Swedish Chef: Meatballs

The Swedish Chef attempts to make Swedish meatballs in his kitchen, but discovers they are unusually springy. After bouncing them around on the counter, he grabs a tennis racket and begins serving the meatballs into the audience. Statler volleys one back from the balcony, with Waldorf calling out "Fifteen, love!" — ending the sketch in the usual chaotic Muppet fashion.

This is the debut appearance of The Swedish Chef on The Muppet Show (he previously appeared on the 1975 pilot special "The Muppet Show: Sex & Violence"). Jim Henson operated the Swedish Chef's head/mouth while Frank Oz controlled the hands using his own real hands, often surprising Henson in the process. The "bouncing meatballs" recipe was later reused in the 1979 special "The Muppets Go Hollywood". The sketch was uploaded to YouTube by user "Tom C" on April 16, 2006 and has accumulated over 7.6 million views. The Swedish Chef speaks in mock-Swedish gibberish, not actual Swedish. Episode 102 was filmed as a pilot episode in January 1976, several months before regular production began; it was later reworked before broadcast.