THE ORIGINAL KERMIT THE FROG DONATED TO THE SMITHSONIAN

THE ORIGINAL KERMIT THE FROG, HIS BODY CREATED WITH AN OLD DULL-GREEN COAT AND HIS EYES MADE OF PING PONG BALLS, HAS RETURNED HOME TO THE NATION'S CAPITAL, WHERE THE PUPPET GOT HIS START. THE FIRST KERMIT CREATION FROM JIM HENSON'S MUPPET'S COLLECTION APPEARED IN 1955 ON THE EARLY TV SHOW "SAM AND FRIENDS", PRODUCED AT WASHINGTON'S WRC-TV. HENSON'S WIDOW JANE HENSON ON WEDNESDAY DONATED 10 CHARACTERS FROM THE SHOW TO THE SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY. SHE SAID THE ORIGINAL CHARACTERS PROVIDED FIVE MINUTES OF FUN EACH NIGHT AFTER THE LOCAL NEWS. THE SMITHSONIAN ALREADY HAS A FAMILIAR KERMIT THE FROG PUPPET MADE FAMOUS ON 'SESAME STREET' AND 'THE MUPPET SHOW'. BUT THE ORIGINAL KERMIT WAS MORE LIZARD-LIKE, AND A DULLER GREEN. HIS BODY WAS MADE FROM AN OLD COAT THROWN OUT BY HENSON'S MOTHER. SOME OF THE OTHER EARLY , PUPPETS DONATED TO THE MUSEUM INCLUDE THE PUPPETS THAT INSPIRED COOKIE MONSTER AND OSCAR THE GROUCH, AS WELL AS SAM FROM 'SAM AND FRIENDS'. THE GROUP INCLUDES HANSON'S OLDEST SURVIVING PUPPET, PIERRE THE FRENCH RAT. THE PUPPETS MOSTLY MIMED ON THE SHOW AND WOULD LIP-SYNC TO POPULAR MUSIC. THEIR FIRST HIT WAS 'I'VE GROWN ACCUSTOMED TO YOUR FACE', BY ROSEMARY CLOONEY. DONNING A WIG, KERMIT TOOK THE LEAD AS 'KERMINA', JANE HENSON SAID. IN 1969, KERMIT MADE IT BIG AND JOINED 'SESAME STREET'. THE MUSEUM WILL HAVE THE ORIGINAL MUPPETS ON DISPLAY BY NOVEMBER IN THE POP CULTURE GALLERY.