Mississippi is the 20th state of the United States of America.
- Jim Henson was born in Greenville, Mississippi in 1936 and lived in nearby Stoneville until the late forties.
- Leland, Mississippi bills itself as "Birthplace of the Frog and Home of the Blues," a reference to Jim Henson's having spent time there as a child. A plaque in Leland asserts that "These experiences and fond memories spawned in Henson's mind that timeless creationβ'Kermit,' the original Muppet." Thus, with the apparent blessing of Jim Henson Productions and the Jim Henson Legacy,[1] the city became known as the official birthplace of Kermit the Frog.
- Kermit's Swamp Years took place in Mississippi (in Leland and the surrounding area), thus placing Kermit's Swamp in the state as well.
- In 1970, Mississippi officials banned Sesame Street from the state's PBS member station, citing the racial integration of the show's neighborhood, which "the commission members felt that Mississippi was not yet ready for";[2] the station added that its portrayal of such a neighborhood could be construed as "offensive" to some of the state's residents. The ban lasted only 22 days,[3] and was reversed after the station, WMAA (now WMPN and part of Mississippi Public Broadcasting), received negative feedback from much of the nation over the decision.[4][5]
- In Muppet Magazine issue 2, Mr. Bibby Bob ("Bo") Bender of Yazoo City, spots oversized cornflakes in the "Rarely Sighted Muppets" feature.
- In the Farscape episode "Through the Looking Glass," John Crichton teaches D'Argo a common time measurement method by counting "one Mississippi, two Mississippi," etc. D'Argo doesn't quite get it though, and starts counting, "One mippippippi, two mippippippi," and so on.
- Crichton brings up D'Argo's mispronunciation of Mississippi in the episode "Crackers Don't Matter," telling the Moya crew, "Fire up the drive for ten microts, no more. No mippippippi. I do not want to blow up."
- Kermit the Frog led the school cheer for a University of Mississippi Football game in the early 2000s.[6]
- Mr. Dawson is Kermit's old acting coach from Leland, Mississippi.
- Kermit sits on the honorary committee in support of the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center.
- In the Sesame Street sketch, "American I", one contestant is a letter B, hailing for Biloxi, Mississippi.
- The theme for the 2010 St. Patrick's Day Parade held in Jackson, Mississippi was "It's Not Easy Being Green" and included a Fabulous Inflatables parade balloon of Kermit.[7]
- Kermit says he should sell his house and move back to Mississippi in The Muppets episode "Bear Left Then Bear Write".
- Dr. Teeth says in The Muppets episode "Going, Going, Gonzo" that he met a voodoo princess named Tianna in Tupelo.
Sources[]
- β jimhensonlegacy.org
- β Mississippi Agency Votes for a TV Ban on 'Sesame Street', The New York Times, May 3, 1970.
- β Evers, Medgar Wiley. The autobiography of Medgar Evers : a hero's life and legacy. New York: Basic Civitas Books, 2005. p. 283.
- β A history of sunny days, Los Angeles Times, January 8, 2009.
- β How Sesame Street Changed the World, Newsweek, May 23, 2009.
- β User:Radionate, October 28, 2009
- β Sherry Lucas, "Kermit to marshal St. Paddy's parade", Clarion-Ledger, March 4, 2010.