Beaker (Muppet) Bunsen, and Frank Welker provided Beaker's squeaky meeps. Beaker was performed by Kevin Clash in "The Muppet Show Live". An animated Beaker was also voiced by Richard Hunt, his usual performer during that period, when he appeared in the short lived "Little Muppet Monsters" series. Beaker's "meep" sound has become a well-known catchphrase, and is referenced in various media. In a 2004 Internet poll sponsored by the BBC and the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Beaker and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew were voted Britain's favourite cinematic scientists. They beat Mr. Spock, their closest rival, by a margin of two
The Muppets industry and popular culture in the United States, receiving recognition from various cultural institutions and organizations, including the American Film Institute, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, Library of Congress, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Muppets were created by puppeteer Jim Henson in the 1950s, beginning with Kermit the Frog, who would become Henson's most recognizable character. Originally conceived for an adult audience, Henson claimed, and later retracted, that he coined the term "Muppet" as a portmanteau of the words "marionette" and "puppet". In 1955, the Muppets were introduced in "Sam and Friends", a short-form television series