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{{character|image=Lipscloseup.JPG|performer=[[Steve Whitmire]]|debut=1980|design=[[Michael Frith]]|designnote=designer|design2=[[Mari Kaestle]]|designnote2=builder}}
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{{performer|Steve Whitmire}}
  
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[[File:Lipscloseup.JPG|thumb|300px|Lips, the 6th member of the Electric Mayhem]]
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[[Image:Lips.jpg|thumb|300px|Lips, sitting in with the orchestra.]]
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[[Image:Frith.lips.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Michael K. Frith|Michael K. Frith's]] original design.]]
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{{designer|[[Michael Frith]]|design|[[Mari Kaestle]]|builder}}
  
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[[File:Lips.jpg|thumb|300px|Lips, sitting in with the orchestra]]
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[[Image:Lips GMC.png|thumb|300px|Lips in ''The Great Muppet Caper]]
   
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'''Lips''' is the trumpet player from ''[[The Muppet Show]]''. The character was created for performer [[Steve Whitmire]], to give him his own member of [[the Electric Mayhem]]. He debuted in the fifth and final season of the series, and played trumpet for both the Electric Mayhem and [[The Muppet Orchestra|the orchestra]]. Lips also appeared as part of the Electric Mayhem in ''[[The Great Muppet Caper]]'', ''[[A Muppet Family Christmas]]'', ''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]'' and [[Christmas in Rockefeller Center]]. Lips had a special mechanism that allowed his eyelids to turn inwards whenever he blew into his trumpet.
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'''Lips''' is the trumpet player from ''[[The Muppet Show]]''. The character was created for performer [[Steve Whitmire]], to give him his own member of [[Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem|the Electric Mayhem]]. He debuted in the fifth and final season of the series, and played trumpet for both the Electric Mayhem and [[The Muppet Orchestra|the orchestra]]. Lips also appeared as part of the Electric Mayhem in ''[[The Great Muppet Caper]]'', ''[[A Muppet Family Christmas]]'', ''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]'' and ''[[Christmas in Rockefeller Center]]''. Lips had a special mechanism that allowed his eyelids to turn inwards. It was usually used when he blew into his trumpet.
   
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Compared to the other Mayhem members, who participated in skits or the backstage action, Lips functioned primarily as a musician only and seldom even spoke. He did have trumpet solos in several episodes, most notably dueting with [[Hal Linden]] on "[[When the Saints Go Marching In]]" in [[Episode 517: Hal Linden|episode 517]]. Steve Whitmire once commented upon Lips' silence:
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Compared to the other Mayhem members, who participated in skits or the backstage action, Lips functioned primarily as a musician only (with trumpeter [[Tommy McQuater]] doing the hornplaying) and seldom even spoke. He did have trumpet solos in several episodes, most notably duetting with [[Hal Linden]] on "[[When the Saints Go Marching In]]" in [[Episode 517: Hal Linden|episode 517]]. Steve Whitmire once commented upon Lips' silence:
   
 
{{quote|I felt great whenever he played the trumpet, and I felt terrible whenever he spoke, because I wanted to do this [[Louis Armstrong]] kind of voice, and at that point and time, there was some question about whether or not we would offend African-American people by this white guy doing a black voice as a trumpet player... We might offend people who liked Louis Armstrong. We weren't sure. I never quite got anywhere with Lips. I'd probably be real comfortable with him now, but at that point I wasn't sure. I still wasn't ready to do a character. <ref>Plume, Kenneth [http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/Whitmire2.shtml Muppet Central interview with Steve Whitmire]</ref>}}
  
{{quote|I felt great whenever he played the trumpet, and I felt terrible whenever he spoke, because I wanted to do this [[Louis Armstrong]] kind of voice, and at that point and time, there was some question about whether or not we would offend African-American people by this white guy doing a black voice as a trumpet player... We might offend people who liked Louis Armstrong. We weren't sure. I never quite got anywhere with Lips. I'd probably be real comfortable with him now, but at that point I wasn't sure. I still wasn't ready to do a character. <ref>Plume, Kenneth [http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/Whitmire2.shtml Muppet Central interview with Steve Whitmire]</ref>}}
   
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Two rare examples of Lips speaking include "[[Barnyard Boogie]]", in which he sings a verse, and ''The Great Muppet Caper'' (yelling "Ding ding ding!" and "How 'bout a little travellin' music?" before he plays trumpet for "[[Night Life]]", and "And me!" during the finale). In ''A Muppet Family Christmas'', after [[Doc]] accidentally slams a door into Lips' face, the latter can be heard shaking his mouth out due to the sudden shock.
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Two rare examples of Lips speaking include "[[Barnyard Boogie]]", in which he sings a verse, and ''The Great Muppet Caper'' (yelling "Ding ding!" and "Let's hit the road! How 'bout a little travelin' music?" before "[[Night Life]]", and "And me!" during the finale). In ''A Muppet Family Christmas'', after [[Doc]] accidentally slams a door into Lips' face, the latter can be heard shaking his mouth out due to the sudden shock. In ''[[The Muppets (2011)|The Muppets]], ''when rehearsal for the telethon goes horribly wrong, Floyd tells Kermit that the orchestra can't keep time without Animal's drums (at which point Lips shakes his head and mutters "uh-uh") and that they need their drummer, with Lips nodding and saying "yeah" in agreement.
   
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Despite the character's obscurity, Palisades Toys released a [[Lips Action Figure]] in 2004.
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Despite the character's obscurity, Palisades Toys released a [[Lips Action Figure]] in 2004. A Lips costume was released as part of the [[Xbox Live Marketplace]].
   
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In 2009, Lips appeared with the rest of the Electric Mayhem in the NBC special ''Christmas in Rockefeller Center''. This was his first appearance in over a decade. He can also be heard grunting in that appearance.
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In 2009, Lips appeared with the rest of the Electric Mayhem in the NBC special ''[[Christmas in Rockefeller Center]]''. This was his first appearance in over a decade. He appeared again in 2011's ''[[The Muppets (2011)|The Muppets]]'', where he is seen performing in the orchestra pit as he did on ''The Muppet Show''. He would later be seen as part of The Electric Mayhem again in ''[[Muppets Most Wanted]]''.
   
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According to ''[[The Muppets Character Encyclopedia]]'', Lips earned his nickname one cold day in elementary school when his lips got stuck to his trumpet while practicing outside.
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<gallery>
  
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⚫
Image:Frith.lips.jpg|[[Michael K. Frith|Michael K. Frith's]] original design
  
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<gallery widths="250" spacing="small" position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
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File:370554A900637055160101-1-.jpg|at ''[[Christmas in Rockefeller Center]]''
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Image:ChristmasInRockefellerCenter2009-Zoot&Lips.jpg|At ''Christmas in Rockefeller Center'' 2009
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File:LipsTrumpetGirl.png|Performing with [[Trumpet Girl]]
  
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ObscureMuppetMovie.jpg|In ''The Muppets''
 
</gallery>
  
</gallery>
   
 
==Filmography==
  
==Filmography==
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<div class="appear">
  
 
*''[[The Muppet Show]]''
  
*''[[The Muppet Show]]''
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**"[[The Muppet Show Theme]]" (Season 5)
 
**[[Episode 504: Shirley Bassey]] ("[[Barnyard Boogie]]", "[[After You've Gone]]")
  
**[[Episode 504: Shirley Bassey]] ("[[Barnyard Boogie]]", "[[After You've Gone]]")
 
**[[Episode 505: James Coburn]] ("Roarin' Twenties" sketch)
  
**[[Episode 505: James Coburn]] ("Roarin' Twenties" sketch)
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*''[[The Muppets Take Manhattan]]''
  
*''[[The Muppets Take Manhattan]]''
 
*''[[A Muppet Family Christmas]]''
  
*''[[A Muppet Family Christmas]]''
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*''[[The Jim Henson Hour]] ''(In monitor footage)
 
*''[[The Muppets at Walt Disney World]]''
  
*''[[The Muppets at Walt Disney World]]''
 
*''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]''
  
*''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]''
 
*''[[Christmas in Rockefeller Center]]''
  
*''[[Christmas in Rockefeller Center]]''
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*''[[The Muppets (2011)|The Muppets]]''
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</div>
  
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*''[[Lady Gaga & the Muppets' Holiday Spectacular]]''
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*''[[Late Night with Jimmy Fallon]]''
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*''[[Muppets Most Wanted]]''
   
 
==Print appearances==
  
==Print appearances==
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*''[[Muppet King Arthur]]'' Issue #4
  
*''[[Muppet King Arthur]]'' Issue #4
 
*''[[Muppet Snow White]]''
  
*''[[Muppet Snow White]]''
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*''[[The Muppets Character Encyclopedia]]''
   
 
==References==
  
==References==

Revision as of 13:08, 1 July 2015

Lipscloseup
PERFORMER Steve Whitmire
DEBUT 1980
DESIGN Michael Frith designer
  Mari Kaestle builder
Lips

Lips, sitting in with the orchestra.

Frith

Michael K. Frith's original design.

Lips GMC

Lips in The Great Muppet Caper

Lips is the trumpet player from The Muppet Show. The character was created for performer Steve Whitmire, to give him his own member of the Electric Mayhem. He debuted in the fifth and final season of the series, and played trumpet for both the Electric Mayhem and the orchestra. Lips also appeared as part of the Electric Mayhem in The Great Muppet Caper, A Muppet Family Christmas, The Muppet Christmas Carol and Christmas in Rockefeller Center. Lips had a special mechanism that allowed his eyelids to turn inwards. It was usually used when he blew into his trumpet.

Compared to the other Mayhem members, who participated in skits or the backstage action, Lips functioned primarily as a musician only (with trumpeter Tommy McQuater doing the hornplaying) and seldom even spoke. He did have trumpet solos in several episodes, most notably duetting with Hal Linden on "When the Saints Go Marching In" in episode 517. Steve Whitmire once commented upon Lips' silence:

“I felt great whenever he played the trumpet, and I felt terrible whenever he spoke, because I wanted to do this Louis Armstrong kind of voice, and at that point and time, there was some question about whether or not we would offend African-American people by this white guy doing a black voice as a trumpet player... We might offend people who liked Louis Armstrong. We weren't sure. I never quite got anywhere with Lips. I'd probably be real comfortable with him now, but at that point I wasn't sure. I still wasn't ready to do a character. [1]”

Two rare examples of Lips speaking include "Barnyard Boogie", in which he sings a verse, and The Great Muppet Caper (yelling "Ding ding!" and "Let's hit the road! How 'bout a little travelin' music?" before "Night Life", and "And me!" during the finale). In A Muppet Family Christmas, after Doc accidentally slams a door into Lips' face, the latter can be heard shaking his mouth out due to the sudden shock. In The Muppets, when rehearsal for the telethon goes horribly wrong, Floyd tells Kermit that the orchestra can't keep time without Animal's drums (at which point Lips shakes his head and mutters "uh-uh") and that they need their drummer, with Lips nodding and saying "yeah" in agreement.

Despite the character's obscurity, Palisades Toys released a Lips Action Figure in 2004. A Lips costume was released as part of the Xbox Live Marketplace.

In 2009, Lips appeared with the rest of the Electric Mayhem in the NBC special Christmas in Rockefeller Center. This was his first appearance in over a decade. He appeared again in 2011's The Muppets, where he is seen performing in the orchestra pit as he did on The Muppet Show. He would later be seen as part of The Electric Mayhem again in Muppets Most Wanted.

According to The Muppets Character Encyclopedia, Lips earned his nickname one cold day in elementary school when his lips got stuck to his trumpet while practicing outside.

Filmography

Print appearances

References

  1. ↑ Plume, Kenneth Muppet Central interview with Steve Whitmire
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