the character, in which he modified his entire body to become a literal "techno music guy".[2]