Link Hogthrob
| Link Hogthrob | |
|---|---|
| The Muppet Show character | |
| First appearance | 1977 on The Muppet Show |
| Created by | Jim Henson |
| Voiced by | Jim Henson (1977–1990; deceased) Steve Whitmire (2000–present) |
| Information | |
| Aliases | Captain Link Hogthrob |
| Gender | Male |
Link Hogthrob was a fictional character, a Muppet pig on The Muppet Show, performed by Jim Henson. The character was that of a stereotypical leading man, with wavy blond hair, a manly cleft chin, and a high opinion of himself, but not much between the ears.
Contents |
[edit] History
Link is best known as the captain of the Swinetrek on the recurring sketch "Pigs in Space" where his unbridled machismo was often a source of conflict with his co-star, First Mate Piggy. Unlike Dr. Julius Strangepork, whose role on The Muppet Show would be primarily relegated to the "Pigs in Space" sketches, Link would feature regularly both in the show's on stage acts and backstage mayhem.
His singing talents featured a number of times in solos ("I Talk to the Trees", "Sonny Boy"), duets ("La Ci Darem La Mano"), and group numbers ("Sea Chantey," "The Rhyming Song"). Starting in the show's third season, Link was also featured as the police chief in the recurring "Bear on Patrol" sketches, where his dimwittedness was often the source of physical trauma to patrol officer Fozzie Bear.
Jim Henson's son, Brian Henson, recalled that his father often used Link's deep-throated, pompous voice when performing some stereotypically-manly chore, such as carving the Thanksgiving turkey.
[edit] Later appearances
Link was later one of the few classic Muppet Show characters to be used regularly in the Muppet Central control room on The Jim Henson Hour. His most notable appearance was in episode 107, in which he believes that he has a disease called Canadian Snout Fever, after reading a book of silly diseases and by coincidentally encountering a number of things related to the book's symptoms. Other notable appearances include episode 105 (where he tested the Response-O-Matic, a device used to change television programs based on what the viewers want), and episode 112 (in which he appeared in a sketch as a food critic at a restaurant).
Since Henson's death, Link has mostly remained a non-speaking Muppet, although he has since appeared occasionally in silent cameos in such productions as The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, and Muppets Tonight. His only speaking roles from 1990-2011 were in the video games Muppet RaceMania and Muppets Party Cruise, as voiced by Steve Whitmire. Whitmire performed Hogthrob for the 2011 movie The Muppets. The appearance featured the first speaking appearance of the puppet ever since Henson's death. He appears in several scenes in the background and gets a moment in the spotlight as part of a barbershop quartet covering Smells Like Teen Spirit.
An animated version of Link was seen in "Pigs in Space" segments in Little Muppet Monsters and an episode of Muppet Babies; a walk-around version of Link was created for The Muppet Show On Tour. An action figure of Link was produced in 2003 as part of Series 4 of Palisades Toys' line of Muppet action figures.
[edit] Filmography
- The Muppet Show
- The Muppet Movie
- The Muppets Go to the Movies
- I Love Liberty
- Pigs in Space video game
- The Muppets Take Manhattan
- The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
- A Muppet Family Christmas
- The Jim Henson Hour
- The Muppets at Walt Disney World
- The Muppet Christmas Carol
- Muppet Treasure Island
- Muppets Tonight
- Muppets from Space
- Muppet RaceMania video game
- Muppets Party Cruise video game
