Kermit's 50th Anniversary World Tour

BoyRaisin2

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Kermit the Frog goes on 'tour' in Disney campaign

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Kermit the Frog, perhaps the world's most famous amphibian, will embark on a worldwide "tour" next month to celebrate his 50 years in show business and re-launch the Muppets franchise as part of the Walt Disney Co., it was announced Tuesday.

The green, fuzzy puppet character, who got his start in 1955 on the local Washington, D.C., television program, "Sam and Friends," was scheduled to appear on the Disney-owned ABC network's "Good Morning America" to kick off the promotion.

His first stop will be the small, west Texas town of Kermit on Oct. 14, followed by visits to 50 destinations around the globe over the next 15 months, including the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Great Wall of China and even a Frog Leg Festival in Fellsmere, Florida.

The launch of Kermit's 50th anniversary tour coincides with several events aimed at drawing new attention to the Muppets brand, which was created by the late Jim Henson and acquired by Disney in April 2004.

Last month, Disney issued a DVD boxed set of the first season of the 1970s hit television series "The Muppet Show," and earlier this month Hyperion Publishing released "It's Not Easy Being Green and Other Things to Consider," a book of insights into the philosophy and humor of the Muppets.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Postal Service will issue a stamp honoring Henson and his creations, including Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and the Swedish Chef.

Chris Curtin, general manager and vice president of the Muppets Holding Company, said the Disney-owned venture also is developing an "American Idol"-style "reality" TV series featuring Kermit and friends conducting a talent search "for the next Muppet."

Henson, who died of a bacterial infection in 1990 at the age of 54, originally constructed Kermit from the fabric of his mother's coat in the spring of 1955.

Kermit first appeared as more of a lizard-like creature on "Sam and Friends" but had fully evolved into a frog by the time he made his network TV debut on NBC's "The Tonight Show" with Steve Allen in the fall of 1956.

Fourteen years later, Henson brought Kermit and other Muppets to the landmark educational show "Sesame Street," where they became household names.

The success of "The Muppet Show," which premiered in 1976, led to Kermit and friends' motion picture debut in "The Muppet Movie" in 1979. Kermit has since gone on to star in six feature films, has appeared on the cover of Life magazine and received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002.
 

Fozzie Bear

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I don't like the idea that he's attending a frog's leg festival in Florida. Something about that, after seeing The Muppet Movie, just isn't right!

But the rest is cool as ice and slick as the day is long!
 

redBoobergurl

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Wow! That's awesome! I wish he'd come here, but I don't think there's anything exciting that would make Kermit want to come to Minnesota. Then again, if he's going to a frog leg festival....who knows?
 

Beauregard

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I hope he comes near me! Will we get aadvance warnings?

Hmm..somethign tells me at this site, we will...
 

Vic Romano

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Does he have a travel schedule? I'd like to catch him in NYC. :smile:
 

OverUnderAround

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I get the feeling that in time, some of these appearances might be by the Occasional Muppeteers that have been auditioning.
 

rtgentry

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Kermit in Kermit

I will be at the Kermit Texas stop. I really hope it is going to Steve. I can now see how having another performer doing kermit could be dissapointing. I mean I live in Texas but will be driving over 400 miles to get there. I would really like it to be worth the drive. I will be contacting the chamber or commerce at Kermit to see if they have any more info like time and place, events and such.
 

GelflingWaldo

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OverUnderAround said:
I get the feeling that in time, some of these appearances might be by the Occasional Muppeteers that have been auditioning.
I asked some folks at The Muppet Holding Company is this will be "Steve all the way", and I was told yes. Steve will be Kermit on this 50 stop world-wide tour.

Not only is this a big event, that they would want the "best" Kermit for (and the "standard", "original", or "real" Kermit for); so they said there was no problem sending Steve all over for this big event. But even if this event was not big enough to justify Steve, I was told that the newly auditioned performers are (in the MHC's eye) not ready to start doing this type of thing yet. Many who passed the auditions have not officially signed on yet, nor have they been been trained and properly prepared to start doing anything official (esspecially not anything this big, with such a big character, with so many people watching), it is too early for the newly hired puppeteers to be popping up. But, anyway, this event is big enough for them to justify the real deal...Steve Whitmire...no problem. So if you go out to see Kermit at one of his stops, I've been told it will be Steve.
 

MrsPepper

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How exciting! Now, KERMIT! Are you coming to CANADA?! Anywhere near me is nice! Even if it's not near me I would still be happy knowing Kermit came to my country, period. The cities at the bottom of the screen are: London, Paris, Hong kong, milan, NYC, washington DC, Chicago, Boston.
 
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