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Behind the Scenes

Recycled puppets

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Lenny the Lizard.

Wendell Wizard.

The Muppet universe frequently requires large numbers of one-shot characters. Thanks to the enormous library of puppets at the Muppet team's disposal, this end is frequently met by passing a minor or background character (sometimes one from a different series) to another performer and giving it a new name and personality.

Sometimes the puppet is identical from situation to situation (as with Joe the Armadillo from Kermit's Swamp Years and Annette from Bear in the Big Blue House); sometimes it is simply re-costumed (The Muppet Show's Shakey Sanchez became Princess Lulabelle on Mopatop's Shop through the addition of a hat and dress); and sometimes the puppet itself is modified (Taminella Grinderfall's fang was removed and hair was added when she became Tommy in commercials for Kern's Bakery).

The concept is taken to its logical extreme in the Anything Muppets, Whatnots, and Unisaurs, who are endlessly recycled as different characters and frequently have changeable facial features.

Puppets passed around in this manner occasionally acquire stable identities when the right combination of performer and writer comes along. Snarl, the Cigar Box Frackle, was an unimportant character from The Great Santa Claus Switch, but that puppet rose to stardom when recycled as a Muppet Show performance artist named Gonzo. Similarly, the Wheel-Stealer puppet used for the Wheels, Crowns and Flutes commercial was recycled into Sesame Street's famous Cookie Monster, while an ancillary red monster that was passed around from performer to performer finally found a stable identity as Sesame Street's ultra-popular Elmo.

Recycled Puppets

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