Mahna Mahna

Mahna Mahna is a purple Muppet with wild, orange hair and a furry, green tunic who is most famous for performing the nonsense song "Mah Na Mah Na" with the Snowths. His vocabulary is essentially limited to saying his own name and scatting.
Mahna Mahna made his debut on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1969, where he sang "Mah Na Mah Na" for the first time. In a later appearance on the variety show, he played a drummer filling in for a violinist in a string quartet performing Beethoven's "Minuet in G Major." The scripts for that appearance,Jim Henon's Red Book 1/17/1971 – ‘Ed Sullivan Show – String Quartet’ as well as his stint in Nancy `71,Jim Henson's Red Book 8/22-25/1971 – ‘In L.A. to VTR Nancy S. Show. Also work w/Jerry on Bremen.’ refer to him as "Harry."
After reprising "Mah Na Mah Na" on several other variety shows, Mahna Mahna was featured in the very first episode of The Muppet Show, performing his signature song as opening number, dancing with Wanda in At the Dance, and popping up between Statler and Waldorf in their box. Also, in the pilot version of the episode, he made an additional appearance, surprising guest star Juliet Prowse after her conversation with Kermit backstage. Although he was also featured prominently in episode 102, appearing again in At the Dance and "Sax and Violence", most of Mahna Mahna's future appearances on the show would be in the background or in the audience of The Muppet Theatre. (In episode 122, he is the last spectator leaving the room when the entire audience goes away during Fozzie's comedy act.) However, he joined the chorus of Muppet Show main characters in the final number of Rudolf Nureyev in episode 213. He was also a ukulele player in "It's a Small World" in episode 317. 
After a long absence, Mahna Mahna appeared at The Muppet Show Live at MuppetFest. Here, he was puppeteered by Bill Barretta lip-syncing to Jim Henson's vocals; at one point, the character left the theater to go to a fast food restaurant. Barretta assumed the role, providing both puppetry and voice for Mahna Mahna in his first original speaking role since Henson's death, in the 2005 "Bandanana" commercial for the Australian charity CanTeen. In this appearance, the puppet had brighter colors and softer features than previous incarnations. Mahna Mahna, alongside the Snowths, made cameos in the Muppet viral video for "Bohemian Rhapsody," and have reprised "Mah Na Mah Na" in their appearances on Good Morning America, The Muppets, and the concert Jim Henson's Musical World.
Palisades Toys released a mini figure of Mahna Mahna, and also had plans for an action figure. In 2012, Funko released a vinyl figure of Mahna Mahna. In summer of 2017, Diamond Select Toys included Mahna Mahna in an action figure set with Rowlf the Dog and Crazy Harry. 
==Bip Bippadotta==
"Mah Na Mah Na" was also performed on the first season of Sesame Street by an Anything Muppet, identified on most album releases by the same name as the song (retaining the original spelling). The character is credited as "Bip Bippadotta" on the album Every Body's Record. Although the character would evolve to look more like Mahna Mahna over the years, the characters have generally been considered completely separate entities. Where Mahna Mahna tends to solely communicate in grunts and scatting, for example, Bip Bippadotta has a number of songs where the character speaks standard English.
==Notes==
* An oversized version of Mahna Mahna was built for the Nancy `71 stage show; the same puppet can be seen in the crowd of Muppet monsters in The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years.
==Filmography==
*The Ed Sullivan Show ("Mah Na Mah Na," "Minuet in G Major")
*The Dick Cavett Show
*This Is Tom Jones
*Pure Goldie
*Nancy `71
*Movin' with Nancy: Nice 'n' Easy
*The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence
*The Muppet Show
**"The Muppet Show Theme" (Seasons 2-5)
**Episode 101: Juliet Prowse ("Mahna Mahna," At the Dance with Wanda)
**Episode 102: Connie Stevens (At the Dance with Miss Mousey, "Sax and Violence")
**Episode 103: Joel Grey (Audience)
**Episode 106: Jim Nabors (Audience)
**Episode 114: Sandy Duncan (Audience)
**Episode 115: Candice Bergen (Audience)
**Episode 119: Vincent Price (Audience)
**Episode 122: Ethel Merman (Audience)
**Episode 208: Steve Martin
**Episode 213: Rudolf Nureyev (Backstage and final number)
**Episode 308: Loretta Lynn
**Episode 312: James Coco
**Episode 317: Spike Milligan ("America", "It's a Small World")
*Peter Alexander präsentiert Spezialitäten #11
*The Muppet Movie ("The Rainbow Connection" Finale)
*The Muppets Take Manhattan (Wedding Finale)
*The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
*The Muppet Show Live
*CanTeen "Bandanana" commercial
*Muppets Ahoy!
* Muppet viral videos
**"Bohemian Rhapsody"
*The Muppet Show Theme Music Video
*The Muppets (film)
*Orange commercial
*Good Morning America
*Kermit's Party
*Muppets Most Wanted
*The Muppets (series)
**"Because... Love"
*The Muppets Take the Bowl
*The Muppets Take the O2
==Book appearances==
*The Muppet Show Annual 1977
*The Muppet Show Book
*Jim Henson's Muppet Show activity book
*The Muppet Show Comic Book Issue #4 - Miss Piggy's Story
*Muppet Robin Hood Issue #3
*The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson Issue #2: You May Meet a Stranger
*Muppet King Arthur Issue #2
*Muppet Snow White
*The Muppets Character Encyclopedia
==See also==
*Bip Bippadotta
*"Mah Na Mah Na" (song)
*Mahna Mahna Through the Years
==Sources==
__NOWYSIWYG__
Mahna Mahna
Mahna Mahna
Category:The Muppets Characters
Category:The Muppets (2015) Characters