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| Dr. Bunsen Honeydew | |
|---|---|
| The Muppets character | |
 | |
| First appearance | The Muppet Show (episode 108)[1] |
| Created by | Jim Henson |
| Voiced by |
|
| Performed by | Dave Goelz (1976–present) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Muppet |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Doctor (Ph.D.)[1] |
| Occupation | Scientist, inventor |
| Nationality | American |
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew is a Muppet character from the sketch comedy television series The Muppet Show, created and performed by Dave Goelz. He is a bald, yellow-green skinned, bespectacled, lab-coated scientist who presented periodic science segments from "Muppet Labs, where the future is being made today." The character has no eyes, only completely transparent, lensless glasses, giving the appearance of a stereotypical absent-minded intellectual. Bunsen's experiments usually cause great harm to his very nervous and long-suffering assistant Beaker, a nearly mute Muppet with a shock of reddish hair.[2]
Bunsen's first name is derived from Robert Bunsen, after whom the Bunsen burner was named. His last name is a reference to the honeydew melon, which his head resembles, as well as to Honeywell Labs, a technology company which aired TV commercials ("That someday is today ... at Honeywell") well-known at the time of The Muppet Show.
Some of the inventions that were created and tested included: edible paper clips, all-purpose tenderizer, exploding hats, a gorilla detector, hair-growing tonic, a banana sharpener, a robot politician (played by Peter Ustinov), and an electric nose warmer. In response to the ancient quest of alchemy to turn lead into gold, Honeydew created a device that turned gold into cottage cheese. However, his various inventions and experiments almost always malfunction or backfire with Beaker being the victim.
- ^ a b Shemin, Craig (2014). Disney's The Muppets Character Encyclopedia. New York: DK Publishing. p. 37. ISBN 9781465417480.
- ^ Wolk, Josh; Jon Defreest (9 November 2011). "See Beaker's Secret, Pre-Bunsen Honeydew Past". Vulture. Archived from the original on 18 September 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2013.