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George the Janitor

Performer:

Frank Oz

Design Team:

Bonnie Erickson • (designer)

Mia Farrow realizes that George loves his mop.
Added by Toughpigs

George the Janitor is the crotchety old custodian of the Muppet Theater whose most prominent appearances were on the first season of The Muppet Show.

George appeared in The Muppets Valentine Show, the 1974 pilot for The Muppet Show. In the special, George grumbles as he cleans up after the Muppets, who are trying to define "love". George insists that he doesn't "go for that valentines and love stuff," but guest star Mia Farrow realizes that George does love something -- his mop. "Aw, that's crazy," George says. "I don't love this mop. It's a good mop... it's useful. It's... cute." In the end, George proudly proclaims his love for his mop.

On The Muppet Show, George was primarily featured in the backstage plots, but he made occasional onstage appearances, most frequently in "At the Dance" sketches, where he danced almost exclusively with Mildred Huxtetter. George was credited with discovering an act called the Raggmopps, a group of singing and dancing mops who performed "Rag Mop" in episode 111. George approvingly referred to the group as "my kinda act."

In episode 106, George revealed that he had been working at the Muppet Theater since before J. P. Grosse owned it, perhaps implying that he is the theater's oldest employee.

In the second season of The Muppet Show, George made a handful of background appearances, most notably in "Cigarettes and Whiskey" in episode 219 and "For What It's Worth" in episode 221. However, he was no longer seen backstage as the janitor. By the third season, George had been replaced entirely by Beauregard, the theater's new resident janitor.

Although George made no further appearances on The Muppet Show, he continued to appear in the show's opening sequences throughout its run, and made cameos in several Muppet movies, including The Muppet Christmas Carol, where he was again portrayed by Frank Oz (using a slightly different voice) in the song about Ebenezer Scrooge. Like J. P. Grosse and other Muppet Show alums, George's identity had become increasingly transient at this point, functioning more as a utility puppet than a distinct character.

George appeared in the premiere of Muppets Tonight as Benjamin Franklin, with a different voice. However, in the next episode, for George's final appearance to date, he returned to his custodial roots, as he was shown sweeping the KMUP studio.

George returns in the background of the first issue of the Muppet Show Comic Book, where he and Beauregard give each other a surprised stare, referencing the fact that both first appeared 2 years apart from each other. He also pops up in Issue 4, when Madame Rhonda reads his palm.