The Invisible Man



The Invisible Man is the title character of H. G. Wells' 1897 novel, which has spawned film adaptations and numerous derivatives, with the same concept but a different invisible protagonist. He is interviewed by Kermit the Frog for a Sesame Street Newsflash.

Kermit notes that his guest is world-famous for his invisibility. The Invisible Man is garrulous and friendly, with a vaudevillian manner, though he briefly baffles Kermit when he takes his straw hat off. When quizzed as to his profession, the Invisible Man proudly explains that he's a tap dancer. With very little cajoling, he performs a buck and wing for the cameras (as Kermit asks the cameraman for a close-up).

In this depiction, invisibility is not the result of scientific experimentation. Rather, it appears to be a hereditary trait, as evidenced by the Invisible Man's large family. His wife is Cynthia (voiced by Frank Oz, in a conical hat). At the interview's end, Kermit pauses to wonder whether the Invisible Clan is wearing any other clothing.

Another version of the Invisible Man appeared in the Muppet Magazine #16 comic "Little Swamp of Horrors," spoofing the closing gag from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Connections
People with Muppet/Creature Shop credits who also appeared in Invisible Man adaptations or productions borrowing Wells' basic concept:


 * Margaret Hamilton played Mrs. Jackson in The Invisible Woman (1940)
 * Frank Middlemass played tramp Thomas Marvel in The Invisible Man (1984 mini-series)
 * Jon Polito played Eddie the Mammoth in the pilot episode of The Invisible Man (2000, TV)
 * Vincent Price played Geoffrey Radcliffe in The Invisible Man Returns (1940) and voiced the Invisible Man in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
 * Cyril Shaps played Griffin's landlord in The Invisible Man (1984 mini-series)
 * John Vernon played Ernest Sheed in The Invisible Man (1975, TV) episode