As you’ll see in a moment, there is such thing as a scary Muppet. Man, is there ever. I reached deep into my pop culture memory for this list. Some of these choices are obvious; some, not so much. Though a good deal of these Muppets really did scar me as a child (OK, and as an adult), a few of them are just creepy. And some really aren’t that scary anymore, but they sure did freak me out in my younger days. Here we go…

#10) Count Von Count (from Sesame Street)

As a boy, Count Von Count delighted me with his enthusiasm for counting and his confident, comical manner. That is, until I had a nightmare where I was alone in a house and Count Von Count was walking towards the door, intent on killing me. I think I was four. From that moment on, Count Von Count was still one of my favorites, but I was also aware that he had a darker, more sinister side, and he’d get me if I wasn’t careful.

#9) Wander McMooch (from Fraggle Rock)

This villain from the classic show Fraggle Rock is an obscure Muppet, to be sure, but a pretty creepy one. There was one episode, in particular, where McMooch, the Great Trash Heap’s arch-nemisis, was especially startling and eerie. Eagle-eyed Muppet fans may remember McMooch’s cameo in The Muppet Christmas Carol (he is one of the guests at Nephew Fred’s dinner party).

#8) Sweetums (from Tales from Muppetland: The Frog Prince, The Muppet Show, The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets)

Definitely one of the most instantly recognizable of the Muppet Monsters, Sweetums is a big lug with a soft side. That being said, he can still be cruel, intimidating and threatening (as he was in The Frog Prince).

#7) Trollop (from The Storyteller episode, “The True Bride”)

Ok, so there were two freaky trolls from this episode of Jim Henson’s The Storyteller, but Old Troll’s daughter was by far scarier. She terrified me as a child, and she still freaks me out a little bit.

#6) The Ultra-Gorgon (from The Jim Henson Hour episode, “The Monster Maker”)

Ok, this might be the most obscure Muppet on the list. There was this great episode of The Jim Henson Hour called “The Monster Maker” that was all about this little boy who wanted to work with this famous monster maker, played by Harry Dean Stanton, and the Ultra-Gorgon was one of the maker’s creations, who was real!!! It was 25 years ago, but man, I remember this one!

#5) Uncle Deadly (from The Muppet Show, The Muppets)

Uncle Deadly (also known as The Phantom) was without a doubt the creepiest regular on The Muppet Show. I remember his voice being particularly effective. Uncle Deadly has gained a resurgence in popularity with his supporting turn as a villainous henchman in 2011’s The Muppets.

#4) Aunt Taminella (from Tales from Muppetland: The Frog Prince)

This one goes without saying. Few villains from children’s television shows have stayed in my mind the way Aunt Taminella has. When I was five, and I used to watch this: holy smokes. Every Muppet on this list (so far) has been a mixture of terror and camp, but Aunt Taminella just might be the perfect blend.

#3) The Fire Gang (from Labyrinth)

As a child, these merry monster pranksters from the classic film Labyrinth were frightening, threatening, but also kind of silly and endearing. They’d kill you, but you’d have fun up until the very end.

#2) The Garthim (From The Dark Crystal)

The crab-like, monstrous Garthim, the foot soldiers for the foul Skeksis were terrifying, but not in the fun, safe Muppet way. They were really terrifying. In fact, almost nothing from The Dark Crystal was this scary, except for…

#1) The Skeksis (from The Dark Crystal)

Yeah, like it was going to be anything else. God, these monster have haunted my dreams since I was three, where they scared the ever-loving snot out of me, yet fascinated me at the same time. It was from the Skeksis that I learned that movie monsters could be frightening and intriguing; that they could repel and entertain. They were my introduction to the monster movie, a genre that I have adored ever since. The Skeksis are some of the most grotesque, revolting characters ever put into a movie, and this was a children’s film!

(Editor’s note: this is a revision of an earlier piece I wrote some years ago on another blog.)