EAST LANSING, Mich. – He is an international star and has entertained fans across the world for more than five generations. Now Kermit the Frog – of “The Muppet Show” fame – will be Grand Marshal of the Michigan State University Homecoming parade at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29.
“It will be both fun and fitting to have Kermit the Frog as an honored guest at our annual Homecoming celebration,” says MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon. “Michigan State University was ‘green’ before it was trendy – and so was Kermit the Frog.”
“I’m thrilled that Michigan State University asked me to be Grand Marshal of this year’s Homecoming parade,” says Kermit the Frog. “And I promise to continue to wear the school colors year round in honor of this momentous event! Thank you, Spartans!”
According to Bill Beekman, acting executive director of the MSU Alumni Association, which oversees the Homecoming parade, “Homecoming at MSU is truly a community event, and bringing in Kermit the Frog as the Grand Marshal makes it even more so. We always draw strong support from alumni and friends of the university, and with Kermit here to help, we hope also to draw generations of his fans to watch the parade and join us in celebrating all that is good about MSU.”
The Homecoming parade starts at the Hannah Community Center on Abbott Road. It moves south to Grand River Avenue, then east to Bogue Street and south to Shaw Lane.
Kermit was first featured on television in 1955 and made his first network television debut on Steve Allen’s “Tonight Show” in 1956. This led to many more TV appearances and finally his big break in 1969 when Kermit joined the cast of a new show called “Sesame Street.” Seven years later, the prime-time hit television series “The Muppet Show” gained Kermit a legion of older fans and catapulted the mild-mannered frog to superstardom in more than 100 countries. Since then, Kermit has been in six feature films and has made numerous television appearances from “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” to “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” He has guest hosted on CNN’s “Larry King Live” and “The Tonight Show” among others. Earlier this year he made a surprise appearance on “Good Morning America” during Charlie Gibson’s last appearance as host of the show.
About the Muppets
The Muppets deliver smiles and laughter to the world through heartwarming characters and stories inspired by the art of puppetry. Led by Kermit the Frog, the Muppets are a broadly appealing global franchise built on 50 years of original, award-winning entertainment that includes 44 Emmy nominations, six feature films, and “The Muppet Show” which captured more than 235 million weekly viewers worldwide. The Muppets are true celebrities, with Kermit the Frog having his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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