| Beaker | |
|---|---|
| The Muppets character | |
-en.jpg) | |
| First appearance | The Muppet Show (episode 202; 1977)[1] |
| Created by | Jim Henson |
| Performed by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Muppet |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Assistant scientist, test subject |
| Nationality | American |
Beaker is aMuppet character from thesketch comedy television seriesThe Muppet Show. He is the shy, long-suffering assistant of Dr.Bunsen Honeydew, and is also similarly named after a piece oflaboratory equipment.
During the first season ofThe Muppet Show, Dr. Honeydew presented the Muppet Labs segments by himself; Beaker was added as his lab assistant from the second season on. Beaker hasbulging eyes that can light up, a shock ofred hair, and adrawbridge mouth which serves as a frown. He was originally puppeteered and voiced byRichard Hunt until Hunt's death in 1992, when the role was taken over primarily bySteve Whitmire. After Whitmire was fired in 2016,David Rudman took over the character.
Beaker is a magnet for disaster; he routinely experiences mishaps such as being blown up, electrocuted, eaten by large monsters, or afflicted with awkward side effects caused by Honeydew's experiments. Beaker communicates in a nervous, high-pitched squeak that sounds like "Mee-mee-mee-mee". In books and merchandise, the sound is spelled "Meep". InThe Muppet Movie, he "meeps" Honeydew's line "sadly temporary". Rarely he can say normal words, such as "Bye-bye." Otherwise, his tone or expression helps to communicate his meaning. This helps Beaker communicate to his viewers directly without having to speak any real words at all.
Beaker rapidly became a favorite with audiences, who both sympathized with and enjoyed laughing at his humorous sufferings. Occasionally, Beaker was able to take revenge, particularly in a segment when he inadvertently made numerous copies of himself and spent the rest of the episode chasing Dr. Honeydew around the theater. (This segment of "Muppet Labs" was from theMac Davis episode.) In the 2008TV special,A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, Beaker is even more fortunate when he tests a wish machine and gets the company of modelPetra Němcová, who can speak his meeping language, and not only refuses Honeydew's order to send her back, but then also successfully teleports away with her to apparently enjoy his first wish for the rest of the story.[2]
Beaker has also appeared as a musical performer, singing "Danny Boy", "Carol of the Bells", and "Habanera" with theSwedish Chef andAnimal, and "Feelings" and "Dust in the Wind" solo. He also sang "Ode to Joy" with his clones who were accidentally formed by Honeydew's copying machine. The "Danny Boy" performance was marked by the Chef's singing in his trademark gibberish and Animal's inability to remember anything but the first three words. For "Feelings", Animal had to shush the increasingly unruly crowd (who tormented the Muppets throughout the episode) so Beaker could finish: "QUIET!!...Thank you." In the 2011 filmThe Muppets, Beaker sang a comedica cappella version ofNirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as part of abarbershop quartet withSam the Eagle,Rowlf the Dog andLink Hogthrob. Because of Disney's designation ofthe Muppets franchise as being for family audiences, Beaker was given a crucial role replacing the song's more questionable lines like "amulatto" and "mylibido" with "mee-mee-mee-mo."[3]
The two scientists were later incorporated into theMuppet Babiesanimated series.Howie Mandel (during early seasons) andDave Coulier voiced Bunsen, andFrank Welker provided Beaker's squeaky meeps. Unlike his puppet counterpart, Baby Beaker can smile. An animated Beaker was also voiced by Richard Hunt, his usual performer during that period, when he appeared in the short livedLittle Muppet Monsters series.
Beaker was performed byKevin Clash inThe Muppet Show Live, as all live scenes that featured him also featured Kermit, who was a higher priority for Steve Whitmire to play. Additionally, for his appearance atThe Game Awards 2019, Beaker was performed byPeter Linz due to David Rudman being unavailable to attend.
In a 2004 Internet poll sponsored by theBBC and theBritish Association for the Advancement of Science, Beaker and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew were voted Britain's favourite cinematic scientists. They beatMr. Spock, their closest rival, by two-to-one, winning a third of the total votes.[4]
Beaker features in an episode ofWWE Raw, assistingSantino Marella ringside in his match withJack Swagger by providing him with a special energy drink formulated by Dr. Honeydew. In the same episode, Beaker gets bullied byChristian Cage and is revealed to be distantly related to WWE wrestlerSheamus.[5]
UK politiciansDanny Alexander[6][7]andEd Miliband[8] have both been disparagingly likened to Beaker in appearance. Moreover, it was revealed in an interview in 2021 thatManic Street Preachers drummerSean Moore was nicknamed "Beaker" while at school.[9]
