Kermit the Frog knows it’s not easy being green – or graduating from college and plunging into an adult world in tumult, where political turmoil, economic uncertainty and international wars rage.
So the amphibious Muppet was at pains to encourage students in the graduating class of 2025 at the University of Maryland, where the Muppets’ creator is an alumnus, as he delivered the ker-mencement speech on Thursday evening.
As graduates received their diplomas Kermit urged them to hop thoughtfully from their academic pond into the great lake of society.
“As you prepare to take this big leap into real life, here’s a little advice – if you’re willing to listen to a frog,” the persistently kind and optimistic Muppet character said.
“Rather than jumping over someone to get what you want, consider reaching out your hand and taking the leap side by side, because life is better when we leap together,” Kermit advised.
The frog said that “in the swamp” he had a cousin who “used your head like a lily pad” as a stepping stone to get ahead.
“You have been told that’s how you succeed and some choose to believe it but I know it’s wrong,” he said, to applause from the sea of young people in their graduation robes.
The university announced in March that Kermit, who was created in 1955 and became the centerpiece of the Muppets franchise, would be this year’s commencement speaker. He is also no stranger to the school.
The Muppets creator Jim Henson graduated from Maryland in 1960. A home economics major, he fashioned the original frog puppet from one of his mother’s coats and a ping-pong ball cut in half, according to a statement from the university. Henson died in 1990.
A bronze statue of Henson and Kermit sitting on a bench is a well-known feature of the university’s campus in College Park.
In a video announcing the speaker pick, Kermit is described as an environmental advocate, a bestselling author, an international superstar and a champion of creativity, kindness and believing in the impossible.
His speaker bio calls him “a star of stage, screen and swamp” whose simple mission is to “sing and dance and make people happy”.
Kermit began, to cheers from the crowd, with: “You are all here to listen to a frog in a very tiny cap and gown,” and encouraged the students to “find your people” as well as make connections.
“What is unique about you should always be shared, that’s why I hang out with a bear, a pig, a penguin, a prawn and whatever Gonzo is,” the puppet said, invoking other Muppets characters such as Fozzie and Miss Piggy.
“My whole life I have tried to accept people for who they are,” he said.
The university’s president, Darryll Pines, called Kermit “world-renowned” and praised his insights on life.
Associated Press contributed reporting
