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Kermit the Frog Will Be the University of Maryland's 2025 Commencement Speaker: 'It's Me'
@Source: people.com
University of Maryland graduates are getting a unique sendoff this spring.
The university just announced that this year, graduating students will be visited by none other than Kermit the Frog, who will deliver their commencement speech on Wednesday, May 21. The “world’s most famous amphibian’s” appearance follows his sold-out visit to the College Park campus in the fall.
At the start of the video unveiling the big surprise, the university teased that the speaker had a successful resume and was an international superstar, best-selling author, environmental advocate, Peabody award winner, “amphibitarian” and a “friend to all creatures.”
For anybody who didn't pick up on all the hints, the video concluded with the famous puppet appearing on screen and saying, “Uh, I guess it’s me.”
“Nothing could make these feet happier than to speak at the University of Maryland. I just know the class of 2025 is going to leap into the world and make it a better place, so if a few encouraging words from a frog can help, then I’ll be there!” Kermit added said in a statement provided by the school.
The university noted that the lovable puppet’s appearance “honors the long history between UMD and Muppets creator Jim Henson." Henson, who graduated from UMD in 1960, also has a bronze statue of himself and Kermit in a campus garden outside the student center.
Henson crafted the first version of Kermit from his mother’s old coat and a ping-pong ball cut in half for eyes — and he served as the original voice of Kermit until his death in 1990. When graduation day rolls around, Kermit will be voiced by Matt Vogel, the puppeteer who took over for Steve Whitmire in 2017.
"I am thrilled that our graduates and their families will experience the optimism and insight of the world-renowned Kermit the Frog at such a meaningful time in their lives,” UMD President Darryll J. Pines said in a statement.
“Our pride in Jim Henson knows no bounds, and it is an honor to welcome Kermit the Frog to our campus, 65 years after Mr. Henson graduated from the University of Maryland. I sincerely thank The Muppets Studio, Disney and their creative teams for making this possible," Pines added.
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Although an unexpected speaker, this isn’t Kermit’s first time giving a commencement speech. In 1996, he delivered a commencement address to the graduating class of Southampton College of Long Island University and was awarded an honorary doctorate of amphibious letters degree for his help in raising environmental awareness, per CNN.
“May success and a smile always be yours, even when you’re knee deep in the sticky muck of life,” he said during the 1996 speech, per CNN.
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