Mr. Poodlepants is an oddball character who first appeared on Muppets Tonight. He is a jolly fellow with an eccentric fashion style and an off-the-wall sensibility. His fluttery voice and clownish manner were based on comedian Ed Wynn.
His most prominent appearance was in the Eagle's Nest sketch in episode 103, in which an exasperated Sam the Eagle served as his comic foil. In episode 211, he conducted the Mormon Tabernacle Penguins in a rendition of the "Hallelujah Chorus" until the penguins got into a fight, causing the act to end early.
According to Jim Lewis a planned running gag for the character was dropped:
“Here’s my favorite part of Mr. Poodlepants: like the Swedish Chef, he’s a live-hands puppet performed by two performers. So one performer is doing the left hand and the head, and the other performer is doing the right hand. Okay, stay with me. On Mr. Poodlepants’ right hand was a puppet named Clownie. When Mr. Poodlepants had Clownie on his right hand, everything was swell. Clownie was Mr. P’s pal. But when Clownie came off the right hand, the right hand became Mr. Hand (performed by the second performer). And Mr. Hand thought Mr. Poodlepants was a nutcase (and not without reason). Inevitably, Mr. Poodlepants would have to send Mr. Hand to “The Pit” (i.e. his armpit). Oh, the fun we could’ve had with this. But, alas, perhaps it was before its time – or perhaps I need a long, long rest.[1]”
Although the hand-puppet concept didn't make it to the show, The Muppets Character Encyclopedia mentions that Mr. Poodlepants has had many of his own children's shows with Clownie, which always get canceled after only a few episodes.
In Muppets from Space, Mr. Poodlepants can be seen in the role of Kap'n Alphabet on the box of Kap'n Alphabet Cereal. There was going to be a scene with Mr. Poodlepants as Kap'n Alphabet which wasn't in the final version of the film, as Steve Whitmire once stated in a pre-Muppets from Space interview that he was going to perform this role in the movie.[2] In Muppets from Space: The Junior Novelization, the Kap'n Alphabet character had a speaking role during a scene that took place in C.O.V.N.E.T..
Poodlepants appeared in the "Cirque du So Lamé" sequence in It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie wearing a mask and tossing Christmas ornaments. He appeared in illustrated form as Yankee Doodle in the coloring book Great Muppets in American History, and briefly in Muppet Snow White auditioning for the part of Dopey.
