Define a whatnot

[Splurge]

Phil had a point there, for, you see, this whole technique goes back a long way away in the history of the Muppets.

First, there was this guy on Ed Sullivan called Conrad Love. I'd read the article on the Sullivan DVD at Muppet Central and I didn't know what to do because whe I saw Conrad Love, I thought he looked EXACTLY like Peter Sellers as Chance the Gardener in "Being There"! In addition, the same puppet later turned up as one of the Muppets in the spot where they're trying to name the show that eventually became "Sesame Street", only this time he has glasses and balding gray hair.

That puppet then went on to become Guy Smiley, did he not? As well as Prince Charming.

 

[BlueAM]

I LOVE WHATNOTS SOOOOOO MUCH! It's also a pity that there never was a Brian Henson intro about them. So I made one up:

"Hi. I'm Brian Henson. Have you noticed all the human-type puppets on the show? Well, these are called "Whatnots". (Clips of Whatnots shown as Brian talks.) They're often chorus puppets and used in many production numbers. Many of the show's recurring characters are Whatnots, like Lew Zealand, Marvin Suggs, and the Zucchini Brothers. (Clips of these characters are shown at this point.) These characters have interchangeable features so one Whatnot can be many different things. (Clips of Whatnots in the workshop in "Of Muppets and Men".) Donald Sahlin, who built many of the early Muppets, created this technique in the early sixties. (Clips of Don putting features on the Southern Colonel character in "The Muppets on Puppets".) The Anything Muppets, the Whatnots' "Sesame Street" counterparts, serve this same purpose since 1969. (Clip of the first Gordon putting on the faces of the Anything Muppets in the premiere episode of "Sesame Street".) See if you can spot the Whatnots in this next episode of "The Muppet Show"."

I'll be back soon to talk some more about the Whatnots!

BlueAM
A REAL Whatnot addict!

 

[BlueAM]

I'm baaaaack!

I've also noticed that characters who aren't Whatnots have this similar purpose. For instance, Thudge McGerk (Vincent Price ep.) is actually the same puppet as Miss Kitty, only made up to match Waldorf's description. Also, that Big V-like monster in the "Inchworm" skit in the Rich Little ep. was actually the Gorgon Heap puppet with a modified nose. In the Debbie Harry ep., Quango the Gorilla had eyebrows whereas he really does not. Finally, the pigs are used the same way as the Whatnots. Hope you understand!

I'll be back soon if possible!

BlueAM