

When The Muppet Show was in development, Kermit was not intended to be the main character. In later years, his identity as a frog was asserted in 1968 followed by a redesign that made his appearance closer to one. He had no collar or tongue and his feet were round. In this iteration, he was a lizard-like, abstract creature. The "early" version of Kermit first debuted in 1955 on Jim Henson's Sam and Friends puppet show. However, he actually has gotten jealous of male guest stars that she liked and also performed a few duets and danced with her. In The Muppet Show, he was often pursued by her, who made no secret of her love for him, but he generally rebuffed her advances. Kermit's relationship with Miss Piggy is a recurring storyline in the Muppets franchise, although Kermit insists that they have a "professional relationship". In other materials, Kermit is presented as having a friendship and partnership with his original puppeteer Jim Henson and credits Henson as being the individual to whom he owes his fame.

Together, they were given a standard "rich and famous" contract by Lew Lord of Wide World Studios and began their careers. In The Muppet Movie, he was inspired to head to Hollywood, encountering the rest of the Muppets along the way. In The Muppets at Walt Disney World, it was revealed that the swamp he grew up in is located just outside of Walt Disney World. Kermit grew up with thousands of siblings in a swamp.
