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- Muppet_Show#Statler_und_Waldorf
- סטטלר_ווולדורף
- Statler_en_Waldorf
- Statler_i_Waldorf
- Statler_e_Waldorf
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| Add to OnlyWire |
| Statler and Waldorf | |
|---|---|
| The Muppet Show character | |
 Waldorf (left) and Statler (right) |
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| First appearance | The Muppet Show: |
| Last appearance | Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony |
| Created by | Bonnie Erickson |
| Portrayed by | Waldorf: Jim Henson (1975–1990), Dave Goelz (1992-present), Victor Yerrid (Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony) Statler: Richard Hunt (1976–1991), Jerry Nelson (1975,1992-2001), Steve Whitmire (2002 - present), Drew Massey (Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony) |
| Episode count | The Muppet Show: 120 Muppet Babies: 6 Muppets Tonight: 22 Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony: 34 Reel Classic Extra: 11 |
| Information | |
| Aliases | Waldorf: P. Fenton Cosgrove, Uncle Waldorf, Robert Marley, Wally-D Statler: Uncle Statler, Jacob Marley, StatCat |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Males |
| Age | (from first appearance on The Muppet Show) 33 |
| Occupation | Hecklers |
| Family | None Known |
| Spouse(s) | Waldorf: Astoria Statler: unknown |
| Address | The Muppet Theater Balcony |
Statler and Waldorf are a fictional pair of Muppet characters.
Contents |
Role
They are two ornery, disagreeable old men who first appeared in the television series The Muppet Show heckling the rest of the cast from their balcony seats. They appeared in every episode of the show. In The Muppet Show, the two were always insulting Fozzie Bear's poor jokes, except for one occasion where Fozzie, with help from Bruce Forsyth, heckled them back. It is later revealed in the Muppet Family Christmas special that the two hecklers were friends with Fozzie's mother, Emily Bear. Despite constantly complaining about the show and how terrible some acts were, they would always be back the following week in the best seats in the house.
Statler and Waldorf are named after two New York City hotels, the Statler Hotel and the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The muppets are rumored to have been modeled after two of Jim Henson's college professors.
Astoria
Waldorf's wife, Astoria, appeared in Episode 413 of The Muppet Show, with guest star Dizzy Gillespie. Waldorf's explanation to Kermit is that Statler is sick (of the show) and instead Waldorf's wife Astoria has taken Statler's ticket. A common myth is that because Astoria is the Statler puppet in women's clothing, then Astoria is Statler's sister, making Statler and Waldorf brothers-in-law. However, such a fact is never mentioned onscreen in any episode of The Muppet Show.
Performers
In the pilot episode of The Muppet Show, Statler and Waldorf were performed by Jerry Nelson and Jim Henson; subsequently they were performed by Richard Hunt and Jim Henson. Beginning with The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), they were performed by Jerry Nelson and Dave Goelz. When Jerry Nelson left the Muppets to work for Sesame Street, muppeteer Steve Whitmire (also a puppeteer for Sesame Street) took over adding yet another new role to his credits; his first two were that of Kermit the Frog (Jim Henson) and Beaker (Richard Hunt).
Later appearances
In the 1996 series Muppets Tonight, based around a television show rather than a theatre, Statler and Waldorf were shown watching the show at a nursing home, but still making disparaging comments.
Statler and Waldorf also appeared (as adults) in the Saturday morning animated television series Jim Henson's Muppet Babies. Both characters were voiced by Dave Coulier. Unlike all other adults who visit the nursery in that series, Statler and Waldorf's faces are shown.
Both made an appearance in "Marvel Team-Up #74". In this issue, Spider-Man teams up with the cast of Saturday Night Live to battle the Silver Samurai. Statler and Waldorf appear in typical style as hecklers on a balcony.
They also made an appearance on the animated television show Family Guy. In the episode "Petergeist", they watch Lost with Peter and Lois from a balcony. After Peter comments on the great episode they just watched, Statler says "Well, at least the show's got the right name." Waldorf replies "Yeah, I couldn't follow any of it!" and the two burst into laughter. Peter then remarks that "they don't care for most things."
They appear at the end of Weezer's video for the song Keep Fishin'. They comment that the performance wasn't half bad, before adding that it was all bad.
A joke was made about the duo's nature in The Muppet Christmas Carol, where they played Jacob and Robert Marley. When Ebenezer Scrooge accuses them of always criticizing him, they reply "We were always heckling you." "It's good to be heckling again." "It's good to be doing anything again!" During multiple sequences there is a shop called "Statler and Waldorf".
In one episode of The Muppet Show they started heckling the opening number before it even started. Kermit decided to cancel it when Waldorf (sarcastically) guessed what it was: a Chinese gorilla dancing ballet. They were then allowed to perform an opening number of their own. After performing it, they were suddenly sitting on their usual balcony as if they'd teleported back during the applause. Waldorf then asked "Why can't they do numbers like that?" When Kermit remarked that they just did, the duo started to criticize it.
The duo are featured characters in Disney's Jim Henson's Muppet*Vision 3D in Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's California Adventure Park. They also make a cameo appearance in Pixar's short film Presto, where they can be seen in their theater box.
From the Balcony
References
External links
- Statler and Waldorf on Muppet Wiki, an external wiki