Tilly

PERFORMER	Jerry Juhl
DEBUT	1966

Tilly, Rowlf's mother, appeared on The Mike Douglas Show in 1966, during a week of Muppet co-hosting episodes. She appeared in the audience and didn't recognize her son (calling him "the funny looking dog" next to Mike Douglas). She was a redressed Rowlf puppet with a hat, shawl, eyelids and eyelashes.

Rowlf writes a series of letters to his mother in a 1966 IBM meeting film. At the end of the film, it's revealed that she helps him achieve over 400% of his sales quota by opening a secretarial school in his selling territory. She later appeared live at an IBM event in May 1966 alongside her son, and appeared in a 1970 film.

According to Dog City, she taught Rowlf to let sweeping dogs lie.

The 2021 Muppet Babies episode "Rowlf Gets the Blues," features Baby Rowlf literally turning blue when he refuses to talk about being sad as his mother goes away for a week. She is later seen twice, in artistic renderings:

Tilly's silhouette in the song "Puppy Dog Blues"

Baby Rowlf's drawing of the two of them together

See also

• Tillie