October 10, 2005. Copyright 2005, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Kermit the Frog: Five decades in showbiz
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, October 10, Graphic News:  HeŐs an unlikely hero -- an 18-inch felt frog with an endearing line in self-deprecation, but Kermit is set for a mid-life renaissance as puppeteer Jim HensonŐs best-loved Muppet prepares for a whirlwind world tour to mark 50 years in showbusiness.

Reports say the friendly frog will head first to the Texan town of Kermit, then on to landmarks including the Eiffel Tower and the Great Wall of China before he appears at the Frog Festival in Florida. The 50-stop expedition marks not just a half-century in entertainment but also the Walt Disney Co.Ős relaunch of the popular Muppet franchise, which it bought in 2004 from the Jim Henson Company.

Ah Kermit! Some of a certain age and disposition will recall how the amphibian with attitude struggled to subdue ardent diva Miss Piggy in the 1970s hit, The Muppet Show. For todayŐs children, Kermit was the unflappable hero of films such as The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and the Muppets Take Manhattan. Not only has KermitŐs appeal spanned generations, he and his friends have delighted fans through a variety of genres.

In fact, it could be said that the ever-youthful Kermit has evolved in line not just with puppetry expertise and film techniques but also with popular taste. While the words of his song ŇBeinŐ GreenÓ epitomise the long-suffering KermitŐs humility and penchant for self-analysis, there are no signs that this frog is heading for a mid-life crisis.

Kermit began life as a lizard made of HensonŐs motherŐs coat as the young puppeteer experimented with forms merging traditional (m)arionette and (p)uppet techniques. Soon his Muppets had a weekly slot in NBCŐs Sam and Friends, and in 1963 Henson moved to New York and hired collaborator Frank Oz to handle rising demand for his creations -- hybrid animal and human characters that appeared to move by themselves.

By 1969 the Muppets were appearing in Sesame Street, a programme aimed at urban pre-schoolers. Sesame Street launched the greedy Cookie Monster, shy Grover and grumpy Oscar. But it is Kermit who emerged as the most complex character and probably the closest to Henson, who was his voice. If Sesame Street recalls an innocent age, the more subversive Muppet Show fulfilled HensonŐs dreams of ensnaring adults.

After a series of musical comedy films featuring the Muppets, Henson made two movies featuring new puppets, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. But these ventures never quite achieved the international, cross-cultural reach of the Muppets. After HensonŐs sudden death from pneumonia in 1990, Kermit was taken over by Steve Whitemire.

In 2002 Kermit was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In view of this and the host of lavish events planned to mark his half-century, you could hardly blame Kermit for letting it all go to his head. But, as he was quoted as telling an interviewer recently, ŇItŐs easy being grounded when youŐre only 18 inches high.Ó
/ENDS