When Kristen Wiig first graced Saturday Night Live's stage in 2005, the show and my life were never the same again. Her comedic timing stunned me, her outrageous characters made me laugh until I cried and her theatrical range and commitment were unlike anything I had ever seen. My obsession was immediate and ever since the moment I saw her first sketch, I have been her biggest fan. Her list of comedic achievements are endless, both on and off SNL, but below are some major highlights of her SNL career. (Watching these sketches is highly, highly recommended).
10. Bjork (Weekend Update)
This kooky character who occasionally visits the Weekend Update desk is Wiig's impression of the famous Icelandic singer Bjork. "Iceland's most famous resident" talks about knitting a sweater for an octopus, paying for things with clouds instead of money and insists on calling Seth Meyers "Snarf."
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9. Judy Grimes (Weekend Update)
This character is Weekend Update's constantly nervous, uninformed travel expert. We watch her string together absurd, incoherent news stories that always end with a giggly "just kidding!"
8. Sue (Surprise Party)
This character can not handle surprises. When informed of a surprise party about to be thrown, or a secret about to be revealed, she is physically incapable of not spilling the beans, and does everything in her power, including smashing herself through walls and windows, to keep from telling the secret.
7. 1920s Party
Set at a party in the 1920s, this character begs her party guests "don't make me sing!" When in reality, the only person who wants her to sing is her.
6. Vonda (Super Showcase)
Beside her trusty sidekick Shonda (played by Maya Rudolf), this spokesmodel's job is to showcase a variety of bizarre prizes on a game show, including a lifetime supply of chicken. This character is notorious for the fact that Wiig could not keep it together and laughed throughout the entirety of the sketch.
5. Dooneese Merrell (Lawrence Welk Show)
Set on the "The Lawrence Welk Show," The Merrell Sisters are a singing quartet who sweetly sing of love and romance. But one of their sisters, Dooneese, is quite out of place with her high forehead and doll hands, singing off-key about eating squirrels and asking "is that bad?"
4. Mindy Gracin (Secret Word)
Mindy Gracin is an over-the-top, egotistical actress and a contestant on "The Secret Word" gameshow. She has starred in many off-off-off Broadway productions, including "Sassy Slacks of 1963" and "Eskimo Suzy and the Igloo Crew." And whenever she tries to describe the secret word, she always ends up revealing it, disqualifying her team every time.
3. Garth and Kat (Weekend Update)
A singing duo, Garth (played by Fred Armison) and Kat come on Weekend Update to preview their new albums, but it seems like each time they haven't actually written any of the songs beforehand, so they must invent the lyrics on the air while convincing Seth Meyers that they have rehearsed it all before. The true joy of this sketch is watching Wiig and Armison teeter on the edge of cracking up, while improvising ridiculous lyrics to songs in matching vests.
2. Target Lady
In one of her more famous sketches, Wiig plays an over-zealous checkout lady at a Target. She is insanely enthusiastic about her job and when a customer's credit card goes through she screams "APPROVED!" in a crazed voice. "I'm on the clock and ready to rock!"
1. Kathie Lee Gifford
A personal favorite of mine, this sketch began as a parody of "The Today Show" host Kathie Lee Gifford. Over time however, this sketch evolved into an original character of it's own. Wiig's Kathie Lee is constantly drinking (even at 7 a.m.), insulting her co-host, Hoda, and cracking up at her own bad jokes.
Here is a link to all of Kristen Wiig's SNL sketches throughout her seven years on the show!
