Dave Goelz

 Dave Goelz  ( b . July 16 th, 1946 ) has been 1 of the lead Muppeteer  s for more than 35 years , performing famous character s , such as the legendary Gonzo the Great , as well as Zoot , Beauregard & '''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Bunsen_Honeydew Dr. Bunsen Honeydew ]', on The Muppet Show , Boober Fraggle & Uncle Traveling Matt ( the uncle o f Jerry Nelson  ' s Gobo Fraggle ) o n Fraggle Rock & Rug by Tig er in T he Christ mas Toy''. How ever, he is also 1 of the few very major performers to have no prior experience as either an actor or puppeteer. Goelz also succeeded the role of Waldorf following Jim Henson  ' s  very tragic, sudden  death. He also provided the voice for Huxley ' s Humongous Chicken in  The Adventures of Elmo in  Grouch  land .

Goelz ' s Early years
Born as David Charles Goelz in Burbank, California , Goelz had an interest in puppetry as a child , including an affinity for the chil dren ' s TV show  Time for Beany  , but after high school , attended the Los Angeles Art Center College of Design & began work as an industrial designer. The mechanically - minded Goelz worked for such companies as John Deere, Am eric an Air line s , & Hewlett Packard. However, when  SESAME STREET  premiere d  , he was fascinated by the craftsmanship , as he recalled in a Muppet Central interview : " I had been a Muppet fan for many years , but now I started getting fascinated with the design process that went into what I was seeing on the screen . Who were these peo ple who created the puppets , costumes & performances that were so evocative ? I got very curious . "

While working full - time for an electronics firm, Dave Goelz had also began dabbling with building Muppets for Jim Henson.

As Goelz later told Disney twenty - three ; " I got interested in the Muppets from a very holistic stand point . I was fascinated with the consistency of characters as it was expressed in the words they said - the physical movement s, what they w ore . . . everything . . . Take Ernie & Bert . Ernie is relaxed , wears horizontal stripes , is low contrast , has dark orange skin , sooth ing oval eye s , & he look s up toward the sky . He ' s a t rest & peace ful . Bert , on the other hand , i s harsh. He has a mono brow that cuts across his absolutely circular eyes, h as high - con trast hair & skin , wears vertical stripes , & he ' s  not  at rest. So as a [[:Category:Designers| design er ], I looked at t his & though t , wow , the peo ple who perform the Muppets are on the same page as the peo ple who do the costumes & built them . That still fascinates me . It ' s so cohesive , & it ' s all about character.

Building Muppets
In 1972, Goelz met Frank Oz  at a puppetry festival , & during a vacation i n New York City , he also attended the daily Sesame_Street Sesame Street  taping s. A few months later, Goelz show ed his design portfolio to Jim Henson  , & in 1973 , he was offered a job w /  Henson  Associate s a s a p art - time puppet build er. His 1 st assignment was to build puppets & design effects for a proposed Broad way s how. How ever, the show was soon abandoned in favor of a n A B C pilot , The Muppets Valen tine Show , for which Goelz also built many characters & he got his very 1 st crack at perform ing , playing  Brewster , who he also design ed personally.

Unfortunately, following Goelz ' s return to California , he learned his electronics employer had , for some reason replaced him , so he set up shop creating puppets for industrial videos. He performed  Ray the Raychem Seal in 1 such video. 8 months later, in the fall of 1974 , Henson  offer ed him a full - time position as a builder / designer , & occasional performer in specials , while still letting him keep his industrial client s on t h e side. Returning to N Y C, Goelz began work on The Muppet Show : Sex & Violence , for which he built the new host character , Nigel. Working from sketches by Jim Henson , [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Michael_K._Frith Michael K. Frith ] & Bonnie Erickson, he also personally built Floyd Pepper , Animal , & Zoot , the latter becoming his very 1 s t major character.

The birth of Gonzo
In 19 76, Dave Goelz had now officially joined the rest of t he Henson  te am & flew to London to begin work on The Muppet Show. In addition to reprising his role o f Zoot & Dave also got to play  a couple other quite minor back ground role s, as in the earlier special s , Goelz was promote d t o " Principal Muppet Performer " with the starring role of Gonzo the Great. The puppet had debuted in The Great San ta Cla us S w itch, a s Snarl , & had made brief appearances in Muppet Meeting Films & Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass , with different performers. The sad - eyed creation was now given a permanent name & puppeteer. However, in addition to playing Gonzo , Dave Goelz was still completely employed in the Muppet Workshop.

Goelz recalled the hectic schedule of working full - time behind the scenes & in front of the cameras in a 2004 Film Threat interview :

" So my typical day involved running back & forth between making puppet s & performing . & I of course didn ' t know anything about perform ing . At al l . I guess I had an aptitude for it, but it was something I hadn ' t had any training for . So I was learn ing on the j ob , & I found the whole thing very stress f ul . At the end of the 1 s t season , I said , " Jim  , l ook , is there any chance I could come back next year & just be a perform e r , & n o t w o r k i n t h e w o r k s h o p ? " & h e  s a i d " yes. " . So Goelz sort of blended into the performing world that year . "

Gonzo the Great, that 1 st season , like many of the new Muppet Show creations , was a work in progress , & especially for Goelz , playing his 1 st starring character & major speak in g role. When he was assigned the character, he panick e d : " I h a v e no voice ! "

He thought of a voice the morning before the 1 st taping performance. As recalled later, Goelz thought that he had the worst voice out of all the Muppet performers  , & was scared the 1 st time he had to sin g.

The earliest version o f Gonzo the Great, with a permanently sad expression , inspired a similarly depressed portrayal from the novice puppeteer :

" The downcast eyes made him easy to play, because that was exact ly how I felt . I was an impostor in show business . I was learning how to p er form & to puppet eer on the j o b . "

In that 1 s t season, Gonzo was a misfit & out of place , which , according to Goelz , was how he saw himself as a performer :

" When I came to " The Muppet Show ", I found myself suddenly with a different & enormous star ever y wee k , & I had absolutely no credentials . I felt so out of place . So that came into the character , & for the 1 st season , he was ve ry self - effacing & he felt like a misfit . "

Looking at the character in retrospect at Muppet Fest, he recalled t hat " over the years , he sort of ‎ evolve d a long with me . . . I was an impostor in show business . In sea son 1 , Gonzo i s al way s s elf - effacing & embarrassed . But he knows he has something special . " Adding to Goelz ' s insecurity was the jaded veteran crew members of ATV Studios , who had worked with the likes o f Julie Andrews & Bing Cros by , & were thus hard t o impress.

Finally, toward s the end of season 1 , Gonzo had a scene where he had to shout , in amazement , " No ! " Jim Henson  told him to go bigger , so Goelz obliged with an over e m p h a t ic "  NO  ! ! " This earned his 1 s t laugh from the crew member s. Goelz had once said :

" I got another laugh the 2 nd season . It was unstoppable now ! ! & I thought, I could make a character of this . T hen when I g o t t h a t 1 s t l a u g h . . . I felt limited because he couldn ' t look excite d . His droopy eye lids always made him look pathetic . So after that 1 st season I asked Jim  if I could build a Gonzo with an eye mechanism .  He  said " su re " , so I went back to New York & did t hat . Now he could convey his excitement & enthusiasm for his silly a ct s , & it was much more entertaining. Along with this I was becoming more comfortable with perform ing. So it started t o work bet ter. I think he grew be cause I was grow in g, & I was capable of do in g more. "

As Goelz increase d i n confidence, & Gonzo transitioned from a nervous depressed fail u re to a manic , confident stuntman , other facets of the character fell into place. Season 2 introduced his romantic fascination with poultry, most especially Camilla the Chicken , a character who was eventually performed  by  Muppet eer  veteran  Jerry Nelson. As the performer reminisced in Of Muppets & Men : " There was a moment during the 2 nd season when I had Gonzo ad - lib a line that was, I th ink , important for my understanding of his character . He ' d been audition ing chickens for the show - - dancing chickens - - & they were all terrible . At the end of the scene I had him turn to t he camera & sa y , ' Nice legs , though . ' Something jelled right there . It told me some th in g about him. "

Muppet Show characters
In addition to the starring role o f Gonzo the Great, during season 1 of The Muppet Show , Goelz also had the slightly less - challenging but still time - consuming supporting role s of Zoot & another n ew creation , brilliant but still not very bright scientist '''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Bunsen_Honeydew Dr. Bunsen Honeydew ]'''. Goelz h ad once said :

" It ' s easy for me to do  Bunsen, cause I ' ve known dozens of Bunsens . Actually I don ' t think he ' s very funny except as a foil for Beaker , who is 1 of my favorite character s . Zoot is a big puzzle for me . Peo ple write t o me & say they know peo ple exactly like Zoot . We ll , I ' d like to meet 1 o f them , because I ' ve never met any one like that . I found that when the wri ter s gave Zoot lines to speak , I would always try to give them away to other character s , because I didn't know what to do wit h him. Maybe that helped to define the character. Perhaps it ' s best that he ' s so  non  - verbal. "

In later seasons, a new Goelz character was added , t he well - meaning but still extreme ly slow - witted janitor , Beauregard :

" Bo is very similar to a character I performed in Emmet Otter ' s Jug - band Christ mas . His name was Wendell Porcupine & I had a lot of fun with him . Bo was sort of modeled after him . He ' s big & strong & clumsy - - I love him - - but he ' s passive, w e ' ve never found a h o o k for him. "

Work on Fraggle Rock
With the debut of Fraggle Rock, Goelz was cast as 1 of the 5 lead s , the depressed , pessimistic Boober Fraggle. Boober stemmed from something Goelz had said while working on The Muppet Show, that he was so busy on the show that the only things he h ad time to worry a bout were death & laundry ( The Muppet Show Sea son 1 ). At Muppet fest, Goelz related the process of character creation for the show :

" Th ey looked at t he perfo rmers, & picked out ou rmers flaw s , & made character out of t h em . Th ey denied i t . . . So that ' s how I ended up with Boober , t he suspicious , paranoid character . " In t he Fraggle Rock : " Complete 1st Season " interviews , Goelz also mentioned that " I was cast with Boober , who was sort of grumpy & inflexible , just like I could be a lot o f the time . "

Demonstrating his versatility, he also played Gobo Fraggle ' s pompous Uncle Traveling Matt , the rat - like Philo , & the cantankerous The World ' s Oldest Fraggle , as well as a variety of guest characters & memorable incidentals , such as the obese Large Marvin Fraggle. In the Fraggle Rock : Complete 2nd Season inter views, Goelz talked about how he develop ed Traveling Matt ' s character , from the starting point as Matt being simply a misinterpreting chronicler of hum an life , to determining that Matt was also inherently clumsy & inept , which led to Matt cover ing up his blund ers in his post cards & developing a comedic air of ostentation.

Muppet Movies / much much more
Goelz continued to reprise his role s as Gonzo the Great, Zoot , Bunsen & Beauregard i n feature film s , slowly adding more aspect s t o " the weird o " , & also worked on Henson  ' s foray s in t o " realistic " fantasy , The Dark Crystal ( performing the Garthim Master SkekUng & t h e dog - like Fizzgig ) , & Labyrinth ( playing a variety of r ole s , notably Sir Didymus ). " I loved the atmosphere on Dark Crystal . That turned out to be a very stimulating project, because it was pretty much unprecedented . On the very 1 st day w e ] filmed , the Skeksis had to file past the death bed of the Skeksis emperor , performed by Jim  . The Skeksis all had ulterior motives as they walked by the bed to pay their respects . In our very 1 s t s hot , I was inside the Garthim Master Skeksis with another  puppeteer  doing the right hand . I was totally blind except for a little monitor on my chest , & I just stepped off the platform & w e started to f all. Fortunate ly, some body was there & caught u s & pushed u s back u p. "

As the ' 80 s progressed, in addition to switching between the manic Gonzo the Great & the phlegmatic Boober ( a variety which Goelz recall e d as " stimulating " ) , Goelz played occasional new roles in specials , notably Rug by Tig er in T h e Chris t mas T o y : " I had such a good time . He ' s just a naive , s elf - center ed & s e lf - satisfied , little tig er cu b , & he was just so much fun . He was just completely unaware of the feelings of others . The cr ew loved him. It doesn ' t show up much on the s how, but it was just a fun thing to do with t h e crew. "

Another new character was Digit in The  Jim   Henson  Hour.

1990 s - present
Soon after Jim Henson  ' s  very   tragic ,  sudden  death in 1 990 , & with  Frank Oz  continuing to focus heavily on direct ing , Gonzo the Great the character & Goelz the  performer  gained increased significance starting with the 1 st new feature , The Muppet Christ mas Carol. By performing  Gonzo the Great as Charles Dickens as t h e movie ' s narrator, Goelz ( accompanied by  Steve Whitmire  as Rizzo the Rat , a pairing which would be repeated in subsequent productions ) largely dominated the Muppet side of t he film , & received top billing a s " Muppet  Per form e r  " ( a distinction which would continue through Muppet Treasure Is la nd & Muppet s f r o m S p ace ) ". . . when we did The Muppet Christ mas Carol, Gonzo developed a soul f ul side. He played the part of Dickens, & I just loved doing t hat. It just paralleled my own grow t h. Jerry Juhl wrote it as a way of getting Dickens ian prose into the movie. But the fact that he chose Gonzo was very satisfying t o me. & I think it was be cause he saw me changing & I think he felt that Gonzo could change t o o " ( Fi l m Threat ) . Goelz also took over the part of Waldorf following Jim Henson  ' s death to  Jerry Nelson  ' s Statler, whom  Nelson  had recently taken over from his very dear friend  Richard Hunt  who had passed away in 1992.

Apart from a brief stint operating the face of Earl Sinclair & performing hand - puppet guest characters on Dinosaurs, & reprising Rugby Tiger in The Secret Life of Toys , Goelz ' most notable new TV character was Stinky the Skunk in The Animal Show. Otherwise, the Muppeteer  remained mostly occupied with Gonzo the Great in movies , videos , & the 1996 series Muppets Tonight , the latter introducing a few new but minor character s such as Randy Pig & Bill the Bubble Guy. Goelz also performed a handful of minor  SESAME STREET  characters, & appeared in  The Adventures of Elmo in  GROUCH land  as Humongous Chicken. His most recent credits include Extreme Makeover : Home Edition & the Muppet viral videos.

Dave Goelz / Steve Whitmire Muppet Pairings

 * Gonzo the Great / Rizzo the Rat
 * Gonzo the Great / Camilla the Chicken
 * Gonzo the Great / Kermit the Frog
 * Gonzo the Great / Security Guard
 * Andy & Randy Pig
 * Zoot / Lips
 * Dr . Bunsen Honeydew / Beaker
 * Beauregard / Rizzo the Rat
 * Be tina & Belinda Cratchit
 * Stat ler & Waldorf ( Steve  / D ave )
 * Stat ler & Waldorf ( Dave / Steve  )
 * Boober Fraggle / Wembley Fraggle
 * Wrench Doozer / Sprocket
 * Rugby Tiger / Mew
 * Stinky the Skunk / Jake the Polar Bear
 * Smerdley / Mr . Briteweight
 * Jake / Henry

Muppeteer Credits

 * Goelz ' s main Muppet character s :
 * Zoot : The Muppet Show : Sex & Violence : 19 75 ) - present
 * Gonzo the Great : The Muppet Show ( 19 76 ) - present
 * D r . Bunsen Honeydew : The Muppet Show ( 19 7 6 ) - present
 * Beaure gard : The Muppet Show ( 1 9 78 ) - present
 * Wal dorf : The Muppet Christ mas Carol ( 1992 ) - present


 * Jim Hen son : The Muppet Show : Sex & Violence ( 19 75 ) - The Muppets a t Walt Disney World ( 1 990 ) ( taken from u s on Wednesday, May 16 t h , 1990 )
 * The Muppet Show characters : Alfredo the Mop Dancer, Ali Baba , Alien , Avcado , Banana Nose Moldenado , Baskerville the Hound ( Episode 5 24 : Roger Moore ) , Beauregard ( 1978 - present ) , Behemoth ( Episode 115 : Candice Bergen ) , Billy t he Bear ( Episode 4 1 2 : Phyllis George ) , Brewster , Brown Bat , Bullets Barker , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 19 78 - present ) , Dr . Salamander , Geri & the Atric s ( Drumm e r ) , Gingerbread Man , The Gogolala Jubilee Jugband ( Blue Whatnot ) , Gonzo the Great ( 1976 - present ) , Gorgon Heap ( Episode 119 : Vincent Price ) , Inspector La Brea , Johnny , Kermit t he Pig , Klaus Mueller , Koozebanian Spooble , Lenny t h e L iz a r d , ( Episode 1 0 3 : Joey Grey ) , Lesley , Lubbock Lou : Luis Greco : Luncheon Counter Monster ( occasion a ll y ) : Mackerel : Matador : Mean Mama ( Episode 20 2 : Zero Mostel ) , Mildred Huxtetter ( Episode 115 : Candice Bergen ) , Miss Kitty ( Episode 101 : Juliet Prowse : Episode 103 : Joel Grey & Episode 107 : Florence Henderson ) , Mr . Dawson , Muppy , Otto the Automatic Entertainer , Paul Revere ( legs ) , Rabbi , Righton Bird , Salzburg Sauerkraut Singer , Signor Baffi , Sun dance , Svengali ( Episode 103 : Joel Grey ) , Timmy Monster ( Episode 212 : Bernadette Peters ) , Epi s o de 509 : Debbie Harry , T om , Dick , & Harry ( Dick ) , Walter Tell , W arren , Warthog , Wig Trainer , Zoot ( 1975 - present )
 *  SESAME STREET  character s : Piño, T h e Elephant , Mr . Between , Rocky , China Shop Clerk , Tom Piper ' s son from Colambo : The Case o f t he Missing Pig , Lavender royal sycophant from The Once & Purple King
 * The Muppet Show : Sex & Violence : Avarice, Brew ster , Zoot , Righton Bird , The San Francisco Earthquake
 * Muppet Meeting Film s : Big Mean Carl, Franklin ( " The Meeting T hat Would Not Die " ) , Mulligan , Smerdley
 * The Dark Crystal : Fizzgig, Skekung ( both Muppetry  only )
 * Labyrinth : Left Door Knocker, 1 of The 4 Guard s , Sir Didymus , Wiseman ' s Hat ( all Muppetry  only )
 * Emmet Otter ' s Jug - Band Christ mas : Wendell Porcupine, Will Possum , Catfish
 * The Animal Show : Stinky the Skunk
 * Fraggle Rock : Boober Fraggle, Clerk Fraggle , Large Marvin Fraggle , Philo , Uncle Travel ing Matt , 7 - Words -  Max , Sidebottom , Skenfrith , The World ' s Oldest Fraggle , Wrench Doozer
 * The Secret Life of Toys : Rug by Tig er
 * W ow, You ' re a Cartoonist ! : Gonzo the Great ( 1976 - present )
 * T he Muppet Movie : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 76 - present ), Zoot ( 1976 - present ) , D r . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - present ) , Doglion
 * The Great Muppet Caper : Gonzo the Great ( 19 76 - present ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1 9 7 6 - pre s e nt ) , & Beauregard ( 1978 - pre sent )
 * The Muppets Take Manhattan : B i ll, Chester Rat , Gonzo the Great ( 1976 - pre sent ) , Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - pre sent ) , & Beauregard ( 1978 - present ) , Penguins , Dogs
 * A Muppet Family Christ mas : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 7 6 - present ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1 9 7 6 - pre s e n t ) , & Beauregard ( 1978 - pre sent ) , Boober Fraggle , Uncle Traveling Matt
 * Inner Tube : Jake
 * The  JIM   HENSON  Hour : Digit, Gonzo the Great ( 1976 - pre sent ) , Oznog
 * The Christ mas Toy : Rug by Tig er & Ditz
 * Muppet* Vision 3 D : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 76 - present ), Zoot ( 1 9 7 5 - p r e s ent ) , & Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1978 - present )
 * The Muppets at Walt Disney World : Gonzo the Great ( 1976 - pre sent ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - pre sent ) , & Beauregard ( 1978 - present )
 * The Muppet s Celebrate  Jim   Henson  : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 7 6 - pre s ent ), & Zoot ( 1975 - present )
 * The Muppet Chris t mas Carol : Betina Cratchit, Gonzo the Great ( 1976 - pre sent ) ( as Charles Dickens ) , Waldorf ( 1992 - present ) ( as Robert Marley ) , Whatnots , Pigs , Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1978 - present ) ( as  Charity Man  )
 * Bear in the Big Blue House : Jack t he Dog ( " A Berry Bear Christ mas par t 1 & A Berry Bear Christ mas par t 2 " )
 * Muppet S ing - A - L o ng : It ' s Not Easy Being Green : Wendell Porcupine ( archived material ) Otto the Octopus ( l i ve material ) & Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 7 6 - pre s ent ) ( archived material )
 * Muppet Treasure I s la nd : Gonzo t he Great ( 19 76 - pre sent ), Waldorf ( 1992 - pre s ent ) ( a s a Figurehead o f t h e Hispaniola ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1 9 7 6 - present ) ( a s Dr . Live say & & Zoot ( 1975 - present )
 * Muppet Classic Theater : Gonzo t he Great ( 1976 - pre sent ) & Randy Pig
 * Muppets Tonight : Artie, Baby Kramer , Bill the Bubble Guy , Bud , Cupid , Don the Prop Guy , Dr . Pain , Elvises , Gary Cahuenga , Jean - Dodd van Clam me , Mort y , Purple Rain Man , Randy Pig , Stu , Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 7 6 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew , Waldorf ( 1 99 2 - pre sent )
 * Muppets from Space : The Birdman, Gonzo the Great ( 1976 - pr esent ) , Zoot ( 1976 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - present ) , & Waldorf ( 1992 - present )
 *  The Adventure s of  Elmo  in  GROUCH  land  : Humongous Chicken ( Tiny )
 * Muppet R ace Mania : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 76 - present ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - present ) , Beauregard ( 1978 - present ) , Waldorf ( 1992 - present )
 *  Kermit  ' s Swamp Year s : Waldorf ( 1 992 - present )
 * It ' s a Very Merry Muppet Christ mas Movie : Gonzo the Great ( 1976 - pre sent ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - present ) , Waldorf ( 1992 - present )
 * Muppet s Party Cruise : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 76 - present ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - present ) , Waldorf ( 1992 - present ) , Digit , Randy Pig
 *  Statler  &  Waldorf  : From the Balcony : Waldorf ( 1992 - present ) ( 1 episode ) Sundance
 *  Kermit  : A  Frog  ' s Life : Gonzo the Great ( 1 976 - present ), Waldorf ( 1 99 2 - pre sent ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1 9 76 - pre sent ) , ( also archive footage as Waldorf ( 1 9 9 2 - present ) )
 * The Muppets ' Wizard o f Oz : Gonzo the Great ( 1976 - pre sent ) ( as the Tin Thing ), Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - present ) , Waldorf ( 1992 - present ) ( a s a Kalidah Critic ) , Zoot ( 1 975 - present )
 * The Muppet Show : Season 1 main menus : Waldorf ( 1992 - pre sent )
 * The Muppets on Muppets : Gonzo the Great ( 1976 - pre sent )
 * Disney X treme Digital : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 76 - present ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - present ) , Penguins , Singing Food ,
 * Muppet viral video s : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 76 - present ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - present ) , Beauregard ( 1978 - present ) , Waldorf ( 1992 - present ) Pumpkins , Rabbits
 * Studio D C : Almost Live ! : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 76 - present ), Beauregard , Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Waldorf ( 1992 - present )
 * A Muppets Chris t mas : Letter s to San ta : Gonzo t he Great ( 1976 - pre sent ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - present , Waldorf
 * Bohemian Rhapsody : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 7 6 - present ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - present ) , Beauregard ( 1978 - present ) , Waldorf ( 1992 - present )
 * Christ mas in Rockefeller Center : Gonzo the Great & Zoot
 * The Muppets : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 76 - pre sent ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - present , Beauregard ( 1 978 - present ) , Waldorf ( 1 99 2 - pre sent ) , Kermit Moopet , Whatnot reporter
 * Muppets Most Wanted : Gonzo t he Great ( 1 9 76 - present ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - present ) , Beauregard ( 1978 - present ) , Waldorf ( 1992 - present )
 * Lady Gaga & the Muppet s ' Holiday Spectacular : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 76 - present ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1 9 7 6 - pre s e n t ) , & Waldorf ( 1 99 2 - pre sent )
 * The Muppets : Operation S T S ( Save t he Swamp ) : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 76 - present ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - present ) , Beauregard ( 1978 - present ) , Waldorf ( 1992 - present ) , Inspector LaBrea

Trivia

 * Goelz provides the voice of Figment in the " Journey into Imagination with Figment " ride at Walt Disney World . Figment was originally voiced by Billy Barty in the original version of the attraction " Journey into Imagination . "
 * Dave Goelz i/span> s left - handed, but still performs  the bodies of Gonzo the Great & Zoot with his right hand . , making Gonzo the Great & Zoot both left - hand e d.
 * The Animal Show character Dave the Human is base d on Goelz & was instead performed by Muppeteer  Veteran  Bill Barretta.

Quotes

 * " The pub lic inte rest always surprises me . I come to work in these rooms with no windows . At night I go home . I j ust live my life . I guess I just don ' t think much about whether peo ple are going to watch . Most of my fri end s don ' t know much about what I d/span> o, & w e don ' t talk about it . I have a different l if e away from work . Which is fine , because my work can get pretty intense . "
 * - Dave Goelz, Interview with Ken Plume , January 2000


 * " Jim  l e d by example .  He  was s o gentle & ki nd . &  he  sought every body out, to the degree that pretty soon the whole studio was a b i g te am . "
 * - Dave Goelz, Muppet Fest , December 2001


 * " I have a theory on how I develop character s . I try to look for a character flaw with in myself, & then I find a way t o amplify i t & make it lovable . That process ends up creating foolish characters who are flawed , but yo u still root for them . The process is therapeutic because yo u start to love yo ur own flaws & recognize the flaws of others as endearing . "
 * - Dave Goelz, Disney twenty - three , Winter 2011 issue , page 52