PERFORMER Steve Whitmire DEBUT 1980

Rizzo the Rat is a rat who has a tendency to crack mocking jokes at others or make fun of them. Sometimes, as seen in The Muppets Take Manhattan, he tries to cheat people into getting something he wants. However, he also has a sensitive side (according to Tim Hill and Gonzo during an audio commentary for Muppets from Space) and is good friends with Gonzo and Pepe the King Prawn.

He was created by Steve Whitmire after he took a fascination to a bunch of old rat puppets made from bottles by Don Sahlin for The Muppet Musicians of Bremen. Whitmire made costumes for Rizzo, and the Muppet Show Fan Club newsletter (vol. 2, no. 4, 1980) claimed that "It is Rizzo's greatest ambition to wear a different costume every time he appears in a shot! Watch out for this well-dressed rodent -- he has every intention of succeeding. Rat on, Rizzo!" Rizzo is named after Ratso Rizzo, a character from Midnight Cowboy portrayed by Dustin Hoffman. The name was suggested by Frank Oz.[1]

Rizzo first appeared in episode 418 of The Muppet Show, as one of a group of rats following Christopher Reeve around backstage.[2] He can be seen mugging and reacting to practically every line of dialogue. His first known mention by name on-screen was by Kermit in episode 422. He remained a scene-stealing background figure through the final season, occasionally performing with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.

He had a minor role in The Great Muppet Caper and a larger supporting part in The Muppets Take Manhattan, but his "big break" occurred when Jerry Juhl paired him with Gonzo to narrate The Muppet Christmas Carol. He has since become one of the principal Muppet characters, also starring in Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets from Space, Muppets Tonight, and The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (appearing in the latter as the Mayor of Munchkinland).

Since The Muppet Christmas Carol, Rizzo and Gonzo have been best pals. However, that wasn't their first pairing together. They had previously interacted in The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson, and appeared in a sketch together on Good Morning America, broadcast March 10, 1992. Rizzo and Pepe also seem to have a strong friendship as seen in Muppets from Space and A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa.

Although Rizzo has no lines in the 2011 film, The Muppets, he and Gonzo were interviewed together behind the scenes. In an interview, Nick Stoller explained that they tried to include as many characters as possible, but couldn't find a spot for him (or Bean Bunny) in the movie.[3] His absence is referenced in Muppets Most Wanted, in a scene where he and Robin point out that the previous film replaced older characters such as themselves with the new character Walter.

In a one-off appearance in The Muppets comic strip from May 26, 1983, Rizzo is given a "girl friend," , in order to fulfill a play on words, before Yolanda Rat enters his life in The Muppets Take Manhattan.

In the 1999 book Muppets from Space: The Making of Muppet Movie Magic, Whitmire said:

“ [Playing Rizzo] was tough at first. I was much more inhibited about the performance because I wasn't sure who he was or what I should do with him. Plus, they wanted him to be a sarcastic sort of New York character. I'm from Atlanta, you know? I mean, I didn't know anything about a sarcastic New York character, so I sort of had to grow into him. ”

Rizzo also tried to impersonate Mickey Mouse in Muppet Vision 3-D to get money from Sam the Eagle, though his disguise didn't work.

Following Steve Whitmire's departure from The Muppets, Rizzo has largely been absent in new productions, except for non-speaking cameos in the concerts The Muppets Take the Bowl and The Muppets Take the O2 (both via prerecorded video), the special The Disney Family Singalong: Volume II, and an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Rizzo has also appeared in animated form as a recurring character in the Disney Junior reboot of Muppet Babies.

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Filmography

Book appearances

Albums

Video Games