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Rats

The Rats were often seen scuttling around The Muppet Theatre on The Muppet Show. Their unofficial leader is Rizzo the Rat.

The first Muppet rats were built out of plastic bottles by Don Sahlin for the 1972 special The Muppet Musicians of Bremen. Those puppets were used later for The Muppet Show. They were redesigned and refurbished for future use.

Individual Rats

Creature Shop Rats

Groups

Filmography

Rats' roles

The rats, like the pigs, are all-purpose utility players in Muppet productions. Apart from just hanging around and being rat-like, these rodents have often taken on specific collective roles or portrayals. Some are traditional to the species, while others cast them against type.

Picture Role / Production Notes
Judges
The Muppet Show episode 412
The judges for the Fred Awards turn out to be a couple of rats.
Bellhops
The Great Muppet Caper
The rats are employed at the Happiness Hotel. Rizzo the Rat is the lead bellhop.
Waiters/kitchen staff
The Muppets Take Manhattan,
The Jim Henson Hour episode 112
and The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora
Rizzo works at Pete's Luncheonette and later brings in Yolanda, Tatooey, Chester, and Masterson. When customers complain about rats bringing the food, Pete has them cook and wash dishes instead. They also worked at a restaurant in a sketch on The Jim Henson Hour, where Link Hogthrob reviews the food at a restaurant managed by Jacques Roach, and in several episodes of The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora.
Bookkeepers
The Muppet Christmas Carol
The rats serve as Scrooge's bookkeeping staff, with non-rat Bob Cratchit as chief clerk.
Tourists
Muppet Treasure Island
Rizzo books the Hispaniola as a cruise ship to his fellow rodents. Only Mr. Plagueman is named.
Surf Rats
Muppet Beach Party
The rats are a group of beach fanciers who provide backing vocals. Two of them appear in the liner notes.
Stage crew
Muppet Classic Theater
Rats oversee the lights, props, curtain, and other technical aspects.
The Rats' Patrol
Muppets Tonight episode 104
WWII era soldiers fighting the enemy cheese under the command of their human Sarge. Includes Rizzo and Indiana.
NBC crew
Today
Katie Couric announces that Today gave their crew the day off to recover from New Year's celebrations and that a series of rats are filling in. Joey Mazzarino plays a rat camera operator and "Al Rodent" (filling in for Al Roker), and Stephanie D'Abruzzo plays a rat NBC page.
Lab rats
Muppets from Space
Test subjects at the C.O.V.N.E.T. laboratories. Rizzo is introduced to the inmates: Bubba, Fast Eddie, The Birdman, Troy, and Shakes.
Munchkins
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz
The cheerful, tiny, cute residents of Munchkinland who are not rats at all. Rizzo serves as their leader, and Bubba also appears.
TV control room staff
The Muppets Take Over Today
Aside from Pokey (the director) and Big Mean Carl (the "boss"), the Today show production staff are rats.

See also