Why isn't Louis Kazagger around anymore?

[Muppet Frog]

Why isn't the Jim Henson Company using Louis Kazagger anymore because he dissappeared in the 90's?

 

[a_Mickey_Muppet]

Why isn't the Jim Henson Company using Louis Kazagger anymore because he dissappeared in the 90's?

You mean Disney/Muppets Studio, not Henson.

 

[Muppet Frog]

After Louis's dissapearance, Henson still had the rights to the Muppets is what I mean.

 

[D'Snowth]

After Louis's dissapearance, Henson still had the rights to the Muppets is what I mean.

Sometimes characters get retired, and quite often for no apparent reason.

 

[GonzoLeaper]

But characters also sometimes get pulled back up out of the blue too- so you never know- Lewis Kazagger might resurface yet.

 

[Drtooth]

Hmmm... why is character that hasn't been used since The Great Muppet Caper and is performed exclusively with someone who isn't really puppeteering for the Muppet show characters anymore that didn't fit in the context of any of the last projects not seen anymore?

Of course, I should point out the character was used twice in the context of the Muppet comic books... one in The Treasure of Pegleg Wilson, another in the first issue of Robin Hood....

 

[dwmckim]

Since he never was fleshed out as anything but a sportscaster on the Muppet Show, it's hard to really find a place for him. The Newsman was a bit similar in that he had a specific purpose and wasn't used outside of that but there's still much more opportunity (especially as society has become more media-oriented) to use an all-purpose news reporter than a sportscaster. Combine that with Jerry Nelson's aging/health issues that has kept him from doing more active Muppeteering and that's why he hasn't been around.

But as mentioned, he's also one of those characters that may turn up when one's not expecting it. His appearance in the first issue of Muppet Robin Hood was a suggestion by regular Muppet writer Jim Lewis, so that bodes well that those who write for the actual foam Muppets remember him and look for opportunities to use him.

They found a great way to use him in GMC. A decade later when the Muppets were doing weekly guest sketches on Good Morning America he also made a cool surprise return.

The thing about minor characters is the frequency of their appearances tends to be in direct relationship to how much major projects the Muppets get. When they don't do much, there's not as much opportunity to even use the secondary characters much less the smaller fan favorites. Here's where a regular series would benefit the Louis Kazagger's of the Muppet world!

But in the meantime, they're out there and remembered. Heck, even Kermit remembered to name Louis in his chapter on The Muppet Show in his biography...even if he didn't quite remember how to spell his name...

 

[erniebert1234ss]

I thought I saw Lewis Kezagger in one of the early Muppet Show comics...

BJ