for other uses, see Earl (disambiguation)
 | |
| PERFORMER | Richard Hunt puppeteer |
| Del Zivic character | |
| DEBUT | 1987 |
| DESIGN | Ron Mueck designer |
| Caroly Wilcox, Jitka Exler builders | |
Earl is one of the "Dragon Time" puppets from Puppetman. A goofy purple and pink dragon with buck teeth, Earl is the klutzy sidekick to Butane. In the initial "Dragon Time" sketch, Earl argues with Butane over who gets to pull the castle bell, and takes a pratfall as a result. Offstage, Earl is often used by his puppeteer Del to avoid answering people, providing dumb remarks for him. In opposition to the sharp-tongued, bile-filled Gertha, Earl represents the goofy, playful side of Del.
Earl is a Hand-Rod Muppet, allowing Del (and by extension, Richard Hunt) to perform him and Gertha at the same time. Earl receives third billing among the puppets in the "Dragon Time" credits within the show, behind Butane and Candle.
Other appearances[]
- In the Ghost of Faffner Hall episode "Music Brings Us Together," the puppet was used for the son of a tourist dragon family who played on sea shells with Steve Turre. In this instance, he was performed by David Rudman.
- The Earl puppet was reused in episode 103 of The Jim Henson Hour alongside the other "Dragon Time" puppets in a sequence involving a king who doesn't know how to rule a kingdom, and dancing with Desiree in the All Night Party sequence in the episode, "Videotape."
- Several years later, he was used again in the Sesame Street PSA "Don't Forget to Watch the Movie," to demonstrate that smoking is not allowed in movie theaters.
- In The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss episode "A Bird's Guide to Health," the puppet is used as a fierce Flaggerdragon who appears as a patient of Dr. Gazeat. He also appeared as Chauncey in "The Cat in the Hat Helps a Friend."
- In the Bear in the Big Blue House episodes, "Boys Will Be Boys" and "Read My Book," the puppet was used as a dragon in Tutter's favorite book, "Mousey the Great."
- Earl was later used in various roles on Mopatop's Shop like the Dream Collector in "Dream the Dream."
Earl as a storybook world resident in The Jim Henson Hour
Earl smoking in a theater and being caught by Benny Rabbit
Earl's puppet as the Dream Collector in Mopatop's Shop
Earl's puppet in "Read My Book"