Statler and Waldorf explained

Multiple:yes
Series:The Muppets
Statler and Waldorf
First: (1975)
Creator:Jim Henson
Bonnie Erickson
Lbl1:Performed by
Data1:Statler:
Richard Hunt (1976–1991)
Jerry Nelson (1975, 1992–2003)
Steve Whitmire (2002–2016)
Peter Linz (2017–present)
Waldorf:
Jim Henson (1975–1990)
Dave Goelz (1992–present)
Alias:Waldorf: P. Fenton Cosgrove, Uncle Waldorf, Robert Marley, Wally-D, Willy R
Statler: Uncle Statler, Jacob Marley, StatCat, Alan D
Species:Muppet humans
Gender:Males
Occupation:Hecklers
Spouse:Waldorf: Astoria (ex-wife)
Statler: Unnamed wife
Nationality:American

Statler and Waldorf are a pair of Muppet characters from the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show, best known for their cantankerous opinions and shared penchant for heckling. The two elderly men first appeared in The Muppet Show in 1975, where they consistently jeered the entirety of the cast and their performances from their box seats.

Created by Jim Henson, the characters have been performed by numerous puppeteers, including Henson, in a variety of films and television productions within the Muppet franchise. Statler and Waldorf are named after two landmark New York City hotels, the Statler Hilton and the Waldorf-Astoria.

Characters

The characters are known for their heckling. In The Muppet Show, the two are always criticizing Fozzie Bear's humor, except for one occasion when Fozzie heckles them back. In contrast, they find themselves vastly entertaining and inevitably burst into mutual laughter at their own witticisms. It is later revealed in the A Muppet Family Christmas special that the two hecklers are friends with Fozzie's mother, Emily Bear. Despite constantly complaining about the show and how terrible some acts are, they always return for the following week and occupy their usual box seats. Their reasons for doing so are a mystery even to them, according to one version of the Muppet Show theme (Waldorf: "Why do we always come here?" / Statler: "I guess we'll never know").

They also have a predisposition for breaking the fourth wall. Author Ben Underwood remarked on how the characters generally "blur the boundary between performer and audience", as they are "concurrently audience members and performers". Underwood points to a second season incident in which the characters see themselves watching the Muppets, with Statler skeptical, saying "No one would watch junk like that".

History

The puppets were designed by Bonnie Erickson. They were named after two historic New York City hotels, the Statler Hilton and the Waldorf-Astoria.[1]

In "Sex and Violence", the pilot episode of The Muppet Show, Statler and Waldorf were performed by Jerry Nelson and Jim Henson, respectively. Nelson was unavailable for the first few weeks of production on The Muppet Show. As a result, Richard Hunt took on the role of Statler. Hunt and Henson would continue to perform the two characters until Henson's death in 1990. To portray the characters, Hunt and Henson shared very close space, often for hours at a time.

Beginning with The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Statler and Waldorf were performed by Jerry Nelson and Dave Goelz, respectively.[2] When Jerry Nelson left the Muppets, citing health reasons,[3] Muppeteer Steve Whitmire took over as Statler. The two were occasionally performed by Drew Massey (Statler) and Victor Yerrid (Waldorf) in 2005 and 2006, most notably in the web series . Kevin Clash filled in for Goelz as Waldorf in a few episodes of Muppets Tonight.[4]

In 2017, Whitmire departed from the Muppets franchise, including the part of Statler,[5] after being unwillingly dismissed from the part of Kermit the Frog in October 2016.[6] While Matt Vogel was announced for the replacement for Kermit, Peter Linz had already replaced Whitmire as the voice of Statler in advertisements.[7]

Appearances

Statler and Waldorf also appeared (as adults) in the Saturday morning animated television series Muppet Babies. Both characters were voiced by Dave Coulier.[8]

In The Muppet Christmas Carol, they played the ghosts of Jacob and Robert Marley. Whereas the novel A Christmas Carol features only a Jacob Marley, creating a Robert allowed for including the two Muppets, and possibly also references Bob Marley. When Ebenezer Scrooge, played by Michael Caine, accuses them of always criticizing him, they reply "We were always heckling you."[9] In Muppet Treasure Island, they were the figureheads of the Hispaniola. Statler complains about being stuck on the front of the ship, to which Waldorf replies it is better than being in the audience.[10]

In the 1996 series Muppets Tonight, based on a television rather than theatre show, Statler and Waldorf were shown watching the show at an assisted living facility, still making disparaging remarks. The duo are featured characters at Disney's Muppet*Vision 3D at Disney's Hollywood Studios as audio-animatronic Muppets helping Bean Bunny escape the theater and, of course, heckling the show. They also make a cameo appearance in Pixar's 2008 short film Presto, where they can be seen in their theater box.[11]

The Muppet Newsflash: A Jim Henson News Blog announced on September 17, 2009, that Statler and Waldorf would release a book titled From the Balcony in 2010.[12] However, the book was never released.

Statler and Waldorf appear in featured roles in The Muppets film.[13] They are shown in Kermit's old office where they inform evil oil baron Tex Richman that the only thing that could stop his purchase of The Muppet Theater would be Kermit raising $10 million.[14] They appear during one scene of the 2014 sequel Muppets Most Wanted. When the Muppets arrive in Berlin to perform at a run-down cabaret theater, marked by a sign reading "Die Muppets" ("The Muppets" in German), the two joke as to whether this is an early review or a suggestion. This scene is presented in the "Statler and Waldorf Cut" of the film in its home video release.[15]

They appear as audience members in The Muppets TV series.[16] The episode "Pig Out" features a B-plot focusing on Statler without Waldorf. They also appear on Muppets Now.

From the Balcony

See main article: Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony. Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony is a multi-award-winning web show which ran biweekly on Movies.com from June 2005 until September 2006.[17] The series spawned more than 35 episodes and featured many Muppet characters, both well-known classics and newly created characters. The two elderly curmudgeons would discuss upcoming films, watch the latest movie trailers and share the week's "balconism" from their theater box.

Guest appearances

Reception

In The Guardian, Hadley Freeman wrote "Not even celebrity guest Milton Berle could compete with their sharp banter. My heroes".[24] In 2014, Esquires Nick Schager named them one of The 10 Most Entertaining Fictional Critics, writing "the funniest Muppets characters have always been Statler and Waldorf".[25] In 2015, The Huffington Post identified Statler and Waldorf as popular Muppets, and said to the fans who love them above others, "You know the best way to cope with life's difficulties is by laughing at someone else's expense".[26]

Commentators sometimes make comparisons between people and Statler and Waldorf in attention to, or preoccupation with, details,[27] [28] "loud" opinion,[29] or "cantankerous" personality.[30] In 2012, Der Spiegel described the United Kingdom as "at best spectators in the gallery, like Statler and Waldorf", within Europe, drawing the ire of British media.[31]

References

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Surprising stories behind 20 Muppet characters . Conradt . Stacy . . February 10, 2009 . December 27, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161228124539/http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/02/10/mf.muppet.favorites.stories/index.html?eref=rss_us . December 28, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  2. How we made: The Muppet Christmas Carol. Brian Henson, Steve Whitmire. Ben Beaumont-Thomas. The Guardian. December 21, 2015. December 25, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20161230023140/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/dec/21/how-we-made-the-muppet-christmas-carol. December 30, 2016. live. mdy-all.
  3. Web site: Jerry Nelson, Muppet Puppeteer, Dies at 78 . . . August 27, 2012 . July 15, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170814170300/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/arts/television/jerry-nelson-muppet-puppeteer-dies-at-78.html . August 14, 2017 . live . mdy-all .
  4. Web site: My Weeks with Muppets Tonight, Part 1: Michelle Pfeiffer & Garth Brooks . Roe . Ryan . Tough Pigs . March 8, 2016 . July 15, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170606121306/http://www.toughpigs.com/my-weeks-with-muppets-tonight-1/ . June 6, 2017 . live . mdy-all .
  5. Web site: The Long-Time Voice Of Kermit The Frog Has Left The Muppets Family . Kurp . Josh . . July 10, 2017 . July 10, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170710201951/http://uproxx.com/movies/steve-whitmire-left-the-muppets/ . July 10, 2017 . live . mdy-all .
  6. Former Kermit the Frog Puppeteer Speaks: 'I Am Devastated' . Raisa . Bruner . . July 12, 2017 . July 12, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170713002733/http://time.com/4855481/kermit-actor-on-leaving-muppets/ . July 13, 2017 . live . mdy-all .
  7. Web site: Longtime Kermit The Frog Performer Replaced . Gilyadov . Alex . . July 12, 2017 . July 12, 2017.
  8. Web site: Muppet Babies : Season 4 . . July 12, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170713231024/http://www.metacritic.com/tv/muppet-babies/season-4/details . July 13, 2017 . live . mdy-all .
  9. The Muppet Christmas Carol. Brian Henson (Director) . . December 11, 1992 . Motion picture . It's good to be doing anything again!.
  10. Muppet Treasure Island. Brian Henson (Director) . February 16, 1996 . Motion picture . Well, it could be worse. We could be stuck in the audience!.
  11. Web site: PHOTO: Statler & Waldorf cameo in Pixar's short "Presto" . ilovemuppets.com . August 20, 2011 . September 11, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304222207/http://ilovemuppets.com/2011/08/photo-statler-waldorf-cameo-in-pixars-short-presto/ . March 4, 2016 . mdy-all .
  12. Web site: Statler & Waldorf Book. https://web.archive.org/web/20110714133322/http://www.muppetnewsflash.com/search/label/From%20the%20Balcony. July 14, 2011. The Muppet Newsflash: A Jim Henson News Blog, September 17, 2009.
  13. Web site: The Muppets . Jones . JR . . 2011 . July 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171208211540/https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-muppets/Film?oid=4924553 . December 8, 2017 . live . mdy-all .
  14. The Muppets. James Bobin (Director) . . . November 4, 2011 . Motion picture .
  15. Web site: 'The Muppets': TV Review . Fienberg . Daniel . . September 17, 2015 . July 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170720003525/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/muppets-tv-review-823993 . July 20, 2017 . live . mdy-all .
  16. Web site: Exclusive: Statler and Waldorf cut of 'Muppets' movie . Alexander . Bryan . . July 29, 2014 . July 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150218001216/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/07/29/statler-and-waldorf-version-cut-muppets-most-wanted/13316377/ . February 18, 2015 . live . mdy-all .
  17. Web site: Movies.com and the Muppets Launch Exclusive Movie Review Program from World Famous Muppet Hecklers, Statler and Waldorf . . June 24, 2005 . July 12, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170713230051/http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20050624005112/en/Movies.com-Muppets-Launch-Exclusive-Movie-Review-Program . July 13, 2017 . live . mdy-all .
  18. Web site: Cronin. Brian. February 12, 2015. Comic Book Easter Eggs – A Collection of Chew Easter Eggs!. February 12, 2015. Comic Book Resources. en-us.
  19. Web site: Weezer Collaborate With Kermit The Frog, Miss Piggy . Staff . . June 25, 2002 . July 13, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170919193634/http://www.mtv.com/news/1455404/weezer-collaborate-with-kermit-the-frog-miss-piggy/ . September 19, 2017 . dead . mdy-all .
  20. Web site: Statler & Waldorf Heckle Obama. NBC.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090923160926/http://www.tonightshowwithconanobrien.com/video/clips/statler-and-waldorf-heckle-obama-091809/1158890/. September 23, 2009. mdy-all.
  21. Web site: The Best And Worst Of WWE Raw 10/31: Muppets, The Rock and Mortal Kombat . Stroud . Brandon . . November 11, 2011 . July 13, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170723194939/http://uproxx.com/prowrestling/the-best-and-worst-of-wwe-raw-1031/ . July 23, 2017 . live . mdy-all .
  22. Web site: Critics' Choice Movie Awards Celebrate 'The Help' . Downey . Ryan J. . . January 12, 2012 . July 13, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151001122237/http://www.mtv.com/news/1677250/critics-choice-movie-awards-2012-the-help-george-clooney/ . October 1, 2015 . dead . mdy-all .
  23. Web site: Secret Policeman's Ball gets American debut. The Daily Telegraph. March 5, 2012. July 13, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170713233839/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/comedy/9123078/Secret-Policemans-Ball-gets-American-debut.html?fb. July 13, 2017. live. mdy-all.
  24. Web site: The Muppets: who's who . Freeman . Hadley . . November 23, 2011 . July 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160730073830/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/nov/23/the-muppets-whos-who . July 30, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  25. Web site: The 10 Most Entertaining Fictional Critics . Schager . Nick . . July 2, 2014 . July 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151029104715/http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a29236/fictional-critics/ . October 29, 2015 . live . mdy-all .
  26. Web site: What Your Favourite Muppet Character Says About You . Ferreras . Jesse . . July 16, 2015 . July 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161221073200/http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/07/16/muppet-characters-personality-test_n_7797710.html . December 21, 2016 . live . mdy-all .
  27. Web site: Welcome Back, Kermit . Stevens . Dana . . November 22, 2011 . July 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170830020120/http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2011/11/_the_muppets_jason_segal_loves_felt_and_it_shows_.html . August 30, 2017 . live . mdy-all .
  28. Web site: Ted Cruz Is the Consummate Political Pundit . Newell . Jim . . December 22, 2015 . July 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170830015251/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2015/12/ted_cruz_is_an_excellent_political_pundit_no_matter_what_he_says.html . August 30, 2017 . live . mdy-all .
  29. Noel Gallagher Sounds Off on Tidal, Zayn Malik and Same-Sex Marriage . Newman . Jason . . May 5, 2015 . July 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170629164327/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/noel-gallagher-sounds-off-on-tidal-zayn-malik-and-same-sex-marriage-20150505 . June 29, 2017 . live . mdy-all .
  30. Web site: Jack Ziebell's attempt to jump plane queue leaves North teammates bemused . Gullan . Scott . . April 11, 2017 . July 14, 2017.
  31. Web site: The British Are Angry After Der Spiegel Referred To Them As Europe's 'Muppets' . Taylor . Adam . . October 16, 2012 . July 14, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170830013012/http://www.businessinsider.com/the-british-are-angry-after-der-spiegel-refered-to-them-as-europes-muppets-2012-10 . August 30, 2017 . live . mdy-all .

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