Kermit the Frog Kermit the Frog , arguably Jim Henson ' s most famous Muppet creation , was the star and host of " The Muppet Show " , played a significant role on " Sesame Street " , and served as the logo of The Jim Henson Company . He continues to star in the and makes numerous . Kermit grew up with thousands of siblings and has talked occasionally about other members of his family . His childhood adventures were chronicled in the 2002 direct - to - video film " Kermit ' s Swamp Years " . Kermit also has a nephew named Robin . Miss Piggy insists that she and Kermit were married in " The Muppets Take Manhattan " , and that they ' re very happy . Kermit disagrees , claiming that it was just a movie and that in real life , they have a " professional relationship " ( meaning he thinks they ' re professionals and she thinks they ' re in a relationship ) . Kermit ' s most well - known catchphrase is " Hi - ho , Kermit the Frog here ! " He typically introduced acts on " The Muppet Show " by waving his arms wildly and shouting " Yaaaay ! " ( a technique he learned from his old acting coach , Mr . Dawson ) . Kermit has been credited as the writer of three books : " For Every Child , A Better World " ; " One Frog Can Make a Difference " ; and " Before You Leap " . Character origins . The earliest version of Kermit first appeared in 1955 on " Sam and Friends " , Jim Henson ' s five - minute puppet show that aired twice daily on WRC - TV . The soon - to - be - famous frog had humble origins , as Henson explained in 1977 : " I ' d paint the scenery , and Janie would carry it in the station wagon . We made the first Kermit from one of my mother ' s old coats with Ping - Pong balls for his eyes . " Kermit was built in March 1955 . The character , however , was first copyrighted in 1956 . Kermit ' s voice was inspired by a similar voice that Stan Freberg used to do . In the early days of the character , Kermit wasn ' t yet a frog - - he was more of a lizard - like , abstract character . As Henson explained , " Kermit started out as a way of building , putting a mouth and covering over my hand . There was nothing in Kermit outside of the piece of cardboard - - it was originally cardboard - - and the cloth shape that was his head . He ' s one of the simplest kinds of puppets that you can make , and he ' s very flexible because of that . . . which gives him a range of expression . " In later years , Henson said that Kermit didn ' t become a frog until the 1971 special " The Frog Prince " , a claim that made its way into the 1993 book " " . However , Kermit ' s froghood asserted itself as early as 1965 , when Johnny Carson referred to him as " Kermit the Frog " on a December 31st " Tonight Show " appearance . The 1966 Montgomery Wards catalog which featured the Ideal Muppet puppets refers to Kermit as a " fanciful frog " . Kermit refers to himself as a frog in the 1968 special " The Muppets on Puppets " . The special " Hey Cinderella ! " , which was recorded in 1968 , featured a redesigned Kermit puppet ; his round feet were replaced with flippers , and he was given a fringed collar with thirteen points . By the time that Kermit appeared on the Sesame Street Pitch Reel , he was a full - fledged frog . Kermit sported a double collar for a brief period in the early 1970s , including in the TV special " The Frog Prince " and several early seasons of " Sesame Street " , but by the time he took over as the level - headed but often exasperated host of " The Muppet Show " , it was changed to the trademark single collar with eleven points that he still wears today . " See also When did Kermit become a frog ? . " Kermit on " Sesame Street " . Kermit ' s most famous role on " Sesame Street " was his appearances as a news reporter for the Sesame Street News Flash segments , interviewing characters from nursery rhymes and fairy tales . One of his most memorable works was the song " Bein ' Green . " Some of his other famous " Sesame Street " songs include " This Frog , " " On My Pond , " and " Caribbean Amphibian . " He has also given many lectures on simple subjects . Some of Kermit ' s Lectures have been for the letter W , hands , and " Tall and Short . " He appeared in the " Monsterpiece Theater " segment " Gone with the Wind , " as well as an appearance in a " Miami Mice " sketch . Kermit was also seen at his home on Sesame Street ; Grover would often come to Kermit ' s house and sell things a frog can ' t use ( such as toothbrushes and earmuffs ) . When he wasn ' t being disturbed , Kermit would occasionally sing to an imaginary audience at home ; on one occasion , he performed " My Polliwog Ways " while imagining that his living room was a nightclub full of guests . Kermit also took part in several . Unlike other " Sesame Street " characters , Sesame Workshop never had any ownership of Kermit the Frog . Because of this , Kermit has rarely been part of " Sesame Street " merchandise . He has appeared in many " Sesame Street " videos , most notably " Big Bird ' s Storytime " and , of course , " The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street " . His songs have also appeared on many " Sesame Street " albums . The only Kermit toy released as a " Sesame Street " toy was the Magic Talking Kermit the Frog plush , released in 1999 . In 2005 , he appeared on a " Sesame Street " winter hat by Berkshire Fashions . While Kermit the Frog is owned by The Walt Disney Company , Sesame Workshop retains the right to show old Kermit segments in various outlets . Kermit ' s only appearance in new content on " Sesame Street " since Disney ' s acquisition was making a cameo in in the 2009 season 40 premiere episode . When the Muppet TV special " Hey Cinderella ! " aired on ABC in 1970 , criticism arose that Kermit the Frog had become too commercial , and that the character would be dropped from " Sesame Street " . " When the new season starts November 9 , expect changes . There will be no more know - it - all frog , since Kermit , the one Muppet who is not exclusive to Sesame Street , is opting out to do commercials " ( " Look " , Sept . 22 , 1970 ) . " Time Magazine " reported with slightly more detail : " Kermit the Frog is being canned for commercialism . When Sesame Street was just a glint in Joan Ganz Cooney ' s eye , Kermit taped a special in Canada . When it was given a network airing , the frog was compromised . Or so Henson decided . . . . He is being phased out of the show . He will be replaced by such Muppets as Herbert Birdsfoot and Sherlock Hemlock " ( " Time " , November 23 , 1970 ) . Ultimately , of course , that did not turn out to be the case , as Kermit returned as a regular " Sesame Street " character in the third season ( 1971 ) . " See also Kermit the Frog on Sesame Street . " Specials . Kermit has appeared in almost every major special from The Jim Henson Company . He had a fairly major supporting role in " Hey Cinderella ! " , had a major role in " The Frog Prince " , and narrated " Tales of the Tinkerdee " , " The Muppet Musicians of Bremen " , " Emmet Otter ' s Jug - Band Christmas " , " The Christmas Toy " , " Billy Bunny ' s Animal Songs " , and " Mr . Willowby ' s Christmas Tree " . However , when " The Muppet Show " was in development , Kermit was not intended to be the main character . In " The Muppets Valentine Show " , he had a major supporting role and starred in two sketches , but the main character for that special was Wally . In " " , Kermit appeared in the audience during the wrestling sketches and had one line in " At the Dance . " After that special was made , Jim Henson realized that the pilot ' s host , Nigel , was not working out as a main character , and it was suggested to Henson that Kermit be the star instead . Since Kermit was the main character on " The Muppet Show " , it makes sense that he appeared in every special relating to " The Muppet Show " , usually as the main character . In " The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show " , he had the job of being the director of the special . In " The Muppets at Walt Disney World " , it was revealed that the swamp where he grew up at is located near Walt Disney World . Kermit was one of the main characters in the hour - long TV special " " that aired on NBC , and also appeared in the specials that aired on Disney Channel . The Muppet Show . Kermit became a star when he hosted " The Muppet Show " , acting as the host and the person ultimately in charge of what went on during the show . During the first season , it seemed as if he treated his fellow cast and crew members more like employees , but later on , as the characters developed , it became clear that they were his friends as well . In addition to hosting , Kermit regularly got to chat with the guest stars , in the Panel Discussions and Talk Spots , as well as backstage and in some numbers . Some of the guest stars whom Kermit has sung duets with have included Linda Ronstadt , Connie Stevens , Andy Williams , and Debbie Harry . Kermit also sang on his own on the show many times , singing songs such as " Happy Feet " , " Lydia the Tattooed Lady , " " Disco Frog , " and , of course , " Bein ' Green . " His duets with other characters include singing " Friendship " and " Octopus ' Garden " with his nephew , Robin ; he also participated in many group numbers . Being the main character , Kermit interacted with most of the main cast of the show . He was often pursued by Miss Piggy , who made no secret of her love for him , but Kermit generally rebuffed her advances . Although Piggy loved him , that didn ' t stop her from karate - chopping him whenever she got mad at him . Miss Piggy unsuccessfully tried to make Kermit jealous of guest star Avery Schreiber , but on some occasions , Kermit actually has gotten jealous of male guest stars who Piggy liked , including Peter Ustinov and Christopher Reeve . Kermit has also performed a few duets with Miss Piggy , such as " Waiting at the Church " , " Ukulele Lady " , and " I Won ' t Dance " . They even danced together in an At the Dance spot in . There have also been many episodes that revolved around Kermit and Miss Piggy . revolved around Miss Piggy persuing Kermit . In , Miss Piggy had Scooter pay the audience to cheer at her so that Kermit would notice her more . In , Miss Piggy got some shoes that were too small for her feet , but when Kermit complimented on the shoes , she reluctantly kept them . One of the biggest episodes for them was , in which , after being annoyed over Miss Piggy telling the gossip papers that they were secretly married , Kermit fired Miss Piggy . However , Kermit eventually did hire her back . In , Piggy tricks Kermit into a wedding sketch with a real minister she secretly booked . He realized the minister was a real one in the nick of time , however , to Miss Piggy ' s rage . He was also good friends with Fozzie Bear . They have appeared together in acts such as " Any Old Iron " and Kermit has reluctantly joined Fozzie for some of his monologues , such as " Good Grief ! The Comedians a Bear ! " and Fozzie ' s phrenology act . Kermit let Fozzie help him plan the show for , and when Kermit suddenly became sick in , Kermit chose to put Fozzie in charge of hosting . Other episodes illustrating Kermit and Fozzie ' s relationship include , in which Fozzie brings his agent , Irving Bizarre , to the theater to negotiate Fozzie ' s contract with Kermit ; , in which , after Fozzie mistakenly sends the stagehands to the country , Kermit makes Fozzie do their work , threatening to fire him if he blunders ; and , where Kermit kept asking Fozzie who the many phone calls to the theater were from . Although he generally functions as the " normal " and calm center of the show , at times , Kermit would panic or become annoyed and frustrated with the chaos around him . Sources of his frustration include the antics of Dr . Bunsen Honeydew ' s teleportation device ( in ) , the presence of Mickey Moose ( in ) and a robot version of himself ( in ) , and the various pranks pulled by Fozzie in . Kermit expressed annoyance at the acts proposed by Gonzo for the show and Crazy Harry ' s many explosions , and was discomfited by Scooter ' s frequent reminders that his uncle owned the theatre . Kermit has had major parts in many episodes of the show , and many episodes revolved around Kermit . In , Kermit became jealous of Peter Ustinov when Fozzie , Miss Piggy , Hilda , and Scooter all talked about how great Peter is , especially since Fozzie and Scooter were saying things about Peter that they had previously said about Kermit . In , Miss Piggy attempted to wed Kermit by writing a sketch in which they got married , and then tricked Kermit into signing a marriage license ; she even booked a real clergyman to play the part of the minister . In , Kermit hurt his flipper after falling off a trapeze , getting hit by a faulty light fixture , and later catapulting into Statler and Waldorf ' s box ( this episode put Piggy in the " over - protective mother " position ) . In , Miss Piggy was jealous because Kermit had a crush on guest star Linda Ronstadt and decided to lock Kermit inside a trunk . Kermit ' s birthday was celebrated in , although , at the end of the episode , it was revealed that it was actually a few months before his real birthday . Movies . For the first three Muppet motion pictures , Kermit was very much the protagonist . His role as a leader , first established on " The Muppet Show " , was perpetuated in the movies as well . " The Muppet Movie " , presented to the viewer as a movie made by the Muppets to explain how they met , revolved around Kermit ' s journey to Hollywood and the new friends he encountered along the way , friends who shared his dream to make it big in show business . However , Kermit ' s motive for becoming famous was the chance to " make millions of people happy , " rather than financial gain . When offered to appear as the spokesfrog for the Doc Hopper ' s French Fried Frog Legs restaurant chain , Kermit denied all of Doc Hopper ' s requests , regardless of the threat of death by the over - zealous Doc . Two of the most well - known moments from the movie involve Kermit . One is the opening sequence , in which he sings one of his best - known songs , " Rainbow Connection " while playing his banjo in the swamp ; the other , his bicycle ride shortly after . In " The Great Muppet Caper " , Kermit was a reporter who traveled to England with Fozzie Bear and Gonzo to investigate a jewel thief robbery . In this movie , Kermit and Fozzie portrayed themselves as identical twin brothers . In " The Muppets Take Manhattan " , Kermit wrote a musical called " Manhattan Melodies " , which he attempted to put on Broadway . He also worked part - time at Pete ' s Luncheonette and wore a few disguises in his attempts to sell the show to Broadway producers . During their big Broadway premiere musical finale , Piggy tricked Kermit into marrying her . Although he appeared as himself in " Muppets from Space " , Kermit also took on different identities in " The Muppet Christmas Carol " , " Muppet Treasure Island " , and the TV movie " The Muppets Wizard of Oz " , playing the roles of Bob Cratchit , Captain Abraham Smollett , and The Scarecrow , respectively . In all of these films , Kermit played a more secondary role , acting as part of the ensemble rather than the main character . In 2002 , Kermit was featured in the direct - to - video release " Kermit ' s Swamp Years " , which offered a glimpse into Kermit ' s life in the swamp as a young frog . Also in 2002 , Kermit was one of the main characters in the full - length TV movie " It ' s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie " . Loosely based on the classic film " It ' s a Wonderful Life " , Kermit learns what the world would be like if he was never born . Kermit was a main character in " The Muppets " , a new Muppet movie released in 2011 . In the film , Gary , his girlfriend Mary , and his brother Walter track down Kermit and help him reunite the Muppets and save their studio . In " Muppets Most Wanted " , Kermit is replaced by a doppelganger named Constantine , and is thrown into a Gulag . The Jim Henson Hour . Kermit was the head of MuppeTelevision , the television station run by the Muppets in " The Jim Henson Hour " . One Kermit - centric episode was " , " in which the other Muppets convinced Kermit to let them help run the show . However , after allowing them to do so , Kermit decided to take a vacation , leaving the others in a panic over what to do . Other dilemmas that Kermit dealt with included going inside Digit ' s brain in order to fix him , keeping the ratings up , and dealing with mutated garbage . Kermit also sang some songs on this show , including " Chattanooga Choo - Choo " and " Sweet Vacation . " In , he told a story about how the nightingale got its voice . Muppets Tonight . On " Muppets Tonight " , Kermit was the producer and gave hosting duties to Clifford . However , Kermit was still a major character on the series , and even announced who the guest star was in the show ' s opening ( just like he did on " The Muppet Show " ) . Kermit 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 . Kermit also sang " Firefly " with Tony Bennett and attempted to sing " I Remember It Well " with Cindy Crawford . On his own , he sang " Once in a Lifetime , " " Strolling Through the Park One Day " to Heather Locklear , and " Dancing in the Dark , " the latter a flashback to Kermit ' s short - lived mid - life crisis . In one episode , Kermit was part of a contest , " Win a Date with Kermit . " The winner turned out to be Gilbert Gottfried , who was a big fan of Kermit . In another episode , the station got a new owner , Ernst Stavros Grouper , and after being annoyed with Grouper ' s demands , his insistence that Kermit become Virgil the Monkey , and his treatment of the Muppets , Kermit quit . After Mr . Grouper apologized , Kermit agreed to come back . Changing Performers . After Jim Henson died , Steve Whitmire took over as Kermit . Whitmire ' s first performance as Kermit was in " The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson " , when he appeared at the end of the special . For the next few years , Kermit ' s function in Muppet productions became reminiscent of his earlier roles in the " Tales from Muppetland " and other specials , functioning as either narrator or in supporting roles , observing or commenting on the action but rarely as the central focus or starting point of the plot . Examples include his literary parts in " The Muppet Christmas Carol " , " Muppet Treasure Island " , and the direct - to - video " Muppet Classic Theater " . On " Muppets Tonight " , though Kermit still introduced the guests , he usually played a more detached role , as producer . As performed by Whitmire , Kermit also hosted the " " videos and starred in his own album , " Kermit Unpigged " . After supporting roles on " Muppets Tonight " and the first three Muppet movies made after Jim Henson ' s death , Kermit became the central character in " Kermit ' s Swamp Years " and " It ' s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie " . Jane Henson reflected on the recasting , in a 1990 interview : " Steve Whitmire as Kermit : " When Jim was alive , he said if anything happened to him , Kermit must go on right away . Because of Kermit ' s significant place , Jim had essentially chosen who he thought could do it . But we don ' t want to say who it is before the show . The performer needs time . Kermit won ' t come back so strong at first . Then little by little , he will get his whole personality back . " In 2011 , Dave Goelz reflected on Kermit after Jim passed away ; John Kennedy performed Kermit for a demonstration at " Muppetfest " in 2001 ( opposite Whitmire ' s " young Kermit " ) and in 2006 for " Muppets Ahoy ! " During September 2009 , Kermit was performed by Artie Esposito for appearances on " America ' s Got Talent " , the " MTV Video Music Awards " and the second day of the D23 Expo singing " Rainbow Connection " ( Kermit was mute in other footage taped for the event , and absent from subsequent days . It was explained to the audience that this was because he was in New York at the VMAs ) In 2017 , fan blog ToughPigs . com published a statement from Disney , " Steve Whitmire is no longer working with the Muppets . " Following Whitmire ' s departure , it was revealed that Matt Vogel would take over performing duties beginning with a Muppet Thought of the Week . External links . _ _ NOWYSIWYG _ _