Muppet Voice Comparisons - Kermit the Frog!

[lollylopdraws]

i love the muppets and want to give thanks to everyone involved its captured the hearts of my nan as a child my mum as a child and myself as a child keep going guys i wouldnt want my child to miss you guys for the world! xxxx

[NathanF76]

I like Jim's Kermit because it sounds so calm and natural.

[MrCarl220]

Early Kermit voice was kinda cool, he seemed more mellow, then later he was WAY more vibrant!

[bluestingerborg]

I can hear a slight difference in Kermit between Jim and Steve.

[TheSourceForDVDVHS]

At one time, Bill Farmer (better known today as the voice of Goofy) preformed Kermit as Steve was sick.

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@TheSourceForDVDVHS Hmm... I don't know about that. Bill is a voice actor, not a puppeteer. Where did you get that information?

[TheSourceForDVDVHS]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore I saw him in an interview and he brought it up.

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@TheSourceForDVDVHS Well, you must've heard wrong. Its possible that Bill has provided Kermit's voice for an animated project - but he hasn't done the puppetry.

[karim2324]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore actually its true, I learned it in muppet wiki

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@karim2324 Well, perhaps you could send me the link for the page which says that, because I can't seem to find that information anywhere. I've seen all the Muppet productions, and Bill Farmer has never puppeteered Kermit in any of them.

[funkyflyswim]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore actually i just looked it up there is an interview and he has stated he has done kermit before once

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@funkyflyswim Perhaps you'd be so kind as to send me the link for that interview?

[mightyelroy]

A great analysis. Well done. I've watched a few of your vids, and this is by far the best. When Jim passed away, I thought nobody would ever be able to perform Kermit the same way, and while the voices may be different, I think Steve has truly kept the spirit of Jim alive in Kermit.

Oh, and if anyone reading this has not yet seen the new movie, go NOW! It's great!

[AlucardsQuest]

Steve gets better every time I hear his Kermit, if you hear him in the new The Muppets movie, he sounds very close to Jim's Kermit compared to when he first started in the 90s.

[giantsean]

Steve's "Bein' Green" is better than I expected. But God wasn't Jim the greatest.

[bluestingerborg]

@giantsean There will never be another guy like Jim Henson. :(

[ocdrums23]

That last guy sounds like he is trying to hard....

[MollyKoenigStarGleek]

This is wonderfully done! You're right about the speech patterns definitely, Jim's was much more soothing and steady a flow. Steve was Kermit for The Muppets in 2011, right right?

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@MollyKoenigStarGleek Yes, Steve was Kermit in the new movie :) And I think he did a wonderful job!

[Spelunker0211]

I never knew they were so old, wow 70's? Jeepers!

[thekingof8]

I Steve's version. It's new and original at the same time.

[AmericanNudist]

Growing up in the 70s, you get attached to the originals. I guess Whitmire's version was just hard to accept. It's more of a personal thing, I suppose.

[YmustTh3w0rldG0r0und]

oh why did jim have to die :'(

[ioriredeye]

77 Likes, and 7 Dislikes? LOL!!

[Curiositystrikes]

man,it makes u feel real old when u remember the original kermit.....still luv the muppets :D

[enterthedome]

I keep reading "Artie's voice is similar." And yet, his performance was stiff, and there was nothing, apart from the physical appearance, that indicated that this was Kermit, and not some impostor. The voice is not the character. The voice comes after, in most cases with Muppeteering or Puppeteering.

[AmericanNudist]

I stand corrected. I remember reading an article about this ages ago. It was Steve who couldn't sing at first, but I noticed he's gotten better.

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@AmericanNudist I'm not sure understand what you mean by "couldn't sing at first". The first song Steve ever sang as Kermit was "One More Sleep Till Christmas" (part of which is featured in this video) and it sounds pretty darn good.

[enterthedome]

@AmericanNudist I think you're mistaken. Whitmire was in a garage band before he became a puppeteer. He's one of the better Muppeteer singers, in my opinion.

[BJCobbledick]

I don't see the problem guys. Kermit is still great.

[collgoff]

@BJCobbledick I agree!

[beretta03]

at 4:07 what movie is that

[rc100692]

@beretta03 It's a Very Muppet Christmas, from 2002 on NBC, with lots of references to NBC show of that time.

[nickdecarlo76]

Artie sounds more like Jim Henson then Steve does. I think he does a better job.

[kc86er]

...and Artie's Kermit sounds more like Gene Shalit

[kc86er]

Is seems like the older Steve gets, the more closer he sounds to Jim's Kermit.

[bigJJBulldog22]

Thumbs up if your going to see The Muppets Movie on Thanksgiving Day!

[TheaterServant]

I still think with Steve, the voice is of the exact same pitch as Jim

[GBev2K]

Sometimes I think they've worked so hard on getting the voices "right" that they've lost sight of the importance of the material which has been greatly inferior since the death of Jim Henson. They've lost the bulk of their creative spark and charm.

[ChillnVilln557]

artie is too nasel-sounding

[MichaelBrookham]

If you have ever heard Brian Henson's voice (that is Jim's son), he sounds a lot like his father. I think Brian should have done Kermit's voice after his father's death. He probably would have gotten it so right that you could not tell the difference at all. I have to say, though, that Artie did sound more like Kermit than Steve did.

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@MichaelBrookham Yes, I know who Brian Henson is. And he doesn't really have a very flexible voice. True, his voice is similar in tone to his father's, but the pitch is much higher. Personally, I think Steve Whitmire is doing a great job, and I'm glad he was chosen to take on the role.

P.S. there's WAY more to a puppet than just the voice.

[disneyphilip]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore Exactly.

Lots of people don't get that "performance" is more important than a "voice".

Lots of people can imitate a character, but it doesn't mean that they're talented enough to actually take on performing that character.

Steve has made the character his own already and worked with Jim enough to understand where Kermit comes from and get proper insight to take on such a daunting task as continuing such an iconic character.

[AmericanNudist]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore Also, Brian did Kermit in Muppet Christmas Carol and he just can't sing like his dad.

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@AmericanNudist Actually, Brian has never performed Kermit; that was just a rumor.

[MrMetalmanRock]

@MichaelBrookham

Where did you hear Brian's Kermit?

[MichaelBrookham]

@MrMetalmanRock I didn't. But I did hear Brian's voice, and I found he sounded more like his father.

[MrMetalmanRock]

@MichaelBrookham

Do you mean Brian Henson as Kermit, or Brian Henson's own voice?

[antsamthompson9]

@MichaelBrookham Have you ever heard Brian preform the Newsman, one of his father's characters, for the Muppet Show Live? It's nothing like Jim. I suspect it would be the same thing with Kermit. Like MuppetVoices, I prefer Steve's Kermit and Newsman to Artie and Brian's.

[collgoff]

@MichaelBrookham But steve was born to do Kermit and Ernie!

[TheaterServant]

@collgoff Damn right he was. Just check this out:

Characters of Jim Henson's Steve Whitmire has performed once or consistently are:

*Kermit the Frog (1990 - present)

*Ernie (1993 - present)

*The Newsman (2008 - present)

*Link Hogthrob (Muppet RaceMania (2000), (Muppet Party Cruise (2003) & The Muppets (2011))

*Guy Smiley (Sesame Street season 32) (2001)

*Zeke (1979 - ca. 1980s)

*The Swedish Chef (I Love Lucy Movie Mania Screen Test) (1999)

[Rubberman202]

Here's the thing about the performers of the Muppets: the Muppets themselves can live forever, but the people who preform them can't... It's only a matter of time before Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, and others pass on as well. Which is important to train understudies to make sure they sound the part. Here's hoping that the whoever's left continues to bring smiles until then.

[MrMetalmanRock]

Artie Esposito's Kermit sounds more like Jim Henson's.

[enterthedome]

@MrMetalmanRock I disagree. He might have a deeper voice, but Esposito sounds like he's talking with his mouth wide open.

[MrMetalmanRock]

@enterthedome

I don't know.

[janekrahe]

I love watching old interviews of Jim Henson because you can hear the Kermit in his voice, it's awesome.

[Lars99]

I didn't thought there was a third voice to Kermit.

[gleeknews]

can someone tell me. What is the footage from 4:00 to 4:12 ? Is that from the new muppet movie?

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@gleeknews Its from "Its a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)"

[Tenucha]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore Was that Sam the Eagle in that clip?!! He looks so... weird!

[LiLmanzor7]

@gleeknews looks like it.

[superfly299]

I actually think that with more practice, Artie's Kermit could sound more like Jim's than Steve's did. The main thing though is that its really hard to replicate that rubbery quality Jim's Kermit had.

[Daffyfan2006]

@enterthedome

Yeah. I was thinking about that because one day, hopefully not for a long while yet, but there may come a time when Steve may retire from performing Kermit and Artie might perform him on a regular basis. So hopefully he'll get it by the time comes, or they can maybe have someone else take over the role. Again, I'm hoping that's a lot further down the road. Muppet performers are not immortal, so you never know.

[enterthedome]

@Daffyfan2006 Well, maybe not physically. But Jim Henson and Richard Hunt are definitely immortal in other ways. :)

[Daffyfan2006]

@enterthedome

Yeah. That's true. I definitely can't argue there.

[enterthedome]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore Yeah. I'm sure he can get it eventually. Esposito's voice is closer in pitch to Henson's than Whitmire, even though Whitmire does an amazing Kermit.

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@enterthedome Mm-hmm. I'm actually glad that Steve's Kermit isn't EXACTLY like Jim's. I think its good that he gave him some new qualities and such while still keeping him familiar - not just a "stale copy (as stated by Whitmire himself)".

[enterthedome]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore Right. The character needs to grow. Part of what made Kermit Kermit was that he was part of Jim Henson. You can't really recapture that without doing a disservice to the character.

[KenFromBeara]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore whitmire's voice is a little more high pitched than henson's.

[TheaterServant]

@KenFromBeara but still the best voice since henson's

[enterthedome]

Have you noticed that Mr. Whitmire's voice is becoming much more hoarse these days? I hope he's not ill...

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@enterthedome I think its just because he's getting up there in age. Plus, Kermit can be pretty strenuous on the vocal chords...

[shanmer391]

@enterthedome No, probably a cold or something

[GuanoLad]

I reckon Kermit found his stride and permanent voice and personality after the Sesame Street News segments allowed Kermit to loosen up and get excitable, and ad-lib.

[xSteveMovies]

hahahhaha I love whoever made this it's perfect

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@xSteveMovies Well thank you.

[kermit3001]

what about that one guy, Kermit3001, I hear hes pretty good

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@kermit3001 but seriously, some day one of these videos WILL feature you!

[TheaterServant]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore you & me both my friend!!!!

[TheaterServant]

Man in my opinion Artie has a LONG way to go but he's good

[TheaterServant]

JIM HENSON REALLY WAS A SAINT!!!! JIM, THE ENTIRE WORLD OWES YOU SOOO MUCH!!!! THANK YOU!!!! RIP FOREVER!!!!

[lostviewer]

Kermit's new voice and personality isn't as strong-willed as Jim's, almost like he's always talking to the children in the audience. He doesn't hold as much authority as he used to. In a documentary by Jim, Frank and Michael K Frith, they talk about how the puppet needs to be angled outward and not have the puppet sticking straight up. They demonstrated what that'd look like with Kermit, and he looked like a duck. Steve kinda does the duck face at times, and also keeps Kermit's arms too high up.

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@lostviewer Yeah, I know what you mean by the "talking to children" thing. But I grew up watching Steve's Kermit - Muppets Tonight, Christmas Carol, Treasure Island, Muppets From Space, etc. so I'm a big fan of Steve's Kermit. Of course, no one is better than Jim's, but... you know :)

[lostviewer]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore And see, that's what's really cool about these videos. You have people making comparisons based on what characters they grew up with. I was on the tail end of the original Muppet era just before Jim passed so I saw a lot of Muppet Show episodes, and I remember The Jim Henson Hour pretty vividly. But oddly enough, I really love Steve's Beaker. It's pretty cool seeing the different generations making their own observations.

[girlskickballs]

omg he's completely different now.

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@girlskickballs Well, not COMPLETELY different. He's still got a lot of the qualities and mannerisms that Jim Henson gave him originally :)

[disneynut06]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore I completely agree.

It just breaks my heart when people go about bashing Steve's Kermit without thinking.

And contrary to Lostviewer's comment, Steve's Kermit is still just as strong-willed as Jim's and holding as much authority as Jim's. I also can't sense any "always talking to children"-ness in him either.

[animeraingirl]

I've always loved Steve's Kermit(It's the one I've pretty much grown up with, being born in 1994) but I also love Jim's. I've known for a long time that Steve took over after Jim passed, but didn't really notice a difference until I was a little older and more aware of smaller details. (: I agree that Artie's Kermit really needs some fine-tuning and practice. Can't wait for more comparisons!

[NaiTaiDai]

Oooh, that last one sounded really nasal. 

[MuppetVoicesAndMore]

@disneynut06 :)

[antsamthompson9]

@MuppetVoicesAndMore Awesome!

[StarGazerWithDinos]

This made me grin, I love Kermit!

RIP Jim Henson <3

[q0zi]

12Medbe

[supermochachan09]

@q0zi wait... what does 12Medbe have to do with this?? i thought he did wliia vids.

[q0zi]

@supermochachan09 He liked this video.

[supermochachan09]

@q0zi ohh cool :D

[creekstar7]

You know, it's not really how much the voice has changed between the actors (and to me they sound very much alike), but it's how much energy is put into it, like you said in the video.

Even so, if you hadn't told me that Jim Henson die, I probably wouldn't have noticed anything at all. God rest his soul. :'(

[CarlosJulio20]

@creekstar7 you didn't even know that Jim died in 1990?

[creekstar7]

@CarlosJulio20 Well not in 1990 (I was born 3 years later), but I DID know that he died.

I'm just saying if I didn't know, I wouldn't tell the different between the two voice.

[TheaterServant]

@creekstar7 You didn't know that he died?

[creekstar7]

@TheaterServant No, I did know. I'm saying that if I hadn't known he died, I wouldn't have noticed the voices were different... :P

[thecool1168]

good video. thanks