Jim Henson, a celebrated artist, and puppeteer was the brains behind the “Muppets” characters, including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and “Sesame Street” characters such as Oscar The Grouch and Cookie Monster.
Kermit the Frog debuted in the 1955 TV show “Sam and Friends,” winning Henson an Emmy. Created by Henson and his friends at the University of Maryland, it incorporated several characters that would later come to feature in “Muppets.”
The now-very-popular Kermit did not start as the smooth furred green puppet we all know. He was initially made from ping-pong balls and Henson’s mother’s old coats.
Henson referred to Kermit as some sort of “alter ego,” even though he says the frog was a little more sarcastic and critical than he was. Kermit would later feature on “Sesame Street” in 1969.
Henson created numerous puppet shows but continued to voice Kermit until his passing on in 1990, after which Steve Whitmire, who had been working with “The Muppet s” show since 1978, took over the character.
In 2017, things seemed to take a turn when fans discovered that Whitmire and Henson’s children were in constant disagreement, with the latter claiming that Kermit’s character needed to be recast.
Twenty-seven years after he took over voicing Kermit’s character, Whitmire would be leaving the show, with the Kermit doppelganger in “The Muppets,” Matt Vogel, taking over.
While it came as a surprise to fans, as well as to Whitmire himself, the Disney studios had long been considering the decision, citing “unacceptable business conduct” from the actor and his unwillingness to address any concerns that were raised.
Cheryl, Henson’s daughter and board member for Jim Henson Co., claimed that Whitmire was not doing the Kermit character any justice, saying Whitmire’s portrayal of the Frog had become ridiculously self-serving.
She took to her Facebook page to voice her concerns, saying that over the years, Whitmire had been depicting Kermit as a depressed, angry, and bitter character.
This, she added, was a far cry from what the character’s creator, Henson, had in mind for Kermit, who was initially meant to be a sarcastic, yes, but a funny, fun, and loyal character as well.