Kermit the Frog

Kermit the Frog (known as Kermit the frog in Spain and Kermit the frog in Latin America until the Disney acquisition, in which original name was kept) is a fictional character created by American puppeteer and television producer Jim Henson in 1955. Kermit is the central character and presenter of the British-American show The Muppets Show, also featuring frequent appearances on Sesame Street.

Character development

Kermit Star in Hollywood Blvd.

Kermit first appears on the May 9, 1955 show Sam and Friends. Kermit appears as an abstract homemade puppet with a pair of round legs and without her distinctive collar, more resembling a lizard in appearance. Kermit's original prototype was made from Henson's mother's turquoise girly coat and a ping pong ball split in half.

Henson establishes Kermit's current appearance during the filming of the television special "Hey, Cinderella" in 1968. Although the special premiered in 1969, Kermit completely alters his appearance, including fins and a collar; that's where he is first identified as a frog.

Name

On more than one occasion it has been stipulated that the name Kermit is based on the name of a childhood acquaintance of Jim Henson's, Kermit Scott. Despite the stipulation, Henson denies that the name is due to Kermit Scott, but rather that Kermit was a very common name in the 20th century.

The official name of the character is Kermit the Frog, but due to the internationalization of The Muppets and Sesame Street (with their different adaptations in different countries), Kermit has been constantly renamed. In Brazil, Kermit is called Caco or Sapo. In Portugal, Kermit is called Cocas or Sapo. In most of Latin America, Kermit is called the Kermit the Frog. In Spain, he is called the Kermit the frog . In other versions, such as in Kuwait, Kermit is called Kamel (Arabic common name meaning "perfect"). Due to the above, in the release of The Muppets (2011), Walt Disney Pictures introduced the name Kermit for all versions and international markets, leaving behind the popularly stipulated name. the character in previous years in different countries.

On August 4, 2015, Kermit and Miss Piggy "announced" that they had ended their romantic relationship. On September 2, 2015, Kermit was said to have found a new girlfriend, a pig named Denise, but around February 2016, Denise allegedly broke up with Kermit after nearly six months together.. To this day, Kermit is one of the most sought-after bachelors in all of Hollywood.

Performers

Since its first appearance in 1955, Kermit the Frog has been performed by different puppeteers, including:

• Jim Henson (1955-1990) - Creator, puppeteer and original voice. He played it for the last time on the TV show. The Arsenio Hall Showon 4 May 1990.

• Steve Whitmire (1990-2017) - He took the character after Henson's death in 1990. Kermit appears for the first time (with the voice of Whitmire) on the TV special The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson, premiered on 21 November that same year.

• Matt Vogel (2017-present) - He assumed as a puppeteer of Kermit, following the dismissal of Steve Whitmire by Disney. Vogel, who also acts in Sesame Street, also replaced the puppeteer Caroll Spinney with his Big Bird character in 2015, after nearly 50 years of interpreting it.

Other interpreters

• Artie Esposito (Suppl. 2009)

• John Kennedy (interpreted Kermiti at the event MuppetFest in 2001, and Disney Cruise Line, in 2006)

• Frank Welker (Kermit Baby Voice in the animated series The Little Muppets between 1984 and 1991)
• Matt Danner (second voice of Kermit Baby at Muppet Babies reboot (2018) from 2018 to 2021)

Filmography

• Sam and his friends (1955-1961) (TV)
• Sesame Street (1969-2001,2009, 2019) (TV)
• The Muppet Show (1976-1981) (TV)
• Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas (1977) (TV)
• The Muppet Movie (1979)
• The Great Adventure of the Muppets (1981)
• The Muppets take Manhattan (1984)
• Christmas of the Muppet Family (1987) (TV)
• The Muppets at Disney World (1990) (TV)
• The Muppets celebrate Jim Henson (1990) (TV)
• A Christmas with the Muppets (1992)
• The Muppets This Night (1996-1998) (TV)
• The Muppets on the Treasure Island (1996)
• The Muppets in Space (1999)
• The Pantanous Years of Kermit (2002) (Video)
• Christmas party with the Muppets (2002) (TV)
• The Muppets and the Wizard of Oz (2005) (TV)
• The Muppets (2011)
• The Muppets: The Most Wanted (2014)
• The Muppets (the series) (2015) (TV)
• Muppets AHORA (2020) - Disney+

He has also appeared on American programs such as The Tonight Show (1979, 1989, 1992, 1996, 2014), ABC News Special (1987), Larry King Live (1994), Who Wants to be a Millionaire (2000), Hollywood Squares (2001), The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (2001), Extreme Over: Home Edition (2006), American Idol (2006), Good Morning America (2006) and English as I Love the 70´s (2000). He has even done commercials for BMW, Ford, Pizza Hut, and UPS. In 2008 he and the Muppets appeared on the 2 Disney Channel specials, Studio DC Almost Live where the Muppets did skits and musical numbers with the channel's stars like Good Luck Charlie and So Random!