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    25 Facts And Tidbits About The Muppets That Might Blow Your Mind

    Kermit was not the first true Muppet "star."

    1. The original Kermit was made out of an old coat that once belonged to Jim Henson’s mother and the eyes were made from ping-pong balls.

    2. Jim Henson first created The Muppets in 1955 for his TV show called Sam and Friends.

    3. According to Jim Henson, the Muppets got their name from a combination between the words “Marionette” and “Puppet.”

    4. Kermit would occasionally don a blond wig to assume a feminine alter ego, Kermina.

    5. The name of The Muppet Show pilot, that aired in 1975, was The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence.

    6. The Muppet Show is not an American show, it's actually British.

    7. Kermit was not the original host of The Muppet Show. Nigel, the orchestra conductor, hosted the "Sex and Violence” pilot. He was dropped because he was deemed "too wimpy" to host the show.

    8. The first Muppet to achieve national stardom was Rowlf the Dog, he was a cast member on The Jimmy Dean Show from 1963 to 1966.

    9. Miss Piggy first appearance was on the Herb Alpert’s 1974 TV special Herb Alpert and the TJB.

    10. According to her puppeteer, Frank Oz, Miss Piggy's had a pretty rough childhood.

    11. Statler and Waldorf are named after two New York City hotels: The Statler Hilton (now the Hotel Pennsylvania) and the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

    12. During it's six year run, no celebrity was allowed to be The Muppet Show more than once.

    13. Guest stars on The Muppet Show could request to appear in a scene with their favorite Muppet. Miss Piggy was the most requested. Animal was a close second.

    14. Gonzo first appearance was as Snarl, the Cigar Box Frackle, in the 1970 TV special The Great Santa Claus Switch .

    15. Animal was inspired by Keith Moon of The Who.

    16. The largest Muppet is Thog, he stands over 9 1/2 feet tall and is 4 feet wide.

    17. Kermit’s version of "Rainbow Connection," from The Muppet Movie, reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1979. It remained in the Top 40 for seven weeks.

    View this video on YouTube

    The song also received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

    18. Miss Piggy’s full name is Miss Piggy Lee.

    19. Almost all the Muppets are left-handed.

    20. Miss Piggy is a New York Times best-selling author.

    21. Before settling Queen’s on "Bohemian Rhapsody,” The Muppets Studios had a long list of possible songs they wanted to perform, they almost considered doing Don McLean's "American Pie.”

    View this video on YouTube

    "Bohemian Rhapsody” was clearly the best choice -- the video won the "Viral Video" award at the 14th Annual Webby Awards.

    22. Fozzie was named after puppet builder Faz Fazakas, who among other things, helped create the mechanism that allowed Fozzie to wiggle his ears.

    23. The idea for the animated series Muppet Babies, came from the dream sequence in the film The Muppets Take Manhattan.

    24. Jim Henson's final performance as Kermit the Frog was on the May 4, 1990, episode of The Arsenio Hall Show.

    View this video on YouTube

    Two weeks later Henson would die from organ failure cause by Streptococcus pyogenes.

    25. Jim Henson reportedly created over 2000 Muppets in his lifetime.

    Facts via: IMDb and Muppet Wiki