On this day in 1955, the creature we now know as Kermit the Frog made his first appearance on Jim Henson’s TV program Sam and Friends. (Sam is the vaguely human character with his hand on Henson’s shoulder, below.)
Kermit’s final design — notice that he does not have his trademark collar in that black and white photo — would not be finalized for a while yet, and he would not be explicitly identified as a frog until the late 60s.1
Since that time, he has distinguished himself in many roles, including Sesame Street news reporter, The Muppet Show-runner, lead actor in a long list of Muppet films and recipient of numerous honors2 including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
And of course, Kermit is also a musician, most-well-known for his banjo-accompanied classic “Rainbow Connection”:
