| Statler and Waldorf | |
|---|---|
| The Muppets characters | |
 Waldorf (left) and Statler (right) | |
| First appearance | The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975)[1] |
| Created by | Jim Henson Bonnie Erickson |
| Performed by | Statler: Richard Hunt (1976–1992) Jerry Nelson (1975, 1992–2003) Steve Whitmire (2002–2016) Peter Linz (2017–present) Waldorf: Jim Henson (1975–1990) Dave Goelz (1992–present) |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Waldorf: P. Fenton Cosgrove, Uncle Waldorf, Robert Marley, Wally-D, Willy R Statler: Uncle Statler,Jacob Marley, StatCat, Alan D |
| Species | Muppet humans |
| Gender | Males |
| Occupation | Hecklers |
| Spouse | Waldorf: Astoria (ex-wife) Statler: Unnamed wife |
| Nationality | American |
Statler andWaldorf are a pair ofMuppet characters from thesketch comedy television seriesThe Muppet Show, best known for their overly negative opinions and their tendency toheckle people. The two elderly men first appeared inThe Muppet Show: Sex and Violence in 1975, where they were portrayed as older men pondering the ends of their golden years. It wasn't until one year later onThe Muppet Show where they consistently jeered the entirety of the cast and their performances from theirbox seats.
Created byJim Henson, the characters have been performed by numerous puppeteers, including Henson, in a variety of films and television productions within the Muppet franchise. Statler and Waldorf are named after two landmarkNew York City hotels, theStatler Hilton and theWaldorf-Astoria (in turn named afterEllsworth Milton Statler and the hometown of theAstor family).
The characters are known for their heckling.[2] InThe Muppet Show, the two are always criticizingFozzie Bear's humor, except for one occasion when Fozzie heckles them back.[3] In contrast, they find themselves hilarious and burst into laughter at their own comments.[4] It is later revealed in theA Muppet Family Christmas special that the two hecklers are friends with Fozzie's mother, Emily Bear. Despite constantly complaining about the show and how terrible some acts are, they always return for the following week and occupy their usual box seats. Their reasons for doing so are a mystery even to them, according to one version of theMuppet Show theme (Waldorf: "Why do we always come here?" / Statler: "I guess we'll never know").[5]
They also often break thefourth wall. Author Ben Underwood remarked on how the characters generally "blur the boundary between performer and audience", as they are "concurrently audience members and performers".[2] Underwood points to a second season incident in which the characters see themselves watching the Muppets, with Statler skeptical, saying "No one would watch junk like that".[2]
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The puppets were designed by Bonnie Erickson.[6] They were named after two historicNew York City hotels, theStatler Hilton and theWaldorf-Astoria.[7]
In "Sex and Violence", the pilot episode ofThe Muppet Show, Statler and Waldorf were performed byJerry Nelson andJim Henson, respectively. Nelson was unavailable for the first few weeks of production onThe Muppet Show. As a result,Richard Hunt took on the role of Statler. Hunt and Henson would continue to perform the two characters until Henson's death in 1990 and Hunt's death in 1992. To portray the characters, Hunt and Henson shared very close space, often for hours at a time.[8]
Beginning withThe Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Statler and Waldorf were performed byJerry Nelson andDave Goelz, respectively.[9] When Jerry Nelson left the Muppets, citing health reasons,[10] MuppeteerSteve Whitmire took over as Statler. The two were occasionally performed byDrew Massey (Statler) andVictor Yerrid (Waldorf) in 2005 and 2006, most notably in the web seriesStatler and Waldorf: From the Balcony.[11]Kevin Clash filled in for Goelz as Waldorf in a few episodes ofMuppets Tonight.[12]
In October 2016, Whitmire was dismissed byThe Muppets Studio.[13][14]Peter Linz replaced Whitmire as the performer of Statler.[15]
Statler and Waldorf also appeared (as adults) in the Saturday morninganimated television seriesMuppet Babies. Both characters were voiced byDave Coulier.[16]
InThe Muppet Christmas Carol, they played the ghosts of Jacob and Robert Marley. Whereas the novelA Christmas Carol features only aJacob Marley, creating a Robert allowed for including the two Muppets, and possibly also referencesBob Marley.[17] WhenEbenezer Scrooge, played byMichael Caine, accuses them of always criticizing him, they reply "We were alwaysheckling you."[18] InMuppet Treasure Island, they were the figureheads of theHispaniola. Statler complains about being stuck on the front of the ship, to which Waldorf replies it is better than being in the audience.[19]
In the 1996 seriesMuppets Tonight, based on a television rather than theatre show, Statler and Waldorf were shown watching the show at anassisted living facility, still making disparaging remarks. The duo are featured characters at Disney'sMuppet*Vision 3D atDisney's Hollywood Studios asaudio-animatronic Muppets helpingBean Bunny escape the theater and, of course, heckling the show. They also make a cameo appearance inPixar's 2008 short filmPresto, where they can be seen in their theater box.[20]
The Muppet Newsflash: A Jim Henson News Blog announced on September 17, 2009, that Statler and Waldorf would release a book titledFrom the Balcony in 2010.[21] However, the book was never released.
Statler and Waldorf appear in featured roles inThe Muppets film.[22] They are shown in Kermit's old office where they inform evil oil baron Tex Richman that the only thing that could stop his purchase of The Muppet Theater would be Kermit raising $10 million.[23] They appear during one scene of the 2014 sequelMuppets Most Wanted. When the Muppets arrive inBerlin to perform at a run-down cabaret theater, marked by a sign reading "Die Muppets" ("The Muppets" inGerman), the two joke as to whether this is an early review or a suggestion. This scene is presented in the "Statler and Waldorf Cut" of the film in its home video release.[24]
They appear as audience members inThe Muppets TV series.[25] The episode "Pig Out" features a B-plot focusing on Statler without Waldorf. They also appear onMuppets Now.
Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony is a multi-award-winning web show which ran biweekly onMovies.com from June 2005 until September 2006.[26][11] The series spawned more than 35 episodes and featured many Muppet characters, both well-known classics and newly created characters. The two elderlycurmudgeons would discuss upcoming films, watch the latestmovie trailers and share the week's "balconism" from their theater box.
InThe Guardian, Hadley Freeman wrote "Not even celebrity guestMilton Berle could compete with their sharp banter. My heroes".[34] In 2014,Esquire's Nick Schager named them one of The 10 Most Entertaining Fictional Critics, writing "the funniest Muppets characters have always been Statler and Waldorf".[35] In 2015,The Huffington Post identified Statler and Waldorf as popular Muppets, and said to the fans who love them above others, "You know the best way to cope with life's difficulties is by laughing at someone else's expense".[36]
Commentators sometimes make comparisons between people and Statler and Waldorf in attention to, or preoccupation with, details,[37][38] "loud" opinion,[39] or "cantankerous" personality.[40] In 2012,Der Spiegel described theUnited Kingdom as "at best spectators in the gallery, like Statler and Waldorf", within Europe, drawing the ire of British media.[41]
It's good to be doinganything again!
Well, it could be worse. We could be stuck in the audience!
