Dave Goelz - Other Muppet Show Characters

Other Muppet Show Characters

In addition to the starring role of Gonzo, during the first season of The Muppet Show, Goelz also had the slightly less-challenging but still time-consuming supporting roles of Zoot and another new creation, scientist Bunsen Honeydew.

It's easy for me to do Bunsen, because I've known dozens of Bunsens. Actually I don't think he's very funny except as a foil for Beaker, who is one of my favorite characters. Zoot is a big puzzle for me. People write to me and say they know people exactly like Zoot. Well, I'd like to meet one of them, because I've never met anyone like that. I found that when the writers gave Zoot lines to speak, I would always try to give them away to other characters, because I didn't know what to do with him. Maybe that helped to define the character. Perhaps it's best that he's so non-verbal.

In later seasons, a new Goelz character was added, the well-meaning but slow-witted janitor, Beauregard:

Bo is very similar to a character I performed in Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas. His name was Wendell Porcupine and I had a lot of fun with him . Bo was sort of modeled after him. He's big and strong and clumsy-- I love him-- but he's passive, we've never found a hook for him.