Kermit the Frog is 68 years old today. Kermit is Jim Henson’s most famous creation, and probably his favorite. Henson himself voiced Kermit from 1955 to 1990, just as Walt Disney was the original voice of Mickey Mouse.

Kermit made his public debut on May 9, 1955 on WRC-TV’s Sam and Friends, making him 68 years old today. Since Sam and Friends, Kermit has appeared on Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Hey, Cinderella! (1969), list 2-3 movies

Like many Muppets, Kermit’s species was vague and undefined at first. He definitely and definitively became a frog with his appearance in Hey Cinderella in 1969, where he played the prince’s friend and confidant. According to D23, “Jim [Henson]described Kermit as a “frog-type Muppet” during this era. “We frog-afied him over a couple of television specials we did years ago, before Sesame Street,” Jim later recalled. “So he just slowly became a frog. I don’t think there was a conscious move to do that.”

He has always been green, which as he says in this theme song, isn’t always easy.

Kermit was originally a reporter, but like many journalists, moved into the entertainment field. On The Muppet Show, he was not only M.C. of the variety show, but also its star. His quest for show business success is chronicled The Muppet Movie (1979). He also appeared on Today , The Ed Sullivan Show, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Muppets Tonight. He co-starred in The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) with Sir Michael Caine as Bob Cratchit to Caine’s Ebenezer Scrooge. His own nephew, Robin, played Tiny Tim, and his off-again, on-again girlfriend, Mis Piggy shone as Mrs. Cratchit. Many fans consider The Muppet Christmas Carol the best film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Kermit played Captain Smollett in Muppet Treasure Island (1996). The banjo-playing frog has come far since he left the swamp. His rendition of “The Rainbow Connection” in The Muppet Movie not only made #25 on the Billboard Hot 100, but was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2021. Kermit has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz (2005) he played the Scarecrow. He played dual roles in Muppets Haunted Mansion (himself and a ghost and in Muppets Most Wanted (2016), himself and Konstantin.

{image via Disney}

Kermit has been an international superstar for half a decade, and there is no reason to doubt he won’t continue to be as popular for the next three or four decades.

Kermit was voiced by Jim Henson from 1955 until 1990. From 1990 to 2016, Stev Whitmore voiced Kermit. Since 2017, the frog’s primary voice actor has been Matt Vogel. In the 1980s, Frank Welker voiced young Kermit in Muppet Babies. In the 2018 reboot of Muppet Babies, Matt Danner provided the voice of the juvenile frog.

Although Kermit often appeaared on Sesame Street, he was not the property of Sesame Workshop and was rarely included in Sesame Street merchandise. When Sesame Workshop bought full ownership of its characters from Henson for $180 million, Kermit was specificallyexcluded from the deal. However, he was included in the deal when Disney bought the Muppets. The Walt Disney Company currently owns all rights to Kermit the Frog. Kermit appears in the popular Walt Disney World attraction Muppet*Vision 3D. From 2016 to 2020 Kermit performed in the Walt Disney World show” The Muppets Present …Great Moments in American History. Like Steve Martin, Kermit is a banjo player, a singer, and an actor. He’s appeared on TV, in movies, and in Disney shows and parades.

A very hoppy birthday to our favorite frog!

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