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| Kermit the Frog | |
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Kermit singing "Bein\' Green" in the first season of Sesame Street. | |
| First appearance | 1955 on Sam and Friends November 10 1969 on Sesame Street September 27, 1976 on The Muppet Show |
| Gender | male |
| Created by | Jim Henson |
| Voiced by | Jim Henson (1955-1990; deceased) Steve Whitmire (1990-present) John Kennedy (Disney Cruise Lines) Frank Welker (Muppet Babies and in animation) |
| Also known as | Kermit, Kermie (by Miss Piggy) |
Kermit the Frog is a Muppet, one of puppeteer Jim Henson\'s most famous and beloved creations, first introduced in 1955. Kermit was performed by Henson until his death in 1990. Since then he has been performed by Steve Whitmire. He was voiced by Frank Welker in Muppet Babies and occasionally in animation.
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An early version of Kermit appeared in 1955, in a 5-minute puppet show for WRC-TV\'s Sam and Friends. The prototype Kermit was created from a green ladies\' coat that Henson\'s mother had thrown in the trash can, and two ping pong balls for eyes. The early Kermit was a sort of lizard-like creature; Kermit\'s first appearance as a frog was in the television special Hey Cinderella in 1969, and he\'s been a frog ever since.[citation needed]
Kermit made frequent appearances on Sesame Street, often as a lecturer, a regular character or a news reporter interviewing nursery rhyme characters for Sesame Street News. He memorably sang the song "Bein\' Green" from this series. Closely identified with the show Sesame Street, Kermit appeared frequently enough on the show to be considered a member of the regular cast. Kermit\'s song "The Rainbow Connection" was also a big hit from The Muppet Movie and, for some time, had become something of a signature song for The Jim Henson Company.
In The Muppet Show television series, Kermit was the central character, the frontman and the long-suffering stage manager of the theatre show, trying to keep order amidst the chaos created by the other muppets. It was on this show that the running joke developed of Kermit being pursued by leading lady Miss Piggy.
On Muppets Tonight, Kermit was still the central character, although the producer rather than frontman. He appeared in many parody sketches such as NYPD Green, City Schtickers, Flippers, and The Muppet Odd Squad, as well as in the Psychiatrist\'s Office sketch.
On April 2, 1979, Kermit guest-hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. That same year Kermit and creator Henson spoke at ventriloquist Edgar Bergen\'s funeral. In 1993 Pocket Books published One Frog Can Make A Difference, Kermit\'s Guide to Life with Kermit as the author. In 1996, he gave a commencement speech at Southampton College in which he emphasized his environmentalist side.
Kermit was a semi-regular during the last two seasons of the Tom Bergeron-hosted Hollywood Squares, continuing a quasi-tradition of Muppets appearing on the game show (Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch made several appearances on the original Squares).
Kermit played a central role in most of the Muppet movies.
Kermit also served as the mascot for The Jim Henson Company, until the sale of the Muppet characters to The Walt Disney Company. Kermit can be seen at the National Museum of American History.NMAH | Kermit the Frog Puppet
Kermit has made a number of guest appearances on other shows. In 1979, Kermit was a guest host for the Tonight Show, substituting for Johnny Carson. He continued to make appearances long after The Muppet Show ended in 1981.
In 1987, Kermit and other Muppet characters co-hosted an ABC News special which attempted to explain the stock market and the potentially disquieting events of the Black Monday stock price decline in a manner that both informed and entertained the audience about the complex subject.
As an April Fool\'s joke, Kermit hosted CNN\'s Larry King Live in 1994.Tough Pigs Anthology - April Frog\'s Day: Kermit on Larry King Live, and interviewed Hulk Hogan, who was promoting his television series Thunder in Paradise, and after accidentally flubbing the wrestler\'s name immediately exclaimed "Oh boy, I\'m in trouble now." Naturally, as the show ended shortly thereafter, Kermit likely did not wind up in an altercation with Hogan. This would not be the only time Hogan and Kermit shared the same studio. The two co-starred in Muppets from Space, a 1999 production which told Gonzo\'s origin as an extraterrestrial. The Kermit episode was replayed in 2004 on the same date. The Muppets were also bought by Disney in 2004, but had also shared the Disney/MGM studios with Hulk Hogan and the entire roster of WCW, which produced two shows there regularly; WCW Saturday Night, and WCW Worldwide throughout much of the 90s, as the Muppets filmed three movies in the Disney/MGM studios: The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, and Muppets from Space.
Kermit served as the grand marshal of Michigan State University\'s Homecoming Parade on September 29, 2006.Michigan State University Homecoming
In 2000, he also appeared in the audience on a celebrity edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
Such was his popularity in the UK that in 2000 he hosted the "1976" episode of the BBC\'s nostalgia series I Love the 70s (amongst other things, he recalled the phenomenon Mah Nà Mah Nà, punk rock, Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and, naturally, The Muppet Movie) and even joined fellow American Ruby Wax for a couple of between-band links at the Queen\'s Golden Jubilee concert in 2002.
On February 13, 2001, Kermit appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
In 2001, Kermit performed alongside Kylie Minogue on An audience with Kylie Minogue, where he dueted with her in a performance of Especially for You.An Audience with Kylie Minogue (2001) (TV)
In 2005, he was the star of a German BMW commercial.
In January 2006, in a commercial for the Ford Escape Hybrid premiering during the Super Bowl, Kermit was featured singing "Bein\' Green"; he is also featured in Ford\'s print ads for their hybrid vehicle. He also has co-starred alongside Miss Piggy and Jessica Simpson in Pizza Hut commercials in previous Super Bowl commercials. In previous years, he and Miss Piggy were part of the "We want to race the truck" UPS ad campaign involving NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett and his sponsor\'s "prodding" him to drive a brown UPS truck in a race.
In April 2006, Kermit appeared on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to take over as crew leader for that episode.
He has appeared on several Vh1 programs, such as I Love the \'70s.
On May 10, 2006, he was featured in a music video for the American Idols in season 5.[citation needed]
On June 28, 2006, Kermit made a surprise appearance on Good Morning America for Charlie Gibson\'s last appearance as co-anchor of the program. Referring to a picture of Gibson and his family posing with Kermit from a few years earlier that had been shown on the air, Gibson affectionately referred to Kermit as his "adopted son", to which the famed frog began this exchange with Gibson:
Kermit: Dad, can I borrow the car tonight?
Gibson: OK, but stay out of the back seat.
Kermit: With my luck, I\'ll probably end up in the trunk.
Kermit reappeared at the end of the show, sitting on Gibson\'s shoulder.
On August 21, 2007, he appeared as a guest star on the finale show of America\'s Got Talent (season 2). Kermit the Frog was the surprise duet singer paired with Terry Fator. Together, or they sang "You\'ve Got a Friend".
On November 21, 2007, Kermit appeared on Turner Classic Movies as a guest programmer.
Kermit was on TVland\'s greatest icons.
On Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Kermit commented to Ty Pennington, "You know, as a tadpole in the swamp, I had 3,265 brothers and sisters!" According to Kermit\'s Swamp Years, at the age of 12, he was the first of his siblings to leave the swamp, and one of the first frogs to talk to humans. In that he is portrayed as encountering a 12-year-old Jim Henson (played by Christian Kebbel) for the first time. According to The Muppet Movie Kermit returned to the swamp, where a passing agent noted he had talent and, thus inspired, he headed to Hollywood, encountering the rest of the Muppets along the way. Together, they were given a standard "rich and famous" contract by Lew Lord of Wide World Studios and began their showbiz careers.
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Sesame Street is localized for some different markets, and Kermit is often renamed. In Portugal, he\'s Cocas, o Sapo (sapo means frog). In Latin America, his name is la rana René (René the toad). In Spain, Kermit is named Gustavo. In Brazil, his name is Caco, o Sapo. In the Arabic Middle Eastern version, he\'s known as Kamel (not to be confused with the animal, camel (jamal in Arabic.) Kamel is a common Arabic male name that means "perfect".)
Kermit has a TV star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd.
Kermit (here with Grover) appeared often in the early episodes of Sesame Street.
Kermit was awarded an honorary doctorate of Amphibious Letters on May 19, 1996 at Southampton College, where he also gave a commencement speech.Southampton College News: Kermit\'s Commencement Address at Southampton College
Kermit was given also given the honor of being the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1996.
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
Kermit also appeared on the cover of the "Keep Fishin\'" single.
Due to his popularity, easy recognizability and distinctive voice, Kermit has become a popular target for parody:
Kermit has been referenced dozens of times on several television series and movies, as Vomiting Kermit on Late Night with Conan O\'Brien, on Family Guy, Meet the Feebles, and in the internet fan video Sad Kermit. For a comprehensive list of Kermit parodies, see the References category on Muppet Wiki.
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