Grover's back slaps



During the first decade of Sesame Street, a common feature of Kermit's Lectures was Grover's unwanted help. Grover would make his presence known as he strolls by in the background, taking notice of Kermit as he speaks to the audience, screaming "Hey froggy baby!," then running up to him and giving him a rather hard black slap, usually propelling Kermit far forward. The gag became frequent enough that variations by Kermit were soon done.

Notable Instances

 * A 1969 sketch featuring a Grover-precursor features the first version of the gag, having the monster appear beside Kermit, saying "Hey there frog!" and giving him a tough pat.
 * A 1970 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show (featuring one of the earliest known appearances of Grover, just following the finale of season 1) has him yelling, "Hey froggy!" and slapping him on the back.
 * A season 4 sketch has Kermit ducking out of the way just as Grover tries to slap him.
 * Grover does this on Bob before he reads the story, "Cutie and the Beast."
 * A season 9 segment features Grover performing a lecture. This time, Kermit rushes up to him yelling, "Hey Grover baby!" and giving him a slap on the back. In the segment part of the segment, Kermit appears to do it again, with Grover gearing up for the slap, only for Kermit to stop just before and casually greet him.