Link Hogthrob Link Hogthrob is the blonde , cleft - chinned pig with a high opinion of himself on " The Muppet Show " . He debuted in the second season as the not - so - fearless captain of the Swinetrek , where his unbridled machismo was often a source of conflict with his co - star , First Mate Piggy . Unlike Dr . Julius Strangepork , whose role on " The Muppet Show " would be primarily relegated to the Pigs in Space sketches , Link would feature regularly both in the show ' s on stage acts and backstage mayhem . When numbers were consisted of assorted pigs , Link was usually with them . His singing talents were first featured in his second appearance , where he sang " I Talk to the Trees . " Other musical numbers included solos ( " Sonny Boy " ) , duets with Miss Piggy ( " La Ci Darem La Mano " ) , and group numbers ( " Sea Chantey , " " The Rhyming Song " ) . Link ' s bravado was often challenged by various scenarios . For example , in it is revealed that he wears a toupee and a girdle to bolster his vanity . Other times , he would drop his composure and call out to his mommy while sucking his thumb , such as in . Starting in the show ' s third season , Link was also featured as the police chief in the recurring " Bear on Patrol " sketches , where his dimwittedness was often the source of physical trauma to Patrol Bear . Link was later one of the few classic " Muppet Show " characters to be used in the Muppet Central control room on " The Jim Henson Hour " . His most notable appearance was in the episode " " where he believes that he has a disease called Canadian Snout Fever after reading a book of silly diseases and by coincidentally encountering a number of things related to the book ' s symptoms . Other notable appearances include " " ( where he tested the Response - O - Matic , a device used to change television programs based on what the viewers want ) , and " " ( in which he appeared in a sketch as a food critic at a restaurant ) . For a time after Jim Henson ' s death , Link was largely retired , appearing in occasional silent cameos such as in " The Muppet Christmas Carol " and " Muppet Treasure Island " . His few speaking roles included the video games " Muppet RaceMania " and " Muppets Party Cruise " , as voiced by Steve Whitmire . Whitmire continued to perform Link in his return to puppet form in " The Muppets " ( where he sang " Smells Like Teen Spirit " as a member of the Muppets Barbershop Quartet ) , and " Muppets Most Wanted " ( singing a verse in " Something So Right , " and conversing with Usher at the wedding ) . Link also appeared during the Muppets ' appearance on " QVC " . Link also appeared in " The Muppets Take the Bowl " concert , taking part in the live Pigs in Space sketch " The Suits Awaken , " where he was performed by Peter Linz . Linz also performed Link at the PuppetPalooza festival . An action figure of Link was produced in 2003 as part of Series 4 of Palisades Toys ' line of Muppet action figures . Behind the scenes . According to Brian Henson in one of his generic introductions for " The Muppet Show " , Link ' s voice was one that Jim Henson used in real life : Dave Goelz , who spent time in the Muppet Workshop in addition to performing , described Link ' s conception in a 2018 interview with " Splitsider " : Though Link was primarily a Live - Hand Muppet , a Hand - Rod Muppet was used occasionally on " The Muppet Show " . Sources . _ _ NOWYSIWYG _ _