Statler and Waldorf

For the Muppet webshow, see Statler & Waldorf: From the Balcony

For the electronic music duo, see Statler & Waldorf (musicians)

For the student-run magazine, see Statler & Waldorf (magazine)

Statler and Waldorf
Muppet character
File:StatlerAndWaldorf.jpg Waldorf (left) and Statler
First appearance	The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence
Last appearance	Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony
Created by	Jim Henson
Portrayed by	Waldorf: Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Victor Yerrid Statler: Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson, Steve Whitmire, Drew Massey
In-universe information
Alias	Waldorf: P. Fenton Cosgrove, Uncle Waldorf, Jacob Marley, Wally-D Statler: Uncle Statler, Robert Marley, StatCat
Species	Human
Gender	Males
Occupation	Hecklers
Spouse	Waldorf: Astoria Statler: unknown

Statler & Waldorf are a pair of Muppet characters, two grumpy old men who first appeared in the television series The Muppet Show heckling the rest of the cast from their balcony seats. They appeared in almost every episode of the show. In Muppets Tonight, based around a television show rather than a theatre, they were shown watching the show at a nursing home but still making rude comments. In The Muppet Show, the two were always insulting Fozzie Bear's poor jokes, except for one occasion where Fozzie, with help from Bruce Forsyth, heckled them back.

Statler & Waldorf's running joke was that, despite constantly complaining about the show and how terrible the acts were, they would always be back the following week in the best seats in the house.

Statler & Waldorf are named after posh New York City hotels, the Statler Hotel and the idiosyncratically named Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

Waldorf's wife, Astoria, appeared in Episode 413 of The Muppet Show, with guest star Dizzy Gillespie. Astoria looks like Statler in drag, but there is no mention in the episode that Astoria and Statler are related. The idea that Astoria is Statler's twin sister (and therefore Statler and Waldorf are brothers-in-law) has been cited in a number of places on the internet, although there is no evidence for this.

In the pilot episode of The Muppet Show, Statler & Waldorf were performed by Jerry Nelson and Jim Henson; subsequently they were performed by Richard Hunt and Jim Henson. Beginning with The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), they were performed by Jerry Nelson and Dave Goelz.

Later Appearances

Statler & Waldorf also appeared (as adults) in the Saturday morning animated television series Jim Henson's Muppet Babies. Both characters were voiced by Dave Coulier. Unlike all other adults who visit the nursery in that series, Statler & Waldorf's faces are shown; this was more than likely due to the fact that the characters were not created for the animated series and already had faces.

Both made an appearance in "Marvel Team-Up #74". In this issue Spider-man teams up with the cast of Saturday Night Live to battle the Silver Samurai. Statler & Waldorf appear in typical style as hecklers on a balcony.

They also made an appearance on the animated television show Family Guy. In the episode "Petergeist", they watch Lost with Peter and Lois from a balcony. After Peter comments on the great episode they just watched, Statler says "Well, at least the show's got the right name." Waldorf wraps up by saying "Yeah, I couldn't follow any of it!" and the two burst into laughter. Peter then remarks about them "They don't care for most things."

A joke was made about the duo's nature in The Muppet Christmas Carol, where they played Jacob and Robert Marley. When Ebenezer Scrooge accuses them of always criticizing him, they reply "We were always heckling you." "It's good to be heckling again." "It's good to be doing anything again!"

A second joke about the duo's constant complaints was made on The Daily Show in the days before the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Jon Stewart played a clip of Prime Minister Tony Blair being "harrumphed" in the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the opposition as Blair was trying to justify his government's support of the war. Stewart then remarked that the British tradition of harrumphing was started in the 17th century by the Duke of Statler and the Earl of Waldorf. During a later interview with Kermit the Frog, when the duo is mentioned, Jon Stewart points out that they are far too old to be in movies anymore, and is shocked that they aren't in a comatose state.

In one episode of The Muppet Show they started heckling the opening number before it even started. Kermit decided to cancel it when Waldorf (sarcastically) guessed what it was: a Chinese gorilla dancing ballet. They were then allowed to perform an opening number of their own. After performing it, they were suddenly sitting on their usual balcony as if they'd teleported back during the applause. Waldorf then asked "Why can't they do numbers like that?" When Kermit remarked that they just did, the duo started to criticize it.

The duo was parodied in a Madtv's "Sesame Street" sketch involving Big Bird being infected with the Bird Flu. They appear at the end of the sketch in which Statler says "We'll be getting letters on that one," to which Waldorf remarks "As if anyone who watches this show can write."

Currently, the duo are featured characters in Disney's Jim Henson's Muppet*Vision 3D in Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's California Adventure Park.

From the Balcony

See: Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony

External links

• Statler and Waldorf from the Balcony - the pair review the latest movies.
• Muppet Wiki: Statler and Waldorf