REPTILE PUPPETS

  Barney the Dinosaur - Magical prehistoric host of BARNEY & FRIENDS/PBS/1991+, an educational series aimed at preschoolers that was the No. 2 PBS kids' show behind the perennial SESAME STREET. With the inspiration and guidance of the six-foot tall, purple dinosaur (voice provided by Bob West), this sing-along, dance-along, play-along and learn-along children's program encouraged youngsters to be creative and be happy. Created by former Dallas schoolteacher Sheryl Stamps Leach, Barney the Dinosaur debuted in the well received 1988 home video series Barney And The Backyard Gang. Barney's theme song (slowly sung to the tune of "This Old Man") communicated the sweet sentiment "I love you/You love me/We're a happy family/With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you/Won't you say you love me too?" Although many children loved the show, it drove some adults a little crazy. Late night talk show host David Letterman compiled the "Top 10 Horrifying Secrets of Barney the Dinosaur" which included news of an indecent proposal Barney allegedly made: "Offered Fred Flintstone $1 million for one night with Dino." An excerpt from the May 3, 1993 issue of The New Yorker relayed the story of a "serenely good-natured mother of a four-year-old girl (who) made a confession in midtown Manhattan: 'I bought the Barney book...I read it to my daughter in the Barney voice. My husband looked at me with mistrust...but I did it'." Afterwards she concluded I wish I could shoot Barney." The plot line of a 1993 issue of Cracked Monster Party, a $1.75 Mad-style satire magazine featured the segment "Barney Goes to Jurassic Park" where Barney gets stomped, chomped and blown away by security guards. And to add insult to injury three boys (10, 11 and 12 years old) pummeled and attacked, a Barney the Dinosaur impersonator at a K-Mart grand opening in Galveston, Texas in 1993. Municipal Judge Thomas Youngblood, Jr. scolded the boys; gave the youngsters until their 17th birthday to pay the fines ($200 each) or risk arrest; ordered them to keep a curfew of 6:00 PM; and instructed them to stop hanging out with each other. Psst!, the guy inside the Barney suit is David Joyner.    

    Budweiser Frogs - In the 1990s Budweiser beer introduced three croaking swamp frogs who snatched containers of Budweiser beer by zapping them with their sticky tongues or by enlisting an alligator in their plan to liberate a case of beer from a nearby cabin. Each frog croaked a single syllable that together spelled out "Bud-weis-er." The initial frog campaign  was criticized because some felt the alcohol ads were targeted at kids. Anheuser-Busch denied the allegations. In 1998 during Super Bowl XXXII ad spots "Budweiser's Bad Day To Be A Frog" (created by Goodby,  Silverstein and Partners) Budweiser introduced Louie and Frank, the Budweiser Lizards, a pair of green-with-envy speaking lizards who contemplated rubbing out their amphibian competitors. The 1999 Super Bowl XXXIII continued the frog-hating adventures of Louie & Frank in a series of three ads spots, one of which showed the frogs "literally" giving Louie the lizard a tongue lashing (as payback for the lizards plan to electrocute the frogs).  Frank and Louie later  teamed with a ferret who communicated in short, muffled squeaks.    

    Froggie the Gremlin - Wide-eyed puppet frog on the children's storytelling program called SMILIN' ED'S GANG/NBC/CBS/ABC/1951-55. Froggie (voice of Ed McConnell, Arch Presby & Frank Ferrin) was a mischievous, wise-cracking little frog puppet who dressed in a tuxedo jacket and bow-tie. He delighted and perplexed the show's host Ed McConnell and later Andy Devine on ANDY'S GANG/NBC/1955. He appeared each week in a puff of smoke saying "Hi ya kids, hi ya, hi ya, hi ya!" after Smilin' Ed said "Now Froggie, you better become visible. Plunk your magic twanger, Froggie." On the later spinoff series, host Andy Devine summoned Froggie by saying "North or south, east or west, wherever you are, Froggie the Gremlin, we want you to become visible. Plunk your magic twanger, Froggie!" 

    Kermit T. Frog - Muppet frog on the PBS children's series SESAME STREET and later the star of the musical variety program THE MUPPETS/SYN/1976-81. Kermit T. Frog (voice of Jim Henson) is a simple, honest frog from the swamps of Georgia who came to Hollywood to seek his fortune. His girlfriend is Miss Piggy (voice of Frank Oz), a determined young swine who hopes one day she and her little "Kermie" will be wed (whether Kermit liked it or not). Measuring two-feet tall from head to toe, Kermit is a basic hand puppet with rod controls for arm and leg movements. Henson's right hand fitted inside Kermit's head. The first Kermit puppet was made from cloth from an old green coat owned by his mother and some ping-pong balls used for eyes. The Kermit character first appeared in 1956 on a local Washington, D.C. program called SAM & FRIENDS, created by Jim Henson and his wife, Jane Nebel. In 1957 he starred in a commercial spot entitled "Cannon Shot" created by the M. Belmont ver Standig Inc. ad agency for the Wilkins Instant Coffee. Kermit also appeared as a roving frog reporter "Hi, ho, Kermit the Frog here" on skits performed on the children's program SESAME STREET/PBS/1969+; on guest appearances on the TODAY program; and as part of the original line-up on NBC's SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE when it premiered on October 11, 1975. Kermit really made it big when he starred as the master of ceremonies of the variety program THE MUPPET SHOW/SYN/1976-81 where he was the calm amidst the storm of a number of crazy creatures. He later starred in a series of successful muppet movies beginning  with The Muppet Movie (1979), when Kermit left his home in Georgia to find fame in the glittering town of Hollywood. The song "Rainbow Connection" (sung by Kermit) from the same movie became a popular hit record. Sequel movies included The Great Muppet Caper (1981) and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) when Kermit married Miss Piggy. The Saturday morning cartoon series THE MUPPET BABIES/CBS/1984-92 featured Kermit as very young frog in a nursery filled with other muppet babies supervised by a nanny. The original voice of Kermit was laid to rest with the death of his creator, Jim Henson who died of complication due to pneumonia in May 16, 1990. Kermit the Frog later appeared on the July, 1990 cover of Life magazine. In 1992 Pocket Books published Kermit's first book for adults entitled One Frog Can Make A Difference: Kermit's Guide To Life In The '90s, with chapters like "I'm Okay, You're a Pig" and "Frogs Who Hop With Women Who Run With Wolves But Can't Keep Up." TRIVIA NOTE: On a 1998 "In the year 2000" comedy skit on LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN, Conan prophesied "In the year 2000 after 23 years, Kermit the Frog will leave Miss Piggy when he converts to Judaism and can no longer eat pork." 

   

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