The Letter R

Now me show you letter R/Letter R make sound like "ruh"/And me not going to eat it/But me really wish me were.

Rowlf

For all the failure of The Muppet Show, for when Fozzie tells a bad joke or Kermit can't keep the show together, there's Rowlf.

Rowlf was the first ever nationally well-known Muppet, appearing as a regular on The Jimmy Dean Show for 3 years. Rowlf and Jimmy would participate in a sketch that usually ended with a duet. In addition to spreading the word about the Muppets, Rowlf was one of the first chances for Jim Henson to develop an original character over a course of time and it also brought a steady source of income that helped him fund other projects.

Rowlf later moved on to the Muppet Theater to perform with his friends as the show's pianist, playing and singing solos and duets. He sometimes even sat in the pit with the orchestra and played with the Electric Mayhem. Other than his musical prowess, he was also an adept comedic actor, playing the role of Dr. Bob in Veterinarian's Hospital.

Before moving out to Hollywood, Rowlf was a piano player at The Terrace Restaurant where he first met Kermit, stood up for a date. Rowlf gives a depressed Kermit his motto "stay away from women," but he even can't follow that. To cheer him up, he performs a classic "can't live with em, can't live without em" tune called "I Hope That Something Better Comes Along."


He also once sang "What A Wonderful World" to a cocker spaniel puppy and it was the most adorable thing.


Rosita

Rosita es un monstruo peludo azul que habla español. In a pre-Dora The Explorer age, it was a rarity to teach another language to English speaking children, but even back in 1991 it was more or less becoming a necessity.

Enter Rosita, la Monstrua de las Cuevas(or Rosita, Monster of the Caves). Rosita was originally designed as a fruit bat, with giant swaths of fur beneath her as wings, but the idea was eventually scrapped. For three years, she presented the daily Spanish Word of the Day segment along with Luis, Maria, Gabi and, for whatever reason, Grover.

She has an extended family, including many cousins, her abuela(who only speaks Spanish). She also has a mama and papa. Her father, Ricardo, had served in the military and was disabled during his time in the service, leaving him in a wheelchair.

¡Rosita está muy buena!

Rizzo

How one rat from one episode of The Muppet Show became one of the major players in the Muppet repetoire is beyond me, but I'll be damned if Rizzo didn't make it.

Slowly turning into a frequent background character by the last season of The Muppet Show, Rizzo got his big break when Jerry Juhl paired Steve Whitmire's wise-ass rat with Gonzo in Muppet Christmas Carol. While Gonzo played Charles Dickens, appearing throughout the special as the narrator, Rizzo simply came along for the ride, stating that he was "here for the food."

Even since Muppet Christmas Carol, Gonzo and Rizzo have been partners in crime, frequently paired as best friends. Rizzo commonly playing foil to Gonzo's general weirdness.

He's a hardened rat with a thick New York accent and the best Steve Whitmire creation.

Roosevelt Franklin

Hail to thee our alma mama. Roosevelt Franklin...Elementary School (Elementary School!)!
Roosevelt Franklin was black. His skin may have been purple, but he was unequivocally, undeniably, and(most importantly) unapologetically black. Matt Robinson, writer and producer on Sesame Street(who also played the original Gordon), created and performed Roosevelt unlike any other Muppet. He was a streetwise, jive-talking kid who may not have been too cool for school, but was cool enough to have the school named after him and to teach his fellow classmates.

Roosevelt Franklin was a black kid in a black neighborhood with a black family and black friends. For all the Muppets children could look up to, Roosevelt gave black kids someone to look at and say "he's like me." He would scat and talk jive and taught his classmates about pride and respect and family. He was unafraid to be black. To be who he was. And he knew he was never going to give that up.

But sometimes things can't work out that way. Sometimes people can't find positivity in someone being themselves. By the end of the 70s Roosevelt Franklin was gone after being pushed off due to a series of letters complaining he was a negative stereotype. Sometimes things can be too much for people.

Godspeed, Roosevelt Franklin. You didn't land on Sesame Street, Sesame Street landed on you.

Robin

I've never been very tall. Anyone who knows me can tell you that. Sometimes it's really hard to go noticed when you're small and quiet and it can make you feel a little unappreciated, no matter how good of a person you are.

Robin, Kermit's young nephew, is a kind and incredibly clever little frog who frequently feels sad that his small stature leaves him hard to see. He originally starred in "The Frog Prince" as Sir Robin the Brave, a prince turned into a small frog who embarks on a quest to save a princess and regain his human form. Soon he joined the cast of The Muppet Show, initially as just a young frog, but was soon turned into Kermit's nephew in one special song.

When Robin was afraid nobody appreciated him, guest Bernadette Peters sang him a song called "Just One Person." The song was all about if one person believes in you and is there for you, other people will join and do the same. Eventually, before you know it, you'll believe in yourself, too.

On November 21, 1990, CBS aired The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson. Fozzie is charged by Kermit(through postcard) with putting on a show in honor of Henson, but none of the Muppets know who he is. Near the end of the show, the tribute contains whoopie cushions, Vikings and marching accountants until Fozzie finds a stack of letters addressed to Kermit. The letters all express condolences for Henson's death and then...then this happens.


Jerry Nelson has never been as noticed as Henson or Frank Oz or Kevin Clash(much like how Robin was always shadowed by his co-stars). He was usually relegated to playing high-voiced background characters(one of the few exceptions being Count Von Count), but Robin was always special. The young melancholy frog was always pure innocence