Gonzo's Muppet Show Openings

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

Episode 301: Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge: Hiccups prevent Gonzo from playing ("Excuse me.")
Episode 302: Leo Sayer: White chunks fly out of Gonzo's horn (Gonzo: "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
Episode 307: Alice Cooper: 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
Episode 310: Marisa Berenson: Kermit blows Gonzo away with his horn from the left side
Episode 311: Raquel Welch: Flowers come out of Gonzo's horn
Episode 312: James Coco: Four horns from four different directions startle Gonzo
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
Episode 316: Danny Kaye: 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 323: Lynn Redgrave: Four horns from four different directions startle Gonzo with medieval music
Episode 324: Cheryl Ladd: Gonzo's horn makes a ringing sound

Season Four

Episode 401: John Denver: Gonzo's head explodes and appears in another corner ("Whoopie!")
Episode 402: Crystal Gayle: Bubbles come out of Gonzo's horn
Episode 403: Shields & Yarnell: Gonzo vanishes
Episode 404: Dyan Cannon: 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
Episode 409: Beverly Sills: Gonzo blows the horn with his ear ("I play by ear.")
Episode 410: Kenny Rogers: Gonzo: "What were you expecting, Rachmaninov?"
Episode 411: Lola Falana: Gonzo: "I give autographs after the show!"
Episode 412: Phyllis George: A boxing glove knocks Gonzo to the floor
Episode 413: Dizzy Gillespie: Gonzo plays racing fanfare (Gonzo: "Beat your heart out, Gillespie!")
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?")
Episode 417: Star Wars: A duck bites Gonzo's nose. Gonzo screams, while the duck laughs
Episode 418: Christopher Reeve: 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
Episode 423: Carol Channing: 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

Episode 501: Gene Kelly: The horn rings and a voice comes out; Gonzo puts it to his ear ("Hello? He's not home.")
Episode 502: Loretta Swit: Gonzo's head explodes and appears on the right ("Whoohoo!")
Episode 503: Joan Baez: Rats appear. Gonzo: "Aw, rats."
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 506: Brooke Shields: Hiccups prevent Gonzo from playing (Gonzo: "Excuse me.") (Repeat of episode 301)
Episode 507: Glenda Jackson: Penguins appear
Episode 508: Señor Wences: Gonzo: "What were you expecting, Rachmaninov?"
Episode 509: Debbie Harry: Gonzo plays with his ear ("What a great ear!")
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 512: Melissa Manchester: Kermit blows Gonzo away with his horn from the left side
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 a "rest period" siren sound
Episode 516: Gladys Knight: Gonzo: "I give autographs after the show!"
Episode 517: Hal Linden: Gonzo blows on a screaming banana
Episode 518: Marty Feldman: A light blue spirit comes out of the horn; Gonzo quivers
Episode 519: Chris Langham: Gonzo is blown away in an Autumn storm
Episode 520: Wally Boag: Kermit blows Gonzo away with his horn from the left side
Episode 521: Johnny Cash: A duck bites Gonzo's nose
Episode 522: Buddy Rich: A boxing glove knocks Gonzo to the floor
Episode 523: Linda Ronstadt: White chunks fly out of Gonzo's horn (Gonzo: "Popcorn!")
Episode 524: Roger Moore: A soccer ball jams the horn down Gonzo's throat

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.
Episode 107: Green smoke comes out of Gonzo's horn.
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

The Muppet CD-ROM: 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?"