Changes: Delbert the La Choy Dragon

PERFORMER	Jim Henson voice
	Frank Oz puppetry
DEBUT	1965
DESIGN	Jim Henson

Revision as of 00:38, 20 July 2015

Delbert the La Choy Dragon appeared in television commercials for La Choy chow mein from 1965 to 1967. In some commercials he was teamed with Mert, a meek, bespectacled Muppet spokesman.

Though originally built as a live-hand character, in 1966 he was rebuilt as a full-bodied character to engage with live actors in domestic settings.^[1] The puppet was capable of emitting fire from its mouth, creating a unique effect in the commercial he appeared in.

Frank Oz, who puppeteered the La Choy Dragon to Jim Henson's voice, notably hated performing inside the full-body suit.^[2]

Although he's not named on screen, Delbert's name is documented elsewhere.^[3]^[4]

A rebuilt version of Delbert has been seen in recent exhibits such as Jim Henson: Puppeteer. The 2010 comic book The Muppet Show Comic Book: Family Reunion makes a reference to the La Choy Dragon in the last panel, showing a giant Delbert in a chef's hat attacking a building as Skeeter prepares to stop him.

Sources

↑ Jim Henson's Red Book entry, 10/25/1966
↑ Plume, Ken. FilmForce Interview. February 10, 2000.
↑ MuppetFest Q&A with Kirk Thatcher
↑ Henson.com Archive

[1] Jim Henson's Red Book entry, 10/25/1966

[2] Plume, Ken. FilmForce Interview. February 10, 2000.

[3] MuppetFest Q&A with Kirk Thatcher

[4] Henson.com Archive

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{performer2|Jim Henson|voice|Frank Oz|body}}
+{{character|image=LaChoy-FullBody.jpg|performer=[[Jim Henson]]|note=voice|performer2=[[Frank Oz]]|note2=puppetry|debut=1965|design=Jim Henson}}
+'''Delbert the La Choy Dragon''' appeared in television commercials for [[La Choy]] chow mein from 1965 to 1967. In some commercials he was teamed with [[Mert]], a meek, bespectacled Muppet spokesman.
-[[Image:Lachoydragon.jpg|thumb|300px|The La Choy Dragon appears in a supermarket.]]
-'''Delbert the La Choy Dragon''' appeared in television commercials for [[La Choy]] chow mein from 1965 to 1967. In some commercials he was teamed with [[Mert]], a meek, bespectacled Muppet spokesman. In the TV spots, Delbert would often visit the live action human characters, and tell them how easy it is to cook La Choy. Some humans were played by for example, Beverley Owens from '''The Munsters '''or Kelly Wood from the '''"Sad Bride" '''spot.
-Though originally built as a [[Live-Hand Muppet|live-hand character]], in [[1966]] he was rebuilt as a [[Full-Bodied Muppet|full-bodied character]] to engage with actors in a supermarket setting.<ref>[http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2010/10/25/10251966/ Jim Henson's Redbook entry]</ref>The puppet was capable of emitting fire from its mouth, creating a unique effect in the commercial he appeared in.
+Though originally built as a [[Live-Hand Muppet|live-hand character]], in [[1966]] he was rebuilt as a [[Full-Bodied Muppet|full-bodied character]] to engage with live actors in domestic settings.<ref>[http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2010/10/10251966/ Jim Henson's Red Book entry, 10/25/1966]</ref> The puppet was capable of emitting fire from its mouth, creating a unique effect in the commercial he appeared in.
+[[Frank Oz]], who puppeteered the La Choy Dragon to [[Jim Henson|Jim Henson's]] voice, notably hated performing inside the full-body suit.<ref>Plume, Ken. [http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/035/035842p1.html FilmForce Interview]. February 10, 2000.</ref>
-This is one of [[Frank Oz|Frank Oz's]] few full body performances with the Muppets, who hated performing in full-body suits. {{cite}}
-Although he's not named on screen, Delbert's name is documented elsewhere. <ref>[[MuppetFest Memories|MuppetFest Q&A]] with [[Kirk Thatcher]]</ref><ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20010417140631/www.henson.com/fcreature/lachoy_fcreature.html Henson.com Archive]</ref>
+Although he's not named on screen, Delbert's name is documented elsewhere.<ref>[[MuppetFest Memories|MuppetFest Q&A]] with [[Kirk Thatcher]]</ref><ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20010417140631/www.henson.com/fcreature/lachoy_fcreature.html Henson.com Archive]</ref>
-A rebuilt version of Delbert has been seen in recent exhibits such as [[Jim Henson: Puppeteer]].
+A rebuilt version of Delbert has been seen in recent exhibits such as [[Jim Henson: Puppeteer]]. The 2010 comic book ''[[The Muppet Show Comic Book: Family Reunion]]'' makes a reference to the La Choy Dragon in the last panel, showing a giant Delbert in a chef's hat attacking a building as [[Skeeter]] prepares to stop him.
+<gallery orientation="square">
-The 2010 comic book ''[[The Muppet Show Comic Book: Family Reunion]]'' makes a reference to the La Choy Dragon in the last panel, showing a giant Delbert in a chef's hat attacking a building as [[Skeeter]] prepares to stop him.
-<gallery captionalign="left">
 COM_3245_lachoydragon.jpg|Jim Henson's design for the La Choy Dragon.
 Image:Lachoylivehand.JPG|The hand puppet version of the La Choy Dragon.
+La-Choy-slide-04cropped.jpg
+Image:Lachoydragon.jpg|The La Choy Dragon in a supermarket.
 Image:Dragon.jpg|The La Choy Dragon pictured on a can of Chow Mein noodles
 Image:Lachoy-newsad83.jpg|Inflatable La Choy Dragon promotional item
-La-Choy-slide-04cropped.jpg
 </gallery>
+==See also==
+* [[Dragons]]
 ==Sources==