The Great Gonzo is one of the major characters from the television series The Muppet Show. He is an odd-looking, unidentifiable alien creature with blue fur and a long crooked nose. He takes pride in his uniqueness and enjoys everything that he does, no matter how painful or ill-advised it may be. As one of the main characters from the show, he appeared in almost every Christmas special featuring the Muppets since the late 1970s.
Appearances in Christmas specials
The Great Santa Claus Switch
Long prior to The Muppet Show, Gonzo originated as Snarl, one of Cosmo Scam's henchmen in The Great Santa Claus Switch. In one scene, he pops out of a cigar box to hand Cosmo Scam his cigar. Later, he appears in Santa Claus's workshop as one of the Frackles who take the Elves' place. Snarl is the only Frackle who asks Santa for a present at the beginning of the special - a baseball mitt.
The Muppets
Gonzo singing "Good King Wenceslas" in A Muppet Family Christmas.
In John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together, Gonzo sings along in the chorus of most of the songs, including "The Twelve Days of Christmas", with his line of course being "Three French Hens". He also has a close call with the volatile Miss Piggy during "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" when the porcine-correct diva mistakes his request for figgy pudding as "piggy pudding".
In A Muppet Family Christmas, Gonzo must keep his beloved chicken Camilla from the clutches of the smooth-talking Christmas Turkey. The Turkey ends up making Gonzo so mad, he happily lets the Swedish Chef deal with him. In the caroling medley at the end of the special, Gonzo leads the group in singing "Good King Wenceslas".
Gonzo as Charles Dickens in The Muppet Christmas Carol.
The Muppet Christmas Carol marked Gonzo's most prominent role in the Muppets' Christmas productions. Here, he is the story's "omniscient" narrator, claiming to be none other than Charles Dickens himself, a claim that his friend Rizzo the Rat finds dubious, to say the least. He and Rizzo are often on the set while the action is taking place, sometimes getting the worst of it, especially Rizzo. In one instance, Gonzo actively corrects a flubbed line from Sam the Eagle, who, in his patriotic fervor, forgot that the story takes place in Britain. Gonzo and Rizzo decide to wait out the sequence featuring the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come as it gets too scary, but promptly return after Scrooge wakes up Christmas morning.
Gonzo and Rizzo exchange gifts at the beginning of It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie.
Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat introduced the Cratchit Family Bob Cratchit (Kermit), Emily Cratchit (Piggy) and Tiny Tim Cratchit (Robin) sing It Feels Like Christmas in the 1992 [christmas-specials.wikia.com/wiki/Holiday_Greetings_from_the_Ed_Sullivan_Show Holiday Greetings from The Ed Sullivan Show].
At the beginning of It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, Gonzo is seen exchanging gifts with Rizzo at the Muppet Theater's Christmas party. In a reference to The Gift of the Magi, Rizzo reveals that he sold his collection of rare cheese to buy a crystal petri dish for Gonzo's mold collection, but Gonzo sold his mold collection to buy Rizzo a diamond-tipped cheese slicer. Later in the movie, Gonzo is shown to be among those whose lives are worse off in the alternate world where Kermit had never been born. In the alternate reality, it is shown that Gonzo would have ended up becoming a depressed street performer who plays guitar accompaniment for a dancing brick (which ironically does not dance at all).
Gonzo plays another major role in A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa. Here, his mistake in not sending the letters and his determination to make it right drive much of the plot. Accompanied by Kermit, Fozzie, Rizzo, and Pepe, Gonzo travels to the North Pole in an attempt to deliver the letters to Santa Claus.
Gonzo's most recent appearance in a Christmas special was Lady Gaga & the Muppets' Holiday Spectacular.