Statler and Waldorf are a pair of Muppet characters from the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show, best known for their cantankerous opinions and shared penchant for heckling. The two elderly men first appeared in The Muppet Show in 1975, where they consistently jeered the entirety of the cast and their performances from their box seats.
Waldorf (left) and Statler (right)
Image: Hotel Pennsylvania, NY (external view, ca 1919)
Image: St Bartholomews and The Waldorf Astoria Hotel
The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses television, film, music, and other media associated with the characters. Originally owned by the Jim Henson Company for nearly five decades, the franchise was purchased by the Walt Disney Company in 2004.
Jim Henson in 1989
Kermit the Frog is Henson's most famous Muppet creation
Main cast of Muppet performers in 2012: (from left to right) Peter Linz, Bill Barretta, Matt Vogel, Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, David Rudman and Dave Goelz
Reproductions of the Wilkins and Wontkins Muppets originally created by Jim Henson in 1957; these early characters feature the basic design features that would become typical of Muppet characters