Dr Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker

The doctor is featured in many episodes of the muppetshow. You can often see him holding up his glasses to look at something or cleaning his glasses when in fact he has no eyes at all! This is probably the Nr1 running gag in the lab episodes. His world-altering inventions mostly end-up in Beeker , his able guinea-pig, being wounded.

His first name - Bunsen - derives from Robert Wilhelm Bunsen who lived in the 1800's. This German scientist is the inventor of the Bunsen Burner, a device anyone will remember from chemistry lessons.
His second name comes from the Honeydew Melon. So actually his name could be Bunsen Melonhead and the fact is that his head is actually shaped like a honeydew melon.

Honeydew is a graduate from Carnegie Melonhead University and is employed as an assistant to Dr. Pinhole Burns* who is the founder of the muppet labs. Here again you find a clear reference to the origin of his last name.

* pinhole burns are things you can commonly get when working in a lab. That's why they invented the labcoat.

Beaker is also well-known as Beeker, but the official muppetsite writes it as the former. If you ever stroll around on the internet check out the alternate spelling as well because it will yield just as many results.

Beaker's name is derived from the word beaker which is a type of glass container used in labs. It is used for experimenting just like muppet-Beaker.

In the episodes you can see Beaker get blown up, blown away, flown away, steam coming out of his ears, electrocuted, cloned and many more extreme results. Luckily he is a resilient muppet able to withstand the worst of experimentation and his IQ is low enough to participate in even more.

Episodes many people will remember are the one with the dozens of Beaker Clones and the episode where Beaker performed on stage. His MEE-MEE version of Feelings is hilarious. Luckily it is listed on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.

Beaker once got arrested for a #803 violation by Patrol Bear Fozzy. Violation #803 in the muppetworld is for making funny sounds in public.

BUNSONIUM
Professor Honeydew wants to know what the effects of the rare element Bunsonium is. Naturally he needs a Beaker to study it. After ingesting a gulp through a straw Beakers head loses it's structural integrity and becomes pudding-like.
Comment by Bunsen: "So that's what Bunsonium does"

CAFEINE
Exactly how much cafeine is TOO MUCH cafeine? After having Beaker drink a nearly lethal amount of coffee the results are clear when Beaker starts running around hyperactive with steam coming out of his ears.
Comment by Bunsen: "We did it! We've established just how much cafeine too much cafeine is"

COPYMACHINE A LA CARTE
Having lost Beaker as a guinea pig Dr Honeydew decides to show his Copymachine without realizing Beaker is actually IN the Copier. Results are dozens of Beakers raising havoc an entire muppetshow episode.
Comment by Bunsen to Beaker: "If the machine is broken I will have to deduct it from your salary"

BANANA MACHINE
This device is meant to help to store bananas and make them less dull. First it acts like a pencilsharpener and then a catapult can fire the bananas into a wall for easy storage. Ofcourse a petrified Beaker is in front of the target wall.
Comment by Honeydew: You can easily store a lot of bananas with this device"

GERM ENLARGER
The Germ enlarger is an agent that enlarges germs to massive proportions for easy studying. In the end Beaker is engulfed by the enlarged streptocochus.
Comment: "Now we an easily study the germ and the germ us"