Did You Know About Kermit the Frog’s First TV Show … 19 Years Before ‘The Muppet Show’?
If you’re like most people, you first met and fell in love with Kermit the Frog on The Muppet Show, which debuted in 1974. But did you know that Kermit starred in his first TV show almost two decades before the Muppets got their own big series?
That show was called Sam and Friends. The local Washington D.C. television show, created by Jim Henson, centered around Sam, a bald-headed, big-eared man. He has several animal friends, including the beloved Kermit the Frog, making his TV debut. Kermit first appeared on the show in March 1955; the anthropomorphic frog was created using Henson’s mother’s old turquoise coat and ping pong balls for eyes; his voice was inspired by actor Stan Freberg.
After seeing some success with the show and the character, Henson gained the copyright to Kermit in 1956. Sam and Friends went on until 1961 and unfortunately most of the original episodes of the show have since been lost, with only a few surviving episodes being found online or at the Paley Center for Media.
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Of course, Henson went on to create The Muppet Show and many Muppet films and television shows including Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth before he passed away on May 16, 1990. His legacy lives on with the Jim Henson Company which still rallies around the lovable puppets.
Now, in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Jim Henson Company and the start of his successful franchises, there are several celebrations of Henson and his work — including a new book titled The Sam and Friends Script Book by Craig Shemin, which uncovered 60 archival scripts from the show. Shemin also wrote 2022’s Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson’s First Television Show. The new book will hopefully be available for purchase soon but in the meantime, The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco is hosting a special event on June 14, 2025 for the 70th anniversary.
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It will feature puppet designer and costumer Bonnie Erickson, The Jim Henson Company’s Archives Director Karen Falk, puppeteer and voice actor Dave Goelz, producer Alex Rockwell, and CEO of The Jim Henson Company and daughter of Jim Henson, Lisa Henson as they share memories of the Henson productions in a panel moderated by Yvette Nicole Brown. Get tickets here.
Now tell us, did you know that Kermit debuted on Sam and Friends? Did you ever watch the show?
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Kid Stuff
June 2018
Unleash your inner child by reliving your favorite kids TV shows, cartoons, toys and more!
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