Muppet named after a character in “Midnight Cowboy”

As a detective, I started by researching the phrase “Muppet named after a character in Midnight Cowboy.” Given that Midnight Cowboy is a movie, the first idea that came to mind was that the answer must be a character in Jim Henson’s Muppets who shares a name with a character in the film. So I dug deeper into the cast of Midnight Cowboy and noticed a cowboy named Rizzo, played by Rocco Salvatore Rizzo.

Knowing that Jim Henson was known for naming his Muppet characters after himself and his team members, I deduced that the Muppet character must be named Rizzo as well. Sure enough, a quick search confirmed that there was a Muppet character named Rizzo the Rat, known for being tough-talking and streetwise.

Therefore, I knew that Rizzo was the answer to this tricky crossword clue. With my detective skills at the forefront, I was able to solve the puzzle and close the case.