Your Monday mote

A word about the lil green frog

Nine years ago, to the day, I found myself sitting in the ‘O’ of the Toronto sign, in (you guessed it) Toronto.

After I saw the photo, it instantly reminded me of the image of Kermit, sitting in the ‘O’ of The Muppet Show.

I put the two images together and posted them on Facebook with the caption: “Going through my photos from Toronto and suddenly life makes perfect sense.”

That photo still cracks me up because as anyone who knows me, knows how much I love Kermit.

From his early days as a roving reporter on Sesame Street, to his life as a showbiz elder statesman, star of the big screen, talk show circuit regular and as Bob Crachit, in A Muppet Christmas Carol, he’s been a constant in my life.

I love that little green frog. He’s just so pure and kind.

When I lived in LA, I used to go out of my way to drive by the Henson Studios, on La Brea, just so that I could salute Kermit who stands atop of the building wearing a top hat and cane.

The lot used to be The Charlie Chaplin Studios, and the famed director/actor shot many of his famous movies there including The Kid, The Gold Rush, Modern Times and The Great Dictator.

I thought The Muppets would be there forever as it’s the sort of building you’d imagine them to be housed in but I’ve just read that the property is on the market.

Apparently, the sale is part of a long-term strategy to have The Jim Henson Company and Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, currently in Burbank, under one roof, which isn’t feasible at the Hollywood location.

So at some point it’ll be curtains for Kermit and his top hat and cane at that location.

Working in Hollywood is not for the faint-hearted. I used to work incredibly long days and was often stuck in traffic and stressed to the max. I was over-stretched, over-caffeinated and generally over it.

But…but…the sight of that tap dancing frog would always brighten my day.

So this is my reminder to you to look for the things that make you smile this week and maybe, if you need to, drive out of your way to find them.

Lisa

By the way, the documentary Jim Henson Idea Man on Disney + is utterly brilliant. I’m a diehard Henson fan and even I learned new things about the man and the world he created.