The Swedish Chef puppet

The Swedish Chef is one of the best-loved Muppet characters, appearing in numerous film and television productions since his debut in 1975. The Swedish Chef speaks in a mock Swedish language which parodies the characteristic sounds of Scandinavian languages and occasionally includes an English word to help the viewer understand what he is attempting to do on screen. The Swedish Chef first appeared in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence which aired on ABC in 1975 and was one of two pilot episodes for The Muppet Show, where the Swedish Chef was a regular. Swedish Chef puppets like this one require two performers to operate. One person (originally Jim Henson) operates the head and performs the Chef's voice while another (originally Frank Oz) operates the two arms, with the performer's hands visible rather than inside puppet felt gloves as with other live hand puppets. This Swedish Chef puppet came to the museum with felt hands, suggesting that it may have been used for display or photography.

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