Elmo
The Muppet: The all-conquering star of Sesame Street who got his own section of the show and sold millions of toys - no wonder he can't stop referring to himself in the third person.
Muppet Magic: For years very much a background Muppet, today he's so ubiquitous that Sesame Street fandom calls him the "Little Red Menace" for shutting out the older, classic characters.
Greatest Moment: Becoming the first - to date, only - Muppet character to be named in a Muppet movie, Elmo in Grouchland .
Scooter
The Muppet: The 'gofer' who got stuff done backstage at the Muppet Theatre. Given how much went wrong, the only reason he kept his job is that his uncle owns the theatre.
Muppet Magic: Scooter's glasses are unusual in that they're actually his eyes. If he takes them off, he really is blind.
Greatest Moment: When the show is relocated to a train station, Scooter has to play M.C. when Kermit accidentally leaves on a train to Pittsburgh.
Dr Bunsen Honeydew
The Muppet: Eyeless boffin on 'Muppet Labs' whose inventions invariably cause harm to his hapless assistant, Beaker.
Muppet Magic: Bunsen presented solo during the first season of The Muppet Show .
Greatest Moment: Being crowned as the greatest cinematic scientist, ahead of Mr Spock, in a BBC poll, with a third of the vote.
Grover
The Muppet: Eternally optimistic Sesame Street resident who will try any job going if it means helping people, but who can't - sorry, cannot - use contractions.
Muppet Magic: John Landis performed Grover's cameo in The Muppet Movie .
Greatest Moment: Wearing a cape and a knight's helmet, Grover puts the world to rights - or tries to - as Super Grover.
Rizzo The Rat
The Muppet: Wise-cracking rodent who stepped up from scene-stealing background artist to fully-fledged icon thanks to his partnership with Gonzo.
Muppet Magic: If Gonzo shares his name with Raoul Duke's 'Doctor' in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas , Rizzo is named after another counter-cultural icon: Midnight Cowboy 's Ratso Rizzo.
Greatest Moment: Rizzo's first important role, helping out Kermit as a waiter in The Muppets Take Manhattan .
Sam The Eagle
The Muppet: The stern, traditional upholder of moral values on The Muppet Show . A censor, in other words.
Muppet Magic: The Muppets' most obviously satirical character, Sam was one of the characters created for the adult-oriented Muppet Show pilot, 'Sex and Violence.'
Greatest Moment: Mistaking Rudolf Nureyev for an opera singer, Sam is told he's really a ballet dancer. "Culture is culture," shrugs an unapologetic Sam.
Rowlf
The Muppet: The Muppet Show 's resident pianist, but also - thanks to playing Dr Bob in 'Veterinarian's Hospital' - a gifted comedian.
Muppet Magic: Although Kermit predated him, Rowlf was the Muppet who made the breakthrough to the mainstream thanks to his guest spots on The Jimmy Dean Show in the mid-Sixties.
Greatest Moment: While performing surgery on Kermit as Dr Bob, Miss Piggy announces he'll have her to account to if anything goes wrong.
"Good, I was wondering who was going to pay the bill," Rowlf quips back.
Cookie Monster
The Muppet: Me want cookie!
Muppet Magic: Jim Henson originally developed the Cookie Monster's design and character for an unaired 1966 General Foods commercial; his first actual appearance was in an IBM training film.
Greatest Moment: Faced with real-life rumours about becoming the Fruit Monster to placate the healthy eating lobby, the he insists he'd still have cookies for dessert.
Count von Count
The Muppet: Vampire mathematician whose dramatic summing-up always comes with thunder, lightning and a Teutonic "ha-ha-ha."
Muppet Magic: Inevitably, the Count is the Muppets' go-to guy for musical countdowns in compilation videos.
Greatest Moment: A mailman brings an unusually large numnber of letters to the castle. Turns out the Count has written them all to himself, so he count them.
Beaker
The Muppet: Perpetually abused lab assistant to Bunsen who has been shrunk, electrocuted and even lost his nose in the name of science.
Muppet Magic: The sidekick who eclipsed his star, Beaker didn't appear until Season 2 of The Muppet Show but has never looked back.
Greatest Moment: Going solo, and going viral, in Ode to Joy .
