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| Waldorf's on the left, Statler's on the right. | |
| PERFORMER | Richard Hunt Statler, 1976-1991 |
| Jerry Nelson Statler, 1975; 1992-2003 | |
| Steve Whitmire Statler, 2002-2016 | |
| Jim Henson Waldorf, 1975-1990 | |
| Dave Goelz Waldorf, 1992-present | |
| →CASTING HISTORY... | |
| DEBUT | 1975 |
| DESIGN | Bonnie Erickson designer/builder |
Television's most famous hecklers, Statler and Waldorf, as drawn by their original builder, Bonnie Erickson of the Muppet Workshop.
Statler and Waldorf are a pair of elderly Muppet characters known for their cantankerous opinions and shared penchant for heckling. They share the stage left balcony box in The Muppet Theatre, and the two delight in heckling every aspect of The Muppet Show. Waldorf is the one with the pug-like face, mustache, and whiter hair. In almost all productions, Statler appears on the audience's right and Waldorf on the left. A helpful mnemonic is that Waldorf has the wide face. They first appeared as a pair in the 1975 pilot The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence. Fans and pop culture have sometimes referred to them simply as the "two old guys in the balcony."
On The Muppet Show, they usually have the last word, with a final comment at the end (except for episodes 123, 217, 314, and 515), and are especially unforgiving to Fozzie Bear. However, it is revealed in A Muppet Family Christmas that the two critics are friends with Fozzie's mother, Ma Bear.
On the first season of Muppets Tonight, Statler and Waldorf are seen watching the show from the living room of what appears to be a retirement home. In the second season, they watch the show on a portable television from various locations, including a golf course and a ski lift.
In The Muppet Christmas Carol, they play the ghosts of Scrooge's business partners, Jacob and Robert Marley. In Muppet Treasure Island, Statler and Waldorf are the Figurehead of the Hispaniola. In The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, they appear as the Kalidah Critics, strange beasts who shout insults at anyone attempting to cross a treacherous bridge.
From 2005-2006, Statler and Waldorf starred in a bi-weekly online series, From the Balcony, on the website Movies.com. In the series of short videos, the crotchety pair dished on the latest movie releases.
The duo take on a featured role in The Muppets, sharing the fine print of the Muppet contract with villain Tex Richman. Of course, Statler and Waldorf don't realize that Tex plans to raze Muppet Studios and drill for oil, which would mean the end of their balcony - and their heckling.
In Muppets Most Wanted, they travel with the Muppets watching their touring show. And they say Miss Piggy's performance of the Macarena has made the show even worse, managing the impossible.
Solo appearances
Conrad Waldorf in Des O'Connor Entertains
Statler and Waldorf are almost always seen together, but they have made occasional individual appearances. Examples include:
- The Waldorf puppet appeared as P. Fenton Cosgrove in the 1975 Muppet Meeting Films "The Muppet Introduction" and "Just a Few Announcements".
- Named as "Conrad Waldorf," Waldorf was featured in a 1976 UK appearance on Des O'Connor Entertains.
- Statler alone is involved in a plot in The Muppet Show Episode 120, in which he goes backstage to meet Valerie Harper. He brings an African Berry Bush with him as a gift which takes over the backstage of the theater.
- Statler gets a face lift in the Vendaface sketch in The Muppet Show Episode 124.
- Statler appears in the Swinetrek at the end of Pigs in Space in The Muppet Show Episode 303.
- Waldorf tries to convince John Denver to back out of his appearance on The Muppet Show in the teaser for Episode 401.
- When Statler can't make it to The Muppet Show guest starring Dizzy Gillespie, Waldorf brings his wife Astoria, who bears a striking resemblance to Statler.
- Statler appeared on his own frequently in The Muppets comic strip (1981-1986), sometimes to heckle on his lonesome but often in the background or as foil to characters outside of the usual (such as a patient to Dr. Bob).
- Waldorf parodies Marlin Perkins in a Wild Kingdom spoof in the 1983 calendar The Muppets Look at TV.
- Waldorf appears without Statler in the 1985 video Children's Songs and Stories with the Muppets, making a song request to Scooter.
- Statler plays a gambler in the fictitious movie "High Ruin" in the 1988 game Muppets Studios Presents: You're the Director.
- Statler appears in the "Cliff's Nightmare" episode of The Cosby Show with Bill Cosby playing his curmudgeonly partner.
- Statler appeared in an episode of The Bachelorette on May 21, 2012, in the audience of a fundraiser variety show featuring the Muppets.
Trivia
The duo watching themselves on TV.
- Statler and Waldorf were named after two New York City hotels -- the Statler Hotel (which was renamed the Hotel Pennsylvania in 1992), and the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Waldorf's wife, Astoria, completes the set.
- Early in The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years, Statler claims Waldorf has had a pacemaker for over 30 years.
Casting History
Statler
Primary Performers
- Richard Hunt - from The Muppet Show (1976) to Muppet*Vision 3D (1991)
- Jerry Nelson - The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975) and from The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) to Muppets Party Cruise (2003)
- Steve Whitmire - Weezer's "Keep Fishin'" music video (2002) to WE Day (2016)
Other Performers
- Bill Barretta - Jimmy Kimmel Live (2003), Muppets Most Wanted (shot later dubbed over by Whitmire) (2014)
- Drew Massey - Statler & Waldorf: From the Balcony Pilot, Episode 9-34, and Halloween & Oscar press clips (2005-2006); ESPN's Reel Classics Extra (2005); Muppets Ahoy! (2006)
- Artie Esposito - D23 Expo (2009)
- Dave Goelz - Parts of LittleBigPlanet 2 (2011)
- Peter Linz - Xfinity commercial (2017) (YouTube), WE Day (2017), The Muppets Take the Bowl promos and concert (2017), Hilarity for Charity (2018), The Muppets Take the O2 promo and concert (2018), Carpool Karaoke: The Series (2018), Facebook Portal commercials (2019)
Waldorf
Primary Performers
- Jim Henson - from The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975) to The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990)
- Dave Goelz - from The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) to Present
Other Performers
- Jerry Nelson - Muppet Meeting Films (1974) (as P. Fenton Cosgrove)
- John Lovelady - Des O'Connor Entertains (1976)
- Kevin Clash - Muppets Tonight episode 101, episode 110
- Victor Yerrid - Statler & Waldorf: From the Balcony Pilot, episode 9-34, and Halloween & Oscar press clips (2005-2006); ESPN's Reel Classics Extra (2005); Muppets Ahoy! (2006)
- Steve Whitmire - Parts of LittleBigPlanet 2 (2011)
Book appearances
- Bo Saves the Show (1982)
- My First Muppet Dictionary (1988, Statler only)
- Muppet Time (1996)
- The Muppet Show Comic Book (2009)
- Muppet Robin Hood issue #4 (2009)
- Muppet Snow White (2010)
- Kermit's Costume Caper (2012)
- The Muppets Character Encyclopedia (2014)
- Muppets Meet the Classics: The Phantom of the Opera (2017)