Kermit ' s Birthday While it ' s well known that Kermit the Frog was born in a swamp , the precise date of his birth is uncertain , with different months and days specified over the years . It ' s unanimously agreed upon that 1955 is the birth year of Kermit , marking not only his creation as a Muppet but the fictional character ' s literal " birth . " The earliest reference to Kermit ' s birthday came in an appearance on " Dinah ! " , hosted by Dinah Shore on April 13 , 1977 . In that episode , Kermit celebrated his 21st birthday . As Karen Falk noted in an " Ask Henson " column circa 1999 , " Kermit first appeared on television in 1955 ( so he would have been 22 in 1977 , but many show business people fudge their ages a bit ! ) . " Falk also added that " the official year is 1955 , but there is no official date . Besides - do you count when the egg was laid or when the tadpole lost his tail ? " In of " The Muppet Show " , which was taped in May 1979 and aired that September , Miss Piggy arranges a birthday tribute show for Kermit . However , the frog claims that his birthday is " about four months " away . In 2005 , with the 50th anniversary of Kermit ' s " birth , " the issue of assigning a specific date resurfaced . A National Public Radio " Morning Edition " report , broadcast on May 9 , claimed that Kermit was born on that day ; the actual broadcast focused on Kermit ' s " birth " as a puppet creation as opposed to an actual celebrity , and chose May 9 since that was the date " Sam and Friends " debuted . The date was repeated on Wikipedia , in personal blogs , and other materials in 2005 . However , most print news periodicals referred to " Kermit ' s birthday " only in terms of years . In contrast , MSNBC , in an August 21 , 2005 article , claimed that Kermit would turn 50 " next month , " possibly alluding to Jim Henson ' s own birthdate of September 24th . In 2006 , the May 9th date cropped up again , in a Ford press release promoting the debut of Kermit ' s Ford commercial during the Super Bowl on February 6th , 2006 . The press release , which treated Kermit not as a puppet but as genuine " celebrated actor , author , singer and journalist , " included a biography of Kermit , which gave his birth date as May 9 , 1955 . However , when Kermit guest starred on " Martha " on October 5 , 2006 , the guest profile on the show ' s website insisted that Kermit was " ' born ' on May 9 , 1955 , in the mind of puppeteer Jim Henson , " as opposed to a literal birth date . " The Muppets 2008 Day - at - a - Time Calendar " also states Kermit ' s birthday as May 9th ; the calendar page for that day pictures Kermit holding a present , with the words " Happy 53rd Birthday , Kermit ! " In his book " Sesame Street Unpaved " , David Borgenicht gave Kermit ' s birthday as February 29th , Leap Year Day . Since this is the only mention of this date , this could be interpreted as a joke about frogs leaping , and not as Kermit ' s official birthday . In of " The Muppet Show " , when Kermit and Jim Nabors discuss astrological signs during the talk spot , Kermit claims to be a Taurus . ( The astrological sign is the Bull , which makes him a bullfrog . ) This would make his birthday between April 20 and May 20 . While that ' s obviously a coincidence , it does give credence to May 9th as Kermit ' s birthday .