In my last article (One Frog, One Voice) I stated that I had nothing else to contribute for MuppetsHenson and that I was no longer a Muppet Fan and I still stand by that but that’s not to say I will not continue to support past Muppets, Steve Whitmire, Kermit the Frog and for the beliefs I learned through Jim Henson’s Productions. I believe we as Muppet Fans have learned of Jim Henson’s vision simply by watching and listening to what Kermit the Frog and The Muppets have always done, said and sang before his passing. Words I doubt Jim Henson would have spoken had he not believed in what he was letting Kermit share with the world through him. Jim Henson is a creative genius, would a creative genius not hope to find a way to leave his thoughts and beliefs behind for the world to continue believing in even after he had passed away? What better way to do this than to leave a forever living puppet that could do just this, provide his message, his voice, his belief for years to come even when he was not around to physically do so himself. This is why having the performer be true to Jim Henson’s beliefs and not any random writing team available at the time is very important, the same goes for all other major Muppets and secondary characters. Please watch Kermit the Frog singing The Rainbow Connection as performed by Jim Henson in The Muppet Movie (1979). 
The legacy, the icon, the image, the face, the recognisability worldwide is Kermit the Frog, Jim Henson left something special to continue sharing his beliefs through even when he was not here to do so himself.Whoever controls the puppet can change what Kermit says and voices and by doing that, if not the right person, it is not true to the spirit of Jim Henson, one is basically insulting Jim by having Kermit’s word not be meaningful and simply fed out of money which indirectly also tarnishes Jim Henson’s Kermit from past productions. In my opinion if Kermit is ruined in 2017 his powerful image before Jim Henson’s passing loses credibility because it will not hold true to what Kermit himself has become, if the preacher can’t follow his own beliefs then why should his following fans believe in him, not in Kermit, in Jim Henson. Please watch Steve’s Whitmire’s Kermit accompanied by Gonzo singing Everyone Matters as performed in It’s A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002).
If an actor portraying a role on a television show or movie franchise is asked by the producer/director/writers/management to do something which the performer thinks is also out of character and might ruin their integrity, their image, they will stand up for both of them. Not just the Character they portray but the Actor/Person themselves, as they do not want to have their face attached when portrayed as an idiot or a horny green toad interested in piglets. In this case the acting Performers thoughts are taken into consideration because it will be hard to replace them with the same character they portray on screen. Sometimes the character is killed off, moves away, has a piano dropped on them, replaced by a random new relative or they simply recast the actor and hope it goes unnoticed and that those who realise it will simply accept it. The thing is these real acting Performers will eventually pass away, their legacy, the integrity they thought for will always be remembered and along with them in death they will no longer have to worry about their image being used for what they did not intend. These iconic stars of film and television will not be able to continue to inspire in the present or the future with their values or believes once they’re gone besides the inspiration they’ve left behind for us in the past. Sadly in many years to come once a person is no longer currently in the public eye they are not forgotten but slowly become simply a memory of the past, history for future generations to study. 
Universally loved characters such as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big Bird, Gobo Fraggle, Hoggle, Aughra, Robbie Sinclair, Yoda, Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Homer Simpson, Fred Flintstone, Eric Cartman, Stewie Griffin, Pinocchio and even Beaker don’t have that disadvantage. That is why as silly as it might sound these iconic characters will be able to continue sharing their voice and face with future generations to come, they will outlast all of us, it is important they always share the same belief and values as their creators, this way their spirit will always live on and if they’ve achieved in creating an iconic everlasting character the whole world can appreciate then they deserve that respect. Unfortunately unlike Human icons throughout film and television history these forever lasting iconic role models can’t stand up for themselves, they can’t decide what it is they want their followers, their fans to believe. The voice actors are usually the most passionate when it comes to defending the integrity of their cartoon characters but when it comes to The Muppets it’s not just about defending the voice, what the character says but also the performance itself.
In the case of puppet/animated characters/icons this does not apply, these “performers” cannot stand up for their integrity, if the ones in charge feel like it they can make the character appear to viewers however they wish and those character e.g. Mickey Mouse/Bugs Bunny/Homer Simpson cannot do anything about that. This is what is unique about The Muppets, these are fictional characters who if they wish can actually keep the integrity to their legacy as a real human performer (actor) would if they found themselves in the same situation. Then unlike Animated Character the actual Muppets can also appear at live public events, they have best of both worlds, The Muppets have so much value besides modern entertainment.
In 2009 the world was introduced to Kermit the Frog 2, in business it makes sense, having a Kermit 2 means more appearances, more money. Kermit 2 was performed on three separate occasions by Artie Esposito. Kermit 2 debuted alongside Miss Piggy and a choir of Chickens on America’s Got Talent and this was the result...
At this point I was worried Kermit 3, Kermit 4 and Kermit 5 were soon going to start appearing and even believed Lady Gaga would be asked to perform Kermit 6 since apparently as Fans we’re not clever enough to notice the difference. The Walt Disney Company gives me the impression that performing and imitating Kermit the Frog isn’t that hard. Anybody can get a realistic Kermit puppet, practise the voice and make YouTube videos which they can hopefully use for their advantage.
I could have written the above in both ways, one that made The Walt Disney Company look good or bad, had I just posted one version subconsciously I’d be making you think with your brain and not with your heart, this is why I think it is always important to provide both sides, both opinions, all options. This way the reader can decide which one to choose rather than easily accept what they read and not use their time to consider the other options for themselves. This reminds me of last week’s interview Steve Whitmire provided for Inside Edition. When I heard this interview for a second I wasn’t sure who was actually fighting for Kermit the Frog, Steve had been painted as a Kermit-Obsessed-Crazy-Frog by The Walt Disney Company and by saying “I am Kermit and Kermit is Me” I felt Steve Whitmire might have been a bit at fault here. I wasn’t the only one who felt like this, across the message boards I realized this was a big moment when Steve Whitmire lost a lot of fans and followers. Then I stopped listing to what was being said, sat on my balcony and listened to what I thought of this and I realized he had obviously been asked a question, it’s an interview, what was the question? Is Kermit Jim? That would have been the wrong answer to give Steve, I would have lost respect for you there had that been the question. Maybe he was asked “are you Kermit?” if so they are leading him into having to say something along the lines of what he said which if that was the question actually makes it a very responsible answer. For those interested in listening again the same interview is still available online but unless we all missed it before the question is now asked before Steve Whitmire answers. 
The Jim Henson Company unfortunately got in the middle of this and I will not go back in saying that the way they spoke of Steve Whitmire broke my heart. I’m not bashing their opinions but doing it the way they did make me feel sad for being inspired by Kermit all these years even after Jim Henson’s death when his children didn’t even believe this was the proper portrayal. I am grateful to see they are no longer getting involved in this terrible mess, this is between Kermit the Frog and The Walt Disney Company not between Steve Whitmire and The Jim Henson Company. They are making sure to try and keep attention focused on the new Jim Henson’s Museum Of The Moving Image Exhibition not fuelling the Kermit the Frog and Steve Whitmire situation. As a Fan I want them to help Steve but at the same time not having control over The Muppets for thirteen years I understand they really have no power to help but they do have the power not to make things harder/confusing not just for Kermit and Steve but for Fans. Allow those who wish to support Steve to do so without feeling that we are disrespecting The Jim Henson Company by doing so. If you think of Jim Henson’s life it’s interesting enough to be made into a movie, there have been many documentaries but never a movie. There was a brilliant book written in 2013 by Brian Jay Jones titled “Jim Henson The Biography” a book I would love to see translated into film.
What most sadness me here is how important A Muppet Family Christmas has now become, it helped me realize there was a connection between The Muppets, Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street, the main connection was Jim Henson. The thing is if Jim Henson ever wanted to write a book about his philosophy in life on how he tried to change the world for the better, in order to do this he needs to talk about all these properties including others such as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and Time Piece. My focus is on The Muppets, Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock because these three need to have a connection to each other, even if owned by different companies, so that those who truly want to learn from Jim Henson know what to look for, where to find it, what is connected, Jim Henson’s real Labyrinth is made up on many productions not just one movie. I’m a huge Fan of Dinosaurs but ever since Season 1, Episode 5 “Howling Day” after Roy almost tries to eat Gunge I realized there was also a connection here too. Yes the same puppet was simply used for production reasons but in my eyes this meant the world in which these modern aged Dinosaurs lived was not our past but rather another part of Jim Henson’s universe, probably located by entering through Fraggle Rock and exploring further beyond the Gorgs garden.
Perhaps as Muppet Fans we could starts a Kickstarter Campaign to raise enough money to hire Frank Oz to direct and overlook the next Muppet production but only with Steve Whitmire performing as Kermit the Frog. I never thought I would be writing an article suggesting fans raise money for The Walt Disney Company but if it helps The Muppets in anyway I’ll even open a lemonade stand outside my house and do my part.
Just for fun let’s watch the last few Muppet productions in reverse and remember Walter represents Muppet Fans...
Long Live The Muppet Pundit
If listening to what Jim Henson's own family think of Steve should be enough for anyone
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