Top SNL Characters of the 90s

“Once upon a very not long time ago, Saturday Night Live had character - make that characters.” I miss it. I really do. I miss the 90’s SNL with a plethora memorable characters consistently present throughout seasons. It was a great time to be a part of the comedy business. The competition to get on air and create new comic icons/catchphrases was ferocious with the caliber of talent on the scene. Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Molly Shannon, Will Ferrell, to name a few, were no doubt the major leaguers of comedy in the 90’s. Without further adieu, here’s a tribute to those heavy hitters of ha ha whose SNL character legacies will live on forever. Mango “Can you say to a rainbow… ‘Hey, stop being a rainbow for a second’?  No! Such is Mango.” I sense a trend of absurdly effeminate male characters. The flamboyance of Mango’s gold lame shorts/spangled beret comes to mind, and I can’t seem to get “Missing” by Everything But The Girl outta my head. One pat on his butt is all it took to hook his (mostly) male admirers in a Mango trance. The Gap Girls “Just cinch it!” Could the line-up in this sketch BE any more comically talented? The triple threat of Farley, Sandler and Spade is already a no brainer, but then you throw dressing in drag into the mix + hysterical scenarios of wrongly steering Gap customers into poor fashion choices, and you’ve got a winning combo. Church Lady “Well, isn’t that special?“ I know she started in the late 80’s, but I couldn’t resist. Dana Carvey aka Enid Strict looked so much like a Church Lady I sometimes couldn’t discern between the two. “God’s special servant” was a hoot; starting off innocently in one of many Church Chats and inevitably leading into in a holier-than-though tirade about her guest’s alleged sins. The catchphrases from this famous churchgoer were endless. Pat This SNL fave of indeterminable gender provided hours of laughter in the 90’s, and one of the many whose role spawned a terrible movie. “It’s Pat” really says it all - was she a she or a he, did she/he like boys or girls?  Some of us were amused by ‘it’, while others not so much. Either way, you simply can’t deny the entertainment factor. Azrael Abyss, Prince of Sorrows “Stay out of the daylight!” Goth Talk was magical in a suburban teen angst sort of way, particularly the high-pitched voice and frequent hissing of the master poseur himself, Azrael. Though he was the star of the sketch, we cannot forget about the clutch role played by his co-host Circe Nightshade (Molly Shannon).  In the end they were always exposed in their parent’s garage by jock bro Jim Breuer, ruining the goth mood. Jack Handey “Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died from tuberculosis.” I remember early on in college when it was cool to have an automatic Jack Handey quote generator in your AIM profile.  I’ve outdated myself.. At any rate, Jack Handey’s hilariously random one-liners were so popular they remained as an interstitial segment between sketches from ‘91-’98. Mary Katherine Gallagher “Sometimes, when I get nervous, I put my fingers under my arms, and then smell them like this…” This one takes the cake for awkwardness/social ineptitude which, let’s be honest, is ALWAYS entertaining as long as it’s happening to another person.  Her mood swings were uncanny, one minute calm and the next a complete disaster. The sniffing of her hands after she put them in the armpits was uncomfortable slash hilarious, and don’t forget her little habit of flashing her undies accidentally on purpose. Superstar!!!! Leon Phelps I think this pretty much sums up the Ladies Man: “What is love? What is this longing in our hearts for togetherness? Is it not the sweetest flower? Does not this flower of love have the fragrant aroma of fine, fine diamonds? Does not the wind love the dirt? Is not love not unlike the unlikely not it is unlikened to? Are you with someone tonight? Do not question your love. Take your lover by the hand. Release the power within yourself. Your heard me, release the power. Tame the wild cosmos with a whisper. Conquer heaven with one intimate caress. That’s right don’t be shy. Whip out everything you got and do it in the butt.”  By Leon Phelps Roxbury Guys “You wanna dance?  What’s up?” “What is Love” by Haddaway will never be the same since Doug and Steve Butabi entered the scene with their unison head bobbing. Sportin’ their rayon suits, the Butabi’s perfectly captured “those guys”, particularly their unfortunate behavior towards ladies in the club including the unnecessary sandwich + gyration. Though hilarious to watch, their approach never elicited a positive response. Matt Foley “I live in a VAN down by the RIVER!” Matt Foley was a spectacular trainwreck to watch.  He was clumsy, obnoxious, and down on his luck - the polar opposite of a motivational speaker. I loved when he would get all pumped up while trying to illustrate a point in his story with exaggerated gestures and then end up destroying a piece of furniture in the process. Although his speeches would backfire, they were successful in that no one wanted to end up like him, thrice divorced and living in a van down by the river. Spartan Cheerleaders “Where’s Bobby Fisher? I dunno, I dunno….” Arianna and Craig were amazing on SO many levels.  Their formula of social cluelessness + awkward cheerleading routines was somethin’ special, forcing them out of football games where the real cheerleaders ruled and into some of the more unusual school events like swim meets and chess matches. From “Roll Call” to the “Perfect Cheer”, this pair of pepsters kept us in stitches for the entire skit. Stuart Smalley “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it - people like me!” I wish I could find a doggone clip of “Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley”.  Leave it to SNL to perfectly cast this one and maximize the hilarity in spoofing people who are so obsessed with twelve-step programs they become addicted to going to therapy for addiction. Al Franken’s character was a fave for sure during the 90s, and like a few in this list inspired a spin-off movie (fail).