Gonzo The Great

Gonzo, formally known as "The Great Gonzo" or "Gonzo the Great," is the resident daredevil performance artiste on The Muppet Show. He is an odd looking, unclassifiable creature with blue fur, bug eyes, and a long crooked nose. He takes pride in his uniqueness and enjoys everything that he does -- no matter how painful or ill-advised it may be.

Originally introduced as a frustrated performance artist, Gonzo would perform bizarre avant-garde acts such as demolishing a car with a sledgehammer to the tune of the Anvil Chorus. Such acts nearly always ended with the audience booing him off the stage.

Subject ID: 20683

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Gonzo, formally known as "The Great Gonzo" or "Gonzo the Great," is the resident daredevil performance artiste on The Muppet Show. He is an odd looking, unclassifiable creature with blue fur, bug eyes, and a long crooked nose. He takes pride in his uniqueness and enjoys everything that he does -- no matter how painful or ill-advised it may be.

Originally introduced as a frustrated performance artist, Gonzo would perform bizarre avant-garde acts such as demolishing a car with a sledgehammer to the tune of the Anvil Chorus. Such acts nearly always ended with the audience booing him off the stage.

The notion of Gonzo, as a character who performs terrible acts but considers them artistic, was devised by Jerry Juhl. As Dave Goelz recalled, the character might have been forgotten were it not for Jack Burns, the show's original head writer, who during an early meeting suggested Gonzo perform "these crazy acts like eating a tire to 'Flight of the Bumblebee!'" So, in the show's first episode, Gonzo did exactly that, and the character grew from there. Burns also coined the character's name.

The puppet was built by & is also performed by Dave Goel.

Subject ID: 20683

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