Denise (Whatnot)

Denise is a Whatnot character first introduced in the 1992 Muppet Meeting Film, "Blinded By Research." She was initially performed by Julianne Buescher. In the short, Denise (from Marketing) and Dan pitch a new product to Big Head based on some dubious market research telling them the public would chose being poked in the eye with a sharp stick over boiling in oil. After their product fails, Denise nearly reaches a breakthrough by suggesting market research shouldn't wholly define the creative output of the company. She and the others quickly dismiss the notion and move onto marketing boiling oil. She, Dan, and Big Head returned in the subsequent short "How To End a Meeting," where Denise was instead performed by Camille Bonora. Following the Meeting Films, the puppet went on to be used as Clarissa on Muppets Tonight and Loni Dunne in From the Balcony, and made a background appearance as a Poppyfields patron in The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. In 2006, the puppet went by the name Denise once again and became a recurring character on the French series Muppets TV, voiced by Marco Duquenoy. She was featured in several sketch segments. When she played Denise Sideul in Les Experts Muppets (a CSI parody), she had black hair.