Origin of Animal

.. During performances, Animal is usually chained to the drum set, as his musical outbursts are extremely violent. He usually speaks in grunts and monosyllables, and has a violent temper. Animal bowls overhand. He has been depicted as a literal skirt-chaser . He also chases cars. . Fans of The Who's drummer Keith Moon claim that the character of Animal was based on Moon, who was known for his wild antics. However, there is no evidence in the original sketches for the character that suggest that he was based on anybody in particular. Three of the other members of the Electric Mayhem were created by Muppet designer Michael K. Frith,[1] and the sketches reproduced in the book Of Muppets and Men[2] show that they were based on famous musicians. Dr. Teeth is a cross between Dr. John and Elton John; Sgt. Floyd Pepper is based on the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album and Pink Floyd, and the original concept for Janice was a skinny, long-haired male character based on Mick Jagger. Animal, on the other hand, was designed by Jim Henson, and the rough sketch (also seen in Of Muppets and Men), but does bear a strange resembelance to the drummer Mick Fleetwood of the band Fleetwood Mac. A regular shtick is that when someone says a figure of speech to him, Animal turns to the audience, his eyes go wide and then he goes berserk taking it literally. For instance, Jim Nabors once gave the traditional theatrical good luck wish to Animal, "Break a leg," and Animal decided to indulge him by trying to break Nabors' leg. In the movie The Great Muppet Caper, it is revealed that Animal has a passion for impressionist paintings, especially those of Pierre-Auguste Renoir. To get into the Gallery, Kermit asks if Animal can quietly eat through the iron bars. Animal responds by saying "eat through bars ahhhhhhh" and then ripping the bars apart, making as much noise as possible. Ty Pennington commented that Animal had ADHD, when the character was appearing on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. This fact is disputable, as the appearance can easily be considered not part of the Muppets canon. Animal recently revealed a talent for Jazz, by appearing in a television advert for the Renault Clio car with French footballer Thierry Henry. Finally, due to an Electric Mayhem Performance on Star Search the bands drummer Animal had to be put down for a vicious attack on Ed McMahon after McMahon made fun of him.