Kermit the Frog

Kermit the Frog, arguably Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, was the star and host of The Muppet Show, played a significant role on Sesame Street, and served as the logo of The Jim Henson Company. He continues to star in Muppet movies and make numerous TV appearances.

Kermit has commented on many occasions that "as a tadpole in the swamp, [he] had 3,265 brothers and sisters!" More of his childhood adventures were chronicled in Kermit's Swamp Years. Robin is Kermit's nephew and closest relative.

Miss Piggy insists that she and Kermit got married in The Muppets Take Manhattan and that they're very happy. Kermit disagrees, claiming that it was just a movie and that in real life, they have a "professional relationship".

Sesame Street Unpaved jokes that Kermit's birthday is on Leap Year Day, but Kermit's official birthday is May 9th.

Character origins
The earliest version of Kermit first appeared in 1955 on Sam and Friends, Jim Henson's five-minute puppet show that aired twice daily on WRC-TV. Henson made the first Kermit puppet out of his mother's old spring coat, using ping-pong balls for eyes.

Kermit wasn't a frog in the early days of the character. Although he was somewhat lizard-like in appearance, Jim Henson noted in a 1982 interview that "all the characters in those days were abstract."

Kermit first referred to himself as a frog in The Muppets On Puppets, a one-hour special that Henson produced for public television in 1968. However, it was not until the TV special Hey Cinderella! that the Kermit puppet was redesigned; his round feet were replaced with flippers, and he was given a double collar. By the time that Kermit appeared on the premiere of Sesame Street in November 1969, he was a full-fledged frog.

Kermit would remain a frog throughout the rest of his career but would undergo one more significant change in design. When he began his stint as the level-headed but often exasperated host of The Muppet Show, Kermit's double collar was changed to the single, eleven-pointed collar he still wears today.

Kermit on Sesame Street
Kermit's most famous role on Sesame Street is his role as a news reporter for the Sesame Street News Flash segments, interviewing characters from nursery rhymes and fairy tales.

One of his most memorable works was the song "Bein' Green". Some of his other famous Sesame Street songs have included "This Frog," "I Love My Elbows," "On My Pond," and "Caribbean Amphibian."

He has also given many lectures on simple subjects. Some of Kermit's Lectures have been for the letter W, hands, and "Big and Short." He appeared in the "Monsterpiece Theater" segment "Gone with the Wind," as well as an appearance in a "Miami Mice" sketch.

Kermit was also seen at his home on Sesame Street on a number of occasions.

Unlike other Sesame Street characters, Sesame Workshop never had any ownership of Kermit the Frog. Because of this, Kermit has rarely been part of Sesame Street merchandise. He has appeared in many Sesame Street videos, most notably Big Bird's Storytime and, of course, The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street. His songs have also appeared on many Sesame Street albums. The only Kermit toy that was labeled as a Sesame Street toy was the Magic Talking Kermit toy, released in 1999. In 2005, he appeared on a Sesame Street winter hat by Berkshire Fashions. For more info on Sesame Street products featuring Kermit, see Kermit in Sesame Street Merchandise.

Although the rights to Kermit the Frog are owned by The Walt Disney Company, and the rights to Sesame Street are owned by Sesame Workshop, Sesame Workshop currently has permission from Disney to show old Kermit segments in current episodes of Sesame Street, as well as in home video and DVD productions. However, old Kermit segments are not shown very often in current episodes.

Interestingly enough, in 1970, Kermit the Frog was intended to be dropped from Sesame Street, only to be shown in the second season in existing segments. "When the new season starts November 9, expect changes. There will be no more know-it-all frog, since Kermit, the one Muppet who is not exclusive to Sesame Street, is opting out to do commercials." (Look, Sept. 22, 1970.) Time Magazine reported with slightly more detail: "Kermit the Frog is being canned for commercialism. When Sesame Street was just a glint in Joan Ganz Cooney's eye, Kermit taped a special in Canada. When it was given a network airing, the frog was compromised. Or so Henson decided. .... He is being phased out of the show. He will be replaced by such Muppets as Herbert Birdsfoot and Sherlock Hemlock." (Time, November 23, 1970.) Ultimately, of course, that did not turn out to be the case, as Kermit reappeared as a Sesame Street character in the third season (1971).

Awards and Honors

 * He was awarded an honorary doctorate of Amphibious Letters on May 19, 1996 at Southampton College, where he also gave a commencement speech.
 * Kermit received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 2002.
 * Kermit's song "The Rainbow Connection" was nominated for an Academy Award, as was "The First Time It Happens" from The Great Muppet Caper.

Casting History

 * Jim Henson - from Sam and Friends (1955) to The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990)
 * Steve Whitmire - from The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990) to present

Rumors

 * Kermit's Froghood
 * Kermit's Name
 * Brian Henson as Kermit

Filmography

 * Sam and Friends
 * The Today Show
 * The Hollywood Palace
 * The Mike Douglas Show
 * The Ed Sullivan Show
 * Tales of the Tinkerdee
 * Claussen's Bakery commercials
 * McGarry's Sausage commercials
 * Muppets On Puppets
 * Sesame Street
 * The Flip Wilson Show
 * Hey Cinderella!
 * Evening at Pops: 1971
 * The Frog Prince
 * The Muppet Musicians of Bremen
 * Julie on Sesame Street
 * Des O'Connor Entertains
 * The Tonight Show
 * The Muppets Valentine Show
 * Muppet Meeting Films: Muppet Picker Upper
 * The Muppet Introduction
 * Just a Few Announcements


 * The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence
 * Julie Andrews: My Favorite Things
 * Julie Andrews: One to One
 * Good Morning America
 * The Muppet Show
 * Julie Andrews: One Step Into Spring
 * Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
 * The Muppets Go Hollywood
 * The Muppet Movie
 * The Orson Welles Show
 * The Emmy Awards
 * John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together
 * Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas
 * The Bob Hope All Star Christmas Comedy Special
 * I Love Liberty
 * The Muppets Go to the Movies
 * The Great Muppet Caper
 * The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show
 * Rocky Mountain Holiday
 * The Merv Griffin Show
 * The Muppets Take Manhattan
 * Playhouse Video
 * The Kermit and Piggy Story
 * Muppet Moments
 * The Muppet Revue
 * Muppet Treasures


 * Follow That Bird
 * Little Muppet Monsters
 * The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
 * The Christmas Toy
 * A Muppet Family Christmas
 * Wow, You're a Cartoonist!
 * Sing-Along, Dance-Along, Do-Along
 * The Sesame Street Special
 * Inner Tube
 * Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting
 * The Jim Henson Hour
 * The Arsenio Hall Show
 * The Muppets at Walt Disney World
 * The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson
 * Muppet*Vision 3-D
 * The Muppet Christmas Carol
 * Holiday Greetings from the Ed Sullivan Show
 * Muppet Meeting Films: Muppet Breakout
 * How to Sell


 * Muppet Sing Alongs: Billy Bunny's Animal Songs
 * Larry King Live
 * Muppet Sing Alongs: It's Not Easy Being Green
 * Muppet Classic Theater
 * Muppet Treasure Island
 * Muppet Sing Alongs: Muppet Treasure Island
 * Muppets Tonight
 * TGIF Bumpers
 * The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street
 * Hollywood Squares
 * Muppets From Space
 * Muppetisms
 * Floyd (the groove master) and Kermit (amphiboogie danci-frog)
 * Kermit (the frog)


 * Family Feud
 * I Love the 70s
 * Kermit's Swamp Years
 * MasterCard commercials
 * Pizza Hut commercials
 * "Keep Fishin'" music video
 * It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
 * Saturday Night Live
 * Host: Robert De Niro


 * The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour
 * Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
 * Jimmy Kimmel Live
 * The Tony Danza Show
 * The Muppets' Wizard of Oz
 * Disney Channel Bumpers
 * Mike's Super Short Show
 * Target commercials
 * Ford commercials