Lew Zealand

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File:LewZealand Large.jpg

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Lew Zealand, with some of his fish.

Lew in his Muppet Christmas Carol attire.

On The Muppets in 2011.

Lew Zealand’s act involves boomerang fish. "I throw them away, and they come back to me!" He has appeared in all of the Muppet movies except Kermit's Swamp Years.

Lew's 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 "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."

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.”

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 406: Linda Lavin
  • Episode 411: Lola Falana
  • Episode 414: Liza Minnelli
  • Episode 419: Lynda Carter
  • Episode 501: Gene Kelly
  • Episode 508: Señor Wences
  • Episode 511: Paul Simon
  • Episode 514: Mac Davis
  • Episode 521: Johnny Cash
  • 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
• The Jim Henson Hour
  • Episode 105: The Ratings Game
• The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson
• The Muppet Christmas Carol
• 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
• Muppet viral videos
  • "Bohemian Rhapsody"
• The Muppet Show Theme Music Video
• The Muppets
• The Case of the Stolen Show
• Just for Laughs
• Muppets Most Wanted

Book appearances

• It's The Muppet Show!
• Robin Hood (1980)
• Two for the Show
• Fozzie's Funnies
• If You Were Kermit
• The Muppet Show Comic Book
• Muppet Robin Hood
• Muppet King Arthur
• Muppet Peter Pan
• Muppet Snow White

Character merchandise

• Lew Zealand Action Figure
• Lew Zealand Bust

Sources

Jerry Nelson's Lew Zealand Autograph