Happy 70th anniversary to The Ultimate Master of Ceremonies

 The toast is to the MC. Seventy years ago Kermit first appeared on Sam and Friends.

He looked more like Kermit the lizard but over the early years he morphed into the Froggie we know and love.

 My best Kermit story happened on September 23, 1978, which was the opening of the Center for Puppetry Arts. I had managed to get through the crowd and took some photos of Jim and Kermit. The crowd got tighter and tighter and Jim backed right up into me. I was helped up and found myself taking to Kermit who was really concerned that I was okay. I will always remember that.

 Kermit’s character was one of the calm in the midst of chaos. Not that he was always calm. A Kermit blowup included a lot of flipper flapping and that “aaaaaaaaaaaa”. The other muppets could tell they stepped on a bomb unless they were oblivious (Gonzo). He was the rock that kept the group together. They trusted their leader even in the mist of the theater falling apart.

 Kermit became the face of the Muppets. I think almost everyone knows who Kermit the frog is.

I think one of my favorite scenes with Kermit is the opening of the Muppets Movie when he sanging Rainbow Connection. I am also fond of Being Green. Both make me both happy and sad at the same time.

 Kermit is in my top ten Muppet list. I don’t think the Muppets could exist without Kermit. 

On another note, I think all of us wonder what Jim would have done with today’s technology. 

 As Jim liked to say, “It really started with a frog.”

 I am grateful for Kermit the Frog.