Muppet Central News - TV special planned to commemorate Kermit's 50 Years

It was back in 1955 on a local Washington DC television show called “Sam & Friends” when Jim Henson first shared a distinctive green friend with the world (although at the time most people just saw him in black and white). Over half a century later the famous amphibian still touches the lives of millions of people each year. This is of course about Kermit the Frog. This spectacular Muppet milestone will not be forgotten, as Disney and the Muppets plan to kick off a giant 15-month worldwide Birthday celebration in honor of Kermit the Frog’s 50th anniversary.

In celebration of Kermit’s 50th Anniversary, Walt Disney Home Entertainment is releasing commemorative DVDs in a several special anniversary edition DVDs. Completely restored and remastered and packed with new bonus features, “The Muppet Movie”, “The Great Muppet Caper”, “The Muppet Christmas Carol”, “Muppet Treasure Island”, “The Muppets Wizard of Oz”, “The Muppet Show – Season One”, and more Muppet classics are being released under the “Kermit’s 50th anniversary collection” DVD banner. But the releases of these classic family favorites are just one of many celebratory initiatives planned this year to celebrate the world’s most beloved frog.

In honor of his birthday, there are plans for an all new television special in celebration of Kermit's career, tentatively titled “Kermit the Frog: Celebrating 50 Years of Being Green”. The special will take the form of a celebrity roast, where the Muppet gang (and some of their celebrity friends) have fun jesting at the famous frog while taking a look back at his 50 years of work (and wishing him a happy birthday). The Frog’s special roast will be hosted by Kermit's best critic, Miss Piggy. In addition to the regular Muppet madness, the television special will feature clips and highlights of Kermit’s 50 years of entertainment – from his early days on “Sam & Friends” in 1955, all the way up to “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” in 2005. The exact details on when the special will air are unclear but pre-production and preparation is underway on the special salute to the frog we all love.

In preparation for the big 50th celebration, Kermit will also be making a trip around the world to visit the top 50 places that he's always wanted to go (one for each year) –the Great Wall of China, Wimbledon, and 48 more. Kermit’s brand-new journey around the globe will be filmed, however the exact plans on how these 50 short video featurettes will be used is unclear at this point. More details on Kermit’s globe hopping trip should surface in 2006 as the debut of these bits approaches.

"Well, you know, it's interesting being 50," Kermit said in a recent interview with the Associated Press. "You start to reflect on your life. And you look back over the years at everything you've ever done. And, with age comes wisdom. But I have to say that I'm not sure that 50 for me is the same as 50 in people years." The frog continued proclaiming, "I will be celebrating my 50th year in show business starting this September, and that's going to be like a yearlong celebration," Kermit said. "And it'll be a whole year filled with things having to do with being green and frogs and all that sort of stuff."

Happy Birthday, Kermit!

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