This is a cool discussion.
Well I can certainly say it's hard to answer a question in terms of my personal favorite Muppet because I think what really captured my interest in The Muppets was how television style puppetry was developed as well as the the building of the characters and how they are worked. As well as the writing of the comedy and the collaboration of puppetry and rock music which has been probably the most influence to me as an artist. Though in terms of Kermit, there's so many great aspects of Kermit. First his design, it's very simple. He's like a hand with fleece cover it. Very flexable and a light weight character so Jim and later down the road Steve would develop these facial expressions like Kermit's trademark "sheesh" grumpy look when his face gets all scrunched up or his shocked expression when the tip of his head rises up. Though I remember Jim's quote on how he never liked how puppetry was analyzed because puppetry does what it does, so I guess I should just let the artform speak for itself, lol Next Kermit's character, his personality. Sometimes what's very fascinating in terms of evolution is allowing characters to grow over periods of time. Something that is rarely done on television now a days unless a show is a hit. Kermit started out very smark allicy that played the comic through out the years. Even when he was on Late Night... Here's a perfect example...
Though as Kermit developed, be went more for the straightman position in comedy. But though his next trademark well more with Jim's Kermit then Steve's was Kermit's anger management.
(I just discovered this clip, must have been the first Sesame Street News Flash. Though what I love about this clip the most is how Kermit is right in the camera's face pointing his mic shouting. lol I love it
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And as Kermit developed and finalized evelution within Jim's Kermit. Kermit developed this sense of maturity. But what's really interesting about Jim's later Kermit was Kermit just became more realistic within his personality. And that's one of the most beautiful aspects of The Muppets where you completely forget that they are puppets because the performances seen so real, we believe that they are moving and walking and talking when the camera is off and there's no Muppeteers. lol It's amazing art.
Also when Jim and Frank developed Kermit and Miss Piggy as a team, it's just hysterical. Miss Piggy with this everlasting crush on Kermit and in her mind only they are a happy couple who have little Fig (cross between a Frog and a Pig) children running around in their home in Maine. lol While Kermit denies all of this stuff and how the personalities just are at each others throats basicly. Miss Piggy's um..over assertiveness and many layers of aspects of herself that she's covering up to make herself something she's not and Kermit's anger management problems. It just comes out hilarious. lol I remember hearing many times what Miss Piggy's character was in the words of Frank Oz. "She's fat, she's untalented, she can't sing, she doesn't have a sense of humor, she's not pretty, Kermit doesn't really love her, and she's a pig. The world's against her so she covers up all this pain and that's what makes her funny." It's very fascinating. Though it seems to relate more to Frank's Miss Piggy and not so much Eric Jacobson's Miss Piggy in my opinion. Eric does great with Frank's characters but in my opinion it's just not the same. Anyway, here's Kermit and Miss Piggy at their best. lol I hope this comes to an official DVD release someday
Though I like to mention within my conclusion that no matter where Kermit went. If it's with The Muppets or Sesame Street. Kermit's personality stayed the same. That's what I loved about the classic Sesame is how the characters taught as if they were educating adults and not patronizing. Even on Sesame, Kermit had anger management problems. lol
(I miss when Sesame was like this lol)
To conclude everything, well we all know that Jim's no longer with us and Steve took over Kermit in 1990 and continues to this day. Though I think the one golden thing that is the same with Steve's Kermit and Jim's Kermit is the inner spirit. The kind happy moral side of Kermit is very similar which is great. Steve's major role with Kermit after The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (which was more of a minor role) was of course The Muppet Christmas Carol. And I really wanted to post a clip of Kermit singing "One More Sleep Until Christmas" because it's defenatly one of the most heart-filled moments that I remember of Steve's Kermit. Though I'm sure that Disney took the clip down due to the new re-released remastered verson that's on DVD. So like me, go get the new DVD
My favorite Steve Kermit moments was in Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island.
It really highlighted Kermit's moral side of honesty and caring, I'm not sure how to describe it. There's this sense of Kermit's sweet side that was very similar to Jim's. And what's very interesting in watching Kermit currently is that Kermit's voice is becoming slightly deeper which is starting to sound more like Jim's Kermit like ever before. It's very interesting