Has Kermit?

Published: January 29, 2025
Categories: Feature, Fun Stuff

Update – The day after posting this article, I received an email from Henson archivist and friend of ToughPigs Karen Falk, answering my final question. Thanks for the info, Karen!

Way back in 2021, I started asking Google questions about Kermit the Frog and then answering them.  Like, ‘Does Kermit’? Or ‘Why Kermit’?.  You know, deep stuff to really make you think.  I’d totally forgotten about these articles until recently when my pal Tori from The Muppet Twitter Awards told me how much she’d enjoyed them, and since then I’ve been itching to do more.

So I dusted off the old keyboard and booted up my 1994 Risc PC with its 4MB of RAM, connected to the old interwebs, praying no-one called my house, and Asked Jeeves to take me to Google.com so I could ask the age old question… ‘Has Kermit’?


Has Kermit Been On Sesame Street?
Indeed he has!  Kermit has always been such an integral part of Sesame’s history, to the point that he even starred in the show’s pitch pilot!  Alongside Rowlf the Dog, Kermit brainstormed names for the show and introduced concepts which continue to this day.  Kermit was also a regular star on the show up, often featuring in skits with Grover and Cookie Monster, and famously the A-B-C-D-E-F-Cookie Monster bit.  Kermit made a handful of appearances after Jim Henson’s passing, and since Disney bought the Muppets in 2004 he’s appeared twice, once in Elmo’s World and again on the 50th anniversary celebration.

Has Kermit the Frog Won An Oscar?
No, and neither has Miss Piggy (but don’t remind her of that).  He has, however, been nominated (kinda) twice.  First in 1980 for The Muppet Movie’s ‘Rainbow Connection’, which he sang at the ceremony, and while the nomination was actually for Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher, it still counts.  Two years later he was nominated again (along with Joe Raposo) for The Great Muppet Caper’s ‘The First Time It Happens’, which he and Piggy sang at the awards show.  He also appeared at the ceremony in 1986 and again in 2012.

Has Kermit Met Elmo?
Yeah, they’re old friends!  Kermit even appeared in Elmo’s World, like I mentioned earlier!  Most of their interactions were back in the 80’s, a particular favorite of mine being about Happy and Sad.  Nothing like the emotional torture of a 3 and a half year old to get your lessons in!

Has Kermit Hosted SNL?
Nope, but he’s been on it a couple of times.  Once in 2004 where he danced up a storm during ‘I Wish It Was Christmas Today’ and then again in 2011 with host Jason Segel, where he and the other Muppets assumed they were hosting but were disappointed to discover it was just a cameo.  He also appeared on that night’s Weekend Update with Seth Meyers where they did the segment ‘Really!? With Seth & Kermit’.  All of these appearances are fun, but I highly recommend the ‘I Wish It Was Christmas Today’ one, because Steve Whitmire is having the time of his life making Kermit dance.

Kermit Has A New Girlfriend
Well, 10 years ago, yes he did!  In the 2015 series ‘The Muppets’ (not to be confused for the 2011 film ‘The Muppets’ or the character group ‘The Muppets’), Kermit and Piggy had broken up, and Kermit was seeing a new woman, Denise.  Also a pig, because his life is a bacon wrapped heck on Earth (You can’t say hell).  Spoiler alert, they split up in Episode 14 because Kermit’s still pining for Piggy.  Since then we’ve had no official confirmation that Kermit and Miss Piggy are back together, but I believe Denise was recently spotted out with Pete Davidson.

Kermit Has A Gun
He did in The Muppets At Walt Disney World.  I believe anything else you’re looking for is a parody meme video, and I shan’t be linking to it.

How Long Has Kermit Been A Thing?
How Long Has Kermit the Frog Been Around?
How Long Has Kermit Been Around?

These are all variations of the same question, so I’m lumping them together.  Kermit was first built in March of 1955 from Jim Henson’s mother’s coat and some ping pong balls, and reportedly appeared that month in the local Washington D.C show ‘Afternoon’, though no footage has ever been found to confirm this.  The Muppets consider Kermit’s official first appearance to be May 9th 1955, which was the debut of ‘Sam and Friends’.  This means that this year the Muppets are celebrating 70 years!  Which you surely know if you’re here.  Why not listen to a podcast all about it?

Which Smithsonian Has Kermit?
Wanna see Kermit in the flesh (felt)?  Good news, you can!  At time of writing, you can see the original Kermit at the Smithsonian in Washington DC, as well as a whole bunch of other Muppets!  You can also head to the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City, where there is an entire exhibition dedicated to Jim Henson!  Which includes two versions of your favorite green frog (Kermit, sorry Robin stans).

UPDATED ANSWER FROM KAREN FALK:
I just wanted to make sure you know that Robin is currently on loan to the Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) in Seattle and on display in their MASSIVE! Pop Culture exhibit (next to Mochi and Waffles) Massive: The Power of Pop Culture | Museum of Pop Culture  (there are also Age of Resistance puppets on view in their Fantasy exhibit.)

Also – just fyi – regarding the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian – the permanent Entertainment Nation exhibit is where the puppets from the Henson family gift are displayed. There is a dedicated Jim Henson case that has rotating displays of 2-3 puppets. The original Kermit and Sam were there first. Then a 1970s Kermit and Miss Piggy. There should be a rotation soon (maybe this week?) with different puppets (possibly Fozzie?). Puppets from Sesame Street (usually 2-3) are displayed further into the exhibit in the children’s TV section.  Entertainment Nation | National Museum of American History

Hopefully this has answered some of those burning questions you’ve had!  Well, maybe not YOUR questions.  You’re on a Muppet fansite, my guess is you already knew all of this, besides maybe that thing about ‘Afternoons’ in March 1955.  I didn’t even know that until today!  I’m learning!

By Jarrod Fairclough – Jarrod@ToughPigs.com

Click here to make Elmo cry on the ToughPigs Discord!

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