The Muppet universe frequently requires large numbers of one-shot characters. Thanks to the enormous library of puppets at the Muppet team's disposal, this end is frequently met by passing a minor or background character (sometimes one from a different series) to another performer and giving it a new name and personality.

Sometimes the puppet is identical from situation to situation (as with Joe the Armadillo from Kermit's Swamp Years and Annette from Bear in the Big Blue House); sometimes it is simply re-costumed (The Muppet Show's Shakey Sanchez became Princess Lulabelle on Mopatop's Shop through the addition of a hat and dress); and sometimes the puppet itself is modified (Taminella Grinderfall's fang was removed and hair was added when she became Tommy in commercials for Kern's Bakery).

The concept is taken to its logical extreme in the Anything Muppets, Whatnots, and Unisaurs, who are endlessly recycled as different characters and frequently have changeable facial features.

Puppets passed around in this manner occasionally acquire stable identities when the right combination of performer and writer comes along. Snarl, the Cigar Box Frackle, was an unimportant character from The Great Santa Claus Switch, but that puppet rose to stardom when recycled as a Muppet Show performance artist named Gonzo. Similarly, the Wheel-Stealer puppet used for the Wheels, Crowns and Flutes commercial was recycled into Sesame Street's famous Cookie Monster, while an ancillary red monster that was passed around from performer to performer finally found a stable identity as Sesame Street's ultra-popular Elmo.

Recycled Puppets[]

Note: All Muppets are sorted in alphabetical order

• Alarm Clock Bird, Arthur, and Birdie
• Alfonso D'Bruzzo and Polly Wanna Cracker
• Alfred Duck, Duck Clark, Mallard Capone, and Mr. Quackmore
• Anthony, Dusty the Dustman, and Professor Hugh Mungous
• Aretha and Huffy Monster
• Baby Cookie Monster and Cookie Monster's niece
• Ballerina Pig and Sweetums Pig
• Barry the Honeybee and two bees on Mopatop's Shop, and Sesame Street.
• Beautiful Day Monster and Crown-Grabber
• Begoony, Clicksnizz, Pippa Pepper, and Granny Rose
• Benny Rabbit and Angsthaas
• Benny the Bat and Leah the Fruit Bat
• Betty Lou, Helen Happy, and Lucy Jones
• Big Head, Opera Singer, and The Blimp
• Big Mean Carl, Carla the Big Mean Mom, Chairman Blodgett, and the Grox
• Big Old Bullfrog and Bufo the Toad
• Big V and Shrinkenstein
• Billy and Sue and The RX Twins
• Blustering Bellowpane Monster, Mergie, Singalotti, and Green Monster
• Boo Monster and Flunky
• Bug, Jitterbug, and Bill the Bug
• Bugsy Them and Bruno
• Bunnie Bear and Max Bear
• Butch, Joseph, Mrs. Tiger, and Tungar
• Captain Woof, Dermot, and Fidget
• Carina the Ballerina and Karli
• Carter, Faversham, the 10th Old Man, and Miss Cartier
• Chuck the Lion, Malcolm the Lion, Lazlo, and Lydon the Lion
• Clarissa, Loni Dunne, and Denise
• Dog, Undercover Rover, and Hugo
• Dooley the Armadillo, Annette, Joe the Armadillo, and Mr. Dillo
• Elder of the Nertron Galactic Federation and Bocktoo Zones
• Featherstone and The Queen
• Flora the Koala, Guy, Kevin Koala, and Boris the Bath Buddy
• Flower-Eating Monster and Flatcap Frankie
• Food and Zsa Zsa Porkmustard
• Gills Brothers and The Gargles
• Gnu, Frankie the Wildebeest, King Gnu, Galloping Gordon
• Grouch Ice Cream Customer, Sharon Groan, and Dan Rather-not
• H. Ross Parrot and Poco Loco
• Hector the Spider Monkey and Mickey the Monkey
• Hillary the Owl, Timothy the Owl, and Omar the Owl
• Large Chicken, Super Chicken, Jack Black Chicken, and others in Sesamstrasse
• Humphrey and Potto
• Icky No-No, Mo Momo, Young Monster, Pappy Popper, and Ginorman
• Inner Tube drummer and North York
• Jackie the Orangutan and Lawrence the Orangutan
• Jacques Roach and Yves St. La Roache
• Kasey the Kangaroo and Sheila the Kangaroo
• Kenner Gooney Bird, Little Bird, Turbo Theo, Hickory Dickory Duck, and Mats
• Khadoosa and Swampy
• King Goshposh, King Louie, and King Rupert the Second
• Kirby and Jeffy and Andy and Randy Pig
• Lance and Buster the Horse
• Spank and Yeager
• Leapovitch the Frog and Mavis the Frog
• Lenny the Gorilla, Gilda the Gorilla, Mary the Gorilla, and Monty
• Lenny the Lizard, Guy, Wendell Wizard, and a snail
• Leo and J.P. Braithwaite
• Leon and Gingrich the Newt
• Lindbergh and Clive the Kiwi
• Lois and Milton the Blue-Footed Booby
• Luncheon Counter Monster, Coach Gruesome, Fierce Monster, and Sea Monster
• Lyle the Dog, Colonel Claghound, and All-Dog Network Announcer
• Mad Dog and Bowser
• Magda, Roley Moley, and Miss Leaf
• Mary Louise, Hippie, and Grump
• Maurice Monster, Clem, Boso, Kermit the Gorf, and Elmo Monderporg
• Merlin's Assistant and the Girl Pirate
• Miss Kitty and Thudge McGerk
• Mona Monster, Frieda, Juliet, and Ingrid
• Monica the Musk Ox, Mr. Yak, and Zak the Yak
• Morton the Beaver, Jacques the Beaver, and Winky
• Henrietta Vanderpreen and Lydia the Ostrich
• Mudwell the Mudbunny, Wally, Mr. Hoofit, Flash Harry, and Rudy Monster
• Mulch and Composta Heap
• Murray, Mr. Seed, Gloop, Ms. Trekker, Dotty Monster, and Brian
• Narf, Yoyo, Sorbet, and Phil
• Paul the Pelican and Carol Croon
• Pavlov the Pug Dog and Piddles
• Penelope the Yellow-Footed Tortoise, Jeremiah Tortoise, Hephaestus Tortoise, and others in Henson Alternative
• Philo, Mabel, and Magic Teeny
• Poison Cackler and Jo Beth Garfdoohoo
• Preston Rabbit, Reiner Sauberhasi, Knut Köffelström, Henry, Hase Spielhaus, Armin, Hugo Räumlich, and Hasi Himmelglück
• Prime Minister, Fred, and the mad scientist from Shrinkenstein
• Priscilla the Honeypossum and Small Bear in the Big Blue House possum
• Pterodactyl and Pteranodon
• Quongo, Mansell Monkey, and Miss Corner
• Randall the Zebra and Ice Station Zebra
• Roxie Marie and Griotte
• Shakey Sanchez and Princess Lulabelle
• Shelley the Turtle, Jiffy, and Seymour
• Shirley and a Snark
• The Snail, Alicia the Snail, and Simon the Snail
• Snarl and Gonzo
• Snivelly, Droop, Abel, Nincompoop, Zeke and Ziggity Zest
• Snook and Stinky the Skunk
• Snorty, Ollie, Trevor, and Miss Poogy
• Socks the Cat and Frecklehead
• Spamela Hamderson and Denise (presentation pilot only)
• Statler and Astoria
• Stiller the Elf and Doctor Two
• Stunt Chicken, Stuntkip, Darth Chicken, Little Chicken, and Felix
• Swifty the Cheetah and Bradley
• Taminella Grinderfall and Tommy
• Telly Monster and The Two-Headed Monster's Mother
• Terri Springer and Mrs. Flibbertigibbet
• The Beast and Rude Dude
• Big Bad Wolf and Jackman Wolf
• The Birthday Bird and The White-Tufted Floozle Bird
• Tug Monster, Do Re Mi Monster, Musician, and Marvin Mudmaker
• The Christmas Turkey and Mr. Warble
• Vicki and Scary Mary
• Victor the Rattlesnake, Kiki the Rattlesnake, and Rex the Rattlesnake
• Watson and Moe Cocker
• Wheel-Stealer and Cookie Monster
• Winny and Claudia Bird
• Wolfhound, Bubba the Bartender, and Scratch McCollie
• Wolfram Wolf and Piratenkapitän Wolfdietrich Säbelmeier
• Yorick and Palace Guard
• Zondra and Darci