TV
special planned to commemorate Kermit's 50 Years
New
DVD's and a trip around the world honor Kermit's 50th anniversary
in television
By
Greg James
August
30, 2005
It
was back in 1955 on a local Washington DC television show called
“Sam & Friends” when Jim Henson first shared a distinctive
green friend with the world (although at the time most people just
saw him in black and white). Over half a century later the famous
amphibian still touches the lives of millions of people each year.
This is of course about Kermit the Frog. This spectacular Muppet
milestone will not be forgotten, as Disney and the Muppets plan
to kick off a giant 15-month worldwide Birthday celebration in honor
of Kermit the Frog’s 50th anniversary.
In
celebration of Kermit’s 50th Anniversary, Walt Disney Home
Entertainment is releasing commemorative DVDs in a several special
anniversary edition DVDs. Completely restored and remastered and
packed with new bonus features, “The
Muppet Movie”, “The
Great Muppet Caper”, “The
Muppet Christmas Carol”, “Muppet
Treasure Island”, “The
Muppets Wizard of Oz”, “The
Muppet Show – Season One”, and more Muppet classics
are being released under the “Kermit’s 50th anniversary
collection” DVD banner. But the releases of these classic
family favorites are just one of many celebratory initiatives planned
this year to celebrate the world’s most beloved frog.
In
honor of his birthday,
there are plans for an all new television special in celebration
of Kermit's career, tentatively titled “Kermit the Frog: Celebrating
50 Years of Being Green”. The special will take the form of
a celebrity roast, where the Muppet gang (and some of their celebrity
friends) have fun jesting at the famous frog while taking a look
back at his 50 years of work (and wishing him a happy birthday).
The Frog’s special roast will be hosted by Kermit's best critic,
Miss Piggy. In addition to the regular Muppet madness, the television
special will feature clips and highlights of Kermit’s 50 years
of entertainment – from his early days on “Sam &
Friends” in 1955, all the way up to “The Muppets’
Wizard of Oz” in 2005. The exact details on when the special
will air are unclear but pre-production and preparation is underway
on the special salute to the frog we all love.
In
preparation for the big 50th celebration, Kermit will also be making
a trip around the world to visit the top 50 places that he's always
wanted to go (one for each year) –the Great Wall of China,
Wimbledon, and 48 more. Kermit’s brand-new journey around
the globe will be filmed, however the exact plans on how these 50
short video featurettes will be used is unclear at this point. More
details on Kermit’s globe hopping trip should surface in 2006
as the debut of these bits approaches.
"Well,
you know, it's interesting being 50," Kermit said in a recent
interview with the Associated Press. "You start to reflect
on your life. And you look back over the years at everything you've
ever done. And, with age comes wisdom. But I have to say that I'm
not sure that 50 for me is the same as 50 in people years."
The frog continued proclaiming, "I will be celebrating my 50th
year in show business starting this September, and that's going
to be like a yearlong celebration," Kermit said. "And
it'll be a whole year filled with things having to do with being
green and frogs and all that sort of stuff."
Happy Birthday,
Kermit!
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