Dave Goelz

 Dave   Goelz  ( b . July 1 6 t h, 1 9 4 6 ) h as been 1 of t h e lead Muppeteer  s f o r more than 3 5 y ear s , performing famous character s , such a s t h e legend a r y Gonzo the Great , a s well a s Zoot , Beauregard & '''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Bunsen_Honeydew Dr. Bunsen Honeydew ], on The Muppet Show , Boober Fraggle & Uncle Traveling Matt ( t h e uncle o f  Jerry Nelson ' ' s Gobo Fraggle ) o n Fraggle Rock & Rug by Tig er in T h e Christ mas Toy''. How ever, he is also 1 of t he few very major performer s t o have no prior experience a s either a n act or o r puppeteer. Goelz also succeeded the role of Waldorf following Jim Henson  ' s  very   tragic,   sudden  death. He also provide d the voice for Huxley ' s Humongous Chicken in  T h e Adventure s of  Elmo  in  Grouch  land .

Goelz ' s Ear l y y e a r s
Born a s  David   Charles   Goelz  in Burbank, California ,  Goelz  had an interest in puppetry as a child , including an affinity for the chil d r e n ' s T V show  Time   for   Beany  , b u t after high school , attend ed t he 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 p l e who  create d  the puppet s , costume s & perform a n c e s t h a t were so evocative ? I g o t  very  curious . "

While work ing full - time for an electronic s firm,  Dave   Goelz  had also began dabbling wit h building  Muppet s for  Jim Henson .

As Goelz later told Disney twenty - three ; " I got interested in the Muppet s from a very holistic stand point . I was fascinated with the consistency of character s as it was expressed in the words they said - the physical move m e n t s, w hat they w ore . . . every thing . . . T a k e Ernie & Bert . Ernie is relax ed , wears horizontal stripe s , is low con trast , has dark orange skin , sooth in g 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 t hat cut s a cross his absolute l y circular eye s, h a s high - con trast hair & skin , wear s vertical stripe s , & he ' s  not  at rest. S o as a design er , I l oo k ed a t t his & though t , w o w , t h e peo p l e who perform t h e Muppet s are o n t h e s a m e p age as t h e  peo p l e  w h o do the costume s & built t h e m. T hat s till fascinate s me. I t ' s s o cohesive, & i t ' s a l l about character.

Build i n g Muppet s
In 19 72, Goelz met  Frank Oz  at a puppetry festival, & during a vacation i n New York City , he a l s o attended the daily  Sesame Street  taping s. A few months later, Goelz show ed his de sign  portfolio t o  Jim Henson  , & in 1973 , he was offered a job w /  Henson  Associate s a s a p ar t - time puppet  build er. His 1 st assignment was to build  puppet s &  design  effect s f or a propose d Broad way s how. How ever, the show w a s s oo n abandon ed i n favor of a n A B C pilot , T h e Muppets Valen tine Show , for which Goelz also built  many character s & he got his very 1 s t crack a t perform ing ,  play ing  Brewster , who he a l s o  design e d  personally.

Unfortunate ly, 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 1 9 74 ,  Henson  offer ed him a full - time position as a builder  /  designer  , & occasion al performer in special s , while still letting him keep his industrial client s on t h e side. Returning to N Y C, Goelz b e g a n work o n T h e Muppet Show : S e x & Violence , f o r which he built  the new host character , Nigel. W o r k i n g f r o m sketch e s b y  Jim Henson , [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Michael_K._Frith Michael K. Frith ] & Bonnie Erickson, he a l s o personal l y built  Floyd Pepper , Animal & Zoot , t h e latter becoming his very 1 s t major character.

T h e b i r t h o f Gonzo
I n 1 9 7 6, Dave Goelz had now official l y join ed t h e rest o f t he  Henson  t e a m & 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 w as promote d t o " Principal Muppet Performer " with the starring role of Gonzo the Great. The puppet had debuted in T h e Great San ta Cla u s S w i t c h, a s Snarl , & had made brief appearances in Muppet Meeting Film s & Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass , with different performer s. The sad - eyed creation was now given a permanent name & puppeteer. How ever, in addition to play in g Gonzo , Dave Goelz was still complete l y employ ed in t h e Muppet Work s hop.

 Goelz  recall ed the hectic schedule of work in g full - time behind the scene s & i n front of t he camera s i n a 2 00 4 Film Threat inter view :

" 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 sa i d , "  Jim  , l ook , is there any chance I could come back next y ear & just be a perform e r , & n o t w o r k i n t h e w o r k shop ? " & h e  s aid " yes " . So  Goelz  sort of blended in to t he performing world t hat y ear . "

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 pan ic k e d : " I h a v e no voice ! "

He thought of a voice the morning before t he 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.

T h e earliest version o f Gonzo t he Great, with a permanently sad expression , inspired a similarly depressed portrayal f r om the novice puppeteer :

" The down cast eyes made him easy to play, because that was exact ly how I felt . I was a n impostor i n show business . I was learning how to p er form & to puppet ee r o n t h e jo b . "

In that 1 s t season, Gonzo was a misfit & out of place , which , according to  Goelz  , w a s h o w he s a w himself a s a performer :

" When I came to " The Muppet Show ", I found myself suddenly with a different & enormous star ever y w e e k , & I had absolutely no credentials . I felt so out of place . So that came into t h e 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 w i t h me ... I was an impostor i n show business . In sea son 1 , Gonzo i s al way s s e l f - 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 i c "  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 un stop p able now ! ! & I thought, I could make a character of t his . T h e n w h en I g o t t h a t 1 s t l a u gh ... I felt limited because he couldn ' t look excite d . His droopy eye lids always ma de him look pathetic . So after that 1 st season I asked Jim  if I could build a Gonzo with an eye mechanism .  He  sa id " su re " , so I went back t o New York & did t hat . Now he could convey his excite ment & enthusiasm for his silly a c t s , & it w as much mo re 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 w it h 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 n d sea s on 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 chicken s f or t h e s h o w - - dancing chicken s - - & they were all terrible . At the end of the scene I had him turn to t he camera & s a y , ' Nice legs , though . ' Some thing jell ed right t here. I t told me some t h i n 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 D r. Bunsen Honeydew ]'''. Goelz h ad once said :

" It ' s easy for me to d o  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 o f my favorite character s . Zoot is a big puzzle for me . Peo ple w rite 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 ga ve Zoot li ne s 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 de fine 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 wit h 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 we re 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 de nied 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 w a s cast with Boober , who was sort o f grumpy & in flexible , just like I could be a lot o f t h e t i m e . "

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 t o Matt cover ing up his blund er s i n his post card s & developing a comedic air o f ostentation.

Muppet Movie s / much much more
 Goelz  continued to reprise his role s a s 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 , T he 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 un precedented . On the very 1 st day w e ] filmed , the Skeksis had to file past the death bed of t he 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 fo r a little monitor o n my chest , & I just stepped off the platform & w e started to f all. Fortunate l y, some body w a s there & caught u s & pushed u s back u p. "

As the ' 8 0 s progressed, in addition to switching between the manic Gonzo the Great & the phlegmatic Boober ( a variety which Goelz recall e d a s " stimulating " ) ,  Goelz  played occasional new roles in specials , notably Rug by Tig er in T h e Chr is 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 love d him. It doesn ' t show up much on the s how, but it was just a fun thing to d o w it h t h e crew. "

Another new character w a s Digit i n T h e  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 h e film , & received top billing a s " Muppet  Per form er  " ( a distinction which would continue through Muppet Treasure I s l a n d & Muppet s f r o m S p a ce ) ". . . 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 ow n 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 satisfy in g t o me. & I think it was be cause he saw me changing & I think he felt t h at Gonzo could change t o o " ( Fi l m Threat ) . Goelz also took over the part of Waldorf follow ing  Jim Henson  ' s death t o  Jerry Nelson  ' s Stat ler, whom  Nelson  had recently taken over from his  very dear friend  Richard Hunt  who had passed away i n 1 9 9 2.

A p art from a brief stint operating the face of Earl Sinclair & performing hand - puppet guest character s o n Dinosaur s, & reprising Rugby Tiger in The Secret Life of Toys , Goelz ' most notable new TV character was Stinky the Skunk in The Animal Show. Other wise, the Muppeteer  remained mostly occupied with Gonzo the Great in movie s , video s , & t he 1 9 9 6 series Muppet s Tonight , the latter introducing a few new but minor character s such a s Randy Pig & Bill the Bubble Guy. Goelz also performed a handful of minor  SESAME STREET  characters, & appeared in  The Adventure s of  Elmo  in  GROUCH  land  as Humongous Chicken. His most recent credit s include Extreme Make over : Home Edition & t h e Muppet viral video s.

Dave  Goelz  /  Steve Whitmire  Muppet Pair i n g s

 * Gonzo the Great / Rizzo the Rat
 * Gonzo the Great / Camilla the Chicken
 * Gonzo the Great / Kermit the Frog
 * Gonzo the Great / Security Guard
 * And y & Randy Pig
 * Zoot / Lips
 * D r . 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
 * Rug by Tig er / Mew
 * Stinky the Skunk / Jake the Polar Bear
 * Smerdley / Mr . Briteweight
 * Jake / Henry

Muppeteer Credit s

 *  Goelz  ' s main Muppet character s :
 * Zoot : T h e Muppet Show : S e x & Violence : 1 9 7 5 ) - present
 * Gonzo the Great : T he Muppet Show ( 1 9 7 6 ) - present
 * D r . Bunsen Honey dew : T he Muppet Show ( 1 9 7 6 ) - present
 * Beaure gard : T he Muppet Show ( 1 9 7 8 ) - present
 * Wal dorf : T h e Muppet Chris t mas Carol ( 1 9 9 2 ) - present


 * Jim Hen son : T h e Muppet Show : S e x & Violence ( 1 9 7 5 ) - T h e Muppet s a t Walt Disney World ( 1 9 9 0 ) ( taken f r o m u s o n Wednesday, M ay 1 6 t h , 1 99 0 )
 * The Muppet Show characters : Alfredo the Mop Dancer, Ali Baba , Alien , Avcado , Banana Nose Molden ado , 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 , Bullet s Barker , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1 9 78 - present ) , Dr . Salamander , Geri & the Atric s ( Drumm e r ) , Gingerbread Man , T h e Gogolala Jubilee Jug b and ( Blue Whatnot ) , Gonzo t he 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 i z a r d , ( Epi sode 1 0 3 : Joey Grey ) , Les ley , Lubbock Lou : Luis Greco : Luncheon Counter Monster ( occa sion a l l 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 t he 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 ( 1 9 7 5 - present )
 *  SESAME STREET  character s : Piño, T h e Elephant , M r . Between , Rocky , China Shop Cl erk , Tom Piper ' s son from Colambo : The Case o f t h e Missing Pig , Lavender royal sycophant from T h e Once & Purple King
 * The Muppet Show : Sex & Violence : Avarice, Brew ster , Zoot , Righton Bird , The San Francisco Earthquake
 * Muppet Meeting Film s :  BIG  Me an Carl, Franklin ( " The Meeting T hat Would Not Die " ) , Mulligan , Smerdley
 * The Dark Crystal : Fizzgig, Skekung ( both Muppetry  only )
 * Labyrinth : Left Door Knocker, 1 o f T h e 4 Gu ard 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 - Wo rd s - Max , Side bottom , Skenfrith , The World ' s Oldest Fraggle , Wrench Doozer
 * T h e Secret Life o f Toy s : Rug by Tig er
 * W ow, You ' re a Cartoonist ! : Gonzo the Great ( 1976 - present )
 * T he Muppet Movie : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 7 6 - pre s e n t ), Zoot ( 1 9 7 6 - present ) , D r . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1 97 6 - present ) , Dog lion
 * The Great Muppet Caper : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 7 6 - pre s ent ), Zoot ( 1975 - pre sent ) , D r . Bunsen Honey dew ( 1 9 76 - p r e s e n t ) & Beauregard ( 1 9 7 8 - 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 Chris t 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 ( 1 9 7 8 - pre sent ) , Boober Fraggle , Uncle Traveling Matt
 * Inner Tube : Jake
 * T h e  JIM   HENSON  Hour : Digit, Gonzo t he 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 ) & D r . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1978 - present )
 * T he Muppet s a t Walt Disney World : Gonzo the Great ( 1976 - p r e se nt ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - pre sent ) , & Beauregard ( 1 9 7 8 - present )
 * The Muppet s Celebrate  Jim   Henson  : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 7 6 - pre s e n t ) & Zoot ( 1 9 7 5 - present )
 * The Muppet Chris t mas Carol : Betina Cratchit, Gonzo t he 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 n g : It ' s Not Eas y Being  Green  : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 7 6 - pre s ent ) ( archived material ) & Wendell Porcu pine ( archive d material )
 * Muppet Treasure I s la nd : Gonzo t he Great ( 19 76 - pre sent ), Waldorf ( 1992 - pre s e n t ) ( a s a Figurehead o f t h e Hispaniola ) , D r . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1 9 7 6 - present ) ( a s D r . Live sa y ) & 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 , Je an - Dodd v an Clam me , Mort y , Purple Rain Man , Randy Pig , Stu , Gonzo the Great ( 1 97 6 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew , Wal dorf ( 1 99 2 - pre sent )
 * Muppets fr om Space : The Birdman, Gonzo the Great ( 1976 - pr esent ) , Zoot ( 1976 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1 976 - present ) , & Waldorf ( 1 99 2 - pre sent )
 *  T h e Adventure s of  Elmo  in  GROUCH  land  : Humongous Chicken ( Tiny )
 * Muppet R a ce Mania : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 76 - present ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , D r . Bunsen Honey dew ( 1976 - present ) , Beauregard ( 1978 - present ) , Wal dorf ( 1992 - present )
 *  Kermit  ' s Swamp Year s : Wal dorf ( 1 99 2 - present )
 * It ' s a  Very  Merry Muppet Chris t mas Movie : Gonzo t he Great ( 1976 - pre sent ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , D r . Bunsen Honey dew ( 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
 *  Stat ler  &  Waldorf  : From the Balcony : Waldorf ( 1992 - present ) ( 1 epi sode ) Sundance
 *  Kermit  : A  Frog  ' s Life : Gonzo the Great ( 1 976 - present ), Waldorf ( 1 99 2 - pre s ent ) , D r . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1 9 7 6 - pre sent ) , ( also archive footage as Wal d orf ( 1 9 9 2 - present ) )
 * The Muppets ' Wizard o f Oz : Gonzo the Great ( 1976 - pre sent ) ( as the Tin Thing ), D r . Bunsen Honey dew ( 1976 - present ) , Wal dorf ( 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 Muppet s : 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 vi ral video s : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 76 - present ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , D r . Bunsen Honey dew ( 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 ) , D r . Bunsen Honey dew ( 1976 - present , Wal dorf ( 1992 - present )
 * Bohemian Rhapsody : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 76 - present ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1976 - present ) , Beauregard ( 1978 - present ) , Wal dorf ( 1992 - present )
 * Chris t mas in Rockefeller Center : Gonzo the Great & Zoot
 * T h e Muppet s : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 7 6 - pre s e n t ), Zoot ( 1975 - pre sent ) , Dr . Bunsen Honey dew ( 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 7 6 - present ), Zoot ( 1975 - present ) , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ( 1 9 7 6 - pre s e n t ) & Wal dorf ( 1 99 2 - p r e s e n t )
 * The Muppet s : Operation S T S ( Save t he Swamp ) : Gonzo the Great ( 1 9 76 - present ), Zoot ( 1975 - p r e s e n t ) , D r . Bunsen Honey dew ( 1976 - present ) , Beauregard ( 1978 - present ) , Waldorf ( 1 99 2 - p r e s e n t ) , Inspector LaBrea

Trivia

 *  Goelz  provide s t h e voice o f Figment i n the " Journey in to Imagination wit h Figment " ride at Walt Disney World . Figment was original l y voice d by Billy Barty i n t h e original version of t he attract i on " Journey i n t o Imagination . "
 *  Dave   Goelz  i s left - handed, but still perform s  the bo die s o f Gonzo the Great & Zoot wit h his right hand . , m a k in g Gonzo the Great & Zoot b o t h l ef t - h an d e d.
 * T h e Animal S h ow character Dave t he Human i s base d o n  Goelz  & w a s in stead perform e d b y Muppeteer  Veteran  Bill Barretta .
 * Accord i n g t o Puppet Build e r Jane Gootnick ,  Goelz  built t h e 1 s t Uncle Deadly puppet.

Quote s

 * " The p u b l i c i n t e r e s t a l way s surprise s me . I come t o work in these room s w i t h window s . A t night I go home . I j u s t live my life . I guess I just don ' t think much about whether peo p l e are going t o watch . Most o f my fri e n d s don ' t k n ow much about w h a t I d o, & w e don ' t talk about i t . I have a different l i f e a way f r o m work . Which i s f i n e , b e cause my work can g e t pretty intense . "


 * -  Dave   Goelz , Inter view w it h Ken Plume , January 2 000


 * "  Jim  l e d by example . He  was s o gentle & k i n d . &  he  sought every body out, to t h e degree that pretty s oo n t h e w hole studio w a s a b i g te am . "
 * -  Dave   Goelz , Muppet Fest , December 2 00 1


 * " 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 . T hat process end s u p creating  foolish character s who are flawed , but yo u still root f or t h em . The process i s therapeutic be cause yo u s t art t o lo v e yo ur own flaw s & recognize t h e flaw s o f other s a s e n d ear i n g . "
 * -  Dave   Goelz , Disney twenty - three , Winter 2 0 11 issue , p age 52

E x t e r n a l l i n k s

 *  GROUCH  o R e view s inter v i e w w i t h  DAVE   GOELZ 
 * DAVE GOELZ o n I M D b

S e e a l s o

 *  Muppeteer s 
 * Muppet Perform e r s
 * Muppet Puppeteer s
 * Muppet Voice Act or s
 * Creature Shop Puppeteer s
 * Design er s
 *  DAVE   GOELZ  Cameo s
 * DAVE GOELZ o n t h e Muppet W i k i
 * DAVE GOELZ o n t h e Puppet W i k i
 * DAVE GOELZ o n t h e  OSCAR   THE   GROUCH  W i k i
 * DAVE GOELZ o n t h e Left Handed W i k i