A list of Gonzo's openings during "The Muppet Show Theme" on The Muppet Show, and in some later spin-offs.
Season One
During the first season, Gonzo hit the Muppet Show sign's letter O like a gong, with the following results...
Picture | Episode | Description |
---|---|---|
Episode 101: Juliet Prowse | The O explodes; Gonzo is completely blackened. | |
Episodes 102, 110 and 113 | The O breaks with a shattering sound. | |
Episode 103: Joel Grey | Gonzo misses the "O" and falls down. | |
Episode 104: Ruth Buzzi | The sign goes up, Gonzo misses the "O" and falls down. | |
Episodes 105 and 108 | Gonzo gives the "O" such a big bang that he can't stop shaking. | |
Episode 106: Jim Nabors | The white circle inside the "O" is gone, so Gonzo hits his own head | |
Episode 107: Florence Henderson | The sign goes up in the air after Gonzo hits it. | |
Episode 109: Charles Aznavour | The "O" makes a Big Ben sound. | |
Episode 111: Lena Horne | The "O" makes a foghorn sound. | |
Episode 112: Peter Ustinov | Gonzo's mallet gets stuck between the "S" and "H" and breaks. | |
Episode 114: Sandy Duncan | Gonzo beats the "O" with his own head. | |
Episode 115: Candice Bergen | Gonzo hits the "O" with a boxing glove and gets the sound of a ringside bell. | |
Episodes 116 and 121 | Beautiful Day Monster appears in front of the "O" and Gonzo hits him accidentally. | |
Episodes 117 and 122 | The Green Frackle hits Gonzo with a mallet. | |
Episodes 118 and 123 | Crazy Harry causes an explosion. | |
Episodes 119 and 124 | Gonzo shoots the "O" with a blunderbuss. | |
Episode 120: Valerie Harper | Gonzo knocks himself on the head with a sledgehammer. |
Season Two
From season 2 onwards, Gonzo would appear inside the Muppet Show sign's letter "O" and try to blow a note on his horn, with the following results...
Picture | Episode | Description |
---|---|---|
Episode 201: Don Knotts | Gonzo's horn shoots a flame (Gonzo: "I'm sorry!") | |
Episode 202: Zero Mostel | Sparks and smoke fly out of Gonzo's horn | |
Episodes 203 and 214 | Gonzo's horn squirts water | |
Episode 204: Rich Little | A balloon comes out of Gonzo's horn | |
Episode 205: Judy Collins | Gonzo's horn makes a flute sound | |
Episode 206: Nancy Walker | Gonzo's horn fires off two gun shots | |
Episode 207: Edgar Bergen | Gonzo's horn makes an exploding sound and blows Gonzo away | |
Episodes 208 and 215 | Green smoke comes out of Gonzo's horn (Gonzo: "Green smoke!") | |
Episode 209: Madeline Kahn | Orange smoke comes out of Gonzo's horn; Gonzo 'scrunches his nose' | |
Episode 210: George Burns | Gonzo's horn makes an exploding sound | |
Episodes 211 and 224 | Gonzo's horn makes a deep sound as red smoke comes out; Gonzo coughs | |
Episode 212: Bernadette Peters | A balloon comes out of Gonzo's horn and pops | |
Episode 213: Rudolf Nureyev | A balloon comes out of Gonzo's horn and inflates after he stops blowing | |
Episodes 216 and 220 | Gonzo's horn flies away (Gonzo: "Come back here!"). First season Gonzo puppet used. | |
Episode 217: Julie Andrews | Gonzo's trumpet glows in the dark | |
Episodes 218 and 221 | Crazy Harry blows Gonzo up | |
Episode 219: Peter Sellers | Beautiful Day Monster blows a tuba | |
Episode 222: Teresa Brewer | Gonzo's trumpet shoots two flames (Gonzo: "I'm sorry... Sorry!") | |
Episode 223: John Cleese | Perfect note comes out of Gonzo's horn (Gonzo shakes his head, as if in annoyance. The audience cheers!) |
Season Three
Picture | Episode | Description |
---|---|---|
Episodes 301 and 506 | Hiccups prevent Gonzo from playing ("Excuse me.") | |
Episodes 302 and 523 | White chunks fly out of Gonzo's horn. 302: "My teeth!" | |
Episode 303: Roy Clark | Swoopfoomer flies out of Gonzo's horn (Gonzo: "Three times!") | |
Episode 304: Gilda Radner | Red smoke comes out of the horn; Gonzo hiccups a second red cloud | |
Episode 305: Pearl Bailey | Gonzo says "I'm not even gonna try it." Then the horn plays by itself | |
Episode 306: Jean Stapleton | Kermit stands behind Gonzo and blows a horn | |
Episodes 307 and 518 | A light blue spirit comes out of Gonzo's horn; Gonzo quivers | |
Episode 308: Loretta Lynn | Gonzo's horn makes a the sound of a train whistle | |
Episode 309: Liberace | Gonzo's horn doesn't work: "Aw rats." Then it plays a fanfare by itself | |
Episodes 310, 512 and 520 | Kermit blows Gonzo away with his horn from the left side | |
Episode 311: Raquel Welch | Flowers come out of Gonzo's horn | |
Episodes 312 and 323 | Four horns from four different directions startle Gonzo. (The music is re-dubbed in 323) | |
Episode 313: Helen Reddy | Colorful musical notes come out of Gonzo's horn | |
Episode 314: Harry Belafonte | A bee comes out of Gonzo's horn; Gonzo tries to follow it and faints dizzily | |
Episode 315: Lesley Ann Warren | Gonzo's horn makes a cow sound and attracts a cow. Gonzo faints | |
Episodes 316 and 524 | A soccer ball jams the horn down Gonzo's throat | |
Episode 317: Spike Milligan | Beautiful Day Monster dribbles Gonzo | |
Episode 318: Leslie Uggams | Gonzo's horn makes a duck sound and attracts two ducks | |
Episode 319: Elke Sommer | A plane comes out of the trumpet and crashes ("Watch out for the balcony!") | |
Episode 320: Sylvester Stallone | Beautiful Day Monster plays the horn for Gonzo (Gonzo: "Thief!") | |
Episode 321: Roger Miller | Butterflies come out of Gonzo's horn and flute music plays | |
Episode 322: Roy Rogers & Dale Evans | Gonzo's horn makes a horse sound | |
Episode 324: Cheryl Ladd | Gonzo's horn makes a ringing sound. |
Season Four
Picture | Episode | Description |
---|---|---|
Episodes 401 and 502 | Gonzo's head explodes and appears in another corner. (refilmed for 502) | |
Episode 402: Crystal Gayle | Bubbles come out of Gonzo's horn | |
Episode 403: Shields & Yarnell | Gonzo vanishes | |
Episodes 404 and 501 | The horn rings; Gonzo puts it to his ear ("Hello? He's not home.") | |
Episode 405: Victor Borge | Bobby Benson's Baby Band pop up | |
Episode 406: Linda Lavin | Gonzo disappears in small portions (like a blind) | |
Episode 407: Dudley Moore | Gonzo turns into a beetle ("Surprise!") | |
Episode 408: Arlo Guthrie | Gonzo is run over by a herd of cows | |
Episodes 409 and 509 | Gonzo blows the horn with his ear. 409: "I play by ear." | |
Episodes 410 and 508 | Gonzo: "What were you expecting, Rachmaninoff?" | |
Episodes 411 and 516 | Gonzo: "I give autographs after the show!" | |
Episodes 412 and 522 | A boxing glove knocks Gonzo to the floor | |
Episode 413: Dizzy Gillespie | Gonzo plays racing fanfare | |
Episode 414: Liza Minnelli | Gonzo: "That's my new hit single!" | |
Episode 415: Anne Murray | Gonzo blows on a cow's horn ("Another television first!") | |
Episode 416: Jonathan Winters | Gonzo attracts a horse ("You called?") | |
Episodes 417 and 521 | A duck bites Gonzo's nose. Gonzo screams, while the duck laughs | |
Episodes 418 and 503 | Rats appear (Gonzo: "Aw, rats.") | |
Episode 419: Lynda Carter | Gonzo's dental plate sticks to the horn (Gonzo: "The embarrassment...!") | |
Episode 420: Alan Arkin | Gonzo's horn makes a typewriter sound | |
Episode 421: Doug Henning | One half of Gonzo disappears, Gonzo says "Goodbye!" and disappears completely | |
Episode 422: Andy Williams | Muppet dogs appear | |
Episodes 423 and 519 | Gonzo is blown away in an Autumn storm. | |
Episode 424: Diana Ross | A snake (that just crawled into Zoot's saxophone) comes out of Gonzo's horn. |
Season Five
Picture | Episode | Description |
---|---|---|
Episode 504: Shirley Bassey | Gonzo's horn makes a rooster sound ("Camilla, your uncle's calling!") | |
Episode 505: James Coburn | No sound comes out of the horn, but it attracts Foo-Foo ("Well, she heard it...!") | |
Episode 507: Glenda Jackson | Penguins appear. | |
Episode 510: Jean-Pierre Rampal | Gonzo: "Eat your heart out, Gillespie!" | |
Episode 511: Paul Simon | Gonzo attracts a duck that kisses him (Duck: "Kissy kissy.") | |
Episode 513: Tony Randall | Gonzo blows on a fish. | |
Episode 514: Mac Davis | A turkey scares Gonzo away. | |
Episode 515: Carol Burnett | Gonzo's horn makes an air raid siren sound. | |
Episode 517: Hal Linden | Gonzo blows on a screaming banana. |
Audio Appearances
- The Muppet Show (album): Gonzo beats the "O" with a big crash and an explosion
- "Welcome to the Muppet Show Fan Club": Gonzo says "Hoooonk - toot!" Kermit asks him what happened to his trumpet. Gonzo replies, "I ate it!"
- The Muppet Show 2: Gonzo blows his horn, followed by a crash and an explosion
- The Muppet Show Music Album: Gonzo's horn makes a duck sound
- The Muppets (soundtrack): Gonzo's horn is replaced with Zoot's bum note
Season 1 replacements
When The Muppet Show was repackaged for re-runs, the opening theme for season one episodes was replaced with a version of the theme as it was re-shot for subsequent seasons. In these instances, Gonzo's trumpet gag is recycled from another episode.
- Episode 101 and 108: Gonzo's horn squirts water. (re-used from Episode 203)
- Episode 103: A soccer ball jams the horn down Gonzo's throat. (re-used from Episode 524)
- Episode 104, 105 and 119: Crazy Harry blows Gonzo up. (re-used from Episode 218)
- Episode 106: Kermit blows Gonzo away with his horn from the left side. (re-used from Episode 310)
- Episode 107: Green smoke comes out of Gonzo's horn. (re-used from Episode 208)
- Episode 110 and 116: Gonzo's horn shoots a flame. (Gonzo: "I'm sorry!") (re-used from Episode 201)
- Episode 115: A balloon comes out of Gonzo's horn and inflates after he stops blowing. (re-used from Episode 213)
- Episode 117: Gonzo's horn makes a deep sound as red smoke comes out. (re-used from Episode 211)
- Episode 121: Gonzo's horn flies away. (Gonzo: "Come back here!") (re-used from Episode 216)
- Episode 122: Gonzo's trumpet glows in the dark. (re-used from Episode 217)
- Episode 124: A balloon comes out of Gonzo's horn and pops. (re-used from Episode 212)
Other Projects
- Muppets Inside: Gonzo plays a terrific solo, presumably the one he'd been trying to play all these years. Gonzo: "Ha! Didn't think I could do it, did ya?"
- The Muppets: Gonzo's trumpet sounds like Tarzan.
- Just for Laughs: Gonzo plays "O Canada."
- Muppets Most Wanted: A soccer ball comes out of Gonzo's trumpet.
The Muppet Show Comic Book
Gonzo's antics within the title have continued on into The Muppet Show's comic book series. We will not count other muppets occupying the O.
Meet the Muppets
- Issue #1: Kermit's Story: A balloon animal emerges from the horn.
- Issue #2: Fozzie's Story: A rocket shoots out of the horn.
- Issue #3: Gonzo's Story: The horn itself is a balloon.
- Issue #4: Miss Piggy's Story: A string of sausages hang from the horn.
The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson
- Issue #1: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral: A fish leaps out of Gonzo's horn.
- Issue #2: You May Meet a Stranger: The horn is a fish.
- Issue #3: Follow the Money: Gonzo is replaced with a rat, saying, "I love hard work. I never get tired of looking at it."
- Issue #4: Be It Ever So Humble...: Gonzo holds a swordfish.
On the Road
- Issue #1: Watch That Tiger: Gonzo plays the bagpipes.
- Issue #2: His Wackiness, Clint Wacky!: Gonzo peers through a telescope.
- Issue #3: Box Clever: Gonzo is replaced with a chicken reading a map.
Family Reunion
- Issue #4: Gonzo's nose gets stuck in a didgeridoo.
- Issue #5: A duck comes out of the horn.
- Issue #6: Two fishing hooks fall through the "O."
- Issue #7: Gonzo appears in scuba gear blowing into a seashell.