Dave Goelz

 Dave   Goelz  ( b . July   1 6  th,  1 9 4 6  ) h as been 1| 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  &  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| 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  i n  T h e Ad venture s o f  Elmo  i n  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 late r 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 t he 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 - c on 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 t he  costume s  &  built   t h e m. T hat s t ill fascinate s me. I t ' s s o cohesive, & i t ' s a l l about character.

Build i n g Muppet s
In 1 9 7 2 ,  Goelz  met  Frank Oz  a t a  puppet ry  festival , & during a  vacation  in  New York City  , he a l s o attend e d t h e d ail y  SESAME STREET  taping s. A few months later, Goelz show ed his de sign  portfolio t o  Jim Henson  , & in  1 9 7 3  , he was offered a job w /  Henson   Associate s  a s a p ar t - time  puppet   build er. His 1| 1 st assign men t 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 Muppet s Valen tine S how  , f or which  Goelz  also  built  many  character s  & he got his very 1| 1  s t crack a t  perform ing  ,  play ing   Brewster  , who he a l s o  design e d  personally.

 UN  fortunate l y, following  Goelz  ’ s return to California  , he learn ed his electronic s employer had , for some reason replace d him , so he set shop up  creating   puppets  for industrial video s. He performed  Ray the Raychem Seal in 1| 1  such video. 8| 8 months later, in the fall of  1 9 7 4  ,  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 t o N Y C ,  Goelz  b e g a n work o n  T h e Muppet Show : S e x &amp; Violence  , f o r which he  built  the n e w host  character  ,  Nigel. W o r k i n g f r o m sketch e s b y  Jim Henson , Michael K . Frith  &  Bonnie Erickson  , he a l s o personal l y  built   Floyd Pepper  ,  Animal  &  Zoot  , t h e latter b e c o m i n g his very 1| 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 &amp; 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 did n ' t know anything about  perform ing  . At al l . I guess I had an aptitude for it, but it was something I had n ' 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| 1  s t season , I said , "  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| 1 st season , like many of the new  Muppet Show   creations  , was a work in progress , & especially for Goelz , playing his 1| 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| 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| 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| 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 week , & I had absolutely no credentials . I felt so out of place . So that came into t h e  character  , & for the 1| 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 s on 1| 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 A| A T| T V| V  Studio s , 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 empathetic "  NO  ! ! " This earned his  1  s t laugh from the  crew member s.  Goelz  had once said :

" I got another laugh the 2| 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| 1  s t l a u gh ... I felt limited because  he  could n ' t look excite d .  His  droopy  eye lids  always ma de  him  look pathetic . So after that 1| 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| 2 introduced  his  romantic fascination wit 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 &amp; Men  : " There was a moment during the 2 n d sea son  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 & say , ' Nice legs , though . ' Some thing j e l l ed right t h e r e . I t t o l d me some t h i n g about  him  . "

Muppet Show character s
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  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| 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| 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 did n ' 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 hppk for  him  . "

Work on Fraggle Rock
With the debut of  Fraggle Rock , Goelz was cast as 1| 1 of the 5| 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 thing s  he  h ad time to worry a bout were  death  & laundry (  The Muppet Show  Sea s on 1| 1  ). A t 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 1 st Season  " interview s , 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 h is 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 view s, 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  continue d 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 to " realistic " fantasy ,  T he Dark Crystal  ( performing the Garthim Master  SkekUng  & t h e  dog  - like  Fizzgig  ) , &  Labyrinth  ( playing a variety of  role 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 t he death bed of t h e  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| 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 t he ' 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 l f - satisfied , little tig er cu b , &  he  was just so much fun .  He  was just completely unaware of the feeling s of other s . The  c r e w  love d  him  . It does n ' 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  in  T h e  Jim   Henson  Hour .

1 99 0 s - present
Soon after  Jim Henson  ’ s  very   tragic ,  sudden  death  in  1 99 0  , & 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 i n 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 h e  1 99 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 WHTIMIRE  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
 *  An dy &amp; Randy Pig 
 *  Zoot  /  Lips 
 *  D r . Bunsen Honeydew  /  Beaker 
 *  Beauregard  /  Rizzo the Rat 
 *  Betina  &amp;  Belinda   Cratchit 
 *  Statler  &amp;  Waldorf  (  Steve  /  D ave  )
 *  Statler  &amp;  Waldorf  (  Dave  /  Steve  )
 *  Boober Fraggle  /  Wembley Fraggle 
 *  Wrench Doozer  /  Sprocket 
 * Rugby Tiger /  Mew
 * Stinky the Skunk /  Jake t h e Polar B ear
 * Smerdley /  Mr . Briteweight
 * Jake /  Henry

Muppeteer Credit s

 *  Goelz  ’ s main Muppet   character s  :


 *  Zoot  :  T h e Muppet Show : S e x &amp; Violence  : 1 9 7 5  ) - present
 *  Gonzo the Great  :  The Muppet Show  ( 1 9 7 6  ) - present
 *  D r . Bunsen Honey dew  :  The 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 &amp; Violence  (  1 9 7 5  ) -  T h e Muppet s at Walt Disney World  (  1 99 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  ,  Avpcado  ,  Banana Nose Molden ado  ,  Baskerville the Hound  (  Episode 5 2 4 : Roger Moore  ) ,  Beauregard  (  1 9 7 8  - 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 7 6  - present ) ,  Dr . Salamander  ,  Geri & the Atric s  ( Drum me r ) ,  Gingerbread Man  ,  T h e Gogolala Jubilee Jug band  ( Blue  Whatnot  ) ,  Gonzo the Great  (  1976  - present ) ,  Gorgon Heap  (  Episode 11 9 : Vincent Price  ) ,  Inspector LaBrea  ,  Johnny  ,  Kermit t he Pig  ,  Klaus Mueller  ,  Koozebanian Spooble  ,  Lenny t h e L i z a rd  , (  Epi sode 1 0 3 : Joey Grey  ) ,  Les ley  ,  Lubbock Lou  :  Luis Greco  :  Luncheon Counter Monster  ( occa s ion a l l y ) : Mackerel :  Matador  :  Mean Mama  (  Episode 2 0 2 : Zero Mostel  ) ,  Mildred Huxtetter  (  Episode 11 5 : Candice Bergen  ) ,  Miss Kitty  (  Episode 101 : Juliet Prowse  :  Episode 103 : Joel Grey  &  Episode 1 0 7 : Florence Hend er son  ) ,  M r . 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 2 1 2 : Bernadette Peters  ) ,  Epi s ode 5 0 9 : Debbie Harry  ,  T om , Dick , &amp; Harry  (  Dick  ) ,  Walter Tell  ,  W arren  ,  Wart hog  ,  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 &amp; Purple King
 *  The Muppet Show : Sex &amp; Violence  : Avarice ,  Brew ster  ,  Zoot  ,  Righton Bird  ,  The San Francisco Earthquake
 *  Muppet Meeting Film s  :  BIG  Me an Carl,  Franklin  ( " The Meeting That 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 - Word 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  ( 1 9 7 6  - 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  (  1 9 7 5  - pre sent ) ,  D r . Bunsen Honey dew  (  1 9 7 6  - 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  (  1 9 7 6  - pre sent ) ,  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - present ) ,  Dr . Bunsen Honeydew  (  1 9 7 6  - pre sent ) , &  Beauregard  (  1 9 7 8  - present ) ,  Penguins  ,  Dogs
 *  A Muppet Family Chris t mas  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - present ),  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - present ) ,  Dr . Bunsen Honey dew  (  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 the Great  (  1 9 7 6  - pre sent ) ,  Oznog
 *  The Christ mas Toy  : Rug by Tig er  &  Ditz
 *  Muppet* Vision 3 D  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - present ),  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - p r e sent ) &  D r . Bunsen Honeydew  (  1 9 7 6  - present )
 *  T he Muppet s a t Walt Disney World  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - p r e sent ),  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - present ) ,  Dr . Bunsen Honeydew  (  1 9 7 6  - pre sent ) , &  Beauregard  (  1 9 7 8  - present )
 *  T he 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 the Great  (  1 9 7 6  - pre sent ) ( as  Charles Dickens  ) ,  Waldorf  (  1 99 2  - present ) ( a s  Robert Marley  ) ,  What not s  ,  Pig s  ,  Zoot  (  1975  - present ) ,  Dr . Bunsen Honeydew  (  1 9 7 6  - 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 Sing - 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 the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - pre sent ),  Wal dorf  (  1 99 2  - 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  (  1 9 7 5  - present )
 *  Muppet Classic Theater  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - 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  (  1 9 7 6  - pr esent ) ,  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - present ) ,  Dr . Bunsen Honeydew  (  1 9 7 6  - present ) , &  Wal dorf  (  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 7 6  - present ),  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - present ) ,  D r . Bunsen Honey dew  (  1 9 7 6  - present ) ,  Beauregard  (  1 9 7 8  - present ) ,  Wal dorf  (  1 99 2  - present )
 *  Kermit  ’ s Swamp Year s  :  Wal dorf  ( 1 99 2  - present )
 *  It ' s a  Very  Merry Muppet Chris t mas Movie  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - pre sent ),  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - present ) ,  D r . Bunsen Honey dew  (  1 9 7 6  - present ) ,  Wal dorf  (  1 99 2  - present )
 *  Muppet s Party Cruise  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - present ),  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - present ) ,  Dr . Bunsen Honeydew  (  1976  - present ) ,  Waldorf  (  1992  - present ) ,  Digit  ,  Randy Pig
 *  Statler  &amp;  Waldorf  : From the Balcony  :  Wal dorf  ( 1 99 2  - present ) (  1   epi sode  )  Sundance
 *  Kermit  : A  Frog  ’ s Life  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - present ),  Waldorf  (  1 99 2  - pre s ent ) ,  D r . Bunsen Honeydew  (  1 9 7 6  - pre sent ) , ( also archive footage as  Wal dorf  (  1 99 2  - present ) )
 *  The Muppets ' Wizard o f Oz  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - pre sent ) ( as the  Tin Thing  ),  D r . Bunsen Honey dew  (  1 9 7 6  - present ) ,  Wal dorf  (  1 99 2  - present ) ( a s a  Kalidah Critic  ) ,  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - present )
 *  The Muppet Show : Season 1  main menus :  Waldorf  ( 1 99 2  - pre sent )
 *  The Muppets on Muppet s  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - pre sent )
 *  Disney X t reme Digital  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - present ),  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - present ) ,  Dr . Bunsen Honeydew  (  1976  - present ) ,  Penguins  ,  Singing Food  ,
 *  Muppet vi ral video s  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - present ),  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - present ) ,  D r . Bunsen Honey dew  (  1 9 7 6  - present ) ,  Beauregard  (  1 9 7 8  - present ) ,  Waldorf  (  1 99 2  - present )  Pumpkins  ,  Rabbits
 *  Studio D C : Almost Live !  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - present ),  Beauregard  ,  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - present ) ,  Waldorf  (  1 99 2  - present )
 *  A Muppets Chris t mas : Letter s to San ta  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - present ),  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - p r e sent ) ,  D r . Bunsen Honey dew  (  1 9 7 6  - present ) ,  Waldorf  (  1 99 2  - p r e sent )
 * Bohemian Rhapsody :  Gonzo the Great  (  1 9 7 6  - present ),  Zoot  (  1975  - p r e sent ) ,  D r . Bunsen Honey dew  (  1 9 7 6  - present ) ,  Beauregard  (  1 9 7 8  - present ) ,  Waldorf  (  1 99 2  - p r e sent )
 *  Chris t mas in Rockefeller Center  :  Gonzo the Great  &  Zoot 
 *  T h e Muppet s  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - present ),  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - p r e sent ) ,  D r . Bunsen Honey dew  (  1 9 7 6  - present ) ,  Beauregard  (  1 9 7 8  - present ) ,  Waldorf  (  1 99 2  - p r e sent ) ,  Kermit   Moopet  ,  Whatnot reporter
 *  Muppets Most Wanted  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - present ),  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - p r e sent ) ,  D r . Bunsen Honey dew  (  1 9 7 6  - present ) ,  Beauregard  (  1978  - present ) ,  Waldorf  (  1 99 2  - p r e s e nt )
 *  Lady Gaga &amp; the Muppet s ' Holiday Spectacular  :  Gonzo the Great  ( 1 9 7 6  - present ),  Zoot  (  1975  - present ) ,  Dr . Bunsen Honeydew  (  1 9 7 6  - pre sent ) &  Waldorf  (  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 7 6  - present ),  Zoot  (  1 9 7 5  - p r e sent ) ,  D r . Bunsen Honey dew  (  1 9 7 6  - present ) ,  Beauregard  (  1 9 7 8  - present ) ,  Waldorf  (  1 99 2  - p r e s ent ) ,  Inspector LaBrea 

Trivia

 * W it h  STEVE WHITMIRE  ’ s departure in 2 0 1 7 ,  Goelz  is the last core  Muppet   perform e r  who worked on  The Muppet Show  still performing his character s regularly.
 *  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 d  ie 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 e  f t  -  h a  n d  ed.
 *  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| 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  t e 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 for  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 in g . "
 * -  Dave   Goe lz ,  Disney   twenty - three  , Winter 2 0 11  issue , p age 5 2

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  Performer s
 * Muppet  Puppeteer s
 * Muppet  Voice Actor s
 * Creature Shop  Puppeteer s
 * Design er s
 *  DAVE   GOELZ  Cameo s
 *  DAVE GOELZ  o n t h e Muppet   Wiki
 *  DAVE GOELZ  o n t h e Puppet Wiki
 *  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