Statler and Waldorf Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Statler and Waldorf
The Muppets characters
Waldorf (left) and Statler (right)
Created by	Jim Henson Bonnie Erickson
Performed by	Statler: Richard Hunt (1976–1991) Jerry Nelson (1975, 1992–2003) Steve Whitmire (2002–2016) Peter Linz (2017-present) Waldorf: Jim Henson (1975–1990) Dave Goelz (1992–present)
Information
Aliases	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(s)	Waldorf: Astoria (ex-wife) Statler: Unknown, although he has a wife
Nationality	American

Statler and Waldorf are two funny Muppet characters. They are known for always making jokes and teasing the performers. This is called heckling. These two older men first appeared in The Muppet Show in 1975. They would sit in their balcony seats and always make fun of the acts and the cast.

Jim Henson created Statler and Waldorf. Many different puppeteers have brought them to life over the years. Their names come from two famous hotels in New York City: the Statler Hilton and the Waldorf-Astoria.

Who Are Statler and Waldorf?
- Their Jokes and Friends
- Breaking the Fourth Wall
The History of Statler and Waldorf
- Who Performed Them?
Images for kids
See also

Who Are Statler and Waldorf?

Statler and Waldorf are famous for their heckling. They love to make jokes and tease the performers from their balcony seats.

Their Jokes and Friends

In The Muppet Show, they often made fun of Fozzie Bear's jokes. They would say his humor wasn't very good. But one time, Fozzie actually joked back at them! Statler and Waldorf always thought their own jokes were super funny. They would laugh together at everything they said.

It was later shown in the special A Muppet Family Christmas that these two hecklers were friends with Fozzie's mom, Emily Bear. Even though they always complained about the show and said how bad some acts were, they always came back. They would be there the next week, sitting in the best seats! In the original The Muppet Show theme song, Statler even said, "I guess we'll never know" why they kept coming back.

Breaking the Fourth Wall

Statler and Waldorf also liked to "break the fourth wall." This means they would sometimes act like they knew they were on a TV show. They would talk directly to the audience or even comment on the show itself. One time, they saw themselves watching the Muppets! Statler joked, "No one would watch junk like that." This makes them seem like both audience members and performers at the same time.

The History of Statler and Waldorf

The puppets for Statler and Waldorf were designed by Bonnie Erickson. Their names were inspired by two well-known hotels in New York City: the Statler Hilton and the Waldorf-Astoria.

Who Performed Them?

In the very first episode of The Muppet Show, Jerry Nelson performed Statler and Jim Henson performed Waldorf. Jerry Nelson couldn't be there for the first few weeks of the show's production. So, Richard Hunt took over the role of Statler. Hunt and Henson continued to perform these two characters together until Jim Henson passed away in 1990. To make the characters move, Hunt and Henson had to work very closely, often for many hours at a time.

After 1990, new puppeteers took over. Starting with The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Jerry Nelson performed Statler and Dave Goelz performed Waldorf. Later, Jerry Nelson left the Muppets because of health reasons. Steve Whitmire then became the voice and performer for Statler. Sometimes, other puppeteers like Drew Massey (Statler) and Victor Yerrid (Waldorf) performed them. This happened in 2005 and 2006, especially in their web series called Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony. Kevin Clash also filled in for Dave Goelz as Waldorf in a few episodes of Muppets Tonight.

In 2017, Steve Whitmire left the Muppets group. This meant he also stopped performing Statler. Peter Linz then took over as the voice of Statler in new advertisements.