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Like many of you, I grew up watching Sesame Street and the Muppets. But have you ever wondered about their origins? Some of the characters we cherish were adapted from other TV projects and ads Jim Henson worked on, while others came to life from whatever materials he had at hand. Get ready for some nostalgic insights, and hopefully, I haven’t missed your favorite – though not all characters have fascinating stories (apologies to Big Bird).
1. Cookie Monster
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In 1966, Jim Henson created some monsters munching on various snacks for a General Foods ad. Although the commercial was never aired, Henson repurposed one of the monsters (the "Wheel-Stealer") for an IBM training video in 1967 and later in a Fritos commercial in 1969. By this point, Henson had begun working on Sesame Street and decided that this monster would find a home there.
2. Elmo
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According to a Sesame Street writer, this extra red puppet was simply lying around, with people attempting to give it a role, but nothing seemed to fit. In 1984, puppeteer Kevin Clash began experimenting with the red puppet, developing its voice and personality – and just like that, Elmo was born.
3. Telly Monster
Telly Monster was initially introduced as the Television Monster in 1979. He had an obsession with TV, and whenever he sat in front of a screen, his eyes would spin as if entranced. After some time, producers grew concerned about the impact he might have on young viewers, so they reworked him into the perpetually anxious character he is today.
4. Count von Count
Count von Count made his debut in 1972, created using the Anything Muppet pattern – a blank Muppet head that could be customized with features to form different characters. Originally more menacing, he had the ability to hypnotize and stun people. He would laugh in a classic villainous manner after completing a count, accompanied by thunder and lightning. However, he was soon made more kid-friendly. Surprisingly, he's also a bit of a ladies' man, having been romantically linked to Countess von Backward, Countess Dahling von Dahling, and Lady Two.
5. Kermit
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Kermit first appeared in 1955 on 'Sam and Friends,' a five-minute puppet show by Jim Henson. The original Kermit was crafted from Henson's mother's coat and some ping pong balls. At that time, he resembled more of a lizard than a frog. However, by the time he joined Sesame Street in 1969, he had transformed into the frog we know today. There are rumors that Kermit's name came from either a childhood friend of Henson's or an early Muppet puppeteer, but Henson always denied both claims.
6. Real Swedish Chef
Lars "Kuprik" Bäckman asserts that he was the inspiration for the Swedish Chef. He was on Good Morning America, where Jim Henson supposedly took notice of him. Henson reportedly acquired the rights to the Good Morning America footage and created the Swedish Chef (who indeed has a name, but it's unintelligible). However, Muppet writer Jerry Juhl, who worked with Henson on the character, claims he never heard that the chef was based on a real person.
7. Animal
Animal, the wild drummer of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, may have been inspired by Keith Moon of The Who. Though speculative, supporters of this theory point to the fact that Jim Henson named one of the Fraggle Rock characters 'Wembley,' which happens to be the hometown of Moon.
8. Miss Piggy
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Miss Piggy is said to hail from Iowa, which somehow feels fitting. She began as a secondary character on The Muppet Show, but anyone familiar with Miss Piggy knows she wouldn’t stay in the background for long. Her first TV appearance was on an Herb Alpert special, but it wasn't until 1976, with the debut of The Muppet Show, that she blossomed into the glamorous blonde with an undeniable affection for frogs. According to Frank Oz, Miss Piggy’s backstory includes growing up in Iowa, with a tough childhood: her father passed away when she was young, and her mother was harsh. She had to enter beauty contests to make ends meet.
9. Rowlf the Dog
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Rowlf, believe it or not, was first created in 1962 for a series of Purina Dog Chow commercials. He later found fame as the sidekick of Jimmy Dean on The Jimmy Dean Show, appearing in every episode from 1963 to 1966. Jimmy Dean himself mentioned that Rowlf received around 2,000 fan letters each week. Although he was considered for Sesame Street, Rowlf ultimately became a regular on The Muppet Show in 1976.
10. Oscar the Grouch
Oscar is brought to life by the same performer behind Big Bird, Carroll Spinney. Spinney once revealed that Oscar's grumpy voice was inspired by a particularly surly NYC cab driver he had encountered. Oscar's original color was a striking shade of orange. In Pakistan, he’s known as Akhtar and resides in an oil barrel, while in Turkey, he is called Kirpik and lives in a basket. In Israel, Oscar is replaced by his cousin Moishe Oofnik, who calls an old car home.
11. Gonzo.
What exactly is Gonzo? The truth is, no one really knows. Even Jim Henson didn't have a specific species in mind. Throughout The Muppet Show, Muppet Babies, and various Muppet movies, Gonzo has been described as a 'Whatever', a 'Weirdo', and even an alien. His debut came in 1970 in The Great Santa Claus Switch, where he was originally named Snarl the Cigar Box Frackle. In 1974, Gonzo appeared in a special for Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. By the first season of The Muppet Show, he had become Gonzo the Great, and his quirky affection for Camilla the Chicken was born by accident when puppeteer Dave Goelz ad-libbed, 'Don't call us, we'll call you... nice legs, though!' From then on, Gonzo was known for his strange romantic interest in chickens.
12. Statler and Waldorf
While I couldn’t find much about their specific inspirations, I can tell you that Statler and Waldorf have been around since the 1975 Muppet Show pilot. Their names come from famous New York City hotels (the Statler Hotel, for example, was renamed the Hotel Pennsylvania in 1992). Here’s a fun fact: Waldorf’s wife is named Astoria (she bears a striking resemblance to Statler). By the way, Waldorf is the one with the mustache and white hair, while Statler has the grey hair. Fun tidbit—Waldorf has had a pacemaker for over 30 years.
13. Beaker
I always imagined Beaker and his partner Bunsen Honeydew as characters that came in later in the Muppet timeline, but they’ve actually been around since the early days of The Muppet Show. While Beaker’s language is usually limited to 'Mee-mee-mee-mee!', he has delivered a few actual lines like 'Sadly temporary,' 'Bye-Bye,' and 'Make-up ready!' Despite his verbal limitations, Beaker can pull off a pretty impressive Little Richard impression and, surprisingly, even has some mad beatbox skills. Interestingly, Beaker is one of the few Muppets not recycled from another purpose—he was created specifically for The Muppet Show.
14. Fozzie Bear
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Poor Fozzie. The ever-present target of Statler and Waldorf’s constant heckling due to his corny jokes and puns. This actually created a problem during the first season of The Muppet Show because Fozzie would get very upset when heckled, sometimes even crying. Unfortunately, the audience didn’t sympathize—they felt embarrassed. The solution came when Fozzie was redefined as an eternal optimist who would take the heckling in stride with a good-natured attitude. While many think Fozzie was named after his puppeteer, Frank Oz, Frank himself insists it’s just a variation of "fuzzy bear." Another story suggests he was named after his builder, Faz Fazakas. Wocka wocka!!
15. Bert and Ernie
Bert and Ernie are essentially the Muppet versions of Felix and Oscar from The Odd Couple (a classic for the younger crowd to check out). There’s a long-standing rumor that their names were inspired by two minor characters in It’s A Wonderful Life, but the Henson company has confirmed that it’s just that—a rumor. Jim Henson always said the names were a coincidence—they simply sounded good together and matched the characters well. Jerry Juhl, one of the head writers, supported this, recalling that Jim had no memory for those kinds of details and certainly wouldn’t have remembered the cop and taxi driver from the old Jimmy Stewart movie.
Other myths to clear up: Bert and Ernie are not gay, nor are they deceased. Now that we've set that straight, here’s some more insight: the original Ernie had a rougher voice similar to Rowlf the Dog’s. Frank Oz, who voiced Bert, initially disliked the character, finding him painfully boring. But eventually, Frank realized how fun it could be to embrace Bert’s monotony. Jim Henson once said, "I remember trying Bert and Frank tried Ernie for a while. I can't imagine doing Bert now, because Bert has become so much of a part of Frank."
16. Grover
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The beloved "cute, furry little monster" made his television debut in 1967 on The Ed Sullivan Show. At first, he went by the name "Gleep" and was a monster working in Santa's Workshop. He then appeared in the first season of Sesame Street with green fur and a reddish-orange nose. He didn’t yet have a name, but by season two, Grover had evolved into the blue-furred, pink-nosed character we know today. The original green Grover was later reincarnated as Grover's Mommy for a few episodes. In different regions, Grover goes by various names: Archibaldo in Latin America and Puerto Rico, Coco in Spain, Gualter in Portugal, and Gunnar in Norway.
17. Sweetums
Sweetums is one of the few Muppets with a full-body design. He first appeared in 1971 in the TV special The Frog Prince. The name "Sweetums" comes from this special—when Sir Robin the Brave is about to defeat the ogre, a witch transforms him into a frog (who later becomes Robin, Kermit’s nephew). The witch, fondly calling the ogre "Sweetums," tells him he can enjoy the frog for breakfast.
Bigger fame awaited Sweetums, though – in 1975, he appeared on Cher's variety show to do a duet with her on "That Old Black Magic." He officially joined The Muppet Show cast in 1976.
18. Rizzo the Rat
Rizzo's name might ring a bell, especially if you're familiar with Midnight Cowboy. He’s named after Dustin Hoffman's character, Ratso Rizzo. Created after puppeteer Steve Whitmire was inspired by rat puppets made from bottles, Rizzo first appeared on The Muppet Show as part of a rat group trailing Christopher Reeve. He's easy to spot, thanks to his over-the-top antics compared to the other rats. He also occasionally performs with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.
19. Pepe the King Prawn
Pepe's full name is Pepino Rodrigo Serrano Gonzales. Who doesn’t love Pepe? Before his Hollywood fame, he worked as a chef in Madrid before making his big debut on Muppets Tonight in 1996. Initially paired with Seymour the Elephant (Pepe was going to be a mouse), Seymour never gained as much popularity and only appeared in two episodes. Pepe is known for mispronouncing names – including "muffins" for Muppets, "Kermin" for Kermit, and "Scooper" for Scooter. He's also quite confident, believing himself to be a ladies' man and expecting multiple Oscars.
20. Herry Monster
Herry Monster, from Sesame Street, was originally conceived as the Big Bad Wolf, which you can still spot in his wolf-like (if blue) fur. He made his debut in 1970 as a replacement for the Beautiful Day Monster, a character who resembled Sam the Eagle and was notorious for ruining the good day everyone was having. In 1971, Herry's appearance was updated – his once furry nose was replaced with the iconic purple one we know today.
