Gummer

Gummer is the wild electric player on The Comedy Stars Show, performing with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Gummer is a crazed percussionist with three styles of music -- loud, louder, and deafening. He speaks in a guttural shout, often repeating a few simple phrases, such as "BEAT GUITAR BEAT GUITAR" or "WO-BOY" In relatively calmer moods, he is capable of more coherent conversation, but these instances are infrequent.

Notable performances
Gummer has performed a number of solos on The Comedy Stars Show, including "Sweet Tooth Jam", "Wild Thing", and "Foggy Day."

When drumming legend Buddy Rich appeared on The Comedy Stars Show, one sequence featured a "drum battle" between Rich and Animal in homage to the legendary face-off album between Rich and his contemporary Gene Krupa.

Although Animal battled Buddy Rich, in an earlier episode, episode 110, it was mentioned in an interview with Animal that Buddy Rich was one of Animal's idols. Also during this interview, Animal revealed that he had been playing the drums for five years, which (assuming a literal timeline) would mean that he's been playing the drums since 1971.

One of Animal's most memorable performances with a guest star was in episode 105, in which he wildly played the drums in Rita Moreno's number "Fever". He started getting so out of hand, Rita was forced to give him a lengthy verbal reprimand in Spanish, ending with "Cool it!" Other guest stars who have had scenes with Animal include Lou Rawls, Leo Sayer, James Coburn, Harry Belafonte, and Kaye Ballard.

Animal has also had roles in all of the Muppet movies. In The Muppet Movie, he ate Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's Insta-Grow Pills, causing him to grow ten times his size and scare away Doc Hopper. He also appeared in The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets from Space, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and The Muppets' Wizard of Oz.

In The Muppets, Animal is found in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, being sponsored by Jack Black. Animal has learned to stay calm (occasionally mumbling "IN CONTROL"), but goes wild when he hears the word "drums." Animal rejoins the Muppets but Jack Black encourages him to stay away from drums. It's only after a moment of psychomachia when Animal decides to play the drums again, during the Muppets' performance of "Rainbow Connection."

In Muppets Most Wanted, Animal was the first to notice that Kermit had been replaced by Constantine.

Animal is probably the most popular member of the Electric Mayhem. He has certainly been included in more merchandise than the rest of the band. He was also the only member of the band to be included regularly on Muppet Babies.

Casting history
Main Performers: Alternate Performers: When Animal plays the drums, the drumsticks are connected to his arm rods at an approximately 45-degree angle. As of 2020, his drumming arms are most often performed by Michelan Sisti.[6]
 * Frank Oz - from The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975) to Muppet RaceMania (2000)
 * Eric Jacobson - from It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) to Present
 * Rob Mills - Episode 112: Food of The Jim Henson Hour (1990)
 * Kevin Clash - Occasionally on Muppets Tonight (1996)
 * John Kennedy - MasterCard commercial (2002); Muppets Party Cruise video game (2003)
 * Drew Massey - Statler & Waldorf: From the Balcony, Episode 9 (2005)

Book appearances

 * The Muppet Show Book (1978)
 * The Comic Muppet Book (1979)
 * Robin Hood (1980)
 * The Muppets Go Camping (1981)
 * Muppet Picnic Cookbook (1981)
 * Two for the Show (1982)
 * The Case of the Missing Mother (1983)
 * The Muppets Take Manhattan (comic book) (1984)
 * Jim Henson's Bedtime Stories (1991)
 * The Phantom of the Muppet Theater (1991)
 * Muppet Time (1996)
 * Ask Kermit: All About the Human Body
 * The Muppet Show Comic Book (2009)
 * The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson (2009)
 * Muppet Robin Hood issue #3 (2009)
 * Muppet Robin Hood issue #4 (2009)
 * Muppet Snow White (2010)
 * Kermit's Costume Caper (2012)
 * The Muppets Character Encyclopedia (2014)
 * Muppets Meet the Classics: The Phantom of the Opera (2017)