Big Mean Carl is a shaggy monster who continues the proud tradition of Muppet characters with voracious appetites. On Muppets Tonight, Carl's stage name would change slightly from appearance to appearance, always starting with "Carl the Big Mean" but usually ending with a different appellation depending on what kind of act he was performing. But the acts, which ranged from Bagpipe-Eater to Ventriloquist, were usually just a cover for Carl's real intentions: to eat another character.