Lew Zealand

PERFORMER	Jerry Nelson 1978-2003
	Matt Vogel 2008-present
	→CASTING HISTORY...
DEBUT	1978
DESIGN	Dave Goelz Whatnot head construction
	Amy Van Gilder character finishing

How Lew's act is meant to play out.

Lew Zealand, with some of his fish.

Scooter meeting Lew Zealand in The Muppets Take Manhattan.

Lew in his Muppet Christmas Carol attire.

On The Muppets in 2011.

Living beneath Miss Piggy's standards in a Muppet Thought of the Week.

A flannelled Lew in The Muppets (2015)

Lew Zealand’s act involves boomerang fish: "I throw them away, and they come back to me!" His first appearance was in episode 310 of The Muppet Show, where his timely boomerang fish throwing saved Kermit from being tricked into a real marriage during Miss Piggy's sleuthfully-designed "wedding sketch."

Lew Zealand was meant to only appear in that one episode, and he was made from a Whatnot designed by Dave Goelz. However, after that, a more permanent puppet was built and Lew Zealand became a regular character.

Aside from his boomerang fish act, Lew supplied the Muppets with paper towels in The Great Muppet Caper, played one of the merry men in the Muppets production of Robin Hood, and told Leslie Uggams how to be a great boomerang fish thrower: "Well, you gotta have sole. And if you can't get sole, use halibut."

Lew has a speech affectation (beginning with The Muppet Movie) of regularly referring to Kermit as "Mr. The Frog."

Jerry Nelson later spoke about the character:

“I think Lew was my tribute to Frankie Fontaine. He had that dopey voice, but he could sing beautifully. We never did that part of it on the show, but just the idea of this guy who had a boomerang fish act. There were some really ridiculous acts on the show, and that was one of the all-time dopey ones.”

In Muppets Haunted Mansion, he is seen wearing an arrow headband in the party while one of his fish, Alberta, is dressed as him. He also plays one of Constance Hatchaway's husbands. His costume matches that of Reginald Caine, the fourth husband in the attraction.

Casting history

Main Performers

• Jerry Nelson - The Muppet Show (1978) to Muppets Party Cruise video game (2003)
• Matt Vogel - from Letters to Santa (2008) to present

Alternate Performers

• Bill Barretta - It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) and The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005)

Appearances

Filmography

• The Muppet Show
  • Episode 310: Marisa Berenson
  • Episode 314: Harry Belafonte
  • Episode 317: Spike Milligan
  • Episode 318: Leslie Uggams
  • Episode 321: Roger Miller
  • Episode 323: Lynn Redgrave
  • Episode 402: Crystal Gayle
  • Episode 406: Linda Lavin
  • Episode 410: Kenny Rogers
  • Episode 411: Lola Falana
  • Episode 414: Liza Minnelli
  • Episode 415: Anne Murray
  • Episode 416: Jonathan Winters
  • Episode 419: Lynda Carter
  • Episode 501: Gene Kelly
  • Episode 503: Joan Baez
  • Episode 504: Shirley Bassey
  • Episode 507: Glenda Jackson
  • Episode 508: Señor Wences
  • Episode 511: Paul Simon
  • Episode 513: Tony Randall
  • Episode 514: Mac Davis
  • Episode 516: Gladys Knight
  • Episode 521: Johnny Cash
  • Episode 522: Buddy Rich
  • Episode 523: Linda Ronstadt
  • Episode 524: Roger Moore
• The Muppet Movie
• The Muppets Go to the Movies
• The Great Muppet Caper
• I Love Liberty
• The Muppets Take Manhattan
• The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
• A Muppet Family Christmas
• Muppet Madness
• Muppets Studios Presents: You're the Director
• The Jim Henson Hour
  • Episode 105: First Show
• The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson
• The Muppet Christmas Carol
• The Muppet CD-ROM: Muppets Inside
• Muppet Treasure Island
• Muppets Tonight
  • Muppets Tonight Theme
  • Episode 101: Michelle Pfeiffer
  • Episode 106: Tony Bennett
  • Episode 203: Heather Locklear
• Muppets from Space
• It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
• Muppets Party Cruise
• The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (extended cut)
• A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa
• D23 Expo 2009
• Muppet viral videos
  • "Bohemian Rhapsody"
• The Muppet Show Theme Music Video
• The Muppets
• The Case of the Stolen Show
• Just for Laughs
• Lady Gaga & the Muppets' Holiday Spectacular
• Muppets Most Wanted
• "Pure Imagination" music video
• The Muppets 2015 Presentation Pilot
• The Muppets (2015)
  • Episode 101: Pig Girls Don't Cry
  • Episode 102: Hostile Makeover
  • Episode 104: Pig Out
  • Episode 110: Single All the Way
  • Episode 111: Swine Song
  • Episode 112: A Tail of Two Piggies
  • Episode 113: Got Silk?
  • Episode 114: Little Green Lie
• Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2016)
• Muppet Thought of the Week (2017)
• The Muppets Take the Bowl
• The Muppets Take the O2
• Muppets Haunted Mansion
• Holey Moley

Book appearances

• It's The Muppet Show! (1979)
• Robin Hood (1980)
• Kermit's Summer Fun (1982)
• Two for the Show (1982)
• Fozzie's Funnies (1993)
• If You Were Kermit (1994)
• The Muppet Show Comic Book
• Muppet Robin Hood
• Muppet King Arthur
• Muppet Peter Pan
• Muppet Snow White
• The Muppets Character Encyclopedia
• Muppets Meet the Classics: The Phantom of the Opera
• Muppets Meet the Classics: Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm

Character merchandise

Lew Zealand's autograph via Jerry Nelson.

• Lew Zealand Action Figure
• Lew Zealand Bust