Kermit at Smithsonian

[DanB315]

A photo of Kermit the Frog appears on the web site of Smithsonian.org, the Smithsonian Institution Museum of American History in Washington DC. It's on the History Wired (and main) page.
To my knowledge, the actual Kermit puppet has not been shown at the museum since the World Puppetry Fest. of 1980 (replaced by Oscar the Grouch), although I understand he's in storage.

Danny

 

[matleo]

He's in rotation. I saw him there a few years ago. I've seen Cookie and Oscar too. they have SO much stuff in storage that they keep it in rotatoin and not everything is always on display. But they usualyl have at leats ONE muppet there. there was talk a few years ago of them doing a JHC display at one point, but it just kept gettign pushed back and pushed back. Now with the company in the state that it's in, who knows? Maybe one day.....*sigh*

--Matt

 

[radionate]

Kermit was out when I was there in 1986 as well. Thats the only thing I wanted to see, and kept bugging my parents until we got there, and then I actually cried when I saw him.

I was a weird kid.

 

[MuppetQuilter]

Kermit was out in the mid-90s as well. Glass case, bottom floor, main hall, next to Archie Bunker's chair.

 

[radionate]

I wouldn't think that Kermit would go out of rotation. I thought that he, along with Charlie McCarthy, Archie Bunker's Chair, and The Fonz's Leather Jacket would stay in the exhibit forever. I pains me that Kermit would get shoved in a box awhile instead of being out for millions to see every year.

 

[MuppetQuilter]

Haven't been to the Smithsonian in years-- since 96 or 97, but Kermit was a part of the permanent exhibit (with the Fonz's jacket and Charlie as Nate said) back then. In the early 90s there was a big Sesame Street display (maybe late 80s?) with lots of stuff-- even in the cafeteria-- that was only there for a short time.

Has anyone been recently? Do we know, for certain, Kermit is no longer on display?

 

[scarecroe]

I was at the Smithsonian in the spring/summer of 97 and I don't think I knew to look for Kermit then.

 

[Foreignman]

Here's a link to Kermit up at the site as part of their HistoryWired online exhibit:
LINK Hogthrob

Ben Greene may not be held responsible for stupid ways of presenting links

 

[DanB315]

I live in the DC area. If Kermit was on display between '96-'99 I'm sure I would have seen him. Visited regularly during that time as I do now. You may know he was featured in a poster "Puppets With Strings and Things" with Charlie and Howdy back in 1980, coinciding with the "Puppets: Art and Entertainment" exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery and other puppet exhibits around town. Of course Kermit was MC at the Kennedy Center and in the PBS documentary "Here Come the Puppets" featuring the best of the world's puppeteers. I was there and even had dinner with Jim & family- a very memorable week for us puppeteers!

Danny

 

[DanB315]

BTW- I have some great laminated 8x10 color photos of Howdy Doody and Charlie McCarthy for sale on e-bay if anyone is interested.

Danny