Or just giant vulture people?
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Because, Talking Time. You are... A Top 50 Puppets Countdown
Honestly; never assumed they were that tall; just thought everyone in the Dark Crystal was wee
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Always remember the time the Count drove Ernie insane.
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ERNIE
110 Points; 6 Votes; Torzelbaum (#9), Lokii (#14), Johnny Unusual (#16), Purple (#21), Issun, JBear (#23)
The Perky Extrovert
It's pretty clear Jim Henson and Frank Oz played off each other incredibly well, as some of the most successful duos on both The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. Ernie and Bert were kind of an inversion of Kermit and Fozzie, with Oz being the straight man this time and Henson being the cut-up. Ernie tends to be somewhat childlike (though you're never to old for a rubber ducky at bathtime), and this tends to grate on roommate Bert's nerves. The two of them are also intentionally opposite in appearance as well as temperament. Look at their height, coloring, lack of eyebrow versus epic unibrow, and even the stripes on their shirts. Ernie's energy, naivete and mischievous nature make him the perfect foil for Bert.
ERNIE
110 Points; 6 Votes; Torzelbaum (#9), Lokii (#14), Johnny Unusual (#16), Purple (#21), Issun, JBear (#23)
The Perky Extrovert
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ANIMAL
113 Points; 5 Votes; Beta Metroid (#2), Purple (#13), Johnny Unusual (#15), Kirin (#16), Issun (#21)
Eat drums!
Legend has it that Animal was modeled after The Who drummer Keith Moon, which is believable. Their playing style is very similar, although Animal's debauchery is limited to eating pretty much anything. He's clearly not dumb, as he can catch when someone is making a pun, he just chooses to speak like a movie caveman. Once again, Frank Oz's knack for physical comedy is a big part of Animal's persona.
ANIMAL
113 Points; 5 Votes; Beta Metroid (#2), Purple (#13), Johnny Unusual (#15), Kirin (#16), Issun (#21)
Eat drums!
I'm sure his out-of-control nature is why he appeals so much to kids. He should be scary, but he's just kind of silly, which is another point in favor of appealing to the tiny ones. He certainly appealed to enough of us to rank highly here, so while other members of Electric Mayhem got a nod, Animal is the only one to rank.
Purple
(She/Her)
Out of season, but I'm prepared to call the Electric Mayhem's cover of "Little Saint Nick" the definitive version, and a lot of that is down to Animal's hilariously timed interjections.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Ernie is a wonderful character and Ernie and Bert make a wonderful duo. While Statler and Waldorf are a lockstep inseparable unit, these two both have a richness as individual characters, not just opposites. Ernie is the part of childhood of joy and mischief that is often sweet and with no malice. Both are nebulously aged because it doesn't matter to these characters for the purposes of the show, unlike Elmo or Telly. They are man-children but in no negative sense. They can be used to teach various things but also we see that despite their differences, they love each other and are supportive and care and want to share in fun things.
Animal is also great, even if ":Woman! Woman!" doesn't look so great. But he is a creature of pure id whom, like Ernie, is that in a completely non-malicious, if incredible destructive and sometimes violent, way. I don't know what the Henson camp says but I feel like he's similar to Gonzo in that he's non-specific rather than being a "monster" like so many other weird muppets. He is very much his own thing.
Animal is also great, even if ":Woman! Woman!" doesn't look so great. But he is a creature of pure id whom, like Ernie, is that in a completely non-malicious, if incredible destructive and sometimes violent, way. I don't know what the Henson camp says but I feel like he's similar to Gonzo in that he's non-specific rather than being a "monster" like so many other weird muppets. He is very much his own thing.
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TRIUMPH THE INSULT COMIC DOG
121 Points; 5 Votes; JBear (#3), Issun (#9), Falselogic (#12), Violentvixen (#17), JohnnyUnusual (#18)
There will be poop
For 16 years, Late Night with Conan O'Brien was beamed into our living rooms, and his offbeat humor warped our impressionable minds. The show had a colorful cast of recurring characters, and the most colorful was SNL alum Robert Smigel's crass Doberman puppet, which he found in a furniture store. Triumph's accent comes from Smigel growing up around a bunch of Russian immigrants and deciding that's just how dogs would sound if they spoke, for some reason.
TRIUMPH THE INSULT COMIC DOG
121 Points; 5 Votes; JBear (#3), Issun (#9), Falselogic (#12), Violentvixen (#17), JohnnyUnusual (#18)
There will be poop
Along with Conan's shows, Triumph has appeared on other late night shows, awards shows, the Westminster Dog Show, campaign trails and even Space Ghost Coast to Coast, all the time roasting whoever he lays eyes on. Some of his zingers are better than others (his most famous aside from the "For me to poop on!" catchphrase was directed at a Darth Vader cosplayer), but he clearly has a way of getting under celebrities' skin, with his assault by Eminem predating Will Smith's slap by well over two decades.
Triumph's brand of humor may not be everyone's cup of tea, but he's definitely left his mark on the world of celebrity culture.
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GROGU a.k.a. THE CHILD a.k.a. BABY YODA a.k.a. THE ONE WHO KNOCKS
145 Points; 6 Votes; JBear (#4), Dracula (#6), Johnny Unusual, Octopus Prime (#12), Issun (#14), Lokii (#23)
2020's Meme Fodder of the Year
When The Mandalorian first aired and the titular character found a tiny version of Yoda, it was fair to wonder if Disney was just looking for a cash-in. Grogu did turn out to be a huge merchandising opportunity. How could it not? When a merchandise powerhouse owned by another merchandising powerhouse introduces a cute version of a popular character, your almost printing money at that point.
GROGU a.k.a. THE CHILD a.k.a. BABY YODA a.k.a. THE ONE WHO KNOCKS
145 Points; 6 Votes; JBear (#4), Dracula (#6), Johnny Unusual, Octopus Prime (#12), Issun (#14), Lokii (#23)
2020's Meme Fodder of the Year
However, Grogu also turned out to be a great character. He is a more realistic portrayal of a small child than a lot of actual human child characters on TV. He displays the curiosity, mischievousness, and tenderness as well as both the inherent respect for and the blatant disregard of the authority of parental figures. He's also the emotional core of a story filled with people who have necessarily had to repress theirs.
Grogu is a combination of regular puppetry and animatronics, with light touches of CGI here and there. He is voiced by David Acord.
And Baby Yoda is a puppet thanks to Werner Herzog!
www.yahoo.com
Good call, there. A CGI Grogu would have been awful.
Werner Herzog Called ‘Mandalorian’ Crew Cowards for Nearly Replacing Baby Yoda Puppet With CGI
Sorry, but no one is a bigger Baby Yoda fan than "The Mandalorian" supporting actor Werner Herzog.
Good call, there. A CGI Grogu would have been awful.
It's tempting to view Grogu as Disney fishing for hot merch, and they did indeed land a big catch, but it's also easy to forget that in the early days of the show's first season, there was nearly no merch at all for the child, leading to a shower of DIY apparel, decor, and toys from anyone with a modicum of crafting ability.
Disney eventually caught up to the demand, but that early lack led me to believe that the character was created less out of a crass executive need for baby Jedi dolls and more of a genuine desire to make a real character.
Grogu stands in contrast to a number of other Star Wars characters that were clearly made with merch in mind. Anyone remember the porgs? How about D-O? These cute characters were marketed to death months in advance of their respective movies hitting theaters, and that push lasted about as long as the films' theatrical lifespan.
On the contrary, we'll be seeing Grogu T-shirts in Targets for years to come, I'm sure of it. And I think the kid has earned it.
Disney eventually caught up to the demand, but that early lack led me to believe that the character was created less out of a crass executive need for baby Jedi dolls and more of a genuine desire to make a real character.
Grogu stands in contrast to a number of other Star Wars characters that were clearly made with merch in mind. Anyone remember the porgs? How about D-O? These cute characters were marketed to death months in advance of their respective movies hitting theaters, and that push lasted about as long as the films' theatrical lifespan.
On the contrary, we'll be seeing Grogu T-shirts in Targets for years to come, I'm sure of it. And I think the kid has earned it.
Everyone loves baby yoda, and they should. The perfect character design: familiar, yet cute; and—like another entry on this list—he drinks the tea. That he was achieved through practical puppeting in our age of digital effects is enough to get my vote. Here’s to you, Baby Yoda! May you stay forever adorable and never grow into awkward adolescence.
It was my understanding that this was born of a desire to avoid spoilers.
Triumph was a puppet?!?!
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BERT
147 Points; 7 Votes; Torzelbaum (#8), Johnny Unusual (#11), JBear, Violentvixen (#12), Lokii (#15), Purple (#21), Issun (#25)
The Put-Upon Introvert
Where Ernie is carefree and scatterbrained, Bert is bookish and anxious. It's highly unlikely that they would survive as roommates for any length of time in reality, but on Sesame Street their interplay makes for some comical moments. Often Ernie will bug Bert to perform some activity when Bert is having some him time, and Bert finally acquiesces. Inevitably, Bert starts enjoying himself at which point Ernie gets bored and wants to go do something else.
BERT
147 Points; 7 Votes; Torzelbaum (#8), Johnny Unusual (#11), JBear, Violentvixen (#12), Lokii (#15), Purple (#21), Issun (#25)
The Put-Upon Introvert
I think we've all been on one end or the other of this kind of relationship. I know I've been both, though obviously not at the same time. There is something appealing about watching their relationship, whether you're a small child or a grown adult.
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ROWLF THE DOG
148 Points; 5 Votes; Beta Metroid, Falselogic (#1), Johnny Unusual (#8), Dracula (#9), Lokii (#13)
The first Muppet star
That's right, Rowlf is the first Jim Henson creation to become famous. Rowlf's career began shilling Purina Dog Chow, but it was on The Jimmy Dean Show, where he was the sausage magnate's sidekick, that both he and Jim Henson's puppetry gained notice. Rowlf also appeared on many other variety shows of the day, often playing his trusty ukulele (it wasn't until The Muppet Show that he would transition to his now-familiar piano).
ROWLF THE DOG
148 Points; 5 Votes; Beta Metroid, Falselogic (#1), Johnny Unusual (#8), Dracula (#9), Lokii (#13)
The first Muppet star
Rowlf is an affable punster with the soul of a movie bartender. Most of his musical spots originally aired only in the U.K., thought he was also known on both sides of the pond for the Veterinarian Hospital bits.
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Good dog.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
Triumph is a character I keep forgetting his very funny. I don't really follow Smigel but whenever I see stuff by him I usually laugh. I tend to remember him more as the dog with the catchphrase but in actually watching clips, he's wildly witty.
Baby Yoda, a character who possesses no other name, works because like real kids, no matter how clearly you try to explain things about how "we might all die if you do _____". he will do _____.
I love both Bert and Ernie but Bert went a bit higher for me. I had a Bert's head Christmas decoration and I remember he's not just the grumpy one, he's the introverted quirky one with bizarre interests no one else gets like pigeons and oatmeal.
Rowlf is also great. Despite the center of the cheesiest recurring sketch, Veterinarian's Hospital, he's more of an everyman character and gets to have some of the slower moments. Also, I like how his ears flop.
Baby Yoda, a character who possesses no other name, works because like real kids, no matter how clearly you try to explain things about how "we might all die if you do _____". he will do _____.
I love both Bert and Ernie but Bert went a bit higher for me. I had a Bert's head Christmas decoration and I remember he's not just the grumpy one, he's the introverted quirky one with bizarre interests no one else gets like pigeons and oatmeal.
Rowlf is also great. Despite the center of the cheesiest recurring sketch, Veterinarian's Hospital, he's more of an everyman character and gets to have some of the slower moments. Also, I like how his ears flop.
I think when I was younger I identified more with Ernie. Nowadays I identify more with Bert.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
I work with kids and boy do I identify with Bert. Ernie has a much less wild temperament, though.
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
I didn't vote for Rowlf so you might have the wrong name listed for the votes?
I am Team Bert. Ernie was confusing and frustrating to understand.
I am Team Bert. Ernie was confusing and frustrating to understand.
I made a conscious effort to try and not make all my entries muppets/Jim Henson creations and seeing all the ones I passed over now is really making me regret my decision.
I did. That was Drac's vote. Thanks for the heads up, I've fixed it.
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
I thought trying to do that but decided it was too hard, so I am very impressed that you did it!
No worries!