The Muppets Are From Mississippi
_ By Brother
Rogers
The Muppets are back and a whole new generation is discovering these lovable characters. Their new movie, “The Muppets,” is currently showing and grossed over $40 million in its first five days.
My generation grew up with the Muppets, not only on Sesame Street, but also with The Muppet Show television program and several feature films. The sound of the theme song from The Muppet Show still gets my blood pumping as does the song, “Mahna Mahna,” sung by that wild Muppet drummer named Animal. And who can forget Kermit the Frog playing the banjo while singing “The Rainbow Connection.”
The Muppet characters are well known celebrities today such as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, the Swedish Chef (a minor character but one of my favorites) and many others. For example, Kermit the Frog has presented at the Academy Awards, guest hosted the Tonight Show, been interviewed on 60 Minutes and was the grand marshal at the Tournament of Roses Parade. In 2005, the United States Postal Service released a Jim Henson and the Muppets postage stamp series. Kermit the Frog is easily one of the most recognizable characters in America today.
Given the resurgence in interest in the Muppets and their lasting fame, it is worth noting that they are natives of Mississippi…well, sort of. The Muppet characters were created by the late Jim Henson, who grew up in the Mississippi Delta. He was born in Greenville and raised in the town of Leland, where his father worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Leland has a historical marker entitled “Birthplace of Kermit the Frog.” According to the marker, Jim Henson’s childhood friend was Kermit Scott, who inspired the name of the now internationally famous frog. Just three months ago, Leland renamed one of its bridges “The Rainbow Connection” to honor Henson and his work.
As the boyhood home of Jim Henson, Leland also has a small museum that celebrates the man and the Muppets. When my son Andrew and I visited there two years ago, a retired librarian was the only employee. She showed us boyhood photographs, explained Jim Henson’s love of music and the effect it had on the Muppets, and even played a DVD to show us famous movie scenes.
When we were leaving, I told her she had given us first-class treatment. I’ll never forget her response. She said, “Honey, that’s the only kind we got!”
I remember explaining to my older son Zack, when he was about five years old, that Kermit the Frog was from Mississippi. Something must have gotten lost in translation because soon afterward I overheard him telling someone Kermit the Frog was our cousin.
Unfortunately, Jim Henson died in 1990 at the age of 53, but the legacy of this creative Mississippi native lives on through the Muppets.
We in Mississippi are proud to be the home of famous musicians, writers, actors and athletes. When we recite the list we all know so well – Elvis, Oprah, William Faulkner, John Grisham, Jerry Rice and so forth – let’s not forget Jim Henson and the Muppets, who have made a significant contribution to American life and culture. When you take your children or grandchildren to see the new movie, be sure to tell them that the Muppets are from Mississippi.
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works for the Stennis Center for Public Service.
The Muppets are back and a whole new generation is discovering these lovable characters. Their new movie, “The Muppets,” is currently showing and grossed over $40 million in its first five days.
My generation grew up with the Muppets, not only on Sesame Street, but also with The Muppet Show television program and several feature films. The sound of the theme song from The Muppet Show still gets my blood pumping as does the song, “Mahna Mahna,” sung by that wild Muppet drummer named Animal. And who can forget Kermit the Frog playing the banjo while singing “The Rainbow Connection.”
The Muppet characters are well known celebrities today such as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, the Swedish Chef (a minor character but one of my favorites) and many others. For example, Kermit the Frog has presented at the Academy Awards, guest hosted the Tonight Show, been interviewed on 60 Minutes and was the grand marshal at the Tournament of Roses Parade. In 2005, the United States Postal Service released a Jim Henson and the Muppets postage stamp series. Kermit the Frog is easily one of the most recognizable characters in America today.
Given the resurgence in interest in the Muppets and their lasting fame, it is worth noting that they are natives of Mississippi…well, sort of. The Muppet characters were created by the late Jim Henson, who grew up in the Mississippi Delta. He was born in Greenville and raised in the town of Leland, where his father worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Leland has a historical marker entitled “Birthplace of Kermit the Frog.” According to the marker, Jim Henson’s childhood friend was Kermit Scott, who inspired the name of the now internationally famous frog. Just three months ago, Leland renamed one of its bridges “The Rainbow Connection” to honor Henson and his work.
As the boyhood home of Jim Henson, Leland also has a small museum that celebrates the man and the Muppets. When my son Andrew and I visited there two years ago, a retired librarian was the only employee. She showed us boyhood photographs, explained Jim Henson’s love of music and the effect it had on the Muppets, and even played a DVD to show us famous movie scenes.
When we were leaving, I told her she had given us first-class treatment. I’ll never forget her response. She said, “Honey, that’s the only kind we got!”
I remember explaining to my older son Zack, when he was about five years old, that Kermit the Frog was from Mississippi. Something must have gotten lost in translation because soon afterward I overheard him telling someone Kermit the Frog was our cousin.
Unfortunately, Jim Henson died in 1990 at the age of 53, but the legacy of this creative Mississippi native lives on through the Muppets.
We in Mississippi are proud to be the home of famous musicians, writers, actors and athletes. When we recite the list we all know so well – Elvis, Oprah, William Faulkner, John Grisham, Jerry Rice and so forth – let’s not forget Jim Henson and the Muppets, who have made a significant contribution to American life and culture. When you take your children or grandchildren to see the new movie, be sure to tell them that the Muppets are from Mississippi.
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works for the Stennis Center for Public Service.