The Newsman
From Muppet Wiki
The Newsman is the weary, bespectacled Muppet News Flash anchor on The Muppet Show, debuting in the second episode. The Newsman always tried to deliver the news with accuracy, but was visibly flummoxed on camera by the day's latest bizarre story or interview. From the second season onward, he suffered from a nasty streak of bad luck that usually culminated in some person or object - somehow related to the day's story - falling on his head.
For example, a plea to return missing library books results in a pile of books falling on the Newsman from seemingly out of nowhere, and a stock market report that beef is falling causes a cow to plummet upon his person. One Muppet Show episode had random objects falling on another Muppet, which causes Kermit to question what is happening, as "things are only supposed to fall on the Newsman!"
One would think the solution would be to give up the news after so many mishaps (but that would obviously end the sketches), but due to either dedication to his craft or a limited sense of self-preservation, the Newsman keeps plugging along.
Apart from his Muppet Show berth, the veteran journalist has presented breaking news bulletins in The Great Muppet Caper, A Muppet Family Christmas, and The Jim Henson Hour (as well as non-news related cameos in The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan and as a background character in Muppets Tonight). More recently, he surfaced in the video games Muppets Inside and Muppet Party Cruise, in The Muppet Show Live at MuppetFest, on Muppets TV, and on new videos for Muppets.com. A Muppet News Flash was also used to launch "Kermit's Story," the first issue of The Muppet Show Comic Book.
Additional names
- In the scripts for season one of The Muppet Show, the character was called Muppet Reporter. It was changed to the Newsman in season two.
- In The Muppet Show Annual 1977, he is called "The Muppet News Reporter."
- In some merchandise, such as the Palisades Toys action figure of the Newsman, he is called Muppet Newsman.
- In Muppet Party Cruise, he is listed as Muppet Newscaster.
- In The Muppets Take Manhattan, the Newsman is among the guests at Miss Piggy and Kermit's wedding. He tells the other impatient guests they must wait for the bride and groom to arrive. He is likely rewarded for his perseverance to the news as in this film he is not hit by any random objects.
Casting History
- Jim Henson - from The Muppet Show (1976) to The Jim Henson Hour (1989)
- Jerry Nelson - Muppets Inside CD-ROM (1996)
- Brian Henson - Muppet Show Live (2001), Muppet Party Cruise (2003)
- Dave Goelz - In-store video at the Muppet Whatnot Workshop [citation needed]
See also
- Muppet News Flash -- a listing of all of the Newsman's sketches
