Richard Hunt

 Richard   Henry   Hunt  ( August 1 6  t h,  1 9 5 1  - January  7  t h ,  1 99 2  ) was a long time  Muppeteer  who is k now n for his man y  character s  , his accomplish ed s i ng ing voice , & his warm back stage personal i t y. Hunt brought many popular character s  t o life, including  Scooter  ,  Janice  ,  Beaker  ,  Statler  ,  Sweetums  ,  Junior Gorg  ,  Don Music  ,  Glad ys the Cow  ,  Sonny Friendly  ,  Sully  , the  horns - up half  o f the  Two - Headed Monster  ,  Dip Cat  ,  Placido Flamingo  &  Forgetful Jones . Hunt also was the performer  of  GRANDPA GROUCH ,  OSCAR THE GROUCH  ' s  grand father.

E a r l y Y e a r s
 Hunt  w a s b o r n in New York City , t he 2| 2  n d o f 5| 5  children & t h e 1| 1  s t o f 2| 2  son s. T he family  eventual l y move d t o  Closter ,  New Jersey  some y ear s l ate r.

Since everyone in his family  had worked i n show bus i ness a t some point,  Hunt  always felt he ' d end up i n entertain ment too. While in middle school  &  high school , he put on puppet show s f o r l o c a l chil dren , & he w a s a fan o f t he t h e n - fledgling  Muppet s  f r o m a young a g e. " I ' d drop an y thing t o watch t h e m, " h e s a i d , " I thought they  were weird . "

After high school   graduation  & a  4  - month stint of doing weather report s a t a local  radio   station ,  Hunt  had his  1  s t ink ling that he might join  the Muppet s.  Hunt  ’ s mother ,  Jane  , recalled  Hunt  ’ s 1| 1  st meeting wit h  Jim HENSON  :

"  Richard  had been watching  SESAME STREET , & he realized there might be an opportunity there . So he went to a phone booth , then he called  HENSON  Associates  , & a sk e d them , cold , if they were hiring  puppeteer s  . Amazingly ,  Jim  was  auditioning  peo ple that very day . So  Richard  went right over t o 67 th Street . He was ushered in t o a room , & t here were  Frank  &  Jim  &  Jerry  & a box full o f  puppet s  . " They threw a puppet at me & s a id s i t d o w n " ,  Richard  later report e d to  me  . " It was incredible. We just all talked together ! ! We knew right a way we had t h e same sense o f humor. . . & I think t hey like d me ! " "

 Hunt  ’ s 1  s t  project  was  The Great San ta Cla us Switch  in  1 9 70 , a long with  FRAN BRILL . A few week s late r, he was invite d to be in a work s hop   product i on. The newcomer was s o g o o d, that  Henson  asked him to work a Muppet  appearance on  T h e Ed Sullivan Show . Once again he s core d high mark s, & i n June 1 9 7 2  ,  Richard   Hunt  was hire d full - time o n  SESAME STREET .

 Hunt  mostly performed   back ground   character s  in early  specials. 1| 1 of his 1| 1  s t m a j or performance s w as a s  Taminella Grinder fall  i n  T h e  Frog  Prince , Muppeteer ing the  character  while  Jerry Juhl   perform e d t h e voice. He also performed   Mildred Huxtetter  &  Big Mouse  in  T h e Muppet s Valen tine S how , & many  minor   character s  i n  T he Muppet Show : Sex &amp; Violence . He also performed   Wisss  on  Sat u r d a y N i g h t L i v e , &  Charlie Beaver  ,  Fred Lizard  &  George Rabbit  o n  Emmet Otter ' s J u g B a n d Chris t mas .

SESAME STREET
During his 1  st few  season s  on  SESAME STREET ,  Hunt  was basically a back ground  performer  , normally assisting other  Muppeteer s  with  character s  ( performing the right hands of certain  character s  , & performing t he back half o f  Mr . Snuffleupagus  ) or  performing   character s  t o pre - recorded track s. How ever, sooner or late r , he became 1| 1 of t h e main  perfo rmers  , performing several memorable  character s  as  Sully  ,  Sonny Friendly  ,  Gladys the Cow  ,  Don Music  , t h e  horn s - up half  of t he  Two - Headed Monster  (  right head  ) ,  Dip the Cat  ,  Placido Flamingo  &  Forgetful Jones . Hunt also appeared in the flesh on Episode 1576  as Cedric the bird watch er, along side  Madeline Kahn.

Although a very main performer  on the  show , none of  Richard   Hunt  ' s  SESAME STREET   characters  actually became major  characters  in t h e same way a s  Caroll Spinney  ’ s  OSCAR THE GROUCH  &  BIG BIRD  ,  Frank Oz  ’ s  Cookie Monster  , & eve n  Kevin Clash  ’ s  Elmo  ( who  Hunt  actually performed as a minor  character  from  1 9 8 4  to  1 9 8 5  ). Even after being a main Muppeteer , Hunt would often perform in  SESAME STREET   production s  ( like  Chris t mas Eve o n  SESAME   STREET  &  DON ' t  Eat the P i c t u r e s  ) where he did n ' t perform  character  voice s.

 Richard   Hunt  served as a mentor to newer Muppeteer s , especially  David Rudman . Anytime that a new Muppeteer  would join the set of  SESAME STREET , Hunt was the 1| 1  st to officially haze & initiate th em into t he group. Despite this, he always took new Muppet eer s  t o lunch , as well as any one on the set who want ed to join him. He was known to often read the newspaper as he w a s performing  a  character  & doing that  character  ' s line s. Soon after  Richard  died,  David Rudman  took over at least 3| 3 of his main  characters  from  SESAME STREET  :  Sonny Friendly  ,  Richard  ’ s  half  o f the  Two - Headed Monster  &  Sully  along w / taking  Richard  ’ s place to perform  Dip the Cat  to  Kevin Clash  ’ s  Chip the Cat  once in a  segment  for  Monster  piece Theater .

T h e Muppet Show
 Richard   Hunt  was also 1| 1 of the main  perform er s  on  T h e Muppet Show , & 1| 1  of 5| 5   perform er s  to be a regular  perform er  on all 5| 5   sea s on s. His main character  was  Scooter , but he also  perform ed  other  character s  l i k e  Beaker  ,  Statler  ,  Janice  , &  Sweetum s . Durin g season 1| 1, he share d t h e  role  o f  Miss Piggy  w /  FRANK OZ  , but by the end of sea s on 1| 1  ,  Miss Piggy  became  Oz  ’ s main  character  , &  Hunt  no longer  perform e d   her.

 Richard   Hunt  has also been noted for his fine singing voice. As  Scooter  he sang such songs  as "  T h ere ' s a N e w S o u nd  ",  A t t h e H o p  " & "  S i x String Orchestra  " . He also  performed   Wayne  , who was part o f the sing ing d u o  Wayne  &  Wanda  , & though the 2| 2  stopped appearing after season 2| 2  after  Wanda  ' s  perform e r  ,  Eren Ozker  had left t he  show  ,  Wayne  eventually came back to make solo appear ance s every n o w & t hen , singing such  song s  a s "  F o r M e &amp; M y G o y l e  " & "  Catch a Fall i n g Star  ". Despite  Hunt  ’ s sing ing voice & the fact that  Janice  was a music i a n, play i n g guitar for the Electric Mayhem  ,  Janice  seldom sang lead vocals in  son g s. She did have  2  major l e ad - singing  performance s , sing in g "  With a Little Help f r om My Friend s  " & "  Rock in ' Robin  ".

In the 1 9 8 1   book   Of Muppets &amp; Men ,  Christopher Finch  describe d  Hunt  ’ s end l ess energy & humor. " He seems to get more un adulterated pleasure from perform ing than any one else i n t he organization, " Finch  wrote. " When he is not working on camera, he is apt t o have  Scooter  o r  Beaker  , or  Janice  - - any one  - - on his  ARM  for the purpose of enter tain in g visi tors to the studio . If there are no visi tors a round , he will attempt to enter t a i n his  c o - wor ker s  . . . Li ke  Jerry Nelson  , he is a versatile on - camera  performer  , but his importance to the  show  derives also from his o ff - camera personality . He make s the  cr ew  laugh , jokes with the  guest star  , clowns for the shop personnel . He is 1| 1  of the chief reasons for t he loose atmosphere t hat exists around Studio D| D  despite the pressure & the slow pace t hat are endemic t o TV  product i on. "

Fraggle Rock
On  Fraggle Rock ,  Richard   Hunt  had 2| 2 ma j or  character s  ,  Junior Gorg  &  Gunge. He also performed  a few fair l y min or &  1  - s h o t guest  character s , & he original l y  perform ed   The Story teller Fraggle  ( be fore  Terry Angus  took o ver ). Richard was most involved with the show  during sea s o n 1| 1 , s i n c e  UN  l i k e  Sprocket  o r t h e m a i n  5   Fraggle s  , his  character s  were n ' t need e d f o r ever y ( or almost every )  e p i sode. After that sea son, as the background performer s  began to do more  character  voice s on the  show  ,  Hunt   performed  less frequently on t h e  series  , spending his extra time on  SESAME STREET . Accord i n g to Terry Angus , " After t h e 1| 1  s t  season  ,  Richard  did n ' t come in as much cause his  character s  were n ' t really called for that often & all o f  u s   Cana dian s  were give n a chance t o d o  character s  every n o w & then which gave  Richard  an easier time o f it . Plus , he was go in g down to work o n  SESAME STREET  . "

 Richard   Hunt  a l s o assist ed in t h e audition process f o r back g round Muppeteer s  o n  Fraggle Rock .  Hunt  made his director i a l  debut wit h t he  sea s on  5| 5   episode  "  The Honk of Honk s  . " He a l s o m a d e a  cameo  a s him s e l f ( " T h e Boss "  direct o r  ) i n  Fraggle s L oo k f o r J o b s , t h e  s h ow  ' s w rap t ape.

JERRY NELSON &  RICHARD   HUNT
 RICHARD   HUNT  ’ s character s  were often paired w / t he  character s  o f  JERRY NELSON . 1| 1 example i s, o n  SESAME STREET  ,  Hunt  ’ s  Sully  was the construct i on work er side kick t o  Nelson  ' s  Biff. For  The Muppet Show ,  Nelson  ' s  Floyd Pepper  was often paired w /  Hunt  ’ s  Janice  i n musical number s  & also i n a romantic relation ship.  Floyd  also shared lead vocal s i n t h e " M r . B ass m an  "  number  w /  Scooter , who se  uncle  ,  J . P . Grosse  ,  Muppet   Theater  owner , was performed by  Nelson  also.  Hunt  performed  Sweetums  alongside 1  of  Nelson  ’ s  character s ,  Robin the Frog  , ( t h e  nephew  o f  Jim Henson  ’ s  Kermit the Frog  ) , in the song "  Two Lost Soul s  " , in  e p i sode 2 2 3  , & ever since then ,  t h  e y  ’ ve been the best of friend s.  Hunt  a l s o per form e d Junior Gorg , t h e son o f  Nelson  ’ s  Pa Gorg  on  Fraggle Rock . Also, while  Jerry  perform ed   GRANNY GROUCH  ,  OSCAR THE GROUCH  ' s  grand mother  ,  Richard  perform ed  GRANDPA GROUCH  ,  OSCAR  ' s  grand father. T h e y  were never in the sa me scene together, but it s how s yet another success ful  pair in g.

Addition all y, the 2   performers  shared the role o f the  Two - Headed Monster . They also play the children in the Twiddlebug family  w /  Hunt  performing t he  son ,  Timmy Twiddlebug  &  Nelson   performing  t he  daughter  ,  Tina Twiddlebug. Another notable team - up included Hunt ' s role  as  Gunge , normal l y paired w /  Marjory the  TRASH  Heap  ( a  Nelson   character  ) , in addition to  Dave Goelz  ’  Philo   char acter. Both performers had  characters  named after them in the band  Little Jerry &amp; the Monotones , w /  Hunt  performing  Rock in ' Richard  alongside  Nelson  ’ s  Little Jerry. Muppeteer  veteran   David Rudman  took over for both  Richard  ' s  half  of t he  Two - Headed Monster  &  Sully  after Richard passed a way, keeping  Richard  ' s legacy alive by working with  Jerry .

 Jerry Nelson  recalled the relation ship :

"  Richard  came into t he company  when he w a s pretty young, &  I  kind - of took Richard under  my  wing , when he  1  st came i n , since  Frank  &  Jim  were sort - of a team &  I  was like a straight man or foil that worked off their  character s  . So when  Richard  came i n ,  w  e got to a point where  w  e would work really well together . When  1  of  u  s would start to go somewhere , the other would know what was happening . We played well together . Like with t he  Two - Headed Monster  .  W  e were just goofing around on the set 1| 1  d a y , without a  puppet  even , & 1| 1  of the  writer s  was t h e r e & s a i d , " What ' s that you ' r e d oing ? " & w  e said, " 1| 1   monster  w i t h 2| 2  head s ! " & t h e y decided to do t hat . W  e had a lot of  characters  that worked together, like  Floyd  &  Janice  . We were good friends . When  w  e had some place to g o ,  w  e would trav el together . He was always so late that it used to drive  me  crazy . Event u ally  I  ' d say , " If you ' re there ,  I  ' ll see you at t he plane. If you ' re not, I  ' ll see you where  w  e ' r e go in g. "  Richard  &  I  were like what  Steve  &  Dave  are now . You f ind some body you work well wit h, & have that rapport with .  I  knew a ll o f  Richard  ' s family - his sister s & brother  - & we ' d s pend ti me together . "

Jerry Nelson /  Richard   Hunt  Muppet  P a i r i n g s

 *  Biff  /  Sully 
 *  The Two - Headed Monster 
 * Little Jerry /  Rockin ' Richard
 * J . P . Grosse /  Scooter 
 *  Floyd Pepper  /  Janice 
 *  Floyd Pepper  /  Scooter 
 *  Floyd Pepper  /  Gladys 
 *  Robin the Frog  /  Sweet um s 
 *  Robin the Frog  /  Scooter 
 *  Robin the Frog  /  Statler 
 * Tina Twiddlebug /  Timmy Twiddlebug
 * Pa Gorg /  Junior Gorg
 * Marjory the Trash Heap /  Gunge  ( w /  Philo  ( performed b y  Dave Goelz  ) )
 * Coffee Break Machine /  Luncheon Counter Monster
 * Fred the Wonder Horse /  Gladys the Cow
 *  Lew Zealand  /  Gladys 
 *  Lew Zealand  /  Sweet um s 
 *  Lew Zealand  /  Scooter 
 *  Count von Count  / Grandpa Count  ( w /  Grandma Count  ( performed by  Camille Bonora  ) )
 *  Count von Count  /  Forget ful Jones 
 *  Count von Count  /  The Count ess 
 * Mickey Moose /  Ronald Duck
 * Melvin Milk /  Carl Carrot
 * Betty &amp; Melissa Pea nut Butter &amp; Jelly Sandwiches
 * Y vette &amp; Danielle French Toast
 * Miss Mouse y /  Big Mouse
 *  Lavender   Anything Muppet Man  /  Canary  ( " Pretty Little Song  " )
 * Lewis Kazagger /  Contender 9 8 0 11 6
 * Vile Bunch Drummer /  Blue Frackle
 * Andy /  Eddie
 *  Statler  ' s Grandson  /  Statler 
 * Sam my &amp; Frank ie
 * Sacrificial Idol /  Janice 
 * W h ad d a ya say Bird /  Oh boy Bird
 * Quongo /  Beaker 
 * Quongo /  The Showman
 * George and Melissa Rabbit
 * Noel Cowherd /  B ill y the G row n up
 * Sherlock Hemlock /  Don Music
 *  Ernie  /  Bert  (  Peter Alexander präsentiert Spezialitäten  )
 * Cecil Bear /  Edgar Bear  ( w it h  Percival Bear  ( perform ed by  David Rudman  ) )
 *  The Christ mas Toy  Rabbits
 * Uncle Deadly /  Wayne
 * Uncle Deadly /  Scooter 
 *  Granny Grouch  /  Grandpa Grouch 
 * Walter /  Victor
 * Stanley Weasel /  Fred Lizard
 * Balthazar /  Belmont
 * Trevor Trout /  Spaceship Surprise Mate
 * Twill /  Harrison
 * Sherlock Hemlock /  Wodehouse
 * Singing F i r e men
 * Readers of the Open Range

Muppeteer  veteran   David Rud man  has been see n & h ear d taking  Richard   Hunt  ' s p lace i n these 3| 3  pair in g s he originally made with  Jerry Nelson  before he pass ed away :


 *  Biff  /  Sully 
 *  The Two - Headed Monster 
 *  Floyd Pepper  /  Janice 

L ate r Y ear s
During t he l at e 1 9 8 0 s ,  Richard   Hunt  was s t ill active i n new  product i on s  &  performing  new  character s. He performed   Tug Monster  o n t h e s h or t - live d  Little Muppet Monster s  series, &  The Wild Impresario  on t he short - live d  Ghost o f Faffner Hall . I n special s , he  perform ed   Lugsy  in  T h e Tale of t h e Bunny Picnic  &  Belmont  i n  T h e Christ mas Toy .

 Hunt  had also occasionally appeared  on - screen in  movie s  & TV  product i on s. He made an on - screen cameo as a taxi driver in  The Great Muppet Caper , he played t he role of Wilson in  Trading   P l ace s  , & he played the role of Larry in Oxford Blue s. He also played the role of Del  in  JIM HENSON  ’ s failed pilot  Puppet man . He also s pen t a n hour entertaining the audience during the taping of  T h e Fantastic  Miss   Piggy  Show . In addition to direct in g  the aforementioned  Fraggle Rock   e p i s ode ,  Richard   Hunt  also  directed  t h e  1 9 88   direct - t o - video   product i on   Sing - A long , Dance - A long , D o - A long  & also receive d full  direct in g  credit s i n  Elmo  ’ s Sin g - A long Guess i n g Game  &  T h e  BEST  o f  Elmo .

Death
But then, most unfortunately ,  Richard   Henry   Hunt  died o f A I D S - related complication s in 1 99 2. Among his last productions were  The Muppet s Celebrate  Jim   Henson ,  Muppet* Vision 3 D  , &  Billy Bunny ' s Animal Song s  ( the last of which was released i n 1 99 3  , a y ear after his death ).  Scooter , following Hunt ' s death , was retired & absent as a character  in all of the major  Muppet  productions till  Muppets from Space  , in which  he  was voice d b y  Adam Hunt  ,  Richard   Hunt  ' s surviving brother. He has since bee n  perform e d  b y  Matt Vogel ,  Brian Henson  ,  Rickey Boyd  & , also most recent l y & seemingly permanently , by  David Rudman  , who carries Richard ' s legacy on to this very d ay , performing  Scooter  ,  Sully  ,  Janice  ,  Sonny Friendly  ( f or a short t i me ) ,  Dip  , & Richard ' s  half  o f the  Two - Headed Monster . Very few of his other characters  ( with the notable exceptions of  Beaker ,  Statler  , &  Sweetums  , who were h a nd e d t o  Steve Whitmire  ,  Jerry Nelson  ( & l ate r  Steve Whitmire  ) , &  John Henson  (  son  of  Jim Henson  ) respect ive ly ) were recast w / new  performers  for year s. Many of his other characters  were relegated to silent background role s, though a few , like have been gradually recast since then. Many of his other character s  ( like  Forgetful Jones  ) were relegated to silent background role s, though several ( such a s  Gladys the Cow  ) have been gradually recast since then. Most of  HUNT  ’ s main  Muppet Show  character s  have bee n inherited by  STEVE WHITMIRE  &  DAVID RUDMAN  in recent production s, including  2 0 11  ' s  The Muppet s .

According to his page on FindAGrave. com,  Hunt  was cremate d. Some ashes were spread into the flower garden at the Hunt family home in New Jersey. Many panels were created in his honor for the NAME S Project A I D S Quilt, including 1  created by his  fri end s  in the  Muppet   Workshop.

Jon Stone, a former  direct or  f or  SESAME STREET  , said this at t he time o f Hunt ' s death : " It ' s impossible to imagine a world wit h out  Richard  . He came t o us a wide - eye d  1 8  - y ea r - o l d & grew in to a master  puppeteer  & inspired teacher . No one ever had a more manic love of t h e outrageous & absurd ; no one could ever make  me  laugh the way Richard could . A generation h as g ro w n u p absorb i n g  RICHARD  ’ s a r t , &  I  have to believe that every one of t h em is a smart e r , funnier , strong er , sillier , more generous person be cause o f him . "

T he  Richard   Hunt  Spirit Award is annually presented at the  SESAME STREET  wrap party  to the  ca st   mem ber  who best honors the generosity in spirit & dedicate d work of  Richard   Hunt  in their act i on s on s e t. The 2 0 1 0  winner w as  Leslie Carrara - Rudolph.

Muppet eer Credits

 *  HUNT  ’ s primary Muppet   character s  :


 *  Gladys the Cow  : 1 9 7 3  -  1 99 2


 * Jennifer Barn hart :  2 00 3  - present
 *  Sully  :  SESAME STREET  season 5  -  1 99 2  )


 *  DAVID RUD M AN  : 1 99 2  -  1 999  )
 *  Scooter  :  T he Muppet Show  ( 1 9 7 6  ) -  Muppet* Vision 3 D  (  1 99 1  ) ;  1 99 2


 *  David R u d m an  :  Studio DC : Al most Live  host ed b y Selena Gomez  (  2 00 8  ) - present
 *  Stat l e r  (  T h e Muppet Show  ( 1 9 7 6  ) -  The Muppets at Walt Disney World  (  1 99 0  ;  1 99 2  )


 *  Jerry Nelson  :  The Muppet Show : Sex &amp; Violence  ( 1 9 7 5  ) ;  The Muppet Christ mas Carol  (  1 9 9 2  ) -  Muppets Part y Cruise  (  2 00 3  )
 *  Steve Whit mire  : Weezer  ' s "  Keep Fishin '  " music video  2 00 2  ) - present
 *  Sweetums  :  T he Muppet Show  ( 1 9 7 6  ) -  Muppet* Vision 3 D  (  1 99 1  ) ;  1 99 2  )


 * John Hen son :  Muppet Treasure Is la nd  (  1 99 6  ) -  The Muppet s ' Wizard of Oz  (  2 00 5  )
 *  Matt Vogel  :  Give a D ay . Get a Disney D ay .  ( 2 00 9  ) - present
 *  Janice  :  T he Muppet Show  ( 1 9 77  ) -  T he Muppet s Celebrate  Jim   Henson  (  1 99 0  ) ;  1 99 2


 *  David Rud m an  :  Studio DC : Almost Live  hosted b y Dylan &amp; Cole Sprouse  (  2 00 8  ) - present
 *  Beaker  :  T he Muppet Show  ( 1 9 77  ) -  Muppet* Vision 3 D  (  1 99 1  ) ;  1 99 2


 *  Steve Whit mire  :  The Muppet Christ mas Carol  ( 1 99 2  ) - present
 *  The T wo - Headed Monster  ( right head ; 1 9 7 8  -  1 99 2  )


 *  David Rud m an  : 1 99 2  - present
 *  Forget ful Jones  ( 1 9 8 1  -  1 99 2  )


 * Michael Earl Davis (  1 9 7 9  -  1 9 8 1  )
 *  Sonny Friendly  : 1 9 8 6  -  1 99 2


 *  David Rud m an  : 1 99 2  -  2 000
 *  SESAME STREET  Character s  :  Aristotle ,  The Beetles  '  Lead Singer  ,  Billy t he Grown up  ,  Brad  ,  Captain Vegetable  (  1 9 8 3  -  1 9 8 4  ) ,  Carl the Cop  ,  Cheerful  ,  Dip  ,  D on Music  ,  Eddie  ,  Elmo  (  1 9 8 4  -  1 9 8 5  ) ,  Farmer Fowler  ,  Fenwick la Touche  ,  Flying Fish  ,  Forgetful Jones  ,  Sammy  or  Frankie  ,  Lavender Frazzletone  ,  Furline Huskie  ,  Gilbert  ,  Gladys t he Cow  ,  Grandpa Count  ,  Grandpa Grouch  ,  Green   Alpha beat  ,  Grenadier Guard s man  ,  Harry  ,  Harvey Monster  ( occasion ally ) ,  Head line Howie  ,  John  ,  Kermit t h e Forg  ( "  We A r e A ll Mo n s t e r s  " ) ,  King Gerry  ' s  Doctor  ,  Leak y  ,  Leo t he Party Monster  , a  lettuce  from "  G r o w H i g h G r o w L ow  " ,  Lavender   Librar ian  ,  Larry Rhymie  ,  Little Red Riding Hoo d  (  1 9 7 2  ) ,  Madame Schwartzhead  ,  Magic Mirror ( S now  Grouch  )  ,  Maurice Monster  ( occasion ally ) ,  Old Mc Dou g a l  ,  M r . Mo se s  ,  M r . Snuffleupagus  ( back half , occasionally ; assist ing  Jerry Nelson  ) ,  Old King Cole  ' s Band  Green  fiddler &  Lavender  drummer ,  Old Mac Donald  (  1 9 8 0 s  ) , a pear from "  Bilingual Fruit Song  " ,  Placido Flamingo  (  1 9 8 6  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Potter Piper  , "  Readers of t he Open Range  " name less  Pumpkin  cow boy ,  Richard  ,  Rock in ' Richard  ,  Rocky the Cat  ,  Rodeo Rosie  ( occasion all y ) ,  Sonny Friendly  (  1 9 8 6  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Spaceship Surprise Mate  ,  Stan  ,  Stuie Monster  ,  Sully  (  1 9 7 0 s  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Timmy Twiddle b u g  ,  Tommy  ,  Tough E d die  (  1 9 8 0 s  ) ,  Two - Headed Monster  (  right head  ) (  1 9 7 8  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Umeko ' s Friends  ,  Victor  ,  Willy Nilly  ,  W itch  ,  Yip Yip Martians  ,  The Young Woman Who Lives in a Hat
 *  The Muppet Show  Characters  :  African Mask  ( M o u n ta in ),  Beagle  ,  Beaker  (  1 9 77  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Behemoth  (  episode 11 9 : Vincent Price  ) ,  Billy the Bear  (  epi sode 4 0 1 : John Denver  ) ,  Bobby Benson  ,  Blue Frackle  (  episode 1 0 3 : Joe l Grey  ,  episode 11 5 : Candice Bergen  ,  episode 202 : Zero Mostel  ,  episode 2 1 8 : Jay e P . Morg a n  ,  epi sode 3 0 7 : Alice Cooper  ) ,  Bubba  ,  Catgut  ,  Clive Cahuenga  ,  Contender 9 8 0 11 6  ,  Cows  (  e pi sode 1 2 1 : Twiggy  ) ,  Doctor Pig  ,  D roop  (  epi sode 2 2 0 : Petula Clark  ) ,  George  ,  G eri &amp; t h e Atric s  ( False Teeth ) ,  Ghost  ,  Gingerbread Man  ,  Glad y s  ,  T h e Gogolala Jubilee Jug band  ( Purple  What no t  ) ,  Gorgon Heap  (  episode 11 6 : Avery Schreiber  ) ,  H a t  ,  Janice  (  1 9 77  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Lenny t he Lizard  (  epi sode 2 0 8 : Steve Martin  ) ,  Les  ,  Lubbock L ou  ( occasion all y ) ,  Luncheon Counter Monster  (  episode 22 3 : Jonn Cleese  ) ,  Lyle the Dog  (  epi sode 5 2 3 : Linda Ronstadt  ) ,  Ma le Ghost  ,  T he March Hare  ,  Mean Mama  (  episode 2 0 1 : Don Knotts  ,  episode 2 11 : Dom DeLuise  , &  episode 5 1 5 : Carol Burnett  ) ,  Mildred Huxtetter  (  episode 1 0 9 : Charles Azna vour  ) ,  Miss Kitty  (  episode 11 9 : Vincent Price  ) ,  Miss Piggy  (  1 9 7 6  -  1 9 77  , occasional l y ) ,  Oh boy Bird  ,  Paul Revere  ( leg s on ly ) ,  Quongo  (  epi sode 5 0 9 : Debbie Harry  ) ,  Ronald Duck  ,  Salz burg Sauerkraut Sing er  ,  Scooter  (  1 9 7 6  -  1 99 2  ) ,  T he Showman  ,  Statler  (  1 9 7 6  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Sweetums  (  1 9 7 6  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Tin y  ,  Way ne  ,  Winny  ,  You k no w Bird  (  episode 2 1 8 : Jay e P . Mor g an  ) ,  Zelda Rose  (  episode 3 0 8 : Loretta Lynn  )
 *  Fraggle Ro ck  : Gunge ,  Junior Gorg  ,  Beige Fraggle  ,  Firechief Fraggle  ,  Flex Doozer  ,  Gillis Fraggle  ,  Herkimer Fraggle  ,  Genie  ,  Mud  well the  Mud  bunny  ,  The Odd Old Man  ,  Story teller Fraggle  (  episode 1 0 8  o n ly ) ,  Turbo Doozer  ,  Venerable Sage Lambo  ,  Wizard
 *  The Great San ta Cla us Switch  : Bing
 *  The Ed Sullivan Show  : Harrison
 *  The  Frog  Prince  : Taminella Grinderfall  (  Muppetry  only )
 *  The Muppet s Valen tine Show  : Big Mouse
 *  Saturday Night Live  : Wisss
 *  One to One  : The Queen of Phumph
 *  T h e Muppet Show : S ex &amp; Violence  : Mildred Huxtetter ,  Crazy Harry  ,  Hoggie Marsh  ,  Lust  ,  Oh boy Bird
 *  Peter Alexander präsentiert Spezialitäten 10  :  Bert 
 *  Emmet Otter ' s Jug - Band Christ mas  : Charlie Beaver ,  George Rabbit  ,  Fred Lizard
 *  Chris t mas Eve on  SESAME   STREET  ( Extra  Muppet eer  )
 *  Little Muppet Monsters  : Tug Monster ,  Beaker  (  animated  ) , "  Muppet   Sport s  Short s " Narrator
 *  T he Muppet Movie  :  Scooter  ( 1 9 7 6  -  1 99 2  ),  Janice  (  1 9 77  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Beaker  (  1 9 77  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Sweetums  (  1 9 7 6  -  1 99 2  ) &  Stat ler  (  1 9 7 6  -  1 99 2  )
 *  The Great Muppet Caper  :  Scooter  ( 1 9 7 6  -  1 99 2  ),  Janice  (  1 9 77  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Beaker  (  1 9 77  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Sweetums  (  1 9 7 6  -  1 99 2  ) &  Stat ler  (  1 9 7 6  -  1 99 2  )
 *  The Muppets Take Manhattan  :  Scooter  ( 1 9 7 6  -  1 99 2  ),  Janice  (  1 9 77  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Beaker  (  1 9 77  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Statler  (  1 9 7 6  -  1 99 2  ) &  Baby  Scooter 
 *  Follow That  BIRD  : Various  GROUCH   DON ' T  Drop Inn  Diner   Patron s ,  Gladys the Cow  (  1 9 7 3  -  1 99 2  )
 *  The Tale of the Bunny Picnic  : Lugsy
 *  A Muppet Family Christ mas  :  Scooter  ( 1 9 7 6  -  1 99 2  ),  Janice  (  1 9 77  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Beaker  (  1 9 77  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Two - Headed Monster  (  1 9 7 8  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Cow  &  The Snow man
 *  The Chris t mas To y  : Belmont
 *  Puppet man  : Del Zivic  ( o n - camera role ),  Gertha  ,  Earl
 *  Inner Tube  : Crasher
 *  T he Ghost of Faffner Hall  : The Wild Impresario
 *  T he Cosby Show  : Disagreeable Sandwich
 *  T he Muppet s at Walt Disney World  :  Scooter  ( 1 9 7 6  -  1 99 2  ),  Janice  (  1 9 77  -  1 99 2  ) ,  Beaker  (  1 9 77  -  1 99 2  ) &  Stat l er  (  1 9 7 6  -  1 99 2  )
 *  Country Music with t he Muppet s  : Dog, Sheep
 *  T he Muppet s Celebrate  Jim   Henson  :  Scooter  ( 1 9 7 6  -  1 99 2  ) &  Janice  (  1 9 77  -  1 99 2  )
 *  Billy Bunny ' s Animal Son g s  : Edgar Bear ,  Raccoon 1

Trivia

 *  HUNT  w as right - handed.
 * Character s o f  RICHARD   HUNT  ’ s  Muppeteer   Veteran   DAVID RUDMAN  has performed once or consistently are :


 *  T he Two - Head ed Monster  ( right head ) : 1 99 2  - present )
 *  Scooter  :  Studio D C : Almost Live  host e d by Selena Gomez  (  2 00 8  ) - present
 *  Janice  :  Studio D C : Almost Live  host ed by Dylan &amp; Cole Sprouse  (  2 0 0 8  ) - present
 *  Sonny Friendly  ( 1 99 2  -  2 000  )
 *  Sully  ( 1 99 2  -  1 999  )
 *  Sweetums  :  The Cosby Show  ( 1 99 0  )
 * Dip the Cat (  1 99 2  )
 * Wayne :  The Muppet s  (  2 0 11  ) ;  Muppets Most Want ed  (  2 0 1 4  )
 * Bobby Benson :  T h e Muppet s  (  2 0 11  ) ;  Muppets Most Want e d  (  2 0 1 4  )

Note s

 * Episode 3 1 3 6 o f  SESAME STREET , which aired 22 month s after his death , was  dedicate d  in his memory , wit h a dedication sign following t h e credit s.
 *  The Muppet Christ mas Carol  is dedicate d  "  In loving memory o f   JIM HENSON  &  RICHARD   Hunt  ".
 * The book  JIM   HENSON  : The Works  & the  SESAME STREET  album   W e A r e All E a r t h l i n g s , both released in  1 99 3  , were  dedicate d   to the memory  of  RICHARD   HUNT .
 * Sometimes,  RICHARD   HUNT  would entertain v is i tors on the set by performing  a  character  ordinarily play ed by another  Muppet eer  ,  assuming t he voice  & personality of which eve r  puppet  w a s o n - h and.

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

 * Your F a c e !
 * Muppet Central ' s Tribute t o  RICHARD 
 * Muppet C a s t ' s p o d c a s t Tribute t o  RICHARD 
 * RICHARD HUNT o n I M D b

S e e a l s o

 *  RICHARD   HUNT  Cameo s
 *  Muppeteer s 
 * Muppet  Performer s
 * Muppet  Puppeteer s
 * Muppet  Voice Actor s
 * Animate d Voice Actor s
 * Direct or s
 * T h e  R A I N B O W  Connect ion :  RICHARD   HUNT , Gay Muppet e e r ( z in e )
 *  RICHARD HUNT  o n t h e Muppet   W i k i
 *  RICHARD HUNT  o n t h e Puppet W i k i
 * RICHARD HUNT o n t h e  OSCAR   THE   GROUCH  W i k i