Froggy the Gremlin

Froggy the Gremlin was an early amphibious star of radio and television. Created by Smilin' Ed McConnell in 1944, Froggy was a regular on Smilin' Ed's Buster Brown Gang, a popular children's series combining adventure serials, letters, show commercials, and conversations between McConnell and his imaginary friends. The unquestionable star of the menagerie was Froggy, an invisible creature who, upon plucking his "magic twanger," would manifest. The mischievous Froggy badgered intellectual guests, and his trademark was repeating himself. McConnell voiced the character when speaking, while announcer Archie Presby doubled as Froggy for duets, dressed in frog regalia, leaping out to the delight of the studio audience.

In 1950, the series jumped to television, and Froggy was represented by a rubber-style puppet figure (usually voiced by Presby). When McConnell died in 1955, the series was renamed Andy's Gang, with actor Andy Devine taking over as host. Froggy remained his same, rambunctious self, and a popualr fixture until the series ended in December 1960.

In his 2006 memoir Before You Leap, Kermit the Frog pays tribute to Froggy, as one of the "only on-screen amohibian stars." Kermit speculates that while Froggy was clearly a frog, he adopted "the Gremlin" monker to "avoid being greenlisted." He goes on to describe Froggy as "a trickster and practical joker... Although that isn't exactly my cup of swamp water, his performance convinced me that maybe, just maybe, a frog could be a star too." Frog, Kermit the. Before You Leap. Des Moines: Meredith Books, 2006. p. 27-28.</ref?