activity book: The Muppet Babies' Paint Box Book

Jim Henson, a puppeteer, screenwriter, film director, and producer, made the original Kermit from his mother����_��s discarded green coat and crafted the puppet a pair of eyes from a ping pong ball. When Kermit first appeared in ����_�Sam and Friends,����_�_ a brief, early live-action, puppet television show that aired between 1955 and 1961, he looked more like a lizard than a frog. The show also featured Sam, who lip synched to popular recordings, Harry the Hipster, a beatnik, and Icky Gunk, a grinning snakelike character, among others. The show presented off-beat humor, silly characters, and educational messages, that became synonymous with Jim Henson. ����_�Sam and Friends����_�_ demonstrated that puppetry appealed to different age groups and cultures. As Kermit����_��s form evolved, so did his career. The optimistic and poised frog has appeared on the ����_�Tonight Show,����_�_ ����_�Hey Cinderella!����_�_, ����_�Sesame Street,����_�_ and ����_�The Muppet Show.����_�_ Kermit earned an honorary doctorate of Amphibious Letters from Southampton College, received a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame, and his song ����_�Rainbow Connection����_�_ and ����_�The First Time it Happens����_�_ were nominated for Academy Awards.