 | |
| The Mutations in their first appearance. | |
| DEBUT | 1976 |
| DESIGN | Michael Frith designer |
Concept sketch by Michael Frith.
The Mutations in 2011's The Muppets (performed by Peter Linz and Nathan Danforth).
Two Mutations at The Muppets Take the Bowl, with the performers' bare arms visible.
The Mutations are a trio of purple full-bodied Muppet monsters whose name is a parody of the singing group, The Temptations. They first appeared on episode 102 of The Muppet Show as Connie Stevens' back-up singers in "A Teenager in Love." In most of their subsequent appearances, the three would mostly be depicted as dancers rather than singers.
Except for their heights, which vary depending on who is performing them, the Mutations are otherwise indistinguishable from each other.
Although they were introduced as a group, they would also be featured individually in later appearances. Two Mutations, for example, appeared in "The Muppet Show Theme" (alongside Sweetums, Thog, and Timmy Monster) starting in the second season. The original Mutations were last seen during the "Hey a Movie!" number in the 1981 film The Great Muppet Caper.
After a thirty-year absence, two Mutations resurfaced in The Muppets, participating in the theme song recreation. They have filled the same role in subsequent productions and live shows.
The Mutations' heads are designed in such a way that their mouths cannot move at all. As such, outside of their first appearance, none of them have ever had any spoken dialogue.
Notes[]
- In the second version of "The Muppet Show Theme," Jim Henson performed the Mutation in between Thog and Sweetums.[1]
Filmography[]
- The Muppet Show
- The Muppet Show Theme (Seasons 2 - 5, two Mutations)
- Episode 102: Connie Stevens ("A Teenager in Love")
- Episode 108: Paul Williams (Blackout, one Mutation)
- Episode 114: Sandy Duncan ("A Nice Girl Like Me")
- Episode 209: Madeline Kahn ("Your Feet")
- Episode 217: Julie Andrews ("I Whistle a Happy Tune")
- Episode 307: Alice Cooper ("School's Out", one Mutation)
- Episode 317: Spike Milligan ("Oklahoma")
- Episode 318: Leslie Uggams ("Hey There, Good Times")
- Episode 414: Liza Minnelli (one Mutation)
- Episode 421: Doug Henning (two Mutations)
- Episode 512: Melissa Manchester ("Your Cheatin' Heart")
- Hello, Here Is Berlin
- The Muppets Go Hollywood
- American Express commercial (one Mutation)
- The Great Muppet Caper
- The Muppets (two Mutations)
- Muppets Most Wanted (two Mutations)
- The Muppets Take the Bowl (two Mutations)
- The Muppets Take the O2 (two Mutations)
- The Muppet Show special
Book Appearances[]
- The Muppet Show Book
- It's The Muppet Show!
- The Muppet Show Comic Book: On the Road issue #1
- Muppet Snow White
- The Muppets Character Encyclopedia
- The Muppet Christmas Carol: The Illustrated Holiday Classic