Link Hogthrob
Encyclopedia
Link Hogthrob was a fictional character
, a Muppet
pig on The Muppet Show
, performed by Jim Henson
. The character was that of a stereotypical leading man
, with wavy blond hair, a manly cleft chin, and a high opinion of himself, but not much between the ears.
. Unlike Dr. Julius Strangepork
, whose role on The Muppet Show
would be primarily relegated to the "Pigs in Space" sketches, Link would feature regularly both in the show's on stage acts and backstage mayhem.
His singing talents featured a number of times in solos ("I Talk to the Trees", "Sonny Boy"), duets ("La Ci Darem La Mano"), and group numbers ("Sea Chantey," "The Rhyming Song"). Starting in the show's third season, Link was also featured as the police chief in the recurring "Bear on Patrol" sketches, where his dimwittedness was often the source of physical trauma to patrol officer Fozzie Bear
.
Jim Henson's son, Brian Henson
, recalled that his father often used Link's deep-throated, pompous voice when performing some stereotypically-manly chore, such as carving the Thanksgiving turkey.
. His most notable appearance was in episode 107, in which he believes that he has a disease called Canadian Snout Fever, after reading a book of silly diseases and by coincidentally encountering a number of things related to the book's symptoms. Other notable appearances include episode 105 (where he tested the Response-O-Matic, a device used to change television programs based on what the viewers want), and episode 112 (in which he appeared in a sketch as a food critic at a restaurant).
Since Henson's death, Link has mostly remained a non-speaking Muppet, although he has since appeared occasionally in silent cameos in such productions as The Muppet Christmas Carol
, Muppet Treasure Island
, and Muppets Tonight
. His only speaking roles from 1990-2011 were in the video games Muppet RaceMania
and Muppets Party Cruise
, as voiced by Steve Whitmire
. Whitmire performed Hogthrob for the 2011 movie The Muppets
. The appearance featured the first speaking appearance of the puppet ever since Henson's death.
An animated version of Link was seen in "Pigs in Space" segments in Little Muppet Monsters
and an episode of Muppet Babies
; a walk-around version of Link was created for The Muppet Show On Tour. An action figure of Link was produced in 2003 as part of Series 4 of Palisades Toys
' line of Muppet action figures.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a Muppet
The Muppets
The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
pig on The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
, performed by Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
. The character was that of a stereotypical leading man
Leading man
Leading man or leading gentleman is an informal term for the actor who plays a love interest to the leading actress in a film or play. A leading man is usually an all rounder; capable of singing, dancing, and acting at a professional level, but never outshining his female co-star...
, with wavy blond hair, a manly cleft chin, and a high opinion of himself, but not much between the ears.
History
Link is best known as the captain of the Swinetrek on the recurring sketch "Pigs in Space" where his unbridled machismo was often a source of conflict with his co-star, First Mate PiggyMiss Piggy
Miss Piggy is a Muppet character who was primarily played by Frank Oz on The Muppet Show. In 2001, Eric Jacobson began performing the role, although Oz did not officially retire until 2002....
. Unlike Dr. Julius Strangepork
Dr. Julius Strangepork
Dr. Julius Strangepork was a character on The Muppet Show. He was a Muppet pig, who most often appeared with Miss Piggy and Link Hogthrob in the recurring Pigs in Space skit, in which he was the science officer on the USS Swinetrek. He wore wire-rim glasses and sported wide, bushy grey...
, whose role on The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
would be primarily relegated to the "Pigs in Space" sketches, Link would feature regularly both in the show's on stage acts and backstage mayhem.
His singing talents featured a number of times in solos ("I Talk to the Trees", "Sonny Boy"), duets ("La Ci Darem La Mano"), and group numbers ("Sea Chantey," "The Rhyming Song"). Starting in the show's third season, Link was also featured as the police chief in the recurring "Bear on Patrol" sketches, where his dimwittedness was often the source of physical trauma to patrol officer Fozzie Bear
Fozzie Bear
Fozzie Bear is a Muppet, created by Jim Henson. He is an orange, particularly fuzzy bear who works as a stand-up comic and has a catchphrase, "Wocka Wocka Wocka". Shortly after telling the joke, he is usually the target of rotten tomatoes and ridicule, especially from hecklers Statler and Waldorf...
.
Jim Henson's son, Brian Henson
Brian Henson
Brian Henson is an Academy Award-winning puppeteer, director, producer, and technician. The son of puppeteers Jane and Jim Henson, Brian was born in New York City, New York....
, recalled that his father often used Link's deep-throated, pompous voice when performing some stereotypically-manly chore, such as carving the Thanksgiving turkey.
Later appearances
Link was later one of the few classic Muppet Show characters to be used regularly in the Muppet Central control room on The Jim Henson HourThe Jim Henson Hour
The Jim Henson Hour was a short-lived television series that aired on NBC in 1989. It was developed as a showcase for The Jim Henson Company's various puppet creations, including the popular Muppet characters. Only nine of the twelve episodes produced managed to air on NBC before the low-rated...
. His most notable appearance was in episode 107, in which he believes that he has a disease called Canadian Snout Fever, after reading a book of silly diseases and by coincidentally encountering a number of things related to the book's symptoms. Other notable appearances include episode 105 (where he tested the Response-O-Matic, a device used to change television programs based on what the viewers want), and episode 112 (in which he appeared in a sketch as a food critic at a restaurant).
Since Henson's death, Link has mostly remained a non-speaking Muppet, although he has since appeared occasionally in silent cameos in such productions as The Muppet Christmas Carol
The Muppet Christmas Carol
The Muppet Christmas Carol is a 1992 musical comedy film adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, starring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, directed by Brian Henson, produced by The Jim Henson Company, and released by Walt Disney Pictures...
, Muppet Treasure Island
Muppet Treasure Island
Muppet Treasure Island is a 1996 American musical film based on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. It is the fifth feature film to star The Muppets and was directed by Jim Henson's son Brian Henson....
, and Muppets Tonight
Muppets Tonight
Muppets Tonight is a live-action/puppet television series created by Jim Henson Productions and featuring The Muppets. Much like the "MuppeTelevision" segment of The Jim Henson Hour, Muppets Tonight was a continuation of The Muppet Show, set in a television studio, rather than a theater.-Format:The...
. His only speaking roles from 1990-2011 were in the video games Muppet RaceMania
Muppet RaceMania
Muppet RaceMania is a PlayStation racing game that was developed by Traveller's Tales Ltd., and published by Midway that was released in 2000. The game includes the choice of 25 muppet characters driving 25 vehicles...
and Muppets Party Cruise
Muppets Party Cruise
Muppets: Party Cruise is a party video game released in 2003 by Mass Media Inc.. Players have the choice between a "short cruise" and a "long cruise". In the "short cruise" players simply select a mini-game to play. In the "long cruise", players are characters on a board-game style board and must...
, as voiced by Steve Whitmire
Steve Whitmire
Steven Whitmire is an American puppeteer who works for The Jim Henson Company, Sesame Workshop and Disney's The Muppets Studio. He has been the performer of two signature Muppets - Kermit the Frog and Sesame Street's Ernie - since the death of their creator and original performer, Jim Henson, in...
. Whitmire performed Hogthrob for the 2011 movie The Muppets
The Muppets (film)
The Muppets is a 2011 American musical and comedy film, and the first Muppets theatrical release in 12 years, as well as the first Disney-produced Muppets film since 1996's Muppet Treasure Island...
. The appearance featured the first speaking appearance of the puppet ever since Henson's death.
An animated version of Link was seen in "Pigs in Space" segments in Little Muppet Monsters
Little Muppet Monsters
Little Muppet Monsters is a short-lived saturday morning animated television series, airing only three episodes on CBS in 1985. The first season of Muppet Babies did so well in the ratings, that CBS decided to expand the series from a half-hour to an hour, pairing Muppet Babies with Little Muppet...
and an episode of Muppet Babies
Muppet Babies
Jim Henson's Muppet Babies is an American animated television series that aired from September 15, 1984 to November 2, 1991 on CBS. The show portrayed childhood versions of the Muppets living together in a large nursery in the care of a human woman called Nanny...
; a walk-around version of Link was created for The Muppet Show On Tour. An action figure of Link was produced in 2003 as part of Series 4 of Palisades Toys
Palisades Toys
Palisades Entertainment, LLC, better known as Palisades Toys, was a manufacturing and distributing toy & collectibles company geared toward the adult collector market...
' line of Muppet action figures.
Filmography
- The Muppet ShowThe Muppet ShowThe Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
- The Muppet MovieThe Muppet MovieThe Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979, the film was produced by Henson Associates, Children's Television Workshop and ITC Entertainment....
- The Muppets Go to the Movies
- I Love Liberty
- Pigs in Space video game
- The Muppets Take ManhattanThe Muppets Take ManhattanThe Muppets Take Manhattan is the third of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets, and also the final film before Henson's death. This film was produced by Henson Associates and TriStar Pictures, and was filmed on location in New York City during the summer of...
- The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 YearsThe Muppets: A Celebration of 30 YearsThe Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years is a 1985 one-hour special that aired on CBS starring Jim Henson's Muppets.-Plot:The Muppets, the characters from Sesame Street, the characters from Sam and Friends, Uncle Traveling Matt and Sprocket the Dog from Fraggle Rock, and other Muppet-related...
- A Muppet Family ChristmasA Muppet Family ChristmasA Muppet Family Christmas is a 1987 Christmas television special starring Jim Henson's Muppets.This is one of the very few Muppet productions to feature Muppets associated with all four of the major Muppet franchises: The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock and Muppet Babies...
- The Jim Henson HourThe Jim Henson HourThe Jim Henson Hour was a short-lived television series that aired on NBC in 1989. It was developed as a showcase for The Jim Henson Company's various puppet creations, including the popular Muppet characters. Only nine of the twelve episodes produced managed to air on NBC before the low-rated...
- The Muppets at Walt Disney WorldThe Muppets at Walt Disney WorldThe Muppets at Walt Disney World is a television special starring Jim Henson's Muppets at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. This was the last Muppets project that Jim Henson worked on before his death on May 16, 1990. The special aired on NBC May 6, 1990.-Plot:In this...
- The Muppet Christmas CarolThe Muppet Christmas CarolThe Muppet Christmas Carol is a 1992 musical comedy film adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, starring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, directed by Brian Henson, produced by The Jim Henson Company, and released by Walt Disney Pictures...
- Muppet Treasure IslandMuppet Treasure IslandMuppet Treasure Island is a 1996 American musical film based on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. It is the fifth feature film to star The Muppets and was directed by Jim Henson's son Brian Henson....
- Muppets TonightMuppets TonightMuppets Tonight is a live-action/puppet television series created by Jim Henson Productions and featuring The Muppets. Much like the "MuppeTelevision" segment of The Jim Henson Hour, Muppets Tonight was a continuation of The Muppet Show, set in a television studio, rather than a theater.-Format:The...
- Muppets from SpaceMuppets from SpaceMuppets from Space is a 1999 science fiction comedy film and the sixth feature film to star The Muppets, and the first since the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson to have an original Muppet-focused plot. The film was directed by Tim Hill, produced by Jim Henson Pictures, and released to theaters...
- Muppet RaceManiaMuppet RaceManiaMuppet RaceMania is a PlayStation racing game that was developed by Traveller's Tales Ltd., and published by Midway that was released in 2000. The game includes the choice of 25 muppet characters driving 25 vehicles...
video game - Muppets Party CruiseMuppets Party CruiseMuppets: Party Cruise is a party video game released in 2003 by Mass Media Inc.. Players have the choice between a "short cruise" and a "long cruise". In the "short cruise" players simply select a mini-game to play. In the "long cruise", players are characters on a board-game style board and must...
video game