Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Adventure Movies
  4. the muppets

50 Greatest Muppets

Features
By Simon Kinnear published 27 January 2011

Ladies and gentlemen, it's Jim Henson's finest creations. Yaaay!

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

Elmo

The Muppet: The all-conquering star of Sesame Street who got his own section of the show and sold millions of toys - no wonder he can't stop referring to himself in the third person.

Muppet Magic: For years very much a background Muppet, today he's so ubiquitous that Sesame Street fandom calls him the "Little Red Menace" for shutting out the older, classic characters.

Greatest Moment: Becoming the first - to date, only - Muppet character to be named in a Muppet movie, Elmo in Grouchland .

Latest Videos From
You may like
  • The Lion King is undoubtedly one of the best movies on Disney Plus The 30 best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now
  • Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in Andor season 2 The 30 best shows on Disney Plus to watch right now
  • best Pixar movies The best Pixar movies, ranked! From Toy Story to Hoppers

Scooter

The Muppet: The 'gofer' who got stuff done backstage at the Muppet Theatre. Given how much went wrong, the only reason he kept his job is that his uncle owns the theatre.

Muppet Magic: Scooter's glasses are unusual in that they're actually his eyes. If he takes them off, he really is blind.

Greatest Moment: When the show is relocated to a train station, Scooter has to play M.C. when Kermit accidentally leaves on a train to Pittsburgh.

Dr Bunsen Honeydew

The Muppet: Eyeless boffin on 'Muppet Labs' whose inventions invariably cause harm to his hapless assistant, Beaker.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Muppet Magic: Bunsen presented solo during the first season of The Muppet Show .

Greatest Moment: Being crowned as the greatest cinematic scientist, ahead of Mr Spock, in a BBC poll, with a third of the vote.

Grover

The Muppet: Eternally optimistic Sesame Street resident who will try any job going if it means helping people, but who can't - sorry, cannot - use contractions.

You may like
  • The Lion King is undoubtedly one of the best movies on Disney Plus The 30 best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now
  • Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in Andor season 2 The 30 best shows on Disney Plus to watch right now
  • best Pixar movies The best Pixar movies, ranked! From Toy Story to Hoppers

Muppet Magic: John Landis performed Grover's cameo in The Muppet Movie .

Greatest Moment: Wearing a cape and a knight's helmet, Grover puts the world to rights - or tries to - as Super Grover.

Rizzo The Rat

The Muppet: Wise-cracking rodent who stepped up from scene-stealing background artist to fully-fledged icon thanks to his partnership with Gonzo.

Muppet Magic: If Gonzo shares his name with Raoul Duke's 'Doctor' in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas , Rizzo is named after another counter-cultural icon: Midnight Cowboy 's Ratso Rizzo.

Greatest Moment: Rizzo's first important role, helping out Kermit as a waiter in The Muppets Take Manhattan .

Sam The Eagle

The Muppet: The stern, traditional upholder of moral values on The Muppet Show . A censor, in other words.

Muppet Magic: The Muppets' most obviously satirical character, Sam was one of the characters created for the adult-oriented Muppet Show pilot, 'Sex and Violence.'

Greatest Moment: Mistaking Rudolf Nureyev for an opera singer, Sam is told he's really a ballet dancer. "Culture is culture," shrugs an unapologetic Sam.

Rowlf

The Muppet: The Muppet Show 's resident pianist, but also - thanks to playing Dr Bob in 'Veterinarian's Hospital' - a gifted comedian.

Muppet Magic: Although Kermit predated him, Rowlf was the Muppet who made the breakthrough to the mainstream thanks to his guest spots on The Jimmy Dean Show in the mid-Sixties.

Greatest Moment: While performing surgery on Kermit as Dr Bob, Miss Piggy announces he'll have her to account to if anything goes wrong.

"Good, I was wondering who was going to pay the bill," Rowlf quips back.

Cookie Monster

The Muppet: Me want cookie!

Muppet Magic: Jim Henson originally developed the Cookie Monster's design and character for an unaired 1966 General Foods commercial; his first actual appearance was in an IBM training film.

Greatest Moment: Faced with real-life rumours about becoming the Fruit Monster to placate the healthy eating lobby, the he insists he'd still have cookies for dessert.

Count von Count

The Muppet: Vampire mathematician whose dramatic summing-up always comes with thunder, lightning and a Teutonic "ha-ha-ha."

Muppet Magic: Inevitably, the Count is the Muppets' go-to guy for musical countdowns in compilation videos.

Greatest Moment: A mailman brings an unusually large numnber of letters to the castle. Turns out the Count has written them all to himself, so he count them.

Beaker

The Muppet: Perpetually abused lab assistant to Bunsen who has been shrunk, electrocuted and even lost his nose in the name of science.

Muppet Magic: The sidekick who eclipsed his star, Beaker didn't appear until Season 2 of The Muppet Show but has never looked back.

Greatest Moment: Going solo, and going viral, in Ode to Joy .

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Current page: Page 4

Prev Page Page 3 Next Page Page 5
CATEGORIES
Disney Plus Streaming Services
Simon Kinnear
Read more
The Lion King is undoubtedly one of the best movies on Disney Plus
Movies The 30 best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now
 
 
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in Andor season 2
Superhero Shows The 30 best shows on Disney Plus to watch right now
 
 
best Pixar movies
Animated Movies The best Pixar movies, ranked! From Toy Story to Hoppers
 
 
A still from Kiki's Delivery Service featuring Kiki and her feline familiar Jiji flying on a broom with some seagulls, with a Big Screen Spotlight logo ini the corner
Anime Movies Kiki's Delivery Service's return to theaters proves we need hand-drawn animation now more than ever
 
 
Mabel and King George in Pixar's Hoppers
Animated Movies Hoppers director Daniel Chong says his "chaotic, unhinged" Pixar movie took inspiration from Avatar and Studio Ghibli
 
 
Harry Potter
Fantasy Movies The best Harry Potter movies ranked from worst to wand-erful
 
 
Latest in Adventure Movies
Idris Elba, Nicholas Galitzine, and Camila Mendes in Masters of the Universe
Adventure Movies New Masters of the Universe TV spot gives us our first glimpse at He-Man riding Battle Cat
 
 
Brendan Fraser in The Mummy
Adventure Movies Brendan Fraser says The Mummy 4 revisits original locations and give fans "what they have been bothering all of us for"
 
 
Jack Black in A Minecraft Movie
Live Action Movies Jack Black marks the start of A Minecraft Movie 2 in the most Steve-tastic way
 
 
Millie Bobby Brown as Enola Holmes in Enola Holmes 3, stuck in a burning building
Adventure Movies Henry Cavill and Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown feature in fiery new look at Enola Holmes 3
 
 
Skeletor in Masters of the Universe
Adventure Movies Masters of the Universe popcorn bucket is the coolest piece of He-Man merch I've ever seen
 
 
Brendan Fraser in The Mummy
Adventure Movies Brendan Fraser and Radio Silence have already started to promote the new Mummy sequel in the best way
 
 
Latest in Features
A destroyer from Marathon looking head-on, with a pale blue sky behind
FPS Games Killing Marathon would be self-sabotage for Sony
 
 
Bob Odenkirk as Ulysses in Normal
Action Movies Bob Odenkirk and John Wick creator's new movie isn't just an action flick – it also has a surprising amount of heart
 
 
Cities of Sigmar Cogfort box on a wooden surface
Tabletop Gaming If you miss weird old Warhammer, the new Cities of Sigmar models are for you
 
 
Image of a collection of Kojima game character merch on a light green GamesRadar+ background.
Toys & Collectibles This Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding merch is enough to unite all Hideo Kojima fans
 
 
Hand holding Scuf Omega PS5 controller
Gaming Controllers The Scuf Omega costs $220, but my favorite feature can be found in controllers at a fraction of that price
 
 
Grogu uses the Force in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Star Wars Movies What to watch before The Mandalorian and Grogu: 4 Star Wars movies and 5 shows to prepare
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Grogu uses the Force in The Mandalorian and Grogu
    1
    What to watch before The Mandalorian and Grogu: 4 Star Wars movies and 5 shows to prepare
  2. 2
    Eiji Aonuma tried to "graduate" from Zelda after Wind Waker, but Shigeru Miyamoto said otherwise
  3. 3
    10 Games like World of Warcraft that'll take over your time next
  4. 4
    Sonic the Hedgehog 4 director calls it the "best Sonic movie yet" as filming officially wraps
  5. 5
    Crimson Desert Kliff actor says video game acting wasn't treated as "proper acting" by peers

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...