Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Zondra

Today's article was written by Michael Wermuth, Jr. Photoshop work was once again done by the phenomenal Chris Stulz.

ZONDRA


Performed by...

Fran Brill (1989)
Leslie Carrara-Rudolph (1997-1998)

First appearance...
The Jim Henson Hour Episode 105: "First Show" (1989)

Most recent appearance...
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005)

Also known as...
Darci

Best known role...
Gorilla Television pirate station worker; Housemate on "The Real World Muppets"

WHO IS ZONDRA?
Zondra is among the crew of Gorilla Television, a station that despises popular television. Joined by a gorilla named Ubu and a nerdy technician named Chip, Zondra seems to be the leader of the group. In two episodes of The Jim Henson Hour, they interrupt the MuppeTelevision signals to showcase what they want broadcast, which includes a puppet act by Marc Weiner and forcing a TV consumer into watching commercials. Unfortunately for them, their taking over of the airwaves only lasts a few minutes, allowing the Muppets to continue with their show.

After The Jim Henson Hour was cancelled, Zondra wasn't seen again until the second season of Muppets Tonight, where she was part of the cast of the recurring segment "The Real World Muppets." In these segments, she was renamed Darci and was an aspiring songwriter and poet. Her terrible songs focused on her hatred of men, bears, and rats--offending her roommates Clifford, Bobo, and Rizzo. As Rizzo once said, "We had to tell her that her songwriting was good. She threatened to read us her poetry." All but one of "The Real World Muppets" segment were not featured in the original United States broadcasts, limiting her exposure on the show to US audiences.

After Muppets Tonight, Zondra made silent background cameos in Muppets From Space and The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, and hasn't been seen since.

Why Do The Muppets Need Zondra?
Well, there aren't many female Muppets, and she is a fairly tough female character. Her goth attire may very well appeal to today's goth audiences. Although she was never exactly portrayed as a villain, she and her Gorilla Television crew could very well pass off as villains or anti-Muppets in the same way the Moopets do.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com