Statler and Waldorf
From Muppet Wiki
Statler and Waldorf share the stage left balcony box in the Muppet Theater, and the two delight in heckling every aspect of The Muppet Show. Statler and Waldorf are especially unforgiving to Fozzie Bear. They always have the last word, with a final comment at the end of each episode.
Statler and Waldorf first appeared as a pair in the 1975 pilot The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence.
On the first season of Muppets Tonight, Statler and Waldorf are seen watching the show from the living room of what appears to be a retirement home. In the second season, they watch the show on a portable television from various locations, including a golf course and a ski lift.
In The Muppet Christmas Carol, they play the ghosts of Scrooge's business partners, Jacob and Robert Marley. In Muppet Treasure Island, Statler and Waldorf are the Figurehead of the Hispaniola. In The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, they appear as the Kalidah Critics, strange beasts who shout insults at anyone attempting to cross a treacherous bridge.
Statler & Waldorf were most recently seen starring as themselves in a bi-weekly feature, Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony, on the website Movies.com. The feature has the duo wisecracking about upcoming and just-released movies.
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Identifying Statler and Waldorf
Waldorf is the one with the mustache and whiter hair. In almost all productions, Statler appears on the audience's right and Waldorf on the left.
Individual appearances
Statler and Waldorf are almost always seen together, although they have been seen one without the other on occasion. Those cases include:
- The Waldorf puppet appeared as P. Fenton Cosgrove in the 1975 Muppet Meeting Films "The Muppet Introduction" and "Just a Few Announcements".
- Statler alone is involved in a plot in The Muppet Show Episode 120, in which he goes backstage to meet Valerie Harper. He brings a plant with him as a gift which takes over the backstage of the theater.
- Waldorf tries to convince John Denver to back out of his appearance on The Muppet Show in the teaser for Episode 401.
- When Statler can't make it to The Muppet Show guest starring Dizzy Gillespie, Waldorf brings his wife Astoria, who bore a striking resemblance to Statler.
- Statler appears in the "Cliff's Nightmare" episode of The Cosby Show with Bill Cosby playing his curmudgeonly partner.
- Waldorf appears without Statler in Children's Songs and Stories with the Muppets, making a song request to Scooter.
Reversed positions
In almost all productions, Statler sits on the right, and Waldorf on the left. One notable exception is their debut in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence, where their positions were reversed.
Instances of the unusual occurrence of Statler on the left and Waldorf on the right include:
Trivia
- Statler and Waldorf were named after two New York City hotels -- the Statler Hotel (which was renamed the Hotel Pennsylvania in 1992), and the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Waldorf's wife, Astoria, completes the set.
- Early in The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years, Statler claims Waldorf has had a pacemaker for over 30 years.
Casting History: Statler
Primary Performers
- Richard Hunt - from The Muppet Show (1976) to The Muppets At Walt Disney World (1990)
- Jerry Nelson - The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975) and from The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) to It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)
- Steve Whitmire - Weezer's "Keep Fishin'" music video (2002) to Present
Other Performers
- Duncan Kenworthy - The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990)
- Bill Barretta - Jimmy Kimmel Live (2003)
- Drew Massey - Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony Pilot, Episode 9-34, and Halloween & Oscar press clips (2005-2006); ESPN's Reel Classics Extra (2005); Muppets Ahoy! (2006)
Casting History: Waldorf
Primary Performers
- Jim Henson - from The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975) to The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990)
- Dave Goelz - from The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) to Present
Other Performers
- Jerry Nelson - Muppet Meeting Films (1974) (as Mr. Cosgrove)
- Craig Shemin - The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990)
- Kevin Clash - Muppets Tonight Episode 101: Michelle Pfeiffer
- Victor Yerrid - Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony Pilot, Episode 9-34, and Halloween & Oscar press clips (2005-2006); ESPN's Reel Classics Extra (2005); Muppets Ahoy! (2006)
