Gonzo Through the Years

From Muppet Wiki

The Evolution of Gonzo (1970-present)

Image	As seen in	Year	Notes
	The Great Santa Claus Switch	1970	Gonzo started life as Snarl, the Cigar Box Frackle.
	The Muppet Show Season 1	1976	In the first season, performer Dave Goelz underplayed Gonzo's emotions, as the puppet was designed with a permanently sad look. The producers noticed that he worked better in a more energetic form, so Goelz modified the eyes to have movable eyelids which helped make him a more active character. An altered version of this puppet with blue eyelids was used for one of the openings for the second season of The Muppet Show.
	The Muppet Show Season 2	1977-1983	Still in his tux, Gonzo's eyelids are now yellow and can move back and forth, allowing Gonzo to look more excited. This version of Gonzo was seen in Seasons 2 through 5 of The Muppet Show, as well as The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Go to the Movies, The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show, and John Denver and the Muppets: Rocky Mountain Holiday.
	The Muppet Movie	1979	The puppet itself hasn't changed, but is worth noting because of his distinctive outfit.
	The Great Muppet Caper	1981	Gonzo has another wardrobe change for his role as an ace photographer.
	The Jim Henson Hour	1984-1991	Gonzo retained his sweater vest from The Great Muppet Caper, looking a bit like Bill Cosby in The Cosby Show. Gonzo sports this look in The Muppets Take Manhattan, A Muppet Family Christmas, The Jim Henson Hour, The Muppets at Walt Disney World, Muppet*Vision 3D and The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson.
	The Muppet Christmas Carol	1992-1996	Here, the first major change in Gonzo's actual design occurs since 1977. He has foam yellow eyelids which overlap, giving Gonzo a slightly more demented look. During the storybook-adaptation era for the Muppets, Gonzo usually appeared in clothing befitting the time period of the story. Gonzo can be seen in this form in The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island.
	Muppets Tonight	1996-2001	Continuing a sartorial style first glimpsed in 1990s commercials and Muppet Classic Theater, Gonzo's typical attire now includes a loud jacket, wild tie, and other "hip" and unusual clothing elements, in contrast to his earlier suit or daredevil outfit. In addition to Muppets Tonight, Gonzo appeared in this clothing again in Muppets from Space and at MuppetFest.
	It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie	2002	Gonzo returns to wearing a suit as he did during his Muppet Show days, but now sports a necktie instead of a bowtie. His overlapping eyelid placement has remained the same.