Kermit the Frog is the world’s most famous amphibian.
He’s all over Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Hollywood movies, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, and his fans sing his songs, laugh at his stories, and feel awkward watching his romance with Miss Piggy.
But does anybody know what Kermit was like before his fame? Was he ever a tadpole? Did he have acne as a teenager? Did Oscar the Grouch bully him in grammar school?
Get the answers to these questions and some information on other young characters during Muppet Babies Take MoMI on Saturday, June 21, and Sunday, June 22.
Presented by Bank of America, this weekend is full of family fun anchored by an exhibition of newly restored puppets, including Kermit the Frogito, Baby Gonzo, and Baby Rowlf in the lobby. Visitors are invited to take photos with the puppets, participate in hands-on workshops, listen to live music from John Koozin and the Neighborhood, and attend a panel discussion about puppet conservation with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
Matinee screenings of The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), which stars the Muppet Babies in their feature-film debut, is also on the schedule both days.
Atendance is free, except for the movies which cost $17.50 (discounts for seniors and students).
Here’s more information.
June 21
1 pm–5 pm
The Choose Your Own Adventure hands-on workshops feature such activities as
- Draw Yourself as a Baby Muppet: Your portrait will be displayed in MoMI’s classroom
- Paper Bag/Plate Muppets: DIY puppet-making workshop
- Green Screen Station: MoMI Puppeteer in Residence Brian T. Carson leads an activity that brings puppets to life using (green) screen.
1 pm
The Muppets Take Manhattan (ticketed)
3 pm–5 pm
Live music by John Koozin and the Neighborhood in the Kaufman Courtyard.
June 22
1 pm
The Muppets Take Manhattan (ticketed)
3:30 pm
Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Panel Discussion
Creative Supervisor Jason Weber and two other puppet builders from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop talk about puppet building and conservation with MoMI Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs Barbara Miller.
Muppet Babies Take MoMI is part of the museum’s Open Worlds initiative, which invites the public to use the building’s first-floor spaces as a free, accessible, 15,500-square-foot, climate-controlled, WiFi-enabled community resource. Launched in May 2024, MoMI’s Open Worlds continues to offer one of the largest free community spaces in Queens.
To help preserve important artifacts and works of art for future generations of museumgoers, Bank of America partners with cultural institutions in New York City and beyond to support conservation efforts. In partnership with the bank, MoMI turned to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop to restore 10 puppets from its collection of artifacts related to Henson’s career. The restored puppets include those made for innovative television commercials and variety show appearances in the early 1960s; several characters from The Muppet Show (1976–1981), including Camilla the Chicken and three Muppet Babies, which first appeared in a flashback scene in The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). During the restoration process, the puppets were cleaned, given mounts to prepare them for display, and had foam replaced to ensure they remain physically stable. None of these puppets had been in the public eye for decades.
Museum of the Moving Image is located at 36-01 35th Ave. in Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
Image: MoMI/Muppets characters ©Disney
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