Kermit the Frog reveals what you need to do “Before You Leap”

Jim Hill

18 years ago

Yesterday, FraggleFan411 send me the following e-mail:

Oh, come on. It’s been months since you last wrote about the Muppets. Surely Disney must have something in the works for these characters by now. So spill already.

FraggleFan411 —

Actually, I am working on a story about the Mouse’s latest plan for Kermit & Co. The only problem is … That article won’t be ready to run on JHM ’til this coming Monday.

So how’s about this: To hold you over ’til then, why I don’t tell you about this great new Muppet-related book that I recently discovered, “Before You Leap: A Frog’s Eye View of Life’s Greatest Lessons” (Meredith Books, October 2006) ?

Supposedly written by Kermit the Frog himself (Though I suspect that longtime Henson Company writer Jim Lewis may have had a hand in … Well, if not in Kermit himself, then in the creation of this self-improvement book), “Before You Leap” starts off as an affectionate look back at this beloved character’s first 50 years in show business. Starting in 1954, when Kermit first started working with Jim Henson on the “Sam & Friends” show at WRC TV in Washington, D.C.

Looking back on those early days with Jim, Kermit recalls that …

“Although I’m not exactly sure what (Henson) did, whatever it was really moved me. Along with Jane, his wife-to-be, Jim was always ready to lend a hand around the ‘Sam & Friends’ set. Whether it was writing a script, making a prop, or just giving us a lift, Jim was there. But he was more than a handyman. Jim was filled with great ideas and had a remarkable spirit that made you believe that anything was possible. And he wasn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and make it happen.

Jim and I had a relationship that just kept growing over the years. It was as if we were a part of each other, connected at the heart as we went arm in arm through life. Jim believed that anything was possible if you dreamed big enough and worked hard enough.”

The above prose should give you some idea of the style & tone of “Before You Leap.” By that I mean that this book is clever without being cutesy poo. Like the Muppets themselves, this 224-page hardcover is loaded with lots of gentle wit & whimsy.

Anyway, Kermit quickly hops through the high points of his career. His days on “Sesame Street,” the five years that this frog & friends spent in the U.K. making “The Muppet Show.” Followed — of course — by Kermit’s big screen debut in 1979’s “The Muppet Movie.”

As to how the Muppets actually got to make their feature film debut, Kermit remembered that …

” … Hollywood beckoned. Okay, so they didn’t exactly beckon. But they did forget to lock the front gate at the studio. And for us, that was as good as an open invitation to make a movie.

Our biggest problem was coming up with a name for that first film. Many suggestions were test marketed, focus grouped, bandied about, and throttled within an inch of their life by committees. Some of the options included:

‘To Have and Have More’ (Piggy’s favorite)

‘A Long Day’s Journey into Nightclubs’ (Fozzie’s favorite)

‘The Oddfather’ (Gonzo’s favorite)

‘How Green was My Mother’ (My favorite)

Finally after realizing that the audience deserved to know what they were getting into, we decided to be upfront about the whole thing and call it ‘The Muppet Movie.’ We opened to great reviews and the audience showed up in droves — though some took mass transit because droves were hard to drive.”

But there’s more to “Before You Leap” than just a fond look back at Kermit’s career. Over the course of this attractive little self-improvement book, the amiable amphibian also tries to deliver some sage advice.

Take — for example — that chapter with the very familiar sounding title: “When Bad Things Happen to Good Frogs.” Where Kermit tries to put everything in perspective by saying that …

“When people look at my life, they usually focus on the highlights. They see the television shows and the movies that I’ve done, the big stars that I’ve had the opportunity to work with, and all the other trappings that go with living in Hollywood. I guess that’s okay. After all, people like to talk about their accomplishments. We revel in our successes and want the world to know every last detail of our great moments.

But we all know that life is more than an endless series of great moments. Everyone faces setbacks: difficult tasks, disappointing results, and the ocassional karate chop from an angry pig. We wish these things wouldn’t happen, but they do. We wish we could forget all about them, but we can’t. We wish the pig wasn’t so darned good at karate. But she is.”

That’s another charming aspect of “Before You Leap.” In that Kermit uses his relationships with some of the other Muppets to illustrate how readers should go about getting through their day-to-day lives.

If I had to pick my personal favorite part of this book, I’m guessing that I’d go with “Fridays with Fozzie: A Frog, a Bear and Life’s Greatest Lessons.” Where — right in the middle of sharing some of the world’s worst jokes — Kermit talks about how …

“We all don’t have a Fozzie in our lives, and that’s too bad because each of us really needs a Fozzie. We all need someone who believes in us and who believes that, no matter how bad things look at the moment, it will work out for the best. We all need someone who carries around a rubber chicken, a buzzer, and a whoopie cushion, just in case. We all need someone who never, ever gives up — on us, on themselves, and on the dream that maybe this time that old joke will get a laugh. Most of all, we all need someone who needs us just as much as we need him or her.

That’s Fozzie.

So go ahead! Get out there! Even if it’s not Friday, find your own Fozzie. You’ll be very happy you did.”

Because ” … A best friend is someone who makes you laugh, even when the jokes aren’t funny.”

Of course, that’s the real beauty of “Before You Leap: A Frog’s-Eye View of Life’s Greatest Lessons.” Most of the jokes that you’ll find in this book are funny. Take — for instance — the advice that Kermit dispenses to one Muppet fan who needs help multi-tasking. He writes in to say …

“I’m torn between wanting to put in more hours at work and spending more time with my family. What should I do?”

Kermit then comes up with a rather unique solution to this man’s problem:

“I have this same difficulty, which is why I turned to Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, who suggests the Muppet Labs Send-In-the-Clones 3000. It’s fun, efficient, and easy to operate. Just ask Beaker. And Beaker. And Beaker. And Beaker. And Beaker. And Beaker. And Beaker. And Beaker.”

Loaded with light-hearted yet heart-felt advice (Not to mention some amazing photographs. Take — for example — this picture of Kermit dressed like Charlie Chaplin …

… Which is very reminiscent of the over-sized Kermit the Frog statue that still stands watch over the entrance of the Jim Henson Company‘s main production facility [Which — FYI — used to be Chaplin’s old movie studio] on La Brea in Hollywood.) ….

Photo by Nancy Stadler

… “Before You Leap” would make a great graduation gift for any student that you know who will soon be heading out in the world. Who might need to be reminded that …

“You can wake up each morning just trying to get to the end of the day, so you can do everything in your power to make this your best day ever.

You can look around and scratch your head, trying to figure out why you’re surrounded by such a strange menagerie of friends and family, or you can be grateful for every moment you get to spend with them.

It’s up to you.”

Which is pretty good advice. Particularly coming from a frog.

Your thoughts?