Gonzo (aka Gonzo the Great or The Great Gonzo) is a puppet character, one of Jim Henson's Muppets. He was developed and performed by Dave Goelz. The character made his first appearance in a 1970 Christmas special entitled "The Great Santa Claus Switch". Known as a "Whatever" (or a "Weirdo" on Muppet Babies), he is considered one of The Frackles. Since his character lived in a cigar box, he was called the "Cigar Box Frackle". He is voiced by Russi Taylor in Muppet Babies. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Jim Henson, born James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990), was the most widely known American puppeteer in modern American television history. ... For the slang term, see Muppet (slang). ... Dave Goelz (born July 16, 1946) is a puppeteer best-known for his association with The Muppets, and in particular with the Muppet character Gonzo. ... The Frackles are a group of Muppet Monsters. ... Russi Taylor is the current voice actress for Disneys Minnie Mouse character. ... ҉Jim Hensons Muppet Babies is an American animated television series that aired from 1984 to 1990 on CBS in first-run episodes, and then until 1992 in reruns. ...

History

Unlike most of the central Muppets characters, Gonzo is not meant to represent a human being or an anthropomorphized animal, but sports a bizarre, non-human appearance, which includes blue fur, bug-eyes, and a long, hooked nose. On The Muppet Show he performed as a performance artist, stuntman and daredevil under the name "The Great Gonzo" (or "Gonzo the Great"). He takes pride in his iconoclasm, all the while romantically pursuing Camilla the chicken (also a Muppet). In fact, Gonzo is friend to all chickens and is considered the show's expert on the species. In his early performances, Gonzo often complained about the people who did not appreciate his "art". An anthropomorphic character; a cat ascribed human characteristics. ... The Muppet Show was a television program featuring a cast of Muppets (diverse hand-operated puppets, typically with oversized eyes and large moving mouths) produced by Jim Henson and his team from 1976 to 1981. ... This article is about Performance art. ... A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television (such as jumping out of a building, jumping from vehicle to vehicle, or other similar actions), and for other sophisticated stunts (especially fight scenes). ... Stunt man and stunt woman redirect here. ... Camilla standing next to a dartboard with a picture of Colonel Sanders on it. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

A running gag related to Gonzo is that it is not clear what species he is supposed to be, though some say he resembles a buzzard. John Cleese, in his appearance on the show, referred to him as "the ugly, disgusting little blue creature who catches cannonballs". In The Muppet Movie, Kermit, while having his inner conversation, says "And Gonzo, I don't know what he is. Looks a little like a turkey.", to which his inner self replied "Yeah, a little, but not much." In the film The Great Muppet Caper, he is shipped to England in a crate labeled "Whatever" (while Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear are respectively labeled "Frog" and "Bear"). In The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Gonzo played a Tin Man-ish character primarily known as the "Tin Thing". In Muppet Babies, Gonzo (voice of Russi Taylor) was simply referred to as a "weirdo" or "blue weirdo". He has referred to himself as a "whatever", resigned to ignorance of his actual species. In one episode, he dreams that he is an anteater. In Muppets from Space, it is revealed that Gonzo is an alien. It is not clear whether this is to be considered a canonical statement of Gonzo's origins. A buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below. ... “Cleese” redirects here. ... The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Hensons Muppets. ... Kermit singing Bein Green in the first season of Sesame Street. ... The Great Muppet Caper is the second of a series of live-action musical feature films, starring Jim Hensons Muppets. ... Fozzie Bear Fozzie Bear in Muppets Treasure Island (and Mr. ... Promotional poster The Muppets Wizard of Oz, an original made-for-television movie, aired May 20, 2005 as a special Friday night edition of ABCs The Wonderful World of Disney. ... Cover of The Tin Woodman of Oz by L. Frank Baum. ... ҉Jim Hensons Muppet Babies is an American animated television series that aired from 1984 to 1990 on CBS in first-run episodes, and then until 1992 in reruns. ... Russi Taylor is the current voice actress for Disneys Minnie Mouse character. ... Families Cyclopedidae Myrmecophagidae Anteaters are the four mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua commonly known for eating ants and termites. ... Muppets from Space was the sixth feature film to star The Muppets, and the first since the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson to have an original Muppet-focused plot. ... “Green people” redirects here. ... Canon, in the context of a fictional universe, comprises those novels, stories, films, etc. ...

In the first season of The Muppet Show, the character had sad and immobile eyes. The producers noticed that he worked better in a more energetic form and modified the eyes to have movable eyelids which helped make him a more active character. As such, he became one of the principal characters in the series. Gonzo is known for his wild-eyed, optimistic attitude, yet he is also something of an intellectual. In his revised incarnation, Gonzo, rather than feeling misunderstood by the audience, was dedicated to performing for its own sake, regardless of audience reaction. In one episode, after Kermit decides to cancel a jousting sketch, Gonzo, in armor for the sketch, forces Kermit, at lance-point, to reverse the decision. Floyd Pepper, also in armor for the sketch, observes the exchange with amusement, then asks Gonzo, regarding the sketch, "Do you really think this will work?" Gonzo replies "No! Isn't it great?!" “Literati” redirects here. ...

His most well-known running gag is playing the final trumpet note of the opening The Muppet Show theme with unexpected results (the trumpets bell might explode, spray water, inflate a balloon, etc). In the first season, Gonzo did not use a trumpet, but instead attempted to hit the white space within the "O" in the The Muppet Show sign like a gong, usually with negative results. In the final episode of the series, Gonzo successfully hits the note with his trumpet. The trumpet is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube), in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator. ... A gong is one of a wide variety of metal percussion instruments. ...

He has several memorable performances such as his song from The Muppet Movie, "I'm Going to Go Back There Some Day", or his rendition of "My Way". Gonzo fans would also recognize the quote, "I shall now eat a rubber tire to the music of The Flight of the Bumblebee...music, maestro!" Another famous performance is best summed up by his quote, "I shall now defuse this highly explosive bomb while simultaneously, and at the same time, reciting from the works of Percy Bysshe Shelley". Other acts include: tap-dancing "Top Hat" in a vat of oatmeal, hypnotizing chickens, catching cannonballs (Waldorf: "I've seen a lot of cannonball catching acts, but that one had something different. A survivor!") and being hammered feet first into a railway tie by two American Gladiators. He also played the part of narrator in The Muppet Christmas Carol, where he said "damn" at one point, though this is generally over-looked, ignored, or not known, as it was partially censored but he resembles a Liprotern. The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Hensons Muppets. ... This article is about the song made famous by Frank Sinatra. ... Flight of the Bumblebee by Rimsky-Korsakov is considered a sign of mastery of the violin. ... Percy Bysshe Shelley (August 4, 1792 – July 8, 1822; pronounced ) was one of the major English Romantic poets and is widely considered to be among the finest lyric poets of the English language. ... Cannonball can refer to: The ammunition for a cannon. ... Statler (right) and Waldorf Statler & Waldorf are fictional characters, a pair of grumpy old men who first appeared in the television series The Muppet Show heckling the rest of the cast from their balcony seats. ... American Gladiators is a competition TV show. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Baby Gonzo is one of the cartoon characters featured in Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue. The characters around Michael Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue is an animated drug prevention television special starring many of the popular cartoon characters from American Saturday morning television, among them Winnie-the-Pooh, Bugs Bunny, ALF, the Muppet Babies, and several others. ...

Friends and family

Gonzo is good friends with Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy. His best friend is Rizzo the Rat, who has been Gonzo's foil since The Muppet Christmas Carol. Gonzo is romantically linked with Camilla the Chicken, who he first courted in the Leslie Uggams episode of The Muppet Show. Gonzo has family in outer space, including a relative named Ubergonzo, who appears in Muppets from Space. Miss Piggy being moved on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Miss Piggy is a Muppet character primarily played by Frank Oz. ... Rizzo the Rat is a Muppet, performed by Steve Whitmire. ... Leslie Uggams (born May 25, 1943 in New York City) is American actress and singer, best known for her Tony Award-winning work in Hallelujah, Baby! Uggams first started in show business as a child in 1950, playing the niece of Ethel Waters on the television series Beulah. ...

External links

• Muppet Wiki: Gonzo the Great