Chickens have been a part of the Muppet world since 1972, when the first group of Muppet chickens was created for the Tales From Muppetland special The Muppet Musicians of Bremen. They were precursors to the chickens from The Muppet Show, except they had slightly different eyes. T.R., one of the main characters, would later appear on The Muppet Show as well.
The Bremen chickens were used during the first and second seasons of The Muppet Show. In one episode, guest starring Rich Little, a bunch of real chickens were featured, auditioning for Gonzo's dancing chicken act. It was in this episode that Gonzo developed his obsession with chickens.
During the third season, some new chickens were built with more defined eyes. One of the chickens got the name Camilla and became Gonzo's girlfriend. (Although even Gonzo doesn't know which chicken is Camilla sometimes; they all look alike.)
A black rooster was added to the Muppet Show cast during the second season and a little chick during the third season. In one of the first episodes, guest starring Harvey Korman, a chicken suit was made for the guest star; it would later be used occasionally whenever a huge full-body chicken character was needed.
Sometime during the late 1970s, Sesame Street got its own group of chickens, only they are brown. Another difference from their Muppet Show counterparts is their rounded eyes and sharper beaks. However, the white Muppet chickens did make a few rare appearances on Sesame Street. A brown/black rooster was added later.
There is also a small white chicken on Sesame Street with big round eyes. One of its most notable appearances is in Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic. This chicken was later used in the Dutch co-production Sesamstraat as Stuntkip. The puppet became the recuring character Felix in 2021.
The Muppet chickens usually communicate with squawks, although they are known to speak at times.
The chickens are built without an eye mechanism. Instead, the Muppet builders found an alternative by giving some chickens one wide open eye and one 'relaxed' eye with eyelid; this way, the chicken could change emotions by quickly turning its head.
According to Kermit, "You have to treat the chickens pretty well because they've got a very tough union."[1]
Although Camilla is the only chicken with a regular name and personality, there have been instances where other generic chickens have been referred to by name.
In the audio commentary for "Bohemian Rhapsody," Gonzo mentions that the other two chickens in the video besides Camilla are named Ethel and Stephanie.
In the Muppets Now episode "Fever Pitch," Gonzo introduces, besides Camilla, fellow fowl Priscilla and Miss Stephens.
Sesame Street
In Sesame StreetEpisode 4215, members of the Mostly Poultry tee-ball team seek respite from a storm inside Hooper's Store; the names of the four brown chickens are revealed to be Henrietta, Patty, Teri(yaki), and Attila the Hen (Tilly). Henrietta had also appeared earlier in Episode 4127.
On Are You Smarter than an Egg Layer? in Sesame StreetEpisode 4179, the five chicken panelists are named Megan, Jennifer, Kyle, Brittany, and Tandoori.
Mrs. Featherbottom appears in The Furchester Hotel episode "Count Your Chickens" where she goes missing from a group of chicken tourists, and Elmo and Phoebe have to find her.
On Vine in 2013, Bert refers to a chicken as Emotional Chicken.
The 2020 reboot of Takalani Sesame includes Chicken, a brown chicken from the same model as on the American series.
In Sesame StreetEpisode 5228, Jennifer, a white chicken, helps Elmo welcome the viewer. At the Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard, Big Bird and Farmer Grover try to make a nesting box more comfortable for Big Bird's friend Lottie, a brown chicken, so she can lay an egg (or a "bawker's dozen" eggs).
In a Sesame Street in Communities video, "Take Your Child to Work Day," Grover takes a chicken named Harriet to work at the television station Elijah works at.
The Muppet Babies episode "Gonzo's Coop Dreams" introduces a trio of chicks called the Bad Eggs. Their leader, voiced by Ben Diskin, is named Patch, because she wears an eyepatch.
-S02E13-Gonzo%27sCoopDreams-BadEggs.png)
